Page 93 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
‘I want to know where my real mother is.’
The air in the throne room went utterly still, as though even the shadows had stopped breathing.
‘I do not possess that knowledge,’ Persephone said at last.
‘No. Perhaps not.’ Eris’ smile sharpened. She tilted her head towards Thanatos. ‘But he does. He has always known where our mother is and has never told me. Why do you think I resent him somuch?’
‘I never told you for her sake,’ Thanatos replied evenly. ‘You would hurt her.’
He stood there in black so absolute it seemed to swallow the light around him, darker even than the night itself. Eris felt the familiar urge coil in her chest to grab him, to drive her hands into his body and tear out his heart just to see what would happen. She knew it no longer beat, not since he had become Death incarnate, but the desire remained. She wanted to taste it, to devour it, to make it part of herself.
‘She deserves to be hurt.’
‘She doesn’t—’
‘She abandoned us!’ Eris screamed, her voice tearing through the chamber. Her eyes burnt with fury as she swung back towards Persephone. ‘Make him tell me. You can command him. Force him to speak.’
‘I don’t…’ Persephone faltered, her stare darting between Eris and Thanatos, uncertainty tightening her features.
‘You owe me,’ Eris snarled. ‘You want me to bring you Mal Blackburn’s child? Then force him.’
‘You have not yet fulfilled your end of the bargain,’ Persephone replied, leaning back against her throne. Gods, how Eris longed to rip her from that seat, to remind her how fragile safety truly was. ‘Bring me the child, and then Thanatos will tell you.’
Thanatos spun sharply, his dark eyes widening. ‘You cannot do that.’
‘Yes, I can,’ Persephone said, her voice hard as obsidian. ‘I am queen, and you are bound to me, whether you wish it or not.’
Eris laughed softly, a sound edged with impatience. She would not wait that long. Stepping forward, she let her eyes slide to Zagreus, who had remained silent throughout, watching everything with careful, restrained intensity.
‘Force him now,’ Eris said, her voice smooth and razor-sharp all at once. ‘And I will marry Zagreus. I will bind our bloodlines together. I will bear his child. But I want to knownowwhere my mother is.’
Thanatos did not look at her. His attention remained fixed on Persephone, a silent plea written in every rigid line of his body. He did not need to speak it aloud. Eris already knew the answer.
Persephone would do it.
The offer was far too tempting.
Eris did not spare Zagreus a glance as he turned on his heel and strode from the throne room, the enormous white wolf padding after him without hesitation. He did not look back.
‘Tell her,’ Persephone commanded, her voice shifting. It was no longer merely her own, but layered with the will of the Underworld itself.
The command struck like a hammer.
Thanatos fell to his knees.
He fought it. Gods, how he fought it, but the realm tightened its grip, dragging obedience from him bone by bone. Eris approached slowly, savouring every step, until she stood before him. She slid her fingers into the pale strands of his hair and yanked his head back, forcing his dark eyes to meet hers.
‘Tell her!’ Persephone roared.
Thanatos convulsed beneath the pressure. Black blood spilt from his eyes, streaking down his cheeks like ink, and Eris laughed softly as she bent down and licked it away, delighted by his suffering.
‘Don’t resist, brother,’ she whispered into his ear, her breath warm, intimate. ‘Tell me where our mother is hiding.’
He shook his head.
The Underworld struck again.
Thanatos gasped, his body arching as the command crusheddown harder, relentless and unforgiving. His resistance fractured, splintered…
