Chapter 8
DEEP COMFORT
Aaren gritted his teeth, his heart pounding.
He wanted to end the call.
He knew he was fat. He knew he wasn’t always in control of his mouth. He knew he needed help with things sometimes.
But to be called fat and stupid when Hades was listening—it made him feel self-conscious and ashamed. It made him feel like he was less, like he didn’t deserve someone as put-together and capable as Hades was.
He swallowed past the tightness in his throat, wondering if Hades might decide to look for another omega instead.
He fidgeted and blinked hard, trying to scrub away the sudden heat in his eyes.
Ballus strode out of the bedroom in his work clothes. “I want fried chicken when I get home tonight. That’s about all you’re good for, aside from being a wet hole in my bed.”
“Yeah, fine,” Aaren said, just so Ballus would dismiss him and get out.
“Don’t lose my remote again, you useless bitch.”
Then he was gone, the door slamming after him. Aaren breathed a sigh of relief.
He wobbled to the couch and sat down, pulling his phone out of his pocket. The call was still going.
Aaren curled up into a tight ball, making himself as small as he could. Things didn’t hurt as much when he was smaller, right? Maybe his pocket had muffled everyone’s voices and Hades hadn’t heard any of it.
He pressed his face to his knees, a few tears dripping down his cheeks.
“Aaren?” said a soft voice.
It was coming from the phone.
Aaren tensed, expecting his phone to burst into flames.
“Aaren?” Hades said again.
He picked up the phone gingerly. It felt very heavy in his hands.
“I’ll be there in five minutes. Can you wait that long?” Hades asked.
He sounded kind. Aaren brought the phone closer, still not speaking.
“Why don’t I tell you a funny story from prison?” Hades said. Without waiting for an answer, he continued, “See, amongst my prison Brothers and me, Storm is the youngest of us. What that means is that sometimes he gets the craziest ideas, and sometimes he’s bored enough to try them.
“One night when all the lights were off, there came the sound of a mewing cat.
“Now, animals are not allowed in prison. It’s not a petting zoo; it’s not a vacation for any of us. Except that sound was unmistakable.”
Aaren picked his head up, blinking at the phone. “A cat?”
“Yup.” Hades’ voice grew warmer. “I could’ve sworn it was coming from right outside my cell.
So I smacked Jag awake and he thought there was a cat too.
Then it stopped mewing. We listened for a while, but when we heard nothing else, we went back to sleep.
The next night, the same thing happened.
The cat mewed, louder and louder. More of the inmates were starting to pay attention, except when a guard came to check it out, the cat stopped.
“This went on for a week. We looked under the bunks in the morning but found nothing. At night, at random times, we heard the mewing again.
“Then one night, one fucking night, we heard a snake.”
“No,” Aaren gasped.
“The cat started hissing. The snake hissed too.
Then they fought. By now, all the inmates were awake and listening.
Some of them wanted the lights on so they could watch the fight.
Some of the others just wanted to sleep.
Either way, the guards came along. The moment the lights turned on, the sounds just.. . stopped.
“The guards looked everywhere for the cat and snake. Everyone said they had heard them, so the guards shone their lights under everyone’s bunks.
They couldn’t find a single fur or scale.
The guards yelled at us and stormed off, but not before giving us a warning.
Then they turned off the lights. Guess what? ”
“The sounds started again?” Aaren said.
“Yup. The cat started purring smugly, like it got away. Then the snake came back and they began fighting again. Of course the inmates made noises. Some thought it was ghosts. Some thought one of us brought in a cat and they’re stowing it away under a blanket.
Either way, the cat ended up victorious, and the snake went off to lick its wounds.
“It didn’t happen every night, but most nights there was at least a purr or two,” Hades added.
“Sometimes the snake showed up and they started fighting again, but every time the guards came to check it out, the sounds vanished into thin air. They were getting pretty fed up by this point—one night, the cat began purring the moment they walked away, and the guards came back to shake out every cell.”
“No cat?” Aaren asked.
“No cat. In fact, most of us were pretty pissed about the shakedown, because we wanted to sleep.”
“Did you ever find the cat?”
Hades huffed. “So the next day, we were all cranky from the lack of sleep. Everyone was snapping at each other; I was bitching at Storm, who was behind me in the lunchroom queue. ‘Fucking cat,’ I told him. ‘Maybe it’s a ghost.’
