Chapter 4
Sera
I glare at the marbled wall, searching for a knob or a button or something to turn the shower on.
But no.
It’s just rock.
Growling, I look up at the showerhead. “Turn. On.”
Of course, it doesn’t listen.
Why would it do what I demand?
“Ugh.” I am not going to walk out of this room to ask for help.
It will defeat the purpose of saying I could do this myself.
“You are not going to show me up.” The words are for the spout over my head.
“Same goes for you,” I say to another one at the opposite end of this giant space.
“I mean, who even needs a shower this big?”
At least seven people my size could fit in here.
It’s ridiculous.
As is the lack of a knob!
“Maybe I should have taken Maliki up on his offer,” I growl under my breath. Then I shiver because that offer is all I can think about.
Well, aside from the malfunctioning shower.
“I’ll happily join you in the shower anytime, trouble.”
My thighs clench as his words play through my mind, his deep baritone reminding me of other sinful things he said to me back in Death’s Palace.
In bed.
While between my spread legs.
“Fuck, Sera. I’ve never seen such a needy pussy.”
“You’re so wet, sweet girl.”
I squirm, the sensations he awoke below seeming to be more intense now than before.
It’s insane. I have no idea why I’m feeling so needy. So pent up. So ready for more.
Hades just whisked me off to a place in the Human Realm that I can’t pronounce. I should be focused on that. I was focused on that.
Until Morpheus taunted me about this shower.
And Maliki whispered an idea that I can’t seem to stop thinking about.
What would he look like naked? I wonder. Would the water turn on for him?
Stars, I like the notion of him being in here with me. Even if he just chose to go shirtless. Because then I could touch his damp skin, revel in his heat while the shower rained down upon us both.
It’s a decadent fantasy, one that nearly makes me forget my purpose here.
Which is to take a shower.
Something I can’t do without water.
I huff at the ceiling, then step out of the shower to check my surroundings… again.
How much time have I wasted in this bathroom? I wonder.
Once again finding nothing of use, I snap, “Why is this so difficult?”
“Why is what so difficult?” a cultured tone asks, causing me to spin around with a surprised yelp.
Hades stands in the bathroom, his commanding presence making me want to shrink backward into the marbled walls.
“Serapina?” he prompts when I don’t immediately reply. “Why haven’t you showered?”
My teeth clench. I can’t answer him. If I do, I have no doubt he’ll ridicule me for not knowing how his fancy shower works.
Or worse, accuse me of playing a game.
Maybe I’m not being fair. Or perhaps it’s exhaustion and confusion making me want to lash out. Regardless, I’m not replying to his question.
“Why do you care?” I demand, feeling defensive. “I thought you had things to do.” Isn’t that why he disappeared? Too busy for a tour? To answer any questions? To explain why we’re in the Human Realm?
That haughty eyebrow of his arches, making me want to wipe that smug look right off his too-handsome face.
If the shower worked properly, I would be tempted to spray him right in the—
Water bursts to life overhead as a geyser shoots off in Hades’s direction, drenching him from head to toe.
My lips part in shock.
Hades shouts something I can’t hear over the rushing water, his arms coming up to try to halt the harsh flow.
Now you decide to turn on? I think, gaping at the shower enclosure. You’re not even putting water where it belongs!
Instead of staying inside the glass, it’s getting all over the bathroom.
Well. Primarily all over Hades.
But still… this isn’t what a shower is meant to do.
Though, it is kind of amusing to watch it soak the God of Death’s suit.
His expression, however, is thunderous, and has me hoping the shower stops assaulting him soon so he—
Everything shuts off in a whoosh of silence, leaving only the sound of dripping in its wake.
A dripping that originates from Hades’s clothes.
He growls.
And I take a step back.
“What the Styx is going on in here?” Maliki demands as he materializes near the door.
“An excellent question, indeed,” Hades mutters as he unfastens his suit jacket. “I told you to bathe our Omega. Yet somehow I am the one taking an impromptu shower whilst clothed.”
He pulls the fabric from his shoulders and allows it to fall to the floor with a loud plop.
Maliki glances between us, his gaze running over me in a slow caress. “You haven’t showered yet?” he asks, his brow furrowing.
“It’s malfunctioning,” I grit out, gesturing to the glass and then to Hades. “Obviously.”
“The shower can’t malfunction,” Maliki says slowly. “It’s desire-based.”
I blink at him. “It’s what?”
