Authors: J. N. Colon
Dark Goddess
Divine Darkness
Dark Goddess
Book Four
Written by J.N. Colon
Kindle Edition October 2015
Copyright © J.N. Colon 2015
All rights reserved
This eBook is for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or reproduced in any manner. This eBook is a work of fiction. The names, places, characters, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, actual events or locations are entirely coincidental.
Other books by this author
Divine Darkness
Secret Salem
The Iron Series
Summary of
Dark Goddess
What happens to the Underworld if Hayden is no longer its god?
An old enemy of Zeke’s returns, threatening not only Hayden and Hartley’s relationship, but the very existence of the Underworld. When Hayden can’t protect her, Hartley is forced to put her trust into the last place she ever expected and do the unthinkable. Secrets are revealed, hearts are broken, and lives are turned upside down in this final installment of the Divine Darkness series.
Will Hartley be able to harness the darkness within and become the dark goddess? Or will the Underworld fall apart—taking Hayden along with it?
Crimson fire melting into thick ebony, swirling together like blood and tar was my world—my sad, infinite existence. The rotten smell of death, decay, and burning flesh filled the air, merging into something I recognized now as the scent of agony. I never knew there could be such a thing. A putrid, retched thing.
Smoke and ash choked my lungs and burned my eyes. Sometimes I wished my retinas would burn out completely so I no longer had to endure the nauseating spinning or the violence and torment of the damned.
Or better yet the soot would clog my ears to drown out the perpetual screams and mad laughter that joined the crackle of flames.
But a reprieve such as that would never exist in this place.
My skin was pinked from heat and dryer than a desert baked bone, although I’d long forgotten what a cool drink of water felt like just as I’d forgotten the simplest comfort or pleasure.
The one thing I did remember was my love for her, branded so deeply into my heart. She was the reason for my punishment in the fiery bowels of Tartarus. Angered by my desire, her husband threw me upon this world by a bolt of lightning and bound me to a forever spinning wheel.
I no longer pined for revenge upon the arrogant tyrant who never deserved one once of her love. He wasn’t
even
beneath her. He wasn’t good enough to be the soil her sandaled feet stood on.
I would have worshiped every fiber of her being. I would have cherished every moment, every touch as if it were my last.
I only want what I had always wanted.
Hera.
I spent an eternity cultivating the perfect, infallible plan. Its brilliance could have come from Athena, the goddess of wisdom, herself.
My only hindrance was this insufferable, unyielding wheel that bound me.
One of the damned hobbled by, half his body covered in burns while the other was hidden beneath black soot. His pitch eyes glowered at me as if he considered my punishment easy.
Nothing was easy about it, most of all the fact I didn’t belong in this hell with these filthy, insidious souls. My sole crime was falling for the Hera and allowing Zeus to discover my secret.
I sighed, watching the endless shift of crimson to pitch over and over and over. My wheel was placed in the burning plains, craggy caves jutting out in the distance. One of those caves was used by Hercules to steal souls some time ago. I screamed for him to release me, begged even, but he denied any aid unwilling to suffer the wrath of his father, Zeus. So I was left again, my shot at freedom squashed by the selfish brat.
A horrific, revolting odor that was somehow worse than the rot already swirling around plumed through the air. My eyes watered and stomach clenched, threatening to release my own intestines. Through the shifting fires I spotted a beast of a soul headed my way, eyes so evil they sent shivers up my spine despite the heat of hell. A pair of enormous feet crushed figures writhing on the ground, their own person torturous hell playing within their minds as punishment. His massive form shoved aside souls shuffling along, their consciousness long stripped away. The ones fighting halted, moving apart to allow him through as if they sensed the sinister darkness within.
Tribal symbols etched in the blackest ink stamped across his bald head and down his visible skin. Wide piercings unnaturally stretched the soft flesh of his earlobes and a silver bar stabbed the center of his nose. A snarl curled his lips, revealing jagged, rotten teeth. He produced something from behind his back, dropping it when I was upside down. A flash of silver glinted, creating a glorious spark in an otherwise world of dark despair.
“What’s this?” My voice was barely audible, hoarse from lack of speech.
“Present,” he hissed and stalked away, his hulking figure disappearing into the myriad of fire, darkness, and gaunt souls.
While upside down again I caught my reflection in the mirror that laid within the silver frame, my own reflection unrecognizable. My dark curls were long and stringy, surrounding a thin, haggard face. My eyes were dull, lifeless voids barely hanging onto this pathetic reality. But all of those things were insignificant to what my mind slowly comprehended. This wasn’t just any mirror. This was a
seer’s mirror
.
