Chapter 17 #2
I dragged in a ragged breath, every inhale burning as blood from the wound in my neck slicked the floor beneath me. On my hands and knees, my body trembled, my head hanging low, eyes squeezed shut against the waves of pain that rolled through me.
How did I get here? How could I get out of here? I kept my eyes closed as shock waves of dull, nauseating pain ratcheted through my whole body.
Suddenly, a flurry of shadows enveloped the space, and I hitched a breath as I lifted my head.
‘Persephone.’ It was his voice. Hades.
Then blackness enveloped me.
‘Persephone.’ The deep voice roused me from the darkness. My eyelids fluttered, heavy as stone, until I managed to pry them open. His face swam into focus—the beautiful god of ash and death. Silken sheets whispered beneath my fingers. A bed. His bed?
I tried to sit up, wincing as pain seared through every synapse in my body. ‘Ugh. Ouch. What… what happened?’ I whisper-groaned.
He didn’t answer. Instead, his fangs elongated, sharp and gleaming, and he bit into his wrist. Two rivulets of purple-blue blood, shot through with shimmering gold, welled from the punctures. I gasped. ‘What are you doing?’
‘You were dropped from a great height. You’re bleeding out, and your powers haven’t matured enough to heal you. A normal human would already be dead.’ His voice was low, dangerous, but almost tender. ‘Please… feed.’
He brought his wrist to my mouth, and I recoiled, wincing again as pain like the fire of a thousand suns sparked through every nerve ending. ‘Dropped?’ Ugh. I’m not drinking blood!’ I rasped.
‘You must. It’s the only thing that will heal you.’ His blue eyes swirled with gold as they met mine. One large hand slid behind my head, steady but firm, and he raised his wrist again to my mouth. I hesitated, but lowered my head to the open wounds and closed my lips around them.
‘Suck,’ he said. His voice was husky—the word almost sounded sinful.
Heat invaded my cheeks, and I did. I sucked.
The scent of his blood filled my senses.
It was him—the night air mixed with fresh wood and spices.
The first taste of him was delectable, and my eyes fluttered closed.
The wash of his dark power flooded my senses—a force so seductive, imbued with sin and shadows.
Desire and temptation cascaded over my tongue, igniting a tingling sensation down my throat and throughout my entire body.
His taste… It was exquisite: sweet with smoky undertones, reminiscent of smoked paprika.
I swallowed greedily, and the warmth of his blood felt like the heat of the sun’s rays penetrating sinew and bone.
The warmth flowed and ebbed, igniting my insides and rushing through my veins, creating a heady sensation that swept through me, easing my pain and sending me into heavenly bliss.
‘Just a little more.’ He gently stroked his hand against the back of my head.
His voice was thick and deep, and only then did I realise my fingers were fisted tightly into the fabric of his shirt.
A swirl of emotions invaded my every synapse: lust, love, craving, and misery, which caused my throat to thicken.
‘I think that’s enough.’ His voice shattered the emotions as he pried his wrist away, and my eyes fluttered open.
Hades sat on the bed next to me and swiped his tongue across his wrist.
‘Are you well?’ His eyes locked onto mine, and my breath caught in my chest.
‘Yeah. Yes,’ I whispered, somewhat dazed. ‘Much better.’ The pain was gone, and I exhaled slowly. I felt my neck; the gaping wound had vanished. ‘Thank you.’
The effects of his blood continued to run rampant through my body, and I shifted awkwardly, twisting my fingers into the sheets.
Molten lava coursed deep inside me, and the swift arousal I felt made me squirm, stealing my breath.
Heart pounding, the intense wave of tingling sensations invaded every nerve, every synapse, and every inch of my flesh.
My nipples hardened, and my thighs clenched.
I throbbed. Yearned. Oh, gods. My eyes shot to him, and his face paled.
He cleared his throat. ‘I’ll go and get you some food and wine,’ he said, his voice like gravel. As he stood and glanced at me with pure gold eyes, I saw the thick ridge of his erection straining against his leather trousers. Gods.
‘Kiss me,’ I breathed with a heavy moan.
