Fury Read online

  “Yeah?”

  “Would you like company?”

  “Sure.”

  Salem opened the door for me and we slipped out. I headed to the left towards the gardens and he followed. The sun was setting, casting pinks and oranges through the sky as we walked and I took in the sheer size of the perfectly tended garden.

  “It’s pretty. Is it always like this?”

  “It is. Why?”

  I shrugged, “Curiosity. The more I find out about the Underworld, the more I want to know.”

  “I wish you didn’t like it here as much as you do.”

  “Why?” Turning my head to look at him, I tried to get a read on him, but any emotion was locked away.

  “You need to resume your life. Coming here puts it on hold. Eventually it’s going to get too hard to juggle both worlds.”

  “I’ll worry about it when it happens.”

  And I would, but the truth was, I’d do anything I could to ensure I could keep coming back as long as was possible. I’d missed Callie and Iris while I’d been away, but I’d missed everyone here just as much when I’d been home. They were quickly becoming fixtures in my life and more than that, being here was freeing. There were no names being sent, no souls to collect, no habits to counteract what the souls did to us. I felt like I could be myself here. Like I could dare to hope for more than what the Oracles offered us.

  “You need to think it through.” Salem said, cutting off my thoughts. “As much as we like you here, you can’t stay and you need to prepare yourself for the reality that you’ll have a final visit.”

  “You are saying this like this is it.”

  He didn’t answer, but the silence was answer enough.

  “This is the last visit, isn’t it?”

  “Not the last. One, maybe two more times. But it needs to end before everyone gets attached.”

  “You’re not being fair, Salem. You brought me here, introduced me to your world. You can’t take it away.”

  “I’m not taking anything.” He said, running a hand through his hair as he dropped his head. His hand came to rest at the nape of his neck, his gaze on the ground as he added, “You’re different than I thought you’d be and the more we let you in, the harder it is going to be for that last visit and I can’t keep you.”

  He sounded resigned to the fact and a little lost. Like he didn’t know why he was saying what he was but he needed to get it out.

  “Keep me?” I asked.

  “Here.” He added hastily. “I can’t keep you here. No matter how much everyone would like that.”

  It wasn’t lost on me he’d said everyone, not them. He was including himself which was muddying my head a bit more than if he hadn’t. I’d thought he’d brought me back to the Underworld because he saw it as a fair trade. I’d helped him, so he’d indulge my whim of returning, but he was making it sound like he wanted me back too. If that was how he felt, then why had he left me without a goodbye when he’d taken me back to my world. I asked as much and he shrugged.

  “Your friends were there. I thought I’d leave you to your hellos and save us from a goodbye.”

  “I wanted to say goodbye. I wanted to thank you.”

  “Thank me for what? Having you kidnapped? Holding you hostage and using your power as a Fury to save my world?”

  “I wouldn’t describe it like that.”

  “That’s how it happened. Don’t romanticize it.” He clipped.

  Tension was building in his shoulders and his jaw clenched. He was getting upset.

  “I’m not. If time hadn’t been an issue and you would have asked me instead of demanded, I would have helped you.”

  “You can’t know that, Nyx.” He took a step forward but I caught his forearm to stop him and met his eyes.

  “I can. I know what I would have done, Salem.”

  “I threatened to kill Fitz.” He said, his free arm moving to mine and prying my hand from his arm.

  “You did.”

  “I’m telling you because you seem to have forgotten.” He growled, and I realized we’d moved from upset to frustrated in seconds.

  Those words amped up my own temper as I snapped, “I didn’t forget! I’m not excusing your behavior, I’m just telling you I thought about all of it this last month and I understand!”

  “Well don’t! What I did was wrong. I don’t need you trying to make it better.”

  “You are ridiculous!” I hissed through clenched teeth, stepping up to him so we were toe to toe. “Where is this coming from? Why are you rehashing the past? If I didn’t feel comfortable here, I wouldn’t have asked to come back.”