How did he manage to smuggle it here and why drop it at my feet—or head depending on where I was in my rotation?
The reflective surface began to shimmer, spreading rainbows of light across the damned. They hissed and snarled, backing away from the beautiful array of colors so startling in this monochromatic and crimson world. A delicate misty hand appeared, breaking the surface first then another until a full body emerged.
This was not possible. My mind refused to view it as anything other than a hallucination. Someone cannot travel through a seer’s mirrors.
But the shimmering figure proved me wrong. Or maybe it was only their essence, a mere image of the person. A dark cloak covered their features, barring me from their identity, but a pair of blue eyes burned icily from beneath the shadows.
One elusive hand reached out and caught the chain holding my wrist. With a swift yank the metal broke, clattering to the dry, ash covered ground.
A gasp tumbled out my mouth, staring at my mysterious savior. “Why?” I asked.
The figure ignored my question and snapped the rest of my chains off until I spilled out onto the ground, a black cloud of soot erupting around my body. The world still spun for several moments, having been accustomed to the movement.
The figure began to descend back into the seer’s mirror, forcing panic through my bloodstream.
“Wait!” I cried out. “How will I get out of the Tartarus?”
“Hades didn’t put you here, did he?” The unfamiliar voice held an eerie, unnerving quality as if it wasn’t quite genuine.
“No.”
“Then just go.” The words resonated like ghostly whispers on the wind as the image disappeared.
My chest knotted with a mixture of longing and fear. Was it that simple? Could I just walk out of here?
Only one way to find out.
I stood, my knees trembling from the long forgotten weight of my body. I took one step forward, and then another, and then another until the edge of the burning plains was visible on the horizon.
A smile curled my lips as hope swirled through my veins. Finally. I was going to get what I always wanted and no one could stand in my way.
Hayden
Sunrays kissed my skin, dusting my normally pale shade with gold. Seagulls squawked above and waves crashed against the shore while the salty scent of the ocean penetrated my nose. Being the dark brooding god of the Underworld, sunbathing on a beach was not my usual forte. But Hartley wanted to go and I had trouble denying her just about anything. Most people did.
My eyes shifted to her lying next to me in a scantily clad red bikini. A smile curled my lips thinking of the time we were under Hecate’s spell and Hartley donned one similar and lured me to her yard while she was in the hot tub. T-R-O-U-B-L-E, that’s what she was. And I loved every bit of her.
Her golden skin glistened under the sun, smelling of coconut while her dark brown and scarlet hair shone with the brilliance of jewels. Her hazel eyes were hidden beneath sunglasses. She wore my ruby and silver band on her index finger regardless of the tan line it was producing.
The last few months had been incredible—bliss really. My brother and his vengeful wife Hera had stayed away. No one had bothered us. And it’s started to scare me. It’s been too quiet. I’ve masked my tenseness from Hartley, reluctant to show my worry. I was waiting on the other shoe to drop and I knew it was only a matter of time before shit hit the fan.
Callie squealed in the distance as Jake pulled her into the ocean, a foamy wave converging on them. It was strange having friends too—even if they didn’t know
all
of me. It still counted. Sort of.
Hartley’s shown good progress with them. She didn’t always dread spending time with them, especially if I was around. She still had her moments when that distant, icy look entered her eyes.
Of course her chain to the Underworld was still present. I would never forgive Persephone for tricking Hartley into eating pomegranate seeds, forcing her to return to the Underworld. It broke my heart every time she donned that panicked expression as my domain called her, cutting off her air supply until she returned.
I’d been spending a lot of time with her above to counteract the effects. It was so hard to leave her, but I had responsibilities in my domain I could shirk. Graduation was only a few months away and Hartley was convinced she was moving to the Underworld with me for good. I told her she was nuts and couldn’t. She told me she had it all figured out. We could have a home above too, traveling back and forth.
Deep in my heart that was exactly what I wanted—for her to be with me always. Regardless, I still worried the Underworld would change her. She didn’t share that fear. Zeke’s warning also still rung through my mind, cooling my blood. He cautioned us Hartley couldn’t have it all. She’d have to choose one day. I was afraid she would choose me and end up regretting it.
“Hayden,” she sang. “I can feel you staring at me.”
My lips twitched. “I can’t help it,” I sang back.
