Hades
Twenty-Six
Rory was waiting for the other shoe to drop; as if almost hoping to hear that I didn’t want her.
Maybe it would be easier for her to accept rejection.
I didn’t see a broken girl when I looked at Rory—I saw a powerful warrior who held her head high and unapologetically danced with danger.
Her story would not make me run away screaming.
I knew something had happened to her because of the marks on her skin; it didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that.
There was something between us that I couldn’t explain, like a slow-burning fire that never went out while the flames grew with every touch.
It wasn’t love, not yet. Rory could ruin me or she could be the best damn thing that happened to me.
When she was ready, she could tell me more of her story, but I wasn’t going to pry or beg for an answer.
I wanted to learn about her—her hopes, dreams, goals, fears.
I wanted to see her story through her words.
“Tell me something about you,” I prompted.
Rory arched her brow with a smile tugging at her lips. “Wow. So…after the emotional autopsy, you want to know my fun facts?” I laughed and nodded. “Uhhh, I have a fantastic talent for tripping over flat surfaces. I don’t know why Cinder gave me a bike for my birthday.”
I laughed, pulling her into my arms tightly. “I can work with that. What’s your favorite color?”
She smiled, raising an eyebrow with a playful look on her face. “The hot pink Ducati and pink hair didn’t give it away?”
“So a princess’s name and a princess’s favorite color,” I teased, and she tensed. Her eyes glazed over, and I could see her slip off into her mind. I said something that triggered her. “Hey look at me. What’s wrong?”
Her hand went down her arm as a shiver made her entire body shudder. “I don’t like being called ‘princess’. I know it’s a cute pet name for everyone else, but it’s a trigger for me. Sometimes my reactions vary depending on who says it.”
I pulled her into me. “Well, I hate that pet name, anyway. I’ll find one suitable for you, one that matches the fire in your soul.”
Rory kissed my collarbone before resting her head on my chest. “You want to do this? Trauma and all?”
I pulled her into my arms as we listened to the waves crash against the shore. “Trauma and all. I know this is fast and maybe it doesn’t make sense right now, but I want you, and this, and to see where it leads us.”
Her breath hitched, and I saw a tear slide down her face. “Why do I feel like you’re going to break my heart?”
“I break a lot of things, beautiful, but your heart won’t be one of them.”
She leaned forward, capturing my lips in a soft kiss.
This one was delicate, like a butterfly landing on my skin.
“Trusting you with my body was easier than trusting you with my heart, but just know if you break it, I will kill you.” She paused, watching for my reaction before a slow smile spread across her face. “So does this mean we’re dating?”
“Yes. And in a few weeks, I’ll officially ask you to be my girlfriend.”
“Do you prefer being called Haven or Hades?”
“Either one works for me. Dr. Haven Morningstar is more of a persona and Hades is me, but I like the idea of heaven and hell falling from your lips.”
She laughed at my cheesy comparison of my name. “I think I’ll stick with Hades. What are you going to do if Cinder tries to hurt you?”
“Ehh, at least I got to meet you. Rory, this feud isn’t between us. This story doesn’t have to be a tragedy like Romeo and Juliet. I want you. I’ll fight for you.”
“Cinder is going to be pissed, but I’m not letting her take this from me, either.
I love her, but sometimes she can be too much.
Before this gets any more serious and you cause me to swoon, you need to know I’m not monogamous.
I’m in love with two other women, though they are off-limits. I just wanted to let you know.”
“Okay.”
She blinked. “Okay? You’re okay with this?”
“I’m not threatened or afraid of the way you love,” I told her, grabbing her hand. She was surprised by my acceptance. “I want you, and that means respecting the way you live and the way you love. If I get to be a part of it, then I am not going to try to change you or force you into a box.”
Her face softened, and she looked like she was on the verge of tears. “I…I don’t know what to say.”
“I’m not going to pretend that I know everything about polyamory, but I will learn. If this is what love looks like for you, then I want to learn and adapt so I can be a part of your life, even if that means sharing you.”