He hesitated. ‘It’s a side effect of my blood. You are not in control. I will fetch Hecate—’
I launched. Like a damned linebacker, I was on him before he could move—arms and legs locked around him like a desperate tree bear.
My mouth crashed against his, teeth clashing, tongues tangling.
My fists knotted in his hair as I devoured him, pressing harder, deeper, until there was nothing left between us but need.
He kissed me as if he were drowning and I was his air, and the fire in my belly erupted into an inferno.
When he tore his mouth from mine, panting, I mewled in protest, dragging him back.
He rested his forehead against mine for a heartbeat, before pulling back just enough to brush his thumb across my swollen bottom lip.
When I wiggled my hips in frustration, I felt his long, hard length against my core. Another needy sound broke from me, shameless and aching. His groan was low, tortured, as his lashes lifted, revealing molten gold eyes that pinned me in place.
‘Sleep, Persephone,’ he commanded, voice husky, frayed.
And then—nothing.
I blinked open tired eyes that felt as if they’d been stitched closed. But I was refreshed. Yawning lazily, I stretched my arms above my head. Squinting, I looked down at the bed—I was still in Hades’ bed—and my gut tightened.
Scanning the room, my gaze stopped at the sofa by the large fireplace. Hades lounged, feet up on the coffee table, eyes closed, and gods alive—he was stunning. Those mountain peak cheekbones could have been chiselled by artisans—he possessed a vicious type of beauty that made one’s breath hitch.
Then I remembered. Oh, bury me alive—I remembered climbing him like a tree monkey on meth, grinding into him, and kissing him with the desperation of… oh, gods, someone truly desperate. I covered my face with my hands. I was losing my mind. This wasn’t me.
‘Are you well?’ The voice made me yelp as I shot upright, my hands slamming down onto the bed. Hades was standing over me, and my heart began to thrum.
‘What? How? How do you move like that?’
‘Sorry, did I scare you?’
‘No. But it made me want to punch you.’
His mouth quirked into a slight smile. ‘It’s shadow-walking. Travelling through the aether. I’m sorry; it’s like second nature to me.’
‘Oh.’ Yup, that was all I could say as I stared into those spellbinding eyes.
My skin felt too tight for my body, as if I was going to burst right out of it, and heat licked at my skin.
I pushed the covers down to my waist, blew out a breath, and felt Hades stiffen.
Shit! I was naked. Pulling them back up, I felt a blush spread like a fever from the tips of my toes to my face.
‘Why am I naked?’ I snapped, my gaze flying to his.
He blinked several times. ‘Um, it was Hecate. She cleaned you up. You were a little bloody. Would you like me to run you a bath?’ He stood and turned slightly.
Was the king of the Underworld actually offering to run me a bath? ‘That would be nice. Thank you.’ Well, this was all kinds of weird.
He placed an ivory robe on the bed, before gliding with predatory grace into the bathroom. The robe was made of a soft, velvety material, and I shrugged it on, fastening the belt around my waist. I made my way into the bathroom and stopped.
‘Wow,’ I uttered. ‘This place is incredible.’ It was opulent, elegant, and enormous.
A walk-in shower large enough for six people lined one side of the room, with an immense sunken bathtub at its centre.
The tiles were warm underfoot, and the walls were like polished onyx scattered with stardust. The bathtub was deliciously decadent, full of aromatic bubbles; the shelf around the tub was lined with fancy toiletries.
‘We should talk,’ Hades said, his voice low as he turned to face me.
‘After your bath.’ My skin tingled, awareness spiking.
His eyes met mine, molten and unreadable—but I remembered…
His touch in the kitchen. His breath against my flesh.
The way he’d vanished like a damn coward.
The memory raced through my mind, igniting a wave of prickly anger.
Clinging to my irritation, and thinking about him touching me before likely fucking Minthe, a smile flickered on my lips. Payback time… Let’s see how you like it, sucker.
If he wanted to play, I could play dirty. I smiled sweetly, sugary venom coating my words. ‘Then talk while I’m in the tub... if you’d like to?’