“Storm said, ‘Or maybe it likes the attention.’”
“I didn’t reply because it was almost my turn to get food. And right behind me came a purr, the same exact one I’d heard every night. Just that when I turned around, there was no cat. Just a fucking brat wearing the fakest innocent face I’d ever seen.”
Aaren gasped. “It was him all along?”
“Yup. And along came Fury, who stuck his face over Storm’s shoulder and hissed like the realest snake I’d ever heard.”
“Wow,” Aaren said. “That’s... kind of funny.”
“I just about punched them right there and then. It was the closest I’d ever come to smacking them around.”
“Are you rolling your eyes?” Aaren asked. “You sound like you might be rolling your eyes.”
“I am,” Hades said flatly.
Aaren’s mouth twitched into a smile. “Did you ever tell anyone else?”
“That night, I barked at the fucking cat,” Hades said. “I have a pretty realistic bark. Jag smacked me when he heard, but then he joined in with fake rooster sounds. It became a zoo.”
“Oh gods,” Aaren whispered, dissolving into giggles.
“We had to quit after that, because there was too much evidence that the sounds were coming from our cells. But I can tell you it was one of the best pranks we’d ever pulled.
From time to time, we would make the animal sounds again.
Especially when there was a new inmate. We’d make them question their sanity. ”
“That’s evil,” Aaren said, but he was still smiling.
“Hey, we were all in prison for something or other. Only assholes in there.”
“You’re not so bad.”
“I try to be good around you.”
“Is it hard?”
“Nah,” Hades said. “You make me want to be good.”
“Except in bed.”
Hades laughed. “Except in bed. You like it when I’m bad there.”
“But you’re still so good even when you’re being bad,” Aaren said, remembering his lunch break.
Hades rumbled, sounding pleased. “Hey, I’m here.”
Someone knocked on the door. Aaren jumped.
“You did so well, sweetheart. Open up for me.”
For a moment, all of Aaren’s worries returned, punching him in the stomach. What if Hades had come to tell him he was no longer interested? What if he was doing it in person because he was the sweetest alpha Aaren had ever met?
Aaren stumbled off the couch, his heart pounding. It was okay if Hades left, right? They had only known each other for two days. Hades hadn’t done that much to change Aaren’s life.
He undid the lock with trembling fingers, his stomach trying to digest itself. Then he slowly opened the door, holding his breath as he looked up at the tall, broad figure on the front step.
Hades was lit golden by the lights in the living room, his eyes crinkled, his lips pulled into a faint smile. When he saw Aaren, his smile fell. “Oh, sweetheart.”
He stepped in and slid one arm around Aaren’s waist, pulling him close. With his other arm—the one holding a grocery bag—he shut and locked the door.
“I’m not leaving,” Hades said, hugging Aaren tightly, tight enough that his knot of anxiety unraveled.
Aaren drew a sobbing breath. “You really don’t mind?”
“We’re going to talk about that. I need to put the groceries away first; there’s raw meat in here. But no, I’m keeping you.”
Aaren wobbled. Hades ran his fingers through Aaren’s hair, leaning in to drop a kiss on top of his head. His heart thumping, Aaren followed Hades to the kitchen to help with the groceries.
Hades handed him the ingredients one by one. Aaren tucked them safely into the fridge. When they were done, Hades folded the grocery bag, his gaze dark as he watched Aaren. “How are you feeling?”
“Shaky.” Aaren sagged. “I just... I was worried.”
Hades pressed his lips into a thin line. He herded Aaren to the living room and fitted himself into the corner of the couch, spreading his legs and pulling Aaren in to sit between them. Aaren hooked his legs over Hades’ thigh, pressing his side against Hades’ chest.
“Thanks for telling me the animal story,” Aaren whispered. “It made me smile.”
“Yeah?” Hades wrapped his arms loosely around Aaren, rubbing his back with one hand and his shin with the other. “That was my best prison story.”
“You and your Brothers sounded like you had a good time there.”
“Things are always better with friends. With some love and support.” Hades slid his fingers into Aaren’s hair, pulling him close and kissing his temple. “Just like what I’m hoping to give you.”
Aaren’s heart skipped a beat. He turned his face into Hades’ kisses, curling his fingers into Hades’ shirt.
Hades drew a deep breath. Suddenly, Aaren knew what was coming.
