Chapter 52

A blade stuck through the center of Aidoneus’ throat. Blood poured from the wound, dripped from the corner of his lips, and she could hear his gasping breaths through the hole. Kore shrieked in pain and fear and fury as her love crumbled to the ground, arms still wrapped around her.

Standing above her was a dark shadow. “Hello, goddess,” someone sneered in a low resonant voice. She squinted against the sunlight, the features of the person above her coming into view. A man with thick brown hair glowered down at her, whiskey-colored eyes filled with a killing rage, blood streaked down his throat, coating his hands. That one small detail, more than any of the sounds raging around her, brought her back to herself, jolting her out of her almost catatonic state.

Kore screamed, a wordless, throat-rending sound, releasing a blast of magic that threw him across the battlefield. Or that should have thrown him across the battlefield. Instead, the man—Aidoneus’ murderer—merely stumbled back several feet before falling in an ungainly heap. But Kore paid him no mind, instead rolling Aidoneus to the ground and gathering her husband to her chest. “My love,” she crooned, sweeping his coal-black hair back from his face. His eyes, beautiful emeralds that saw everything, were dull. Not lifeless yet but cloudy and unfocused. Tears fell down her face. He couldn’t die. “It’s alright, my love, we’ll fix this.”

Even aspirating on his own blood, Aidoneus was still somehow able to give her a dubious look. “I’m… sorry,” he gasped out, blood bubbling from the gaping hole in his throat. “Love… ”

“Don’t you dare pretend like this is the bloody end,” Kore swore at him. “You promised me lifetimes together, Aidoneus, and I want every single one of them. You’re not allowed to leave me.”

His lips turned up at the corners. “Not… even… you… cheat death.” He could barely manage the air necessary to force the words out of his mouth. Cupping her cheek, Aidoneus pulled her close. “Love… you… ” He barely managed to get the last word out before he let out a final rattling wheeze, and his hand fell limply to the ground.

“Aidoneus, no!” Kore wept, tears falling from her eyes so thickly that she could barely see him. Thorned plants sprang around them, clustered around the goddess of flowers and lady of the Underworld, as her tears struck the ground. He couldn’t be dead. No. She wouldn’t fucking let him die. What was the point of being the queen of the thrice-damned Underworld if she couldn’t bring him back.

Gathering magic, she thought through the spells she could cast that would revive Aidoneus. If she knew where his soul was in the Underworld, she could retrieve it; these days, though, with the shades escaped, they were more focused on returning the escapees to the Underworld than actually organizing it.

Too busy cycling through the magic available to her, Kore didn’t hear the near-silent footsteps behind her, the quiet ring of metal through the air, until it was too late. Until a scythe was protruding from her chest. She stared stupidly at it, barely able to comprehend what had happened, even as blood wept out around the steel. Her heart was stuttering in her chest, and she knew, with absolute certainty, that she was nearing her own death. No. This is not how we end, Kore thought ferociously.

Swiping her hand through Aidoneus’ blood, knowing she had only seconds left, she drew a halfhearted binding spell around the two of them before placing her hand on her husband's chest, chanting ancient words, a legendary curse built on blood and magic that would strip them of their memories and magic, transitioning back to their native tongue when she felt the last of her strength draining from her. Thunder rattled and lightning struck around them as she murmured, “We will return, my love” and fell to Aidoneus’ chest with a final gasp.

Evie

Private Jet, Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean

Evie woke to deep gasping sobs. In that in-between state of waking and sleeping, it took her long enough to recognize that she was the one weeping for Cole to recognize what was happening, chuck his laptop to the floor, and pull her into his arms.

“Shh, Angel, it’s okay,” he murmured, rubbing his hands along her back. She inhaled deeply with each stroke of his palm, slowly calming as she breathed in his scent, all while Cole kept up a constant refrain of, “You’re okay, you’re safe,” in her ear. Eventually, once her breathing had evened out, Cole leaned back against the headboard, peering down at her through… glasses?

“You wear glasses?” Evie blurted out, unable to stop herself.

