Chapter 5
PERSEPHONE
Tee brought a breakfast of poached eggs on sourdough toast, accompanied by coffee—lots of coffee—and my mind was mulling over everything she’d told me.
‘So, on the slim chance I am that Persephone, I must’ve had sex with the god of the dead?’ For the love of sweet baby alpacas everywhere—the thought made my insides shrivel.
‘Well, yeah, you shared a bedroom with him, so I think it’s probably a given.’
‘Ugh. I think I’m gonna vomit.’
Tee chuckled sexily. ‘He’s not so bad. Wait until you meet him.’
‘He’s how old? No way, Tee. He’s an ancient god. This is so not going to work. I’ll just grit my teeth and behave for three months, then I’m outta here.’ Tee cocked her head, but I focused on eating and ignored her, lost in my thoughts.
‘Come on, Sephy. Get showered.’ Tee tugged at my arm, interrupting my musings as I sipped my coffee.
I sighed and gave a wan smile when a loud knock on the door made me jump up. Was it Hades? My hand instinctively reached to my thigh—but of course, my dagger was gone. Panic swelled in my chest. ‘Tee,’ I squeaked nervously, ‘where’s my blade?’
‘Safe. Don’t worry. You’ll get it back; I promise,’ she replied, opening the door.
A young, very tall guy in dark jeans and a rock T-shirt stood in the open doorway. He was simply delectable—shaggy black hair, sparkling grey eyes, and a toothy grin that lit up his face.
‘Thanatos!’ Tee squealed, launching herself into his arms and giggling as he swung her around.
‘I’ve come to tell you Hades is off seeing Zeus. He may be a while,’ the man said, his voice deep and unhurried. ‘He wants to see you in his office before lunch.’
At the mention of both gods’ names, my heart rate sped up. As he set Tee back on her feet, his gaze snapped to me.
‘Persephone!’ Before I could react, he swept me up, my feet leaving the floor as his arms locked tight around me.
Dark shadows rippled off his skin, curling around us like smoke.
My stomach knotted and a pathetic mewling sound escaped before I could stop it.
My magic surged beneath my skin, fierce and instinctive.
I shoved it down hard, burying it in the dark where it belonged.
‘Put her down, Thanny. You’re manhandling her. And rein in those shadows,’ Tee scolded as he set me back on my feet and grinned sheepishly.
‘Sorry. They always get excited when I’m around you.’ I felt my eyes widen and my lips tremble. He bent down and looked questioningly into my face. ‘Persephone?’
‘I—I don’t remember you,’ I whispered. A wave of unexpected melancholy rolled through me. My chest ached, and a lump rose in my throat. What the hell was wrong with me?
Sadness clouded his eyes, but his smile returned, lighting up his face. ‘Well, we can become friends all over again!’
‘I’m not staying.’ His face dropped, and I added, ‘I’m so sorry.’
‘We have her for three months, Thanatos. Plenty of time to change her mind.’ Tee gave me a wicked smile, and I scowled at her. ‘Now get out of here. She needs to get ready for her busy day.’
My head swung towards Tee, and I squinted at her. A busy day?
‘See you around, Persephone.’ Thanatos gave me a small wave. ‘I’ve missed you.’
At his words, something tugged in my chest, and I smiled, stepping forward to wrap my arms around his waist. ‘Looking forward to reacquainting myself with you,’ I whispered into his ear as he leaned down to me.
He placed a hand over his heart, his lips curling into a playful smile. ‘Me too,’ he said as he turned and sauntered down the long, wide hallway—leaving me with fading shadows, questions, and a tug in my chest I couldn’t explain.
‘Off to the shower. Go on.’ Tee nudged me towards the bathroom. ‘I’ll fetch more coffee.’
‘Tee,’ I whispered, and she paused and turned. ‘Am I in a coma… and you’re sitting by my bedside?’
An amused look crossed her face. ‘No, babe. This is real.’
I curled my lip and stomped into the bathroom, turning on the shower.
Stripping off my pyjamas, I stood beneath the cascading hot water and reached for the shower gel.
I frowned. It was my favourite—Jo Malone, Pomegranate Noir.
Shrugging it off, I lathered myself and relished the water sluicing over my body, my mind still spinning with the revelations from Tee.
I tried hard to switch off; I’d get through this without revealing myself as a witch. I could do it. I’d be home in no time.
Once clean, I wrapped myself in a fluffy white towel, wrung out my wet hair, and then rubbed it dry. I walked into my bedroom and stopped dead. The super-hot, sexy demon was sitting on my sofa, his blue and gold eyes pinning me with a look that made my traitorous lady parts clench with desire.
For the love of sweet fuck, what was wrong with me?