  “You shouldn’t feel comfortable here! It’s not your world!” He pointed out.

  He towered over me and I met his angry glare with my own, “You should have thought about that before you introduced me to it.”

  Fury blazed in his eyes, making the gray glint like gunmetal. Then they did something that brought attention to the fact we were too close. His eyes, filled with frustration and anger, flicked down to my lips. His head was tipped down at me, mine tipped up to him. There was less than an inch of space between us and if I pushed up onto my toes, my lips would meet his. We stared at each other, seconds feeling like eternity because I would have sworn he was going to kiss me, but then he spoke, shattering the silence and the mood.

  “You’re right.” He said, his breath fanning over my face. It smelled like citrus and chocolate from Charon’s dessert but I was too focused on what came next to care. “I should have thought a lot through where you were concerned, Nyx. But even the King of the Underworld makes mistakes.”

  Those words hit me like a punch and there was no hiding my flinch.

  His eyes came back to mine again and then dipped down once more before he stated, “I have work.” And with that, he spun on his heel and stalked back towards the house.

  Jane was waiting for me when I came back in the house. I agreed to start reading the books I’d bought her before bedtime, hoping it would take my mind off of Salem and it did until she fell asleep. I tucked her in and headed back to my room. I tried not to stew as I got ready for bed but it didn’t work and when I woke up after little sleep I was still mad.

  Salem wasn’t at breakfast or at lunch which just pissed me off more. I only had one more day here and he was avoiding me. Instead of searching him out, I decided to take Joshua up on his offer to try out a 1 v. 1 match in Call of Duty. Charon and Tasha got roped in when they saw how bad I was losing and they started messing with Joshua or yelling out his location to me on the map.

  “Screen cheating!” Joshua yelped when I got him as he ran around the corner.

  “You’re still up by two.” Tasha pointed out, reaching down and hitting a button on the controller that threw a grenade.

  “That was my last grenade, Tosh!”

  She giggled, and put her hand on his shoulder. The intimate action between the two of them distracted me and Joshua got another point. They both seemed at ease with each other and their close proximity and as Tasha gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze, Joshua smiled.

  In the end, Joshua beat me by over twenty points and Jane wandered in just as Tasha picked up the controller.

  She climbed up into my lap and settled in.

  “Nyx?”

  “Hmm?” I started playing with her hair absently as she settled in closer.

  “Why do you want to leave me?”

  Her question wasn’t asked with accusation, but I worked to control my emotions at the hurt I heard in her voice. She was so sweet and whether it was her genuine demeanor, how beautiful she was inside and out or her bubbly personality, she’d wriggled herself around my heart that first day here.

  My answer was immediate as I tried to put her at ease, “I don’t, Jane. I don’t want to leave you.” She was too young to understand the complicated bits, but I wanted her to understand what she could. “I hate having to say goodbye to everyone, but especially you.”

  “Really?”


  I curled my arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. “Really.”

  She sat with me for a few more minutes holding me just as tight as I held her before she pulled back.

  “Can I read to you today, Nyx?”

  I smiled and nodded, “Sure.”

  “In your room?”

  “If you want.”

  She hurried off my lap and I sat for a second longer, hoping I’d gotten my point across and that maybe it would help when the time came for me to leave again. Maybe Salem was right. I was being selfish, wanting to come and go as I pleased. It would be better if I simply cut ties, but so much harder than trying to make this work.

  Jane was just coming out of her room when I walked to the top of the stairs. It must have taken her a while to find her book. I’d placed it on the dresser instead of on the nightstand like I usually did.

  “Ready?”

  She nodded eagerly, pulling me down the hall towards my room.

  When we got to the door she grinned up at me and said, “I snuck a treat for you.”

  She held up her hand which held a cluster of chocolate covered nuts in a paper wrapper. I wasn’t the biggest fan of clusters, but she was happier than she had been since I’d heard her argument with Salem and who knew? Maybe it was better than I was expecting.