She found my arm and trailed her fingertips lightly up and down, spawning tingles across my skin. “And I can feel you worrying.”
My smile faded. “I am not.”
Hartley cocked her head toward me before pulling her sunglasses off, her brow arching, unconvinced.
“I’m not,” I repeated.
She rolled over on the blanket until she was hovering above me, her elbows holding her. Her hair that had grown well past her shoulders tickled my bare chest. “Liar liar, pants on fire.” The corners of her lips twitched, threatening a smile.
I slipped my arm around her and pulled her to my chest, her roses and pine scent mixing with the salty air and coconut. “Well, baby, if my pants are on fire maybe you should remove them.”
She scoffed. “I’m sure all these girls would love that.” She motioned her index finger around, pointing out the girls staring furtively at me.
It was my turn to scoff. “I’m not the only one being ogled.” I motioned my chin toward a group of guys walking past us
again
, trying to check Hartley out. I shot them a glare while I slid my hand down to cover her ass. They scurried by.
Hartley tsked. “Hayden, are you threatening guys again?”
My lips pursed. “Define threatening?”
A giggle tumbled out of her mouth. “You’re so bad.”
I wiggled my brows suggestively. “I heard you had a thing for bad boys.”
“Nah. That was just a fluke. I like more of the all-American jock type—blonde hair, blue eyes, plays a dozen sports… that sort of guy.”
“Oh yeah.”
“Yep.”
Without warning, I flipped her so she was on her back while I hovered above, my lips barely an inch from hers, her breath blowing raggedly on my face. “Still don’t like bad boys?”
“Nope,” she breathed, her body arching into mine regardless.
“Now who’s lying?” My lips sealed against hers in a hot, searing kiss. When I pulled back distant fire danced in my irises, reflecting in hers.
Her delicate fingers slid into my hair, massaging. “Mmm, baby.” She licked her lips. “You taste so good.”
A shiver rolled down my spine and I growled. She knew what she was doing. “Hartley,” I warned. If she kept it up I was going to lose control with her right here on the damn populated beach.
“Let’s go somewhere…” Her words trailed off as a shift occurred through the crowd.
We both glanced toward the shore to see none other than Poseidon strolling out the water in all his sea godly glory. His wet, shoulder length blonde hair dripped trails of water down his bare, tanned chest. His green board shorts plastered against his bottom half, outlining his impressive muscles.
I groaned and rolled over, my eyes watching the females start to drool unabashedly as he headed our way. “Great. There goes any privacy we might have had.”
Hartley pointed to the left. “He’s not the only one coming.”
Aphrodite was sauntering down the beach in a skimpy white bikini and a tan fishing net sarong that might as well have been nonexistent for all it covered. Pearls and shells twinkled in her long platinum blonde hair.
Every male within a half mile radius was growing catatonic—or just growing.
Damn it.
I sat up, Hartley following.
“Your eyes are flaming,” she whispered.
“That’s because I’m angry.” I matched her teasing tone.
She laughed and kissed my shoulder, leaving behind a hotspot. “We’ll have plenty of us time in a minute Hayden. You should be nice to them. They both helped us when we were under that stupid spell.”
I sighed and squashed the insults I wanted to release.
“Littlest bro,” Si said as he reached out to tap my fist with his. “You’re finally getting a suntan.” His aqua eyes sparkled as waves crashed in them, mirroring the ocean before us.
“Yep.” I hitched my thumb toward Hartley. “Blame her.”
Si unleashed a dazzling smile. “Hartley, my beautiful little seashell.” He bent on one knee and gripped her hand, kissing her knuckles.
I punched him in the shoulder. “Cut it out.”
“Oh Hayden.” Aphrodite twisted her white blonde hair from her face. “Don’t be unkind. He means no harm. He knows you two are destined for each other.”
“Still doesn’t mean I want him kissing any part of her,” I grumbled.
“Hey guys,” Hartley said, ignoring my irritation.
Aphrodite skipped over and kneeled next to Hartley hugging her while Si slid to my other side.
“How have you two love birds been?” she asked, grabbing Hartley’s suntan lotion.
“Good.”
I abruptly stood and pulled Hartley up. “We’re going for a swim.” I motioned to our blanket. “Make yourselves comfortable.”
“Don’t be rude Hayden.” Hartley glowered at me with her hands stuck on her hips. It was so damn cute.
