Hades' Cursed Luna novel Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Her Defiance

Hades~

I nodded at Rook and Ryder. They didn't hesitate. Each of them grabbed one of her arms and hauled her up, dragging her toward the largest monitor in the room. She resisted at first, her feet trying to plant themselves in the ground, but she was no match for their strength. They placed her directly in front of the screen, a massive display filled with moving images of a busy marketplace.

The footage was crisp, high-definition. Children laughing as they played by a fountain, old couples chatting over coffee, vendors selling fresh produce, and families going about their daily lives. It was peaceful—Silverpine, as it always looked on the surface.

I walked up behind her, my presence looming over her small frame, and leaned in close enough for her to feel the cold menace in my voice.

"Look at them," I whispered, my breath brushing her ear. "Your people. They don't know what's coming, do they?"

She stiffened, her shoulders trembling slightly. I could hear her breathing quicken, though she was trying to hide it. I stepped forward, my chest almost pressing against her back, and pointed to a group of children playing with a ball near the fountain. The camera zoomed in automatically as I gestured.

"You see those children?" I asked, my voice cold. "They have no idea they're living their last moments. That is, unless you do something about it."

Her head snapped toward me, wide eyes full of confusion and growing dread. "What are you talking about?" Her voice was shaky, despite her attempts to sound strong.

I stepped around her and held out a small black device with a single red button in the center. Her eyes fell to it, and I saw her breath hitch.

"This," I said, turning the device in my hand slowly, "is the trigger. There's a bomb, princess. Planted right in the heart of Silverpine's beloved marketplace." I paused, letting the weight of the words sink in, enjoying the way the color drained from her face. "And all it takes is one push of this button to set it off."

Her chest rose and fell faster now, panic flooding her features despite her best efforts to conceal it. "No," she whispered, shaking her head. "You can't."

I smiled, slow and deliberate, my eyes boring into hers. "Oh, I would. And I will. But I'm not the one who's going to push it."

Her pupils dilated, and she stumbled back, trying to pull away from me, but Rook and Ryder held her firmly in place. I reached out, grabbing her wrist and forcing the small device into her hand, wrapping her trembling fingers around it.

"If you want to prove your loyalty to me," I continued, my voice silky smooth, "if you truly want to show me that you're sorry for what you did... then push the button."

She stared at the device in her hand, horrified, her entire body shaking now. "I won't," she breathed, her voice barely audible. "I can't."

I stepped closer, my face inches from hers, my eyes sharp and unrelenting. "Oh, you will. Because if you don't, I'll make sure that bomb goes off anyway—and I'll personally see to it that every person in that market knows it was you who could have stopped it."

Tears welled in her eyes, her composure crumbling. I could see the battle raging within her—between her loyalty to her people and the terror of what I might do if she disobeyed. She looked back at the screen, at the innocent faces, and then down at the device in her hand. Her breath came in shallow gasps now, her knuckles white from how hard she was gripping the detonator.

"I can't..." she repeated, her voice cracking. "The children..." _{ƒгeewёbnovel.com}