Hades' Cursed Luna novel Chapter 214

HADES' POV

The moment I saw Darius's smug fucking face, the last thread of my restraint snapped.

My body moved before thought could catch up, pure instinct surging like a tidal wave. I yanked Eve behind me, shielding her with my body as the flux surged, twisting through my bones like liquid fire.

"To hell with this alliance," I growled, my voice no longer fully my own—deep, guttural, a thing that did not belong to man. A promise of carnage. "I am wiping you out today."

Darius's smirk faltered for the first time, his gaze flicking to my shifting form, to the way the flux lashed out around me like living shadows. The room trembled with the sheer force of it.

I launched forward, murder in my veins—

And then Eve was suddenly there, her body a barrier between me and my kill.

"Don't do this," she whispered, her voice tight, desperate. "Remember the plan. They are not worth it. I am alright."

Her hands pressed against my chest, small against the storm raging inside me.

The abyss of my rage wavered.

I faltered.

Her face—gods, her face. Eyes searching mine, wide and pleading. Not for herself. For me. To stop. To stay.

I had never hated anything more than the pain I saw in her expression at that moment.

The flux recoiled, slamming back into me like a whip. My body jerked, trembling under the force of it. My claws curled inward, the edges digging into my palms as I forced myself to step back.

Not because of them.

Because of her.

Because I would tear through heaven and hell alike—but not if it meant losing the one person who could still reach me.

A shuddering breath left me as I shifted back, bones grinding as they reformed. The flux coiled and simmered, no longer screaming for blood but still writhing beneath my skin, restless.

I caught her before she could step away, pulling her close, my arms locking around her.

She let out a soft gasp, but she didn't pull away.

My hands cupped her face, my thumbs brushing over the delicate skin of her cheeks, searching. Searching for injuries, for proof that they had dared to touch what was mine.

"Eve," I breathed her name, my voice breaking under the weight of everything I felt—relief, rage, longing.

I pressed my forehead against hers, closing my eyes as I fought to steady myself.

Then, unable to stop myself, I kissed her.

Not on her lips—because if I kissed her there, I wouldn't stop. And I wasn't ready for that yet. Not while she still had one foot out the door.

So I kissed her on her head, long and lingering, my lips pressed against her temple as I breathed her in.

She was safe.

She was here.

And I was trembling from the weight of what I felt for her.

I could feel Darius watching. I could feel James, caught off guard. I didn't bother glancing at the Luna. I could feel Kael lingering, waiting for my next move.

But in this moment, none of them existed.

Only her.

And the desperate, unyielding truth that I would never let her go.

"Please, tell me," I whispered, afraid, my voice quivering from equal parts dread and hope. "What is your decision?"

She still had a say, even if that bastard had breached the terms we had laid out. I wanted to hope... Goddess, I needed her to choose—to choose me, to choose us.

"I am going nowhere," she replied immediately, even though her voice was shaky, her eyes still blown wide.

Relief washed over me like cool water, dampening the flames of my rage but not fully extinguishing them. The flux still snarled beneath my skin, coiling and shifting, but Eve's words were an anchor, a tether pulling me back from the edge of destruction.

I let out a shuddering breath, pressing my lips against her temple once more, lingering there as if, by sheer force of will, I could imprint my soul onto her skin despite the marks we had inflicted on each other.

Then I turned to them.