At the unexpected questions, Cole’s lips tilted into a subtle smile at odds with his furrowed brow. “Yep. That’s what we gonna focus on then, huh, Angel?”

She wasn’t aware that glasses were sexy until Cole was wearing them. “I… they look… I wasn’t expecting them.”

The slight smile had morphed into a full-fledged grin. “It’s okay you think I’m hot. I would be worried if you didn’t.”

An inelegant snort escaped her. “Cute.”

“I know I’m cute, sweetheart, and you definitely think so too if the way you were begging for me a few hours ago is any indication.” That stupid blush crept back over her cheekbones, and Cole kissed her forehead gently. “Now. You ready to talk about why you woke up in tears?”

Evie shrugged, not wanting to be thrown back into the hellscape of her dream. “I had a nightmare, and it… ” She bit down on her lower lip to avoid potentially crying again. In that sun-bleached reality, she felt so hopeless. Could do nothing as Aidoneus died in her arms. “It felt so real.”

“Not to freak you out or anything, but it’s possible it was real,” Cole reminded her softly as he tugged her lip free from where she was worrying it between her teeth. “What was it about?”

“You were—no, that’s not right—he was. He looks so much like you.” Her voice broke on an errant sob, but she swallowed it down and continued. “I saw Aidoneus get stabbed. Felt him die in my arms.”

“Angel, I don’t want to minimize the experience because obviously it was traumatizing as fuck, but you were seeing through Kore’s eyes.” As her mouth opened to respond, he held up a hand to stall her. “I know because I had that same nightmare when I was about 15. When I woke up, I couldn't believe that I was still alive. I kept feeling for a stab wound in my throat. I could feel that sucking, gasping rattle whenever I tried to breathe. The only reasons I didn’t go crazy were, first off, knowing it was Aidoneus who died and not me. Second off, this feisty, red-haired fantasy of mine kept showing up in my dreams and keeping me company.”

In spite of the grim topic, Evie felt happiness teasing the corners of her lips up at the reminder that she had been with Cole for most of his life. Just like he had been with her. She was about to suggest they get dressed when she gasped suddenly. “Oh, but you wouldn’t remember this!”

Cole’s eyebrows popped up at her excitement.

“I saw who killed you. Him. Her. Them. Kore and Aidoneus. I saw who killed them.” She was breathless at the realization. “Aidoneus never saw him because he was dead. But Kore saw him.” Another gasp escaped her. “And I heard the curse. Your family never had that information, right?” At Cole’s head shake, Evie bolted upright. “It was an accident.”

“What?”

“The curse… it was technically an accident! She was just guessing when she cast it. She knew how to disembody memories and powers but was just guessing that she could push them through time to a future couple. Witches typically can’t bend the future like that. Best bet is that she inadvertently put their memories and powers on ice for a little while. But she had no idea what she was doing plus she was, y’know, dying when she cast the spell so she couldn’t force the future couple to actually be Kore and Aidoneus, even though that’s what I think she wanted to do.”

“So it’s really just you and me with some long memories and crazy power,” Cole finished, eyes lit with excitement and magic. In the darkness of the room, they were almost hypnotic. She couldn’t tear her own gaze from them, even as she nodded back at him, confirming what the two of them already knew: their love was real and about them as Cole and Evie. Fated? Perhaps. But still separate and distinct from Kore and Aideoneus’ own love story.

Cole tilted his head down. “I love you, Angel. For you and only you.”

Evie swiveled in his lap, her knees landing on either side of his hips, and cupped her hands around his face. “I love you, Cole Aidoneus.”

With an almost shy grin on his face, he kissed her insistently, tilting her head back so he could part her lips with his tongue and take what they both knew was his. Had known was his since they were young, since the moment they met in person, since the moment he abducted her, in a million moments over the course of their lives—not Aidoneus and Kore's—all of which proclaimed that they were meant for each other.

Seeing that they were still undressed from when Cole stripped them getting into bed, Evie was already able to grind down on him, her hips rocking desperately. “Please, Cole,” she gasped.

