ONYX

Chapter Thirty

“Hades,”

“Alessandra?”

Tears rushed into her eyes, blurring her vision as she stared into the eyes that seemed to look into her soul. The warm body that hovered over hers and looked at her with so much adoration that it hurt, it squeezed her heart to think that there was more beneath the surface with him. He wasn’t the evil that lurked beneath the castle.

He was home.

Dark brown strands of hair framed his face as he gazed down at her. She wanted to touch those luscious strands with her fingers. Instead, she lightly brushing her fingers along his jaw, a gesture that surprised him—both of them. In truth she wanted to make sure he was actually real. “You’re here.”

“I never left your side.” He clasped the hand that touched his face and pressed it to his lips.

“I know. I could feel you.” She couldn’t explain it, but somehow she knew he was close. That’s why she called him so many times in her alternate world. He was there, but he was unreachable.

“What did you see?”

The memories were too vivid in her mind to forget. She couldn’t believe that a long time ago she actually wanted a life where she was accepted by her father. All her life she wanted to please him, even go as far as wish she was the boy that he always wanted. She wanted to be free, see the world like Greer, and she wanted so badly to be rid of her curse but she realized that that wouldn’t have been true freedom or true happiness.

“I was in Evyon with my mother. She was pregnant with a son and my father was happy. I was normal—I looked normal—and people could touch me without dying.” She remembered the way her mother’s skin felt against hers and she cringed. She hated to even think about the kind of mother she would’ve or could’ve been.

Alessandra was lucky.

And it was about time that she started living.

Hades felt responsible for not allowing her to live that life. He didn’t fully think of the impact that it would have on her life because of his own selfish reason behind making her untouched. He knew of Prince Daniel and personally enjoyed escorting him into the sea. He only wanted to make sure other men like him wouldn’t touch Alessandra. He quietly let go of her hand and widened the space between them. “Do you still wish for that life?”

“No.” She replied firmly.

Hades gasped, surprised by her adamant tone. “No?”

“After a while, the illusion began to fade and I realized I would’ve become a shadow had my mother given birth to a son after I was born. Father would’ve only loved me because he’d gotten what he wanted. My mother was cruel to me; she didn’t care about what happened to me. Father was going to make me marry Prince Daniel to get rid of me.”

“Alessandra, I—”

“I had to relive that alternate world for up to ten times a day. At least, that’s how many times I woke up in Evyon until I lost count. Everything became a blur and the voices and darkness was something I welcomed. Anything over having to face my mother and father again.”

“I am so sorry. The sea was designed for any soul to relive their desire and alter it. Since you only ingested a small amount, it left your system. Those that stay in it are forever subjected to repeating their days of Hell.”

“How did my father get out? He touched me and threw me in.”

“That I am not sure about,” But Hades knew he would sure as hell find out. “That is a problem for another day. Right now I just need to be alone with you.”