“Desire-based,” Hades echoes, like I have a hearing problem.
He’s unbuttoning his black vest now, the soaked clothing sticking to his muscular physique and somehow making him all the more intimidating.
Yet I can’t stop myself from snapping, “I heard Maliki just fine, thank you. I’m trying to understand what desire-based means.”
That arrogant eyebrow of his wings upward again, making me wish the water was flow—
The shower springs to life to drench him again, causing my eyes to widen.
Because oh.
Ohhh.
I think I… I think I understand now.
Maybe.
My lips curl down as I think about the water shutting off.
It does.
And Hades growls again.
Oops, I think. But why didn’t it turn on before when I told it to? I wonder, my frown deepening as I look at the enclosure. “I swear it wasn’t working five minutes ago.”
“Maybe you didn’t desire a shower then?” Morpheus’s voice has me spinning toward the door to find him leaning against the frame, his long legs crossed at the ankles and his hands in his pockets.
“I believe Maliki offered to join you right before we left. Perhaps I’m wrong, but that’s the kind of promise that inspires daydreams, yes? ”
I blink at him, my cheeks heating.
Because he’s right.
I was fantasizing about Maliki being in the shower with me.
Stars, this is embarrassing.
My gaze starts to fall to the ground but snags on the mirror… where I see my reflection. My very naked reflection.
“Oh!” I jump toward the counter to snatch a towel.
I’ve been just standing here, not even realizing that all three clothed men were talking to me while I wore nothing.
“A bit late for that, little dreamer,” Morpheus murmurs. “Your gorgeous silhouette is forever embedded in my mind.” He flashes me a charming smile. “I shall enjoy thinking of you later.”
“Enough,” Hades interjects, his possessive fury a whiplash to my senses. “Leave, Morpheus, before I escort you out.”
“Hades—”
“You, too, Maliki,” Hades says, a low rumble in his tone. “I want a moment alone with Serapina.”
I tug the towel tighter around myself, wishing it were more of a shield than a piece of cloth.
Maliki and Morpheus don’t immediately move, causing the God of Death to growl, “That wasn’t a request.”
The God of Dreams pulls his hands out of his pockets and lifts them in surrender. “Fine. But I’m not leaving the cavern.” He steps backward into the bedroom. “If you need me, little dreamer, just say my name. I’ll be back in a mist.”
With that, he disappears.
But Maliki remains. “We didn’t tell her how the shower works.”
“Clearly,” Hades grinds out.
“So don’t punish her for something she knew nothing about,” Maliki adds. “She’s innocent, Hades. Remember that.”
He vanishes into smoke before Hades can respond, leaving me to face the God of Death alone.
I swallow. “I… I’m sorry?” I phrase it as a question because I’m not sure if that’s what he wants to hear, or if I even need to apologize.
His grunt tells me he either doesn’t accept my words or doesn’t want to hear them.
So I just… stop talking.
And freeze.
Because he just dropped his tie on the floor and now he’s working on the buttons of his shirt.
Inch by inch, he exposes a strip of golden skin. He’s pale, yet touched by a slight tan that seems to define the planes of his muscular torso, allowing me to see every dip and line of his too-perfect physique.
When his shirt falls to the floor with another wet plop, I shiver.
His chest and abdomen are on complete display now.
He has tattoos.
Not like Maliki’s, though.
No, Hades’s tattoos are more defined. Permanent. And they don’t writhe like smoke.
Instead, they’re darker, almost a solid black.
And depicting a crown on the right side of his chest.
A crown decorated with petals.
There are more flowers on his bicep, along with skulls, creating an alluring scene of life and death.
My fingers itch to trace the intricate designs.
But Hades is still moving, his hands unfastening his belt and drawing down his zipper.
My eyes widen as he kicks off his soaked shoes and tugs down his dress pants, leaving him in a pair of tight black boxers and socks.
The latter of which he bends down to remove.
“Come here, Serapina,” he says as he steps into the shower in just the single undergarment.
“I… I don’t think…” I clear my throat, my mouth still dry. “Hades—”
“Please?” he says softly, glancing back at me. “I’m not going to punish you, little soulmate. I just want to take care of you.”
I blink at him, his tone and expression not at all what I’ve come to expect from the real Hades. Instead, he’s talking to me like the version in my dreams. The Hades I long to see every time I close my eyes at night.
