Vala Eminence Read Free

doing homework?” She gasped.
    â€œI do homework,” he said. “When I feel like it, and I felt like it since I kind of have to or I'll get expelled.”
    She made a quiet, thoughtful sort of noise. “Good point. Being expelled would probably be a bad thing. I think if you were on your own, you'd fair pretty well anyhow.”
    â€œI'd have no problems getting a job or anything, sure.” He lay down on his couch and stared up at the ceiling. But the wards on the school keep me safe from the demons. Maybe now that I know my heritage, I can tap deeper into whatever magic this is inside of me. I'm stronger than them; I know it. I just have to build up my power.
    â€œSo why do you stay?” Cheyenne asked.
    â€œMy life wouldn't be complete if I couldn't torment you all day with my presence.” The words slid off of his tongue easily. It wasn't a lie, but he had intended for his message to be a bit more sweet and suave.
    She laughed, at least, so that lessened his concern. Cheyenne always seemed to appreciate his quirky, sarcastic, offensive sense of humor. Not to mention, she was good at reading between the lines. Somehow she'd understand him until he figured out how to do the schmoopy thing better.
    â€œI know, you can't resist me,” she said. Then she sighed, and he imagined her lying on her bed, gazing up at the ceiling much like he was. He would have gone to her room to relax with her if he thought he could get away with it, but she probably wouldn't like it. Halyn, her roommate, definitely wouldn't.
    If you only knew how much I can't resist you, he thought. What would she think if she knew the truth? The reason he was so drawn to her from the beginning was because he was Hades’ heir and she was Persephone's. It was written in the stars for them to be together, or something cliché like that. Denver usually wasn't one to believe in prophecies or in his destiny being in the hands of someone other than himself. However, he did believe the one about Persephone and Hades.
    Supposedly his many greats-grandfather fell in love with Persephone and wanted to marry her. She declined because he wasn't exactly the most good-looking man on the planet, nor did she want to be associated with the underworld. Their connection was deep, however. And neither could deny the attraction they had to one another. Secretly, she had longed to be with him, but knew she had to stay away. Eventually, she had married another man who wasn't good enough for her. She'd made up for the mistake of denying Hades instead of pursuing her true love for him. A vow had been made after the wedding, and Persephone sealed her spirit away to be released in the future when she could once more be with Hades. The two had made some kind of a binding covenant, keeping their love pure and alive forever.
    It was that covenant that Lucien was using against Cheyenne by pretending to be Hades’ heir. He lied to the Divine Council, promising them endless power once Hades and Persephone reunited. The problem was, Lucien wasn't Divine. Which is why it makes so much sense to keep me near him all the time. He's gotta figure out how to steal my dad's power — and mine.
    Divine politics ran deep and were complicated. Lucien was trying to manipulate everyone for some kind of hidden purpose. Denver needed to figure it out and find a way to protect Cheyenne from that monster. She belongs to me . We are the fulfillment of the covenant. This is our destiny, to be together. Regardless of if they had some ancient dead souls lingering inside their bodies, Denver would have still been pulled in by Cheyenne. He refused to believe that the only reason he loved her so much was because of an ancient spirit. In fact, he wasn't even sure if he believed Hades' and Persephone's spirits were truly locked away, waiting to be released again.
    You know that's not true. They are. Sometimes you don't think like yourself, like there's wisdom inside of you