  “Thank you, Jane.” I said, taking it from her and cocking my head towards my door. “Should we share it with Fitz?”

  “No.” She said, “This is for you, Nyx. Just for you. I’ll go get Fitz something else, but this is yours.”

  Her eyes were pleading and expectant and I couldn’t deny such a simple request. I pulled it out of the wrapper and shoved the entire thing in my mouth.

  Surprisingly, it didn’t taste horrible. They weren’t nuts at all, they tasted like pomegranate seeds with a kick of something added to the chocolate.

  “Is there chili powder in here?”

  She shrugged as she reached for my doorknob and walked in. I swallowed and we set ourselves up on the couch. Jane on my lap and the book on hers. She opened the book and I settled in to listen to Harry as he argued for any house but Slytherin.

  Chapter 11

  Salem wasn’t present for dinner, but my mind was too preoccupied with the sick feeling churning in my stomach for me to ask about his absence. When Jane and I had headed down for dinner, I’d been hit with a wave of dizziness which had turned to nausea. I tried to put down some food but so far it hadn’t helped. I excused myself, hoping some fresh air would help and Jane opted to go with me, but I didn’t want her to worry.

  “Why don’t you finish feeding Fitz and I’ll come up and tuck you in.” I countered, and she nodded and sat back in her seat.

  I was hurrying out the front door when I ran into Salem coming in.

  “Sorry, excuse me.” I said, sidestepping him as chills spread out over my skin from the cool night air.

  He caught my arm before I could and looked me over, “Are you okay?”

  “I just need some fresh air.” I said, trying to pull away from him. He studied me and my previous frustrations with him were present, but subdued by the nausea.

  “Do you want company?”

  “Yours?” I snapped, since he’d done a fine job of keeping his distance. I regretted it when his face shut down, the concern fading into that carefully constructed mask of indifference.

  “No. I understand.”

  “You’ve avoided me since yesterday, Salem. You got mad, walked away and then stayed away. Most people talk things through once the anger has subsided.”

  “You’re upset with me.”

  “I was. I am. I—” The world spun on me and I lost my balance, but he was quick to steady me.

  “Nyx, what’s wrong?”

  “I don’t feel so good.” I said, squeezing my eyes shut in an effort to get the spinning to stop. “I thought some air would do me good, since dinner didn’t help but it’s getting worse.”

  “When did this start?”

  “Just before dinner. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

  “Come back to the house. Charon should have something to help.”

  I opened my eyes to protest, but the action made my stomach lurch and I quickly closed them again.

  “Okay.”

  Salem walked me to the kitchen and explained to Charon my symptoms. Charon made me some mint tea, grating some ginger root into it as the two of them spoke.

  “Sip it, miss. It should help.”

  I did and half a cup down my stomach started to settle, but I still felt off.

  I thanked Charon for the tea and told them both it had helped before excusing myself to bed. If I could sleep the rest of this off, I wouldn’t waste my last day tomorrow.

  Jane was coming down the stairs dressed in her nightgown as I rounded the staircase. My body felt weak and as I lifted my foot to step onto the first stair, I felt physically drained.

  “Nyx?”

  “Sorry, Jane.” I said, trying to shake myself out of it. “I’m feeling a little funny.”

  “It’s normal.”

  I tried to look at her, wanting to make sense of her words as I stumbled, just managing to catch myself on the railing.

  “What did you say?”

  My vision blurred and I collapsed, unable to hold myself up anymore.

  “He can’t make you leave now.” Jane said, coming to sit next to me. “You can live here with me.”

  I opened my mouth to ask her what she was talking about when I heard Joshua’s voice echo in the foyer.

  “Jane? What’s—holy crap!”

  His sneakers squeaked across the floor and then his face came into view.

  “Nyx? What’s going on? Are you okay?”