“Fuck, Angel, I love it when you beg, but I’ve got something to ask you first.”

“Does it have to be now?” She could hear the whiney note in her voice but didn’t care. All she knew was that she needed him inside her. Now. Everything else could wait.

With a groan, Cole shifted her off his lap onto the unmade bed. She pouted at him when he stood, scowling when she heard the muffled laugh as he grabbed something off the floor. He finally turned, pants in hand.

She raised a skeptical eyebrow at his offering. “I was naked in your lap, and you needed pants?”

“Fuckin’ brat,” came his fond response before he crawled back into bed and situated her back onto his lap. “You gonna keep up the sass or you gonna let me ask my sweet witch to be my sweet wife?”

“I’m absolutely going to keep up th—” Evie’s voice trailed off, her mouth dropping. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“There it is. I was wondering when you would catch up.”

“Wait. Did you—”

“Ask you to marry me? Yeah, I did. Well, technically, I implied that I was about to. Haven’t quite gotten around to asking yet, though.”

Evie pursed her lips. “I’ve been led to understand that proposals involve getting down on one knee and a ring. Plus, y’know, actually asking me whether I’ll marry you.”

Cole tugged a small velvet box out of his pants pocket and tossed them back to the floor. “You mean like this ring?” Flipping open the box lid, he showed her the ring nestled into the lining: a beautiful purple-blue stone sat nestled at the center of a dark gold band, bordered by tiny metallic leaves with gems set along the veins. The beautiful jewels glittered, even in the dimness of the bedroom, and she gently touched the leaves before shifting her gaze back up to Cole. “It was my mother’s ring. She and my dad… well, he would have destroyed the world for her, and she would have killed for him. When Charlie gave it to me, he told me that he promised my dad he would give it to me only when I found the person who makes me feel the same way Dad did about Maman ."

“We’ve already figured out I’m a little bit willing to abduct you to keep you.” At her giggle, he gave her a self-deprecating smirk. “And that I would happily burn the world for you.” She gasped, but his face clouded in confusion at the sound. “We don’t have to actually get married if you don’t want to, but I—”

“Wait,” Evie cut in, confused by the sudden hurt in his eyes. “You don’t want to marry me?”

“Of course I want to fucking marry you. You seemed put off by the idea. Why else would you gasp like that? I want you to be happy, Angel, whatever it takes.”

“You’re an idiot, Cole Aidoneus. I gasped because I'm excited and happy.” Her words were harsh, but her tone was fond. “Of course I want to marry you, you beautiful man. Now keep telling me how much you love me, or I’ll think you forgot your words, which would be an absolute shame since that’s what you do for a living.”

Cole pinched her butt, smirking at her resulting yelp. “I love you so fucking much, Angel. You’re everything good about me. I know I don’t deserve you, but, selfishly, I need you to be with me. In my life, badgering me, bratting at me, making every day better just by being with me. You’ve been my everything since I was twelve, and I didn’t even know you were real then. Now I have you for real, and I can’t—I won’t—let you go. Angel, ma belle petite sorcière , will you marry me?”

Tears were pouring down her face again, falling from her chin as she nodded. At least this time it was happy crying? She supposed that made it better. “Yeah. Yes, I’ll be your wife, my love. You are my whole world, and I love you so much.” Evie barely noticed him sliding the ring onto her finger because she was already wrapping herself around him, rocking against him hungrily.

As soon as the ring was settled on her finger, Cole was like a man possessed, rolling her to her back, one hand grasping her hair so he controlled every motion of her head. “Gods, I fucking love you, Angel,” he snarled into her ear. Evie gasped, grinding against him, but he shifted away to kneel in front of her, lazily stroking his hard cock while his eyes glowed down at her. “Now show me how much my fiancée needs me to fuck her.”

With a moan, Evie spread her legs open.