“I’m not.” Without warning I tossed her over my shoulder, pulling a squeal of surprise from her. “You guys understand right. I’m a selfish god. I don’t like to share.”
“Totes baby bro.” Si leaned back on his hands with a smirk. “If she were my sexy siren I’d probably stow her away in one of my caves and never let her out of my sight.” He winked knowingly.
Aphrodite wiggled her fingers while a furtive smile curled her luscious lips. “Have fun.”
I chuckled darkly knowing full well what I had in store for Hartley. “We will.” I smacked her ass.
“Hey! You better watch yourself Hayden or I’ll…”
“You’ll do what?” I asked, toting her toward the water, ignoring the onlookers.
“I’ll torture you with painstakingly slow kisses.”
I grinned. “Sounds like a plan baby.” I flipped her upright and positioned her until her legs wrapped around my waist and hands curled across my neck.
“You’re so bad.” She couldn’t fight the smile splitting her lips.
“I know.” The waves hit us, but I stayed steady and swam several feet out into the ocean where our legs no longer touched.
“Now that you have me all the way out here what are you going to do?” she asked, a wicked twinkle in her eyes.
“Oh, I’ve got something much better than floating in the water.”
Her brow arched curiously.
“Take a deep breath and hold it. We’re going under for a minute.”
“Okay,” she slowly drawled out, but placing her trust in me regardless and following my instructions.
Moments later I dove under the water, holding her tightly and moving in super speed. I’d have to remember to thank Si later for giving me the covert okay.
Only a few seconds passed before our destination was in sight. I swam into the underwater cave, the magic shimmering over us as we passed through the doorway only gods and demigod could access. We popped up in the middle of a sparkling pool of water.
“Wow. Where are we?” Hartley asked as her wide hazel eyes traced the glittering green, blue, and gray walls of the cave.
“One of Si’s places.”
She glanced at me questioningly. “Does he know you took me here?”
The corners of my mouth quirked. “He said it was cool.”
“Riiight. You two have your own secret communication now?”
“Of course.” I winked and started swimming us to the edge of the water. I helped Hartley up before pulling myself onto dry land.
“This place is pretty cool,” she said, sliding her hand across a wall trickling with water. “How come it’s wet here and completely dry in the center?” Her head tilted up to survey the ceiling. “Shouldn’t water be dripping everywhere?”
“It’s magic. Si’s doing.”
She nodded. “Of course.” She found one of his many stashes of seashells and started riffling through them with several oohs and aahs.
I stood back and watched the water leaving trails across her wet skin as it dripped down her curves I knew so well and yet not well enough. Her dark hair curled around the long ends while the red gleamed in the sparkling light. Heat stirred within me, spawning crimson flames in my eyes.
“Wow, look at this one.” She held a giant iridescent conk shell up before gently setting it back in the basket.
My feet slowly carried me toward her, my heart shuddering in my chest. I let my fingers curl around her hips and pulled her flush against my chest with a tiny gasp from her mouth. “I didn’t bring you here to look at shells Hartley,” I whispered gruffly into her ear.
She shivered against me. “Oh. Well…” Her head tilted back so she could peer into my face, a smile twitching hers when she noticed my flaming eyes. She batted her lashes demurely. “What did you bring me here for Hayden, baby?”
Ah shit. She was good. She knew exactly what it did to me when she called me baby. I growled in her ear before leaning down and planting kisses along her neck, teasing that sensitive spot behind her ear. “I brought you here to have my way with you.”
Hartley suddenly spun around, catching me off guard, and pressed against me while she wrapped her arms around my neck. “What makes you think it’s not the other way around Hades?”
She’s done it now. My heart slammed against my ribcage and whole body tingled with desire. “You know how to press my buttons, don’t you?”
She bit her lip and tilted her head in that way that drove every male in the vicinity nuts. “Yep.”
My lips crashed on hers, igniting a fire between us so intense I thought we’d burst into flames. Her mouth opened beneath mine, inviting my tongue in to taste hers. Oh and what a taste.
I wrapped my arms around her waist and picked her up, forcing a little cry of surprise from her. I walked until I found a huge bed with white gossamer curtains surrounding it, fluttering in the air like currents in the water. I sat Hartley down and ripped them open.
Her eyes landed on the bed with white and blue satin covers. She bit her lip hesitantly which only served to spur me on.
If I didn’t have her soon I was going to lose it.
“Are you sure this is okay with Si?”
“Absolutely.” My brows knit and I pulled up short. “Unless you don’t want…”