  “I gave her the chocolate.” Jane said, looking from me to Joshua.

  I watched through blurry vision as Joshua’s brows scrunched up in confusion right before understanding dawned and his mouth fell open. Her words meant something, but I couldn’t get my mouth to ask what it was.

  “You did what?” He barked, and Jane shrunk away from his tone.

  “Salem wouldn’t, so I did. We missed her, Joshua. She needs to stay here.”

  Joshua looked like he wanted to throttle her, but he reigned it back and his attention moved to me again.

  “Nyx,” he said, tapping my cheeks as I fought my lids closing. “Look at me, Nyx.”

  His voice sounded like he was speaking under water. He was right there. He shouldn’t sound so muddled.

  “Nyx!” He barked, “Look at me!”

  I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I couldn’t focus on him.

  “Salem!” Joshua’s deep voice echoed throughout the house and I felt more than saw Jane jump.

  I lost the battle with my eyes as I floated on the edge of consciousness. Awake, but unable to regain any control over my body.

  “Jane gave her one of the seed clusters.” I heard Joshua say, and then I felt a new set of hands on my face and my lids were pried open. I couldn’t get my vision to focus, but I knew it was Salem. He didn’t get the response he needed or wanted because I felt myself being lifted.

  “We need to see if we can get her to throw it up.” Salem said, his voice rumbling against my ear. “Jane, when did she eat it?”

  “Before dinner.” Jane said, and I felt Salem stiffen.

  “Jane,” Salem said, her name a mixture of disbelief and anger on his tongue.

  “I wanted her to stay.”

  There was silence for a beat and then Salem exploded.

  “That wasn’t your decision!” He roared, and I heard Jane whimper and thought I heard her sniffle.

  “You said she wasn’t going to keep coming back and Nyx said she didn’t want to leave me!”

  “It was for her own good! You’ve taken the choice from her! You’ve just forced her to give up her friends, the people she loves, her life! If I can’t undo what you’ve done…” He trailed off, his body coiling up even more. “Joshua, take Jane to her room.” Sale
m clipped, and I felt him start walking. “Take her books, her toys, take everything. Just like she’s taken from Nyx.”

  “Salem?” Jane said, her voice soft and sounding further away.

  “Don’t, Jane.”

  This time I knew without a doubt she’d burst into tears.

  I tried to protest him leaving her crying, but I couldn’t muster the energy to speak.

  The last thing I heard before I passed out, was Salem whispering, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Nyx.”

  The first time I came to, my body felt like it was on fire, like the heat had shriveled my entire chest cavity, preventing me from pulling in oxygen.

  “Hold her, Salem.”

  It was Charon’s voice I heard right before arms wrapped around my shaking body.

  “Why is her body reacting like this?” Tasha. She sounded worried and I hated it. Not even with Abaddon had she sounded so helpless.

  “She’s only part human. It’s affecting her differently.” Charon explained. “I’ve never seen such a severe reaction.”

  “Tasha go through the books again.” Salem said, “Have Joshua help you and make sure you’re thorough.” There words muddled and consciousness slipped from me again.

  The next time, my body was shaking from cold rather than protesting fire. I was shivering, despite my body feeling like it was weighted down by blankets. The bed dipped beside me and for a split-second icy air hit me before being replaced by heat. It wrapped around me and by the time I fell back into the blackness, the shivering had died down.

  ✽✽✽

  “We’ve tried everything.”

  Tasha’s voice was the first thing I heard as awareness returned. My body felt tired but not useless and while I didn’t feel 100%, I felt better than I had.

  Charon spoke up next, “Sir, we pumped her stomach, we’ve tried Fitz. There is no cure for as ancient a magic as the seeds.”

  “I know what we’ve tried, Charon.” Salem snapped, sounding cranky and tired. The room fell quiet for a beat and then Salem let out a huff of air. “Joshua, go to the forest. Talk to Fenris, he might know of something.”