‘Tee!’ I screeched. The look on the demon's face would have been hilarious if I weren’t so freaked out.
‘Persephone, I’ve been waiting for you,’ he said in a low, smoky voice as he stood.
His voice was like a shadowy caress—a voice that stoked the same feeling of familiarity.
I stepped backwards; I was defenceless without my blade, and I’d have no choice but to attempt using my dark magic if he came any closer.
I glanced at the door and inched to the side.
‘Don’t.’
My gaze flew to him, and I took an unsteady breath. ‘Don’t what?’
‘Run from me again.’
‘You can’t stop me.’ He’d regret it if he tried.
‘I won’t try to stop you, but this time, I will catch you.’ I tensed as carnivorous butterflies chomped at my gut. ‘But perhaps you’d like that?’
An unwelcome thrill heated my blood. ‘No, I wouldn’t. At all.’
‘Are you sure about that?’ His eyes narrowed on me. I was irked, but more thrilled… and extremely pissed off at the thrilled part.
‘Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Hades.’ He gave a slight bow, and I inhaled sharply.
This was Hades?
‘You’re Hades?’ I squeak-whispered. He frowned and smiled at me, as if he couldn’t believe I was a fully functioning human.
‘Oh.’ All words shrivelled in my throat as I took him in, my eyes darting down his body.
His black shirt stretched tight across massive shoulders, rolled up to the elbows, showcasing ridiculously appealing muscular forearms. When did forearms become sexy?
The shirt was open at the neck, revealing a smooth chest, and, with faded, ripped jeans hugging his enormous legs, he was beyond beautiful.
His full lips were parted slightly as he gazed at me.
Shit! I was ogling the god of the dead. I was flowing with heat, embarrassment, and something else that pulsated. Holy crap. I was totally turned on. Dammit. My stupid body. That pulsating heat coiled low in my core as my gaze met his again.
‘Anyway, I have much to do, so I shall take my leave.’ His cheeks heated. Hades was blushing—well, who knew gods blushed? ‘But I wanted to introduce myself.’
‘Thank you.’ I gave a small curtsey, which made his mouth twitch. I cringed and pictured punching myself in the face. Hard. Repeatedly.
I was incapable of being coherent; all known words in my vocabulary somehow escaped me.
I knew my eyes were wide, and the heat in my face burned my cheeks.
I made a concerted effort to focus on his nose—not his annoyingly beautiful face or that ridiculous body, which caused the beat of my heart to skip and then speed up.
As Hades vanished with a pop and swirl of dark shadows, I slumped to the floor and cradled my head in my hands. Why hadn’t I kicked him in the balls or yelled at him for kidnapping me? But when my eyes met those swirling pools of blue and gold, every word in me had frozen.
You were supposedly married to him once.
How was that even possible? He was the god of death and shadows, and in his true form, he was terrifying.
My despicable mind flashed to what sex with him would be like.
I shut the thought down immediately. Nope, not happening—but I was drawn to him.
No one had ever elicited lust-filled feelings in me like he had, and that was just in his presence.
I needed to ignore my pounding hormones.
He may have been ludicrously attractive, but he was still a god… and as a witch, he was my enemy.
But, hellfire, this was going to be a long three months.
Tee and I walked down a labyrinth of hallways to the training rooms. I wore leather trousers, which clung to the curve of my hips, paired with a matching halter neck top that I’d eventually managed to squeeze my breasts into.
With lightweight boots and my hair scraped into a high, messy bun, I felt as ready as I could be.
I was still missing my divine blade, though, which left me feeling vulnerable.
‘You’re worryingly quiet, Sephy.’ Tee side-eyed me, and I exhaled sharply.
‘Hades visited me.’ Tee stopped, her brows inching up her forehead.
‘Oh. He did, did he? I thought he was letting you settle in before coming to see you.’ Tee narrowed her eyes in thought, then resumed walking. ‘So, what do you think of him?’
‘He’s the guy that freaked me out the other night,’ I muttered.
‘When you were battling the Lamia?’
I came to an abrupt halt, my throat squeezing with dread as icy horror drenched my veins. ‘How…?’ Oh, fuck. Of course they’d know. They’d know everything—that I was a demon hunter. And probably a witch.
‘Come on, Sephy. Let’s do some fight training.
’ She pushed open a door and walked through, leaving me in the hallway, my mind in tatters.
I let out a long breath and followed her through the door into the training hall.
It was vast, glowing with the same magical daylight as my room—looking up at the ceiling felt like gazing at a sun-filled day.
Columns lined the room, giving distinct Grecian vibes, which made sense, and the walls were adorned with shelves and hooks holding all sorts of weapons.
The floor was covered in a soft material that my feet sank into as I walked.