The water comes on, this time the way it should—by flowing down in the enclosure rather than spraying outside of it—and Hades holds out his hand. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, Serapina. I simply want to help.”
I stare at him and then down at his unwavering palm.
Can I trust him?
Probably not.
But I’m exhausted. And I… I really do want to take a shower.
He’s also already seen me naked. Stars, he watched as Maliki kissed me between my thighs.
I shiver, recalling how it felt to be watched.
I liked it. Perhaps a little too much. And now, I just… Oh, I simply want to relax. Maybe eat and sleep. However, I need to wash all the sand off first. It’s sticking to my legs. Because I’m still wet… down there.
My cheeks heat at the thought, my throat once again trying to swallow.
This is ridiculous, I tell myself. He’s seen me without clothes already. And he’s kind of my mate. So. What does it matter?
I release the towel and take a step forward.
Hades holds my gaze, his hand still steady before him.
Releasing a breath, I start toward him and nearly slide across the wet tiled floor. Hades is on me in an instant, his palms grabbing my hips to ensure I don’t fall.
Which sends me right into his bare chest.
Warmth immediately surrounds me, as does the scent of a chilly winter night. Right before a snowfall, I think, inhaling deeply as I close my eyes. Stars, I miss this fragrance.
I used to step outside of the greenhouse with a freshly cut rose and indulge in this exact aroma.
How is it possible for him to smell like this? I wonder, dizzy. Why is it so comforting?
His purr rumbles to life, adding to my tranquility. I sigh, lost to his touch. His magnitude. His masculine presence.
Gone are my concerns and fears.
And all that’s left is a sense of peace unlike any I’ve ever known.
I’m only vaguely aware of him pulling me into the shower, his hands roaming up my sides to my back and into my hair. It feels so good, so freeing.
For a moment, I just… exist. In solace. In kindness. In a warm state of security.
Because I feel safe.
I shouldn’t. Deep down, I know that. Hades thinks I’m Persephone, that I betrayed him in the worst way imaginable.
Except…
“You’re using my name,” I say, my voice a whisper. “My real name.”
Serapina.
He referred to me as such before, too. But I haven’t had a chance to comment on it. And I’m just groggy enough to do it now.
“Why?” I ask.
His fingers comb through my hair again, only he knots them at the ends to tilt my head back. I startle as I meet his intense gaze, his dark orbs seeming to radiate a dozen emotions at the same time, making him impossible to read.
I shiver, despite the warm water, and fight the urge to touch him. His purr is soft and soothing, the sound emanating from his chest and inspiring so many competing desires within me.
To rest my palm on his tattoo.
To curl into him and soak up his strength.
To simply submit.
It’s a heady need, one that worsens my dizziness. I don’t want to give in to the wills of my body, not while my mind is still radiating warnings about the Alpha who is currently touching me.
“You possess my mate’s soul,” Hades says, his grip tightening in my hair as his opposite palm goes to my lower back.
He pulls me closer, which is when I realize I was swaying, and his hold is all that’s keeping me in place.
“As you’ve learned, she betrayed me,” he goes on.
“And given that betrayal, I assumed she was playing a dangerous game, one meant to hurt me even more than she already has.” He cants his head to the side.
“It’s hard for me to believe that I may have been wrong in my assumptions.
Almost as hard as it was to accept what she did to me. ”
I swallow, my eyelids growing heavy.
It’s his purr, I realize. Or maybe it’s him.
“But watching you fall apart proved to me that you’re not my Persephone at all,” he adds, his low voice sliding around me in a silky caress.
One that seems to tighten like a noose around my neck as the meaning behind his words begins to register.
“Watching you fall apart proved to me that you’re not my Persephone…”
He’s talking about when Maliki pleasured me. My orgasm.
My eyelashes flutter. “Is… is that why…?” I can’t formulate the question I want to ask. Not because I don’t want to know the answer, but because I’m just not quite sure what I want to know.
“Morpheus suggested I kiss you,” he says. “He told me that would be the best way to test my mate—because an Omega is a slave to her Alpha’s touch. And your kind can’t fake pleasure.”
Some of the fog begins to leave me as I continue to process his comments.
But he’s not done.
“It’s an intrinsic response to your needs.
Omegas are made to take an Alpha’s knot.
It’s how we bond. So the best way to test you was to see how you reacted to another man’s touch,” he murmurs, his grip tightening as he leans in to run his nose against mine.
“And the way you responded to Maliki told me everything I needed to know, Serapina.”