Hades

|Damaged|

•CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO•

"No!" I writhe in pain on the silk sheets, my damp hair sticking to my face.

"Samira! Stop!"

My eyes remain closed tightly as I gasp for air. All I could see or do was try to escape. To break free.

Pain spread from my legs to my head, exploding in different places. I wanted it to end. I just wanted it to stop.

Zeus smirks down at me cruelly, holding my dead baby in his arms.

"You're next."

My vision grows darker and I stop moving. I stop breathing. Everything just....stops.

"Samira, please wake up."

The voice fades, echoing further and further away from my ears. My being.

Suddenly, a cold feeling spreads through my body. Making my system come alive. I could feel. But I didn't want to. I could hear. But I didn't want to.

"Sam, come back to me."

I gasp, opening my eyes wide. A throbbing feeling explodes in my mid-area, filling me with discomfort.

Hades kneels over my body, his hands taking ahold of my face. Scruff dots his sharp jaw and bags lay under his deep blue eyes. His black hair hangs into his eyes, hiding part of the scar on his face.

And in his eyes, I saw something I never saw before. He was strong, in power, in command of himself and his subjects. He was fierce and cold when he needed to be. When he needed to protect. He was cool, calm and collected as a whole. But right now, he seemed lost. Desperate. Fearful.

Emotions that those would consider weak were now in command of him.

He sighs in relief, a cold hand gently wrapping around the back of my neck. He pulls me to him, leaving my head resting on his cold chest.

The bond rumbles weakly, barely there but holding on.

I pull back just as he releases me, and I glance down at myself. I was dressed in a loose nightgown that reached mid-thigh. Not in the same clothes as the moment when..

I look up with wide eyes at Hades, latching my hand onto his arm. "What happened to our child?"

Hades opens his mouth to reply but closes it, his hand clenching into a fist. His eyes cast downwards to the bed as he shakes his head slowly.

"I'm sorry." He says quietly, "The baby didn't make it. Desa told me that you took a few..." his jaw ticks, "..hits."

I release a shudder of breath, closing my eyes slowly. My hand involuntarily gravitates towards my stomach, rubbing it.

Opening my eyes, I stand up leisurely, making sure to use the support I needed. The aching returns full force, and I could feel the bed shift where Hades stood to help me.

"No," I hold out a hand, "I just..I need space."

I make my way into the bathroom, shutting the door quietly. Without thinking, I turn the knobs of the shower.