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Instinctively, I crouched and curled my fingers into the ground, listening acutely for each step and every rustle. Even the sound of the wind blocked in an area told me their exact locations. Their short, shallow breaths told me they were small in stature. Their quick footsteps showed me they were fast, but were they fast enough?
My lips curled at the corners as something animalistic in me took over. I showed my teeth, my fingers shaking at the excitement pulsating in my bones. They were close. I scratched the ground, alerting them to my position. Delight hiccupped their next breaths, and they darted in my direction. On all fours, I watched the crops around me with bulging eyes. Three seconds later, the crops opened, and I stared slack-jawed. Every instinct to hunt, to fight, dissolved. Two little girls, twins it seemed, stared at me with hollow eyes and sad expressions. Their long hair hung to around their waists, over off-white dresses. On their feet were white shoes with pink bows.
“Will you play with us?” they asked in echoed unison.
I stood and stepped back. The way they moved seemed… disjointed. Inhumanly. If they were in the underworld, then they weren’t alive.
One of the girls held out her hand.
I shook my head. “No.”
Her sad expression contorted, fury spilling through her soft features. I stepped back when she stepped forward. Her voice deepened too low for it to belong to a little girl. “You will play with us.”
Their eyes hollowed to a deep matte black, void of emotion.
One rushed me at a speed half of mine. With a flick of my wrist, she twirled and flung through the air, then landed on her back. She stood and let out a low growl. They both ran at me. I extended my arms, lowering myself to their level, and held my fingers out to reach their tiny necks. I grabbed them both by their throats and flung them back through the crops with a skull-crunching thud.
I heard movement behind me. Turning, I looked out past the crop field and saw Raiden standing, hands in his pockets, on a slight hill.
I ran toward him, looking back over my shoulder at the crop field. “That was insane.”
His hard tone sent goose bumps along my skin. “What the fuck, Elle?” He grabbed my arm, and my wrist turned under his strong grip. “You’re indestructible. Did you even feel that?”
My eyebrows pinched downward. “Was it supposed to hurt?”
“Yes.” He let out a low growl. “What did you do?”
I closed my eyes briefly. How could I tell him I’d taken his sister’s place? That I’d pulled a Freya, in a way.
He took my hands in his, his gaze burning into mine. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing here?” He ran his finger along my arm but stopped at my collar bone. “Lucius is still here. This is his domain.”
My eyebrows furrowed. “Aren’t you—wait, what?”
“Get out of here, Elle. This isn’t the time to be a hero.”
I swallowed thickly. “You’re upset because I’m in the underworld?”
“Yes.”
“Not that I’m a goddess?”
His jaw clenched. “I’m not happy about it, but I assume it means you killed Freya.”
“I’m sorry.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Why are you sorry?” His lips parted, knowing flashing in his eyes. “You think I’m upset because of Leda.”
I looked to my left, then back at him. “Well, yes.”
“If you managed to kill her, then it means you were in danger and took the chance. I’m not mad because of that. I’m upset you’ve been forced into immortality, but mostly I’m angry because you came down here when—” A thunderous boom halted his next words. “It’s Lucius.”
My brain faltered. “You’re not going to kill me then?”
He grabbed my hands in his, intensity rippling through our touch. “Elle, I would never, ever hurt you. Did you really think I would?”
His pained gaze shot through my chest. “It’s your sister,” I explained. “I know you want her to come back to our world.”
“I’m not thinking that far ahead.” A muscle in his jaw ticked. “You need to get out of here. Go back to Istinia. Aziel is coming, and Lucius isn’t far behind. If he sees you here, he’ll try to kill you. He’ll know you’re a goddess.”
