From Ash to Fire

Twenty Six

There was darkness for a while. A quiet, breathless abyss that stole me from the world. When I was alive, this was how my brain took over whenever I felt overwhelmed. It wasn't often that my body had to take over completely and utterly until I was an empty vessel in the world, hiding my soul from those who hurt me.

This time I wasn't hurt. Not physically at least. Not like in my past where purple and yellow decorated my skin like a beam of an SOS.

In this perfect world, it didn't sting to think of what was happening to me. That a God of the Underworld declared my body his to use. His to take however he deemed fit. It would be so I could stay with him, forever.

That's a strange thought.

Someone actually wanted me to stay.

And Hades had no idea who I was, no matter what he thought.

"Nicole." Hades murmured to me, quietly. A gentle touch to my cheek, lingered with his hot breath, his scent that only the God could have.

Ash and fire.

Suffocating and intoxicating all in the same. His touch on my body lights makes my veins turn into pyromaniacs, wishing for more, wanting to devour my entire body in the flames he promises.

"You're fine, love." He whispered even quieter than before. "You can come back now. You can't hide in that mind of yours forever."

I refused to look at him and instead, nuzzled my face into his chest, inhaling in scent with the hope it would go away. But it never did. My body wanted more. "How do you know?"

Of the darkness in my mind I escape to?

That I'd had enough trauma to last my lifeline?

Where I go when I need to run but can't?

"You've done this before, little shade."

"You don't know me!" I yell but even I know, it's a lie. He knows everything about me, well the past me but there seems to be no difference in them.

"You came to me so broken once." He adjusted me into his lap, holding me as if I was his world, "So broken. I didn't know what happened to you. How to help you. I won't make that mistake twice. So, please, stay with me this time."

With a limp nod, he started rocking us.

Staring into the fire, as if he were in his own world, he sighed, "I've been waiting twelve years to have this moment. I've missed you so much, my little shade. I've been too rough with you, it's just, you seem different this time around."

When I finally looked at him, like really looked at him, he was watching me in amazement.

"A fighter. Sassy beyond belief. And an adrenaline junky." He named off a few with a smile twitching his lip until it finally lifted when my jaw dropped.

"The adrenaline thing is new." I fought the smile threatening to match his. "And you're wrong about the other things. I am the furthest thing from a fighter. And don't try to get away from what you said before. You can't just declare to impregnate me!"

He laughed, a deep belly laugh that shook us both. "Nicole, Gods above, it still feels odd calling you that. I wonder if that's always been your name." He stared off again, lost in his own mind, leaving me behind even if his fingers dug into my body to keep me close.

"We only have a few weeks before you leave me again. I need to do everything I can to keep you here. You are not leaving me again. I don't care if you come to hate me for what I have to do."

"-I will hate you."

"Knowing you are here, with me, is all that matters. I'd keep you safe from the cruel world that has done nothing but hurt you all these times."