“Good girl,” Cole purred, but his voice dropped an octave when she stroked her hand down her body to splay open her lips, revealing herself to be dripping for him. “Goddamn, that's my dirty little witch.” His voice was a gravelly growl as she swiped a finger down across herself, sighing in pleasure as she did so. She was just about to drive two fingers into her pussy when Cole forced her hand to his mouth, licking her fingers. “You taste so fucking good, Angel, and, god, do I want to eat you until you’re coming all over my fucking face, but I need to be inside you right now.”

Evie was practically panting the word “yes” at him by the time Cole lined up at her entrance and thrust deep. She let out a small scream of joy.

“You feel so fucking good, mon petit ange .” He lifted his head from where it had dropped against her shoulder then grabbed her hands and bracketed them in place against the pillow. With a quick grin, he drew a few symbols across the skin of her wrist before lifting his hands from her arms and drawing his hips back until he was only just inside her.

“Gods, no, please, Cole, please don’t stop.” Her words were high-pitched, her tone pleading. She was so empty and aching without him filling her with his thick cock, that piercing at the tip rubbing against her perfectly. Evie tried to reach out to stop him, to pull him back, but her hands wouldn’t move. Glancing up, she tried again.

As her lust-soaked brain tried to make sense of it all, Cole slid out of her fully and bent her leg up and out to the side. This time, she felt the tingle of magic in the air as he drew a ward on her ankle and knee, locking her leg in place against the bed. “Are you warding me?”

“Yep.” His response was quick, his expression gleeful. “You get one leg free to wrap around my waist while I fuck you until you come so hard you black out, but everything else is mine to move as I see fit. Do you understand, little witch?”

Her pussy clenched on air at the change in his tone. From boyish to dominant in seconds, and all she could do was get wetter with each order. “Yes, sir,” she murmured.

“You’re beautiful when you beg, but you’re so fucking perfect when you submit to me.” He was tracing his fingers over her body when his cell vibrated on the nightstand next to them. Cole ended the call without sparing a glance at his phone, taking her nipple into his mouth with his free hand.

Cole was lining himself up with her entrance again, her free leg wrapped around his waist when a quiet knock sounded at the door. Shaking his head, he pushed his hips forward, the tip of his hard length sliding into her.

A low moan slid out of her. Evie wriggled against him, trying to get him to go deeper. “Please, sir.”

“I know how badly you want my—” His dark chuckle was cut off by a more insistent second knock.

“Mr. and Ms. Aidoneus?” The flight attendant’s voice carried to them through the door.

“Ms. Aidoneus, hmm?” She glanced up at Cole through lowered eyelashes.

His shoulder lifted in a shrug. “It was gonna happen sooner or later. I wanted to hear it sooner rather than later.”

“Gods, Cole.” Sweet Selene, she loved the idea of having his last name. After a lifetime of feeling like she didn’t belong anywhere, Cole made her feel like she was finally home. She lifted her hips into him again, this time managing to take him slightly deeper. Moaning, she pressed her leg against his back.

“Maybe if we ignore her, she’ll leave?” Cole mused as he punched his hips forward, bottoming out inside of her. A low cry left her at the same time a feral groan emerged from him. “That’s right, witchling, you take me so—”

A third knock—this time closer to a full knuckle strike against the door—sounded. When the flight attendant spoke again, her words were clipped and closer to an annoyed shout than the civilized tone she had used before. “We’re preparing for landing now. The pilot has requested that the two of you take your seats.” She paused a beat. “I know neither of you are interested in coming out now, but the pilot says we’ll lose our landing slot if we wait, and we don’t have enough fuel to keep circling until they have another space available.”

Cole glared over his shoulder at the door.

“I’m sorry, Mr. and Ms. Aidoneus, I can't leave until this door opens.”

With a groan from him and a grumpy whine from Evie, Cole dragged himself out of her and reached for his pants. “Fine,” he snarled loudly enough that the flight attendant could hear him. More softly, he said to Evie as he inverted the wards, releasing her from the bed, “Time to get dressed, Angel.” Lifting her to her feet, he dropped his mouth over hers, his kiss bruising in its intensity. “I’ll make this up to you soon.”