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She didn’t like it

He waselse to say?" Lucifer asked "Shall we part, then?"

She barely stopped herself froame he played? He needed the wall repaired as much as she did Well, not as much as she did, she mused Unlike her, he would not die if the wall cruht, she answered her own question Yes, this was a gan," she said "You will--"

"You are not er Another display he quickly hid A single breath in and out, and he visibly calmed "You are my…observer You watch, you advise and you protect, but you do not command"

Because you are too weak, he did not say But then, he didn’t have to They both kneas true

She wanted to be different Strong She truly did And she should have been Once, she had been Her very nature was one of subjugation, after all For others, though, and not herself Or that’s the way it had been Why was she like this now?

You know the answer, and you would do well to forget it

She squared her shoulders, realizing she would have to play Lucifer’s game, after all There was no other way You can do this For Geryon "I believe I offered to bargain with you, and you were ain?" she asked silkily

He nodded, as if he’d"We shall"

Gates of Hell

"I DO NOT UNDERSTAND," Geryon said, refusing to leave his post He even crossed his arms over his chest, an action that reuard, reed to release reed You are free" The goddess cast her gaze to her sandaled feet, saying no ? Plan to trick hi since he’d dealt with a feh, he wanted to believe Anything and everything she said And that hat scared him most

She could destroy him and his poor heart Or rather, what re did

She was paler than usual, he noted, the rosy glow in her cheeks gone, her freckles stark Her golden ringlets tumbled down her shoulders and arhout the fine strands His hands ached to reach out, to sift those tresses through his fingers

Would she run screa if he did so? Probably

Today she wore a violet robe andnecklace--a necklace that boasted a teardrop a ice of his homeland Ice he had not seen in hundreds of years She had never worn such a thing before; usually she draped herself in white, an angel a evil, with no adornment

"How?" he persisted "Why?" And why do you look so sad?

"Does itinto hi just as deep

There was fury blended with her sadness He did not like either This female should only ever be happy "To me, yes" But only because it was necessary to his survival Anything else, and he ht have caved then and there Given her whatever she desired Even follow her into the fires behind hiave a little stomp of her foot "To save the wall, I need your help Let that be enough of an answer for now You know Lucifer would not want it to fall" Her fingers beckoned hie that has been done on this side See why I oddess did not await his reply She turned away from him and walked to the far corner of the wall No, not walked She glided, a dreaht

Why do you want to survive? What good does living do you? Geryon hesitated only adeeply of her honeysuckle scent along the way

To his surprise, no one jumped from the shadows as he walked; no one waited to punish hi to leave his post Was he truly free? Dare he hope?

The goddess didn’t face hi a thin, jagged groove in the roove that branched into s ocean

"It’s srown from what I saw yesterday If the derow until the rock splits coions to enter the hule de world," he n" Whether or not a punishment would be delivered to him, he would help her, Geryon decided He could not allow such a thing to happen Innocence should never be taken fro It was too precious

"If I do this… If I help you…"

Still she didn’t face hih

"I will earn that boon? Whatever I desire?" How selfish he was to ask, he thought, but he did not take the words back

"Yes" No hesitation Still breathy

What did she think he would ask for? "Then so be it I accept I will lead you into Hell, goddess"

CHAPTER FOUR

THE GODDESS GAVE A STARTLED gasp and flicked hi you are no longer bound to the prince? That you could leave?"