He inhaled sharply, stiffening again, and his eyes turned that pure golden colour. Shit! What was I doing? But there was no backing out now. Nervously, with my back to him, I slipped the robe from my shoulders, letting it pool on the floor.
Silence.
I snuck a look over my shoulder. He was ramrod straight and hadn’t moved from the spot.
Shadows curled around his feet like smoke, responding to his barely leashed control.
His hands were fisted, and tension whitened the skin around his lips, but the look in his eyes? Gods… Downright. Fucking. Sinful.
I sucked in a heady breath as tiny shivers coursed through every part of me, causing my nipples to harden, and I swallowed thickly.
Stepping as carefully as I could, attempting to look alluring and not fall on my ass, I descended the steps, completely submerging myself in the warm water.
When I resurfaced, Hades was sitting somewhat stiffly at the side of the tub.
I gave him a small smile, washed the blood from my hair with vanilla shampoo, dunked again, and then began to condition.
Throughout, I felt his eyes on me, which invigorated me, making me braver.
‘Allow me,’ he said as he bent over to the taps, brushing the side of my breast with his bare forearm, making my thighs clench tightly.
He turned on the attached shower head, and I tilted my head back as he gently ran warm water over my hair.
While his fingers soothingly untangled my locks, a thousand butterflies fluttered in my belly beneath the warmth of his touch.
I closed my eyes and exhaled a long, slow breath.
That warm feeling in my chest spread down my body, sitting low in my stomach.
I couldn’t deny that something between us.
It was palpable. Was it because he was the most ridiculously attractive man I’d ever met?
It was possible… But I knew it was more than that—much more.
‘I met Styx,’ I said as he placed the shower head back onto its holder.
The bubbles were just above my nipples, and as his eyes rose to mine, I realised he’d been staring at the swell of my breasts.
Heat scorched my cheeks, but I wanted him to look at me that way.
Then I tensed. Why did I want that? He was the freaking god of the dead.
His voice shook me from my thoughts. ‘Yes, I know. I saw her briefly when she came searching for you in a state of panic.’
‘Oh.’ I lowered my eyebrows. ‘Does she know I’m okay?’
‘Hecate will inform her.’ His eyes dropped to my breasts again, and I saw his throat bob in a deep swallow. That look sent all kinds of tingles through every nerve ending in my body. ‘You should be honoured.’ His eyes met mine again. ‘Styx is very insular. We don’t often see her.’
‘She’s an oceanid, isn’t she?’
Hades nodded in response. ‘Yes. And a goddess. She is the guardian of the river Styx. She always liked you.’ He smiled, showing a hint of fang.
‘Hmm.’ I met his gaze. ‘Was she like Hecate… My friend?’ I pondered the strange feeling of people, whom I barely knew, once being my friends—Hedone, Charon, Thanatos, and now Styx.
‘She was.’ His eyes flickered between blue and gold. ‘You had many friends here, Persephone.’ Those words brought me a sense of comfort. I had no idea why.
‘Persephone?’ Hades’ voice jolted me from my thoughts, and my head snapped to where he stood, a towel held in front of him.
Garnering as much courage as I could muster, I drew in a deep breath and carefully stepped from the bathtub, my nakedness making me squirm…
until I saw the hard set of his jaw, the burning desire in his eyes.
He wanted me, and there was something unequivocally empowering in that.
The intensity of his attention was like a physical caress.
The tips of my breasts tightened, and flickering heat pooled between my thighs.
As his eyes whipped with golden coils of aether, his stare scorched my skin. And I liked it.
Okay, I think the fall must have damaged my brain… This is utterly the last thing I need to be feeling right now.
I wrapped the towel around myself, whispering my thanks and avoiding his eyes.
‘I shall see you back in the sitting room.’ His voice was gruff and thick. Then he turned and left me.
I nodded at his back, and as the door snicked shut, I sank to my knees, trying to control my erratic breath. After a long while, I stood, dried myself off, towel-dried my hair, and detangled it with a paddle brush. Then, I slipped on the soft robe and walked out of the bathroom.
And back into the bedroom of the god of the Underworld.