Page 40 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
Persephone rolled her eyes. ‘This is how gods secure power. You know this.’
‘And I refuse to play such games. I will not marry her.’
‘Why?’ Persephone leaned forward, her gaze piercing. ‘Explain yourself to me, my son.’
Zagreus’ face hardened, anger carving itself into his features. ‘I owe you no explanation nor your servants. I will not be a piece on your board.’
‘I am your queen!’ Persephone shrieked, her voice twisting into something dark and venomous, her composure shattering in an instant. Kage lifted a brow from his hiding place, startled by the sudden shift, by the raw loss of control. ‘I could force you to marry her. I rule the Underworld. I couldmakeyou.’
Zagreus’ lip curled in open disgust. ‘Then try. Force me.’
They stood locked in opposition, mother and son glaring across the space between them. Persephone unravelled by a love that demanded obedience, by a child who refused to bend. Zagreus stood unmoved, worn down by manipulation he no longer tolerated.
From the shadows, Kage watched them both.
And though he despised gods as a rule, he felt a flicker of pity.
Almost.
‘We would grow more powerful,’ Persephone insisted.
‘I have no interest in power,’ Zagreus replied, his tone flat, already disengaged from both the offer and the argument itself.
Persephone stared at him, bewilderment widening her dark eyes. ‘Then what is it you want?’
Zagreus did not answer. He cast his mother one last final and unyielding look before turning away. As he did, his attention drifted briefly to the shadows, catching Kage where he stood hidden. A faint smirk curved his lips, fleeting as a secret, before he vanished down the corridor, leaving Persephone alone upon her throne of bone, surrounded by silence and unanswered demands.
Kage remained where he was, the echoes of the exchange settling heavy in his chest.
He found himself wondering what it was that Zagreus truly wanted. And whether, somewhere deep within, he already knew the answer.
Because it was the same thing Kage had always wanted, in life and beyond it…
To be chosen.
To be loved.
Without conditions.
I think no one truly understands the cruelty of the gods until it is too late.
Tabitha Wysteria
‘We’re not far from the wolverian castle,’ Elric announced, crouching to examine the snow beneath their boots.
Ylva reached for her winged horse, patting its neck as she checked the blanket draped over its back, tugging it tighter in a futile attempt to keep the cold at bay. It wouldn’t be enough. They were deep within wolverian lands now, where the chill bit mercilessly, especially after nightfall. She drew her cloak closer around her shoulders, doing her best to ignore the dull ache settling deep into her bones.
Then hands slid over her arms.
Up and down.
Up and down.
She stiffened as realisation struck that Arden had slipped up behind her, close enough that his warmth brushed her back as he worked her arms, rubbing life back into limbsnumbed by the cold.
‘Stop it,’ she growled.
‘Don’t pretend you don’t enjoy it,’ he replied, that infuriating smirk, one she was beginning to both loathe and crave, curling his lips.
