Page 4 of Taming Winter

"You are indeed, but if it makes you feel better, you lasted longer than I thought you would. You have certainly tested my patience."

It was the nicest thing she had ever said to me, which meant she knew I was giving in. Kindness was not in her nature. I turned to her, keeping my gaze on the floor. "Fine, Hades. I will sell my soul to you if it means the torture stops."

There was a moment of heavy silence, then, "Look at me."

I obeyed, only to find a worn piece of parchment in her hand. It was familiar, the same contract she had offered me for a century. In her other hand was a raven's quill. Hades’s smile was gone, leaving a scorched intensity that bored into me and heated my flesh.

"Sign the contract."

Shivering fingers clasped the utensils and laid the contract on the floor. I didn't need to read it; I already knew what it said. My soul would be the property of Hades as compensation for transfer from Tartarus. She would own me unequivocally, to do with as she pleased. It was intentionally vague about what that entailed. My fist tightened around the quill.

"What are you going to do with me?" I asked in a broken whisper.

Her lip curled up on one side. "That is for me to know and for you to find out, handsome."

My brows tightened, but I dropped the quill tip to the signature line. This had always been my destiny, signed and sealed the moment I stepped onto the bridge of death. A thick droplet of ink spilled from the tip in deep red. I gulped and scrawled my signature. When I pulled away, I noticed my fingertips soaked in the blood that had fueled the utensil.

The parchment disappeared. A gasp tore through me, and my vision went spotty. Whatever was in the void where my heart had been was being crushed in a vise. Raised black markings like roots wove around my wrists, and when they encircled my flesh, every nerve ending was aware of Hades’s presence. She drew me to her like a pathetic, accursed moth to light.

"Stand," she barked.

Despite my instincts screaming not to, I obeyed without question, clambering up and facing her as a soldier brought to attention. It was as though my limbs weren't my own, and really, they weren't. They were hers.

She smiled. "Step forward."

My feet moved without my telling them to.

Her hand cradled my cheek. It should have been a comforting touch, but it only brought me dread when I realized I couldn't pull away. My eyes widened, and I did my best to steady my rapid breathing. I would not show her how fucking terrified I was.

"Your name is now Wolfe," she said matter-of-factly.

My eyebrows scrunched. "The fuck it is. I already have a name, it’s…” my voice trailed off, and my lips parted in horror.

A twisted smile warped her face. "What was that? You have a name? Then tell me what it is, Wolfe."

What was my name? Wolfe, Wolfe, WOLFE. It was an omnipresent chant in my head regardless of how I tried to silence it. I knew it was wrong. I had a real name, but it had escaped me. It was as though the moment she uttered the command, my entire being took it as truth. My undead heart dropped. She had ripped away my name as if my very identity was nothing but a smudge to be erased.

"Please don't do this," I begged in a broken whisper. I had never asked her for anything. Never had I begged for the torture to stop or for forgiveness. But my identity was all I had left. I had been a worthless piece of shit gun-for-hire in life, but at least it was something to hold on to, but now she had taken that too.

She scoffed. "You don't have the right to beg for anything from me unless I fucking tell you to beg. Your name is Wolfe, and you are a trained dog for the goddess of the dead, who will kill who I tell him to, when and how I tell him to. Congratulations, and welcome to your new life."

My world dropped from my stomach. I hadn't expected her to give in to me, that had been a pathetic plea from a desperate man, but I hadn't anticipated her plans for me. The only people I killed for were my cabal, the men and women that pulled my worthless ass out of the gutters as a child and gave me a chance at life. “I’m retired."

Her fingers moved from my cheek to my throat, where her claws dug in and yanked me to her level. "I don't think you fully grasp what you signed, Wolfe. Bark."

I blinked. "What?"

Her grip on my throat tightened. "I said bark, like the fucking dog you are."

Anger washed over me. This fucking raging demonic bitch; I wished I had stabbed her a few more times when I'd had the chance. When my mouth parted to retort, the rough bubble of an animalistic noise rose in my throat. I snapped my jaw shut and fought against the sound, even as it clawed its way out of me. I will not fucking bark for this monster, I chanted in my mind. Sweat slicked my forehead and nape as I fought against the command. Yet, a sharp bark tore from my lips as though she ripped it from my vocal cords. I winced, especially as a victorious smirk spread across her face.

"Maybe now you'll understand. You will follow my command because there is no other choice, and you’re stuck by my side because your soul will decay if you leave. I own you.”

CHAPTER 5

WOLFE

My last visit to the Castle of Hades had been a rushed venture in the darkness of night. Now I had time to take it all in. Afternoon sunlight filtered through stained-glass windows, bathing the black marble floors in a purple glow. Writhing monsters and souls cast in eternal agony decorated the forest of pillars we passed. It did nothing to ease the sense of dread that was spreading through my body with each echoing step. The heat that had once consumed this space was absent. Soft puffs of icy fog left my mouth with each breath. I felt frostbitten.