CHAPTER 60: ESCAPE

Leonidas had waited for over an hour, and still, the men hadn’t returned with Lilith. A knot of unease twisted in his gut. What could have happened? Had they been caught? Or worse—had they double-crossed him and run off with his bride?

Irritated and growing increasingly anxious, he climbed back into his carriage went down the path Bole and Angus had taken toward the cottage. His eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for any clue—a broken carriage, disturbed tracks, anything that would explain the delay.

The silence inside the carriage stretched unbearably as time dragged on. After an hour and a half of searching, he finally spotted something, a broken tree just off the path. He frowned, pulled the carriage to a stop, and climbed down. Striding toward it, he stood beneath the splintered trunk and stared up. What happened here? he wondered. There hasn’t been a storm.

His unease deepened.

Deciding to investigate further before continuing down the path, Leonidas walked a short distance into the woods. That was when he saw it—a length of rope lying near the base of a tree. He crouched and picked it up, turning it over in his hands. His brow furrowed deeper when recognition hit.

It was the same rope he’d used to bind Lilith.

He knew it by the small knot he’d tied into it earlier that day while preparing for the abduction. He dropped it as if it burned him, his mind racing.

Straightening, he moved further into the forest, every step cautious. Then something caught his eye—a shoe. A man’s shoe. He crouched again and picked it up by the tip of his fingers. Blood stained the leather, thick and dried.

His breath caught in his throat.

The shoe belonged to one of his men.

Leonidas let out a sharp gasp, a cold chill crawling down his spine. He dropped the blood-soaked shoe as if it burned him and stumbled backward, heart hammering in his chest. His eyes darted wildly around the forest, scanning the shadows. Was someone watching him?

If... if the men are missing, then that means. His breath hitched. The prince. The prince must have found them.

His blood ran cold.

He must have killed them... and taken Lilith.

"Fuck!" Leonidas cursed aloud, his voice shaking.

Panic seized him as he turned and broke into a sprint, crashing back through the underbrush toward the carriage. He scrambled inside, snatched the reins, and lashed them hard. The horses lurched forward, the wheels bumping violently over the rough path.

Sweat rolled down his temple, stinging his eyes. He wiped it away furiously with the back of his hand. His mind raced.

If Hades got to them... if those fools talked...

The thought made his stomach turn.

Then he knows. He knows I’m the one who orchestrated this.

Leonidas’ throat went dry with fear. The prince was likely hunting him. He had to disappear. Fast.

The moment he arrived at the cottage, he leapt from the carriage and stormed inside. He rushed to the bedroom, flung open the closet, and yanked out a box. Clothes were shoved into it in frantic handfuls, no time for folding or order. He just needed to run.

Once the box was nearly bursting, he forced it shut and dropped to his knees beside the dresser. His coins—every coin he’d stolen over the years as a shapeshifter—they were all hidden in the drawer beneath.

He pulled it open.

Empty.

Leonidas froze.

"What...?" he whispered.

He yanked the drawer out completely. Nothing. Not even a silver piece. It had all vanished.

Leonidas frowned. He knew he had placed the coins in that drawer.

He yanked out the second, then the third drawer—both just as empty.

"Fuck!" he cursed, slamming one shut, his frustration mounting. He fisted his hair, wild eyes scanning the room in disbelief. He needed that money if he had any hope of escaping this cursed place.

Dropping to his knees, he searched under the bed—nothing.

Then he froze.

His mind finally caught up with the detail he had ignored in his panic.

I locked the door before leaving... but it was unlocked when I came back.

His blood ran cold.

Someone’s been here.

A slow, mocking voice broke the silence behind him.

"I knew you were a fucking cunt, but a thief and a kidnapper too? Tsk, tsk, tsk... I’m a little disappointed, Leonidas."

The clothes slipped from his hands, forgotten, as he turned around stiffly—like a man already staring death in the face.

Prince Hades sat casually on a wooden chair, one leg thrown lazily over the table. His cold, gleaming eyes watched him like a predator enjoying the panic of its prey. At his foot was the missing pouch of coins.

Leonidas’ heart nearly stopped. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, trying to mask his fear with volume. "You have Lilith. She is back with you. You’ve won, alright?"

Hades tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable. "Won?" he echoed, voice calm—too calm. "Oh no, Leonidas... I haven’t won yet."

He leaned forward, shadows dancing across his sharp features. "Not until I have your head."

Leonidas swallowed hard, then bolted, without thinking racing out of the bedroom and tearing through the house before disappearing into the thick forest. Branches whipped against his face, the cold night air stinging his lungs as he ran blindly, glancing back every few seconds like a hunted animal.

He wasn’t human anymore, and his enhanced speed gave him a sliver of hope. Maybe I can outrun him, he thought, forcing his legs to move faster.

How foolish he was.

In his next glance forward, his blood turned to ice.

Hades stood directly in his path, a sinister smile carved across his face like something out of a nightmare. The faintest light from the breaking dawn crept through the trees, casting eerie shadows across the prince’s sharp features.

Leonidas stumbled and hit the ground hard, his limbs trembling, his body sluggish from fear and adrenaline. He struggled to get up, heart slamming against his ribs.

Hades tilted his head, voice low and chilling.

"Let’s play a little game of hide and seek, shall we?"

Leonidas didn’t breathe.

"You have ten seconds to hide..." The smile on Hades’ face widened and cruel. "...and pray to the devil that I don’t find you."

"Go."

Leonidas scrambled to his feet, slipping in the dirt, arms flailing. Behind him, he could hear the prince counting—softly, rhythmically.

One... two...

His eyes darted wildly around the forest. Where? Where the fuck do I go? Every tree looked the same. Every shadow seemed to mock him.