After discovering she's a descendant of Hades, Avery must find a way to escape those hunting her and ultimately choose between her two opposing soulmates.
*****
Once Avery Stavros...
"There are a thousand of people like me but there's only one you."
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"WHY?" I nearly shouted although I'd known the answer. Resurrection was prohibited, it wasn't allowed. I'd done this to myself. I was the one who had begged Lord Hades to bring me back.
Queen Rhea gave me a pointed look. "Why?" She said in a sarcastic tone. "You should've known that those who died to stay dead. Why do you think I was angry when I met you two weeks ago?" She tilted her head to the left, daring me to speak but I'd learned my lesson to keep my mouth shut and the look that Vlad was giving me spoke the same.
"I knew something eminent about to happen the second I saw you walking through the door." She let out a deep sigh and gave me an exhausted look. "You should've known better, Isabelle."
I thought she was talking about me knowing that Zeus was such a dick but she continued before I had a chance to speak up my mind, "you know how much he loves you, how he will give you anything even if he has to break the rules for it."
At that moment, I knew she was talking about Hades. Knowing fully well that she was right, I muttered, "I'm sorry."
To my surprise, Queen Rhea smiled and held my hand. "There's nothing to be sorry, my child." She slid her gaze to Vlad and her smile faltered a little. "I'm sure you just saved his life."
I frowned, completely puzzled by her last statement. "Pardon?"
"About three persons out of five who lost their soulmates commit suicide," informed Queen Rhea. "The pain and suffering of losing one's soulmate are so unbearable that death didn't seem like a bad option." She placed her hand on top of the book and dropped her gaze to her ring finger. The chandelier light caught on her huge platinum and diamond wedding ring. She looked so forlorn that my heart almost broke for her.
With a small voice that I didn't recognize was my own, I whispered softly, "but you didn't."
Then she whipped her head and looked at Vladimir and me with those big blue Christoulakis eyes. "I couldn't." She shook her head and bit her bottom lips. Looking at her right now, I saw a woman that I'd never seen before, a woman who had lost her soulmate and her daughter. It reminded me that even though she was a queen, she was a woman and a mother too.
"I have--had," she swallowed hard. "I had Scarlet to look after. She was only seven years old when my husband died. Moreover, I have people. For them, I must stay strong." Her voice filled with determination as she added, "this duty must always come first."
I didn't know what possessed me but I threw my arms around her. Her body went stiff for a split second before melted as she wrapped her arms around me, accepting the gesture. "I'm so sorry," I sobbed. "I've never offered my condolences."