“How are you real?”
“I’m not one to change my partner. We’re in the twenty-first century. I know what I want, and I’m chasing it. So what if I’ll have to share in the future?”
“It’ll be only you for a while,” she admitted.
“Why is that?”
She sighed. “Cinder doesn’t let me date, especially a Viper and not to mention her best friends. When I was eighteen…It was one of the women from her club. She drugged me. Cinder and Vesper found us before she could assault me. My sister killed her.”
I nodded in understanding, anger swiftly flowing through my veins at the thought of someone drugging her. “And that’s when your sister made that rule,” I pieced together.
“Yeah, Cinder’s goal is to keep me safe, but she keeps fighting my battles for me. Sometimes I want to take risks and fall in love, but no one would dare touch Ella Bourgeois’s little sister. My name makes people piss themselves, and it’s not because I can kick their ass.”
“So what is she gonna do when she learns about me?”
“Honest answer?” she asked, and I nodded. I knew what it would be just based on the little information I knew about her. “She will probably shoot you on the spot.”
“Okay, well I guess I’ll have to get on her good side.
” From what I heard, she didn’t have a good side when it came to my father.
I would hope she cared more about her sister’s happiness than a war.
“What’s your favorite flower?” I wanted to learn about her now.
Everything else didn’t matter right now.
We would deal with the fallout if and when they found out.
She went to open her mouth, but then she stopped. “I word-vomited my trauma to you and told you my favorite color. I think it’s time I get something in return, Doctor. I want something real and raw.”
I paused for a moment, considering how to answer. “I was bullied after my parents died because I engrossed myself into schoolwork to deal with my grief. Kids were mean, and I didn’t learn how to punch someone until I was fifteen.”
“Who did you punch for the first time?”
I laughed, remembering the boy who smacked my ass when I finally hit puberty two years late.
“His name was Walter Bumgardner. A tragic name for a bully, really. He smacked my ass when I walked down the hallway with my nose in a chemistry book. I turned around and gave him a swift right hook before kicking him in the balls. The school suspended me, and my dad took me shopping.”
“So you didn’t learn to fight earlier?”
“Axel tried teaching me, but I was horrible with the grieving process. It took bullies and a boy touching me to jumpstart it. I was also about to graduate high school, so I needed to defend myself in college.”
“It’s hot that you can kick ass and patch them up, too. Beauty, brains, and brawn? Holy hell.”
“Hey, I’ll kick anyone's ass for you. Now, where were we? I think you owe me your favorite flower. I need it for research purposes.”
She smiled like I hung the stars for her. “Tulips and carnations.”
I arched my brow. “You know, I was expecting a default answer like roses.”
“Honestly, roses are my least favorite. They are the go-to choice. There are a vast variety of gorgeous flowers to choose from. Why stop at a rose?”
“You put a lot of thought into that, didn’t you?”
Rory sighed, burying into my side closer.
“It sounds inconsequential, and maybe to other people it is, I don't know. I saw the world differently when I was finally able to live after having certain things taken from me. I tried taking my life when Cinder brought me home. It was hard trying to assimilate and believe I was safe when I felt like the world was against me.”
Rory cringed, realizing what she said. But before I allowed her to retreat into herself, I pulled her into me.
“I don’t see you as the weak girl you expect.
So what, you tried to commit suicide? You’re still here, which means there is something better waiting for you.
” I brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, and traced the curve of her jaw with my thumb. “I see a warrior. A survivor.”
“You can’t be real,” she mumbled to herself.
“And why is that?”
“This would scare most people away.”
“I was never a fan of running. Unless it’s straight to your heart, then I can make an exception.”
Her cheeks flushed a beautiful pink, matching her hair. I understood then why it was her favorite color, because it was mine now, too. “That was cheesy and surprisingly cute.”
“How about we finish our nightcap at my place?”
“Sign me up.”
I didn’t know where this would lead me, but I knew I wanted Rory and I would have her no matter what.