Page 67 of Learn My Lesson
“Yes.” Hades leans forward. “Go, Allecto. We’ve lingered too long.”
“Yes, sir.” She veers into traffic, heading back toward Carver City, as reckless as ever behind the wheel.
Hercules shifts me until I’m leaning back against Hades’s chest with my legs over Hercules’s lap. They hold me carefully. Gently. Words bubble up inside me, but I know better than to speak them. Not yet. Allecto is trusted above all others, but she’s not part of our relationship, and I’m not willing to spill those secret parts of myself while she witnesses. Still, I can’t help saying, “You came for me.”
“Yes.”
Hades’s hands tremble a little as he smooths them down my arms. “We’ll always come for you, love. You’re ours.”
“You’re fucking irreplaceable.”
I can’t stop shaking. The impact of the last few hours hit me in waves. There was no time to process before, just to act. “Are you sure it will work? Banning him?” He made it to the Underworld before. Just drove right up to it without the slightest hint of difficulty. I shiver.
“Yes.”
Hercules looks over my head at Hades. “How can you be sure?”
“Every single territory leader in Carver City graces my doorstep at one point or another and most of them regularly.” The cold satisfaction in his voice warms me in a strange way. “If they want to continue to have access, they will bend to my will in this one small thing.”
If every territory in Carver City ceased to be a welcome place for Zeus and his people, it would create that many more hurdles he’d have to get through in order to reach us. No one wants to fuck with Hades, not when he offers such a particular service. Neutral ground. The sex and kink and everything else, yes, but the true value of the Underworld is the sheer number of deals made beneath its roof, facilitated by Hades’s enforcement of neutral territory. It might actually work.
We sit in silence as Allecto drives us back to Carver City. My men don’t stop touching me, as if they’re afraid I may disappear at any given moment. As if they’re afraid this isn’t real. My adrenaline fades right around the time we hit the city limits, and then all I know is pain. I’ve definitely broken at least one rib. My knees and shins are full of pinpricks of agony from the broken glass, and I’m getting blood all over the seat.
Hades is the one who carries me out of the car and up to his penthouse. I’m so tired, I don’t even bother to protest that I can walk myself. I feel safe in his arms with Hercules shadowing his steps.
Someone must have called Dr. Miranda because he arrives less than a minute after we do. He’s a small white man with giant glasses and a no-nonsense attitude that never ceases to make me feel like I’m five years old and have disappointed him greatly.?4 He casts a look at me. “The dress needs to come off.”
Hades cuts off my dress as the doctor peppers me with questions that I try to answer as honestly as possible. Once I’m naked, he gets to work removing the glass from my cuts. Then he gives me a quick but thorough examination and steps back. “Broken ribs, most likely, but I’d need an X-ray to be sure. They aren’t hampering her ability to breathe, and she hasn’t started coughing up blood or any of that nonsense, so I doubt it’s serious. Miscellaneous cuts and bruises that need to be cleaned, but none of these are deep enough for stitches.” He crosses his arms over his chest and glares down at me. “You’ll live.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“Six weeks of no hard activities.” He turns that glare on Hades and Hercules. “No wild sex. No swinging crops and the like. Nothing that puts stress on those ribs. If the pain gets worse or you start having trouble breathing, call me immediately.”
“I will.”
“Then I’m going back to bed. You two.” He points at my men. “Clean her up. I’m sure you have bandages around here. Rinse the wounds first to make sure I didn’t miss any glass. That’s it. Keep things PG.”
Hades levels a severe look at him. “Thank you for your help, Doctor. Please leave.”
“Good night.” Dr. Miranda turns and strides to the elevator, and then he’s gone.
I let out a dry laugh. “I always liked him.”
“It’s the only reason I put up with his attitude.” Hades moves to stand in front of me. “Come on, love. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
It feels surreal to step into the shower with him and have him wash me. We’ve done this before. Hell, we did this earlier today. It feels different now. He sits me down on the tile bench and carefully cleans my legs, probing gently for glass.
Hades has never touched me like I’m breakable before. I don’t think I like it, but I’m too tired and too breakable to complain. When we turn the water off, Hercules is waiting with the bandages. Hades combs my hair while Hercules patches me up. As I suspected, most of the cuts are small enough that they don’t need much. There are two slightly larger ones on my arm, and he carefully bandages them.
“I love you,” I blurt out. “Both of you. So fucking much. It scares the shit out of me.”
Hercules flicks his gaze to my face, more serious than I’ve ever seen him. “You both know I’m head over heels for you two. I have been since that first night.” He glances at Hades. “So, no shit, I love you.”
I find myself holding my breath and relaxing as Hades strokes my drying hair. “You know I love you, Megaera. I may not say it often enough, but I have ever since you walked through my doors, full of fury and a determination to save someone who didn’t deserve it.” He leans over until I can see his face. “I haven’t taken care of you the way you deserve, and I’m sorry for that.” He glances at Hercules. “And you. You were never part of my long-term plan, and yet here we are.” He hesitates. “I don’t give my love easily, little Hercules. You’ve slipped in when I wasn’t paying attention.” He gives a slow smile that makes my stomach flip over despite how exhausted I am. “Now you’re mine forever.”
“I’d like to propose a new bargain.” Hercules squeezes my hand. “The three of us—for good. Three lifetime bargains in one.”
Hades goes still. “Three.”
