BOOK 2 of the Running With Devils Series
It's been three weeks since Coralynn Bennet was dragged down to Hell and it was nothing like how she imagined it. It was a kingdom of skyscrapers but no sky. Demons ran amok, but limited their bloodthirsty te...
AN: **TW- SA (Nothing graphic but still read at your own discretion)** :(
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The Shadow
I was floating, my body submerged in the icy waters of the Styx, face towards the surface. Dim streams of light refracted through the water. It wasn't until my back hit the muddy bottom that I realized I wasn't floating.
I was sinking.
It was the weight of my guilt that brought me here. It was the heaviness of losing time and time again that held me down.
Each beat down I endured, took another piece of me. I had always gotten myself back up. I had told myself I always would. Until I had, at the very least, taken what was owed on behalf of my mother.
I couldn't give less of a shit about a fucking throne now. I just wanted him to admit the things he did. I wanted to look into his eyes as I drained him of every single drop of power he held.
But even that was a nearly impossible reach now. I could've had it all if I had just ignored the threat against the mortal plane. It was of no consequence to my plans whether or not humanity survived.
But it did mean something to her, and even now, her desires were still mine because her name was still carved deep into my heart.
The thought of it made my fingers curl into the mud. My jaw tightened and I clenched a fistful of it in my hands before positioning myself to push upwards to the surface.
I was truly a glutton for punishment. Once again, I found myself clinging to that sliver of hatred I saved for my father. I used it to propel me upwards, higher and higher, until finally, I breached the surface.
I gulped down air as quickly as I could, struggling to stay above the thrashing water. Then I began to swim the river bank. Each stroke was a brutal fight against the current that nearly dragged me back under again.
I wasn't about to get out done by a fucking current. I fought back with every ounce of strength I had left in the tank, practically clawing my way onto the muddy bank of the Styx.
I had fought so hard, only to hear the sound of a slow clap begin from above me.
"You certainly have outdone yourself this time, boy," my father laughed. "You had everything. The girl. The element of surprise. And still, you managed to fuck yourself over. That is truly impressive."
And so it began.
I dropped my forehead into the mud, eyes shutting from defeat.
"Your welcome," I managed to force out a weak sounding laugh. "My generosity knows no bounds, father."
