Page 46 of Hell On Earth
He watched me pull back the covers.
“No sex. Just holding each other,” I said.
He waited until I was lying down before joining me. With my head pillowed on his shoulder, I idly ran my fingers over his skin.
“When you disappeared, I thought maybe I’d pulled your hair too hard.”
“Your love-tugs were exquisite,” he said. “I demand more of them the next time you allow me to drink from your cup.”
I turned my head toward his chest to smother my snort. I wasn’t sure what was worse. The love-tugs or drinking from my cup.
His fingers tangled in my hair, gently stroking through the strands.
“I would never willingly leave this,” he said softly. “If I disappear again, speak my name, and I will return.”
I lifted my head. “Just like in Hell?”
He nodded.
It was exhilarating to know the king of Hell was at my beck and call.
“Won’t you be missed if you keep coming here?” I asked. “You were only reunited with your children for a few days. I’m sure they want to spend more time with you.”
“Does my wish to spend my time with you not matter?”
I lifted my head to look down at him.
“Of course it does. I’m not trying to get rid of you. I’m simply trying to be considerate of your other obligations.”
His fingers lightly tugged at my hair until I tipped my head to the side. He leaned in to kiss my neck then pulled me back down to his chest.
“I can feel your exhaustion. Rest,” he said.
“I suspect you have another motive for asking me to close my eyes. Am I going to wake up naked again?”
He chuckled.
“You are wise and beautiful.”
CHAPTEREIGHT
I didn’t wakeup naked; I woke up alone. Stretching, I felt his side of the bed and found it cold. While I wasn’t sure if he’d left voluntarily or had vanished again, his absence didn’t worry me. Now that I knew I could call him, time apart was probably healthy. Plus, despite what he’d said, I knew he probably had other things he needed to do, too.
So I got out of bed and used the bathroom as I normally would. After a very long and enjoyable shower, I looked over my selection of clothes.
Caught up in the vast options I had to choose from, I didn’t immediately hear the soft sobs coming from my room. Once I did, I peeked out of the closet and saw Zotera lying face-down on my bed.
“What happened? What’s wrong?” I asked as I grabbed the same jeans and t-shirt combination I always favored.
“I’m dying, Mother,” she wailed.
I pulled the shirt over my head and hurried to her side as I shoved a leg into the jeans.
“What do you mean?” I asked, concerned but not panicking. First, she sounded sad, not like she was dying. Second, she told Megan they couldn’t die.
“It hurts here,” Zotera said, rolling over and tapping her left breast. “Carve out my heart. Please. I beg you.”
I sat next to her with a sigh and brushed back the hair from her scarred cheek.
