Read Online Catalyst (A Grace Murphy Novella) by Nicole Hamlett - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Nicole Hamlett
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She'd have spit into the letter as well but she didn't want her words to be smeared. No, this letter had to be taken as seriously as she intended.
"Well that feels good," she said and stretched her arms high above her towards the archway of the ceiling. She'd been kept cramped for too long. There would be no more captivity. No more ignoring. They would answer for their crimes against her.
A knock sounded at the door and she slid behind a cabinet and listened.
The door opened and her beloved's voice echoed through the room. "Hephaestus? You around, man? I've got to head out but I wanted to check on the seals."
His booted steps rang through the chamber and she crouched into herself and blanked her mind. He'd hear her. He could hear her from miles away when they were first wed. If she weren't so afraid of what he'd do to her, she would have snorted her derision. He didn't hear her much anymore. She'd been shouting for him for months with no answer.
The scratching of pen and paper said that he was writing a note, oblivious to the intruder in the room. As much as his ignoring her hurt, she didn't want their interference until it was too late to distract or capture her.
He finished the note and paused for three heartbeats before opening and closing the door quietly behind him. Hope breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed her shoulders.
"Do you think he heard us?" She turned to whisper to her concealed companion deep within the shadows of the room.
"I don't think so. Hurry and finish addressing the letter. I promised you a day of fun. You deserve it after all you've been through, my poor darling."
The woman sidled up against Hope and softly pushed a stray hair up behind her ear, caressing the silken skin along the nape of her neck.
Hope had been without any form of affection for so long that she couldn't hide the visible shudder of longing from the woman's touch. Neysa sighed and pulled Hope into her arms. "It's okay. Everything will work out the way it was meant to."
To be fair, Hope should have died long ago, so the promise wasn't completely false. Hope had been teetering on the edge of madness for years before her unfortunate siblings had gotten involved. It didn't help that Hypnos and Lyssa had utterly destroyed what was left of this woman's sanity. Now, any expectation for her recovery was little more than a pipe dream. This all made the path easier to follow. Hope was yet again an unwitting pawn in the war Neysa's mother had begun millennia ago.
"Amateurs," she muttered quietly.
"What was that?" Hope asked, leaning closer into the embrace.
"Nothing, darling. Don't worry about a thing. I will take care of everything now. All you need to do is trust me and continue doing such a good job of keeping our visits secret." Neysa cupped Hope's face and masked her face in sincerity and empathy. It was imperative that she keep Hope calm. It would have been a kindness to kill her now, but she was crucial to the plan.
Sneaking Hope out of the prison had become increasingly difficult and she knew that this would be the last time. It would have to work this time or the plan would fail. Had she been involved since the beginning, none of this would have been necessary. But she'd stayed out of it, hoping that for once she wouldn't be called in for to clean up her siblings' messes.
She had her own life to lead and frankly, there weren't many people in this world that wanted Nyx to stay at the bottom at the bottom of the ocean more than Neysa. Unfortunately, nature (and her mother) had a way of forcing a person into the role they were born with.
It didn't matter that she had no interest in seeking retribution for the stupidity of her siblings, Nyx had ensured with her magic and force of will that Neysa would follow through in this plot of revenge.
The task at hand settled over her like a mantle. She straightened her shoulders and turned to Hope, oozing compassion.
"Come, Love, let's see what we can
"Well that feels good," she said and stretched her arms high above her towards the archway of the ceiling. She'd been kept cramped for too long. There would be no more captivity. No more ignoring. They would answer for their crimes against her.
A knock sounded at the door and she slid behind a cabinet and listened.
The door opened and her beloved's voice echoed through the room. "Hephaestus? You around, man? I've got to head out but I wanted to check on the seals."
His booted steps rang through the chamber and she crouched into herself and blanked her mind. He'd hear her. He could hear her from miles away when they were first wed. If she weren't so afraid of what he'd do to her, she would have snorted her derision. He didn't hear her much anymore. She'd been shouting for him for months with no answer.
The scratching of pen and paper said that he was writing a note, oblivious to the intruder in the room. As much as his ignoring her hurt, she didn't want their interference until it was too late to distract or capture her.
He finished the note and paused for three heartbeats before opening and closing the door quietly behind him. Hope breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed her shoulders.
"Do you think he heard us?" She turned to whisper to her concealed companion deep within the shadows of the room.
"I don't think so. Hurry and finish addressing the letter. I promised you a day of fun. You deserve it after all you've been through, my poor darling."
The woman sidled up against Hope and softly pushed a stray hair up behind her ear, caressing the silken skin along the nape of her neck.
Hope had been without any form of affection for so long that she couldn't hide the visible shudder of longing from the woman's touch. Neysa sighed and pulled Hope into her arms. "It's okay. Everything will work out the way it was meant to."
To be fair, Hope should have died long ago, so the promise wasn't completely false. Hope had been teetering on the edge of madness for years before her unfortunate siblings had gotten involved. It didn't help that Hypnos and Lyssa had utterly destroyed what was left of this woman's sanity. Now, any expectation for her recovery was little more than a pipe dream. This all made the path easier to follow. Hope was yet again an unwitting pawn in the war Neysa's mother had begun millennia ago.
"Amateurs," she muttered quietly.
"What was that?" Hope asked, leaning closer into the embrace.
"Nothing, darling. Don't worry about a thing. I will take care of everything now. All you need to do is trust me and continue doing such a good job of keeping our visits secret." Neysa cupped Hope's face and masked her face in sincerity and empathy. It was imperative that she keep Hope calm. It would have been a kindness to kill her now, but she was crucial to the plan.
Sneaking Hope out of the prison had become increasingly difficult and she knew that this would be the last time. It would have to work this time or the plan would fail. Had she been involved since the beginning, none of this would have been necessary. But she'd stayed out of it, hoping that for once she wouldn't be called in for to clean up her siblings' messes.
She had her own life to lead and frankly, there weren't many people in this world that wanted Nyx to stay at the bottom at the bottom of the ocean more than Neysa. Unfortunately, nature (and her mother) had a way of forcing a person into the role they were born with.
It didn't matter that she had no interest in seeking retribution for the stupidity of her siblings, Nyx had ensured with her magic and force of will that Neysa would follow through in this plot of revenge.
The task at hand settled over her like a mantle. She straightened her shoulders and turned to Hope, oozing compassion.
"Come, Love, let's see what we can
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