“You have to deal with that every day? The crap he says.” Hades narrowed his eyes.
“Yeah.” Aaren stared at his fingers. “He didn’t do that when we first got together, but when he figured out I was a sure thing, he got really bad. He keeps saying I’m—” He released a shuddering breath. “It’s like I can’t do anything right. I’m always too fat or stupid or—”
Calloused fingers pressed against his lips. “Don’t repeat those words about yourself,” Hades said lowly, his voice almost a growl. “Don’t give them any more power over you.”
“But I’m... They’re a little true,” Aaren said helplessly.
Hades’ eyes flashed. “There are other words you can use to describe yourself, words that don’t put you down. So you’re a little rounder or heavier; I don’t see anything wrong with that. You talk without a filter, maybe you do silly things. Those are all good words.”
Aaren nodded slowly, more of the tightness easing from his chest. “That... That helps.”
“Good.”
He sighed and turned, tucking his face into Hades’ neck. “I didn’t realize what I had done until it was too late. It was only after I had signed the contract, that he got really bad. Then I knew I was fucked.”
Hades growled. “When I heard the shit he said to you, I wanted to come back and punch him. Only a fucking asshole would treat his omega like that.”
Aaren shook his head. “I’m not his anymore. Just in name only. And sometimes I let him fuck me, I guess. We still have to make some appearances together in public to fulfill the terms of the contract. It sucks.”
“I’d much rather you belong to me completely,” Hades growled.
Aaren’s heart fluttered; he looked up hopefully. “Really?”
“Yes.” Hades cradled Aaren’s face, stroking his cheek with an exceedingly gentle touch.
“I don’t mind if you have sex with him. But.
I will have rules about it. You will tell me when it happens, so I can mark you inside and outside, reclaim you with my scent and come.
However hard he fucks you, I will fuck you twice as hard, make you come twice as much. ”
Aaren bit his lip, growing hot between his legs. “W-wow. Um.” He had to breathe for a second. “What if I have sex with him just so you’ll get possessive and fuck me through the bed?”
Hades snarled. “I will fuck his scent and come out of you, keep you knotted on my cock so you remember who you belong to. Then I’ll fuck you again, and again, until you can only scream my name.”
Aaren shuddered, musk wafting off his skin. “O-Oh.”
“You’re growing wet from this, aren’t you?” Hades murmured, heat in his voice, his cock growing hard against Aaren’s hip. “You want to be a brat so I’ll stake my claim inside you.”
“Y-you haven’t yet,” Aaren whimpered. “You said you would tonight.”
Hades ran his large hand down Aaren’s inner thigh, all the way to the juncture of his legs.
Then he cupped Aaren’s bulge and squeezed, fingers pushing behind Aaren’s balls to find the wet spot in his pants.
Aaren gasped. Hades worked his fingers over Aaren’s clothed hole, rubbing over it so his nerves buzzed and sparked.
“I’m going to stuff you with my cock every night, sweetheart,” Hades growled, pushing harder against Aaren’s hole.
“Let you go to sleep with my come inside you, your hole wet and loose. And if he puts his cock into you in the morning, he’ll be dipping it into my come, having my sloppy seconds.
When he’s done, you will empty it. You’ll tell me so I can fill you up with my marking.
I’ll remind you deep and hard who you belong to.
Fuck you until you have no memory of him. Just me.”
Aaren shuddered, clutching at him. “H-Hades, please.”
“Beautiful.” Hades slid his fingers along Aaren’s crack. Then he squeezed Aaren’s balls through his pants and unzipped them, reaching into his underwear to grab his cock brazenly. Pleasure jolted through Aaren; he bucked and wheezed. “That’s it. All mine.”
He stroked Aaren until Aaren shook and panted, precome leaking all over his fingers. He pulled Aaren’s cock and sac out of his clothes, letting them jut up nakedly. This felt even more forbidden than everything they had done so far, letting another alpha touch him so intimately in Ballus’ home.
Hades turned Aaren so Aaren’s back was pressed flush against his chest; he pulled Aaren’s legs further open, hooking them over his own legs so he was completely spread. And he closed his mouth over the crook of Aaren’s neck, his wet fingers slipping behind Aaren’s balls to circle his hole.
“This,” Hades said, rubbing his fingers firmly over it. “This belongs to me. I’m going to stake my claim right now.”