Page 51 of Hell On Earth
“And if it’s not?” Oanen asked.
“We’ll need to figure out a way to get him out in the open,” she said.
“Me,” I said.
“No.” Hades’ arms tightened around me, and I realized he was holding me in almost the same way he had in Hell to keep me from going after Megan.
Everyone else saw it too, and I could see how much it worried them. Except for Zotera and Eliana. Zotera was used to it, and Eliana could probably feel how much I loved his protective embrace. Or maybe just how much Hades wanted me. Either way, I needed to show all of them, including Hades, that I wasn’t going to slip back into my puppet role.
I reached up and gently pried at his arms. He hesitated to give in. Shooting him a reassuring smile, I eased out of his hold and took his hand to stand beside him.
“Thanatos tried to kill me twice already when I was out in the open with you and couldn’t. If Adira is working with him, he’s using her to try to get to me when I’m less protected. Wouldn’t it be better to face him directly instead of waiting for one of his tricks to work?”
Hades’ eyes flared with a red light, and he surged, growing bigger for a second before shrinking again.
“He will not touch you.”
I set my free hand on Hades’ bare chest. “There is no reward without risk. I’ve learned that time and again. If we want to free ourselves from the threat, we can’t hide from it. Please.”
His gaze held mine as he gently touched my cheek.
A wave of lust unlike I’d ever felt before hit me hard. Lips parting, I inhaled and leaned into Hades’ touch, running my hand up his chest to capture the back of his neck. He didn’t resist me as I pulled him toward me.
“Let me love you,” I whispered. “I will worship you with my tongue. Feed me your—”
“Time to go!” Megan yelled.
The lust I’d been feeling vanished in an instant, and I jerked back from Hades’ chest, realizing I’d been seconds away from licking him. And…I wasn’t horrified.
I looked around and saw that Hades and I were standing alone in the club.
“What happened?” I asked.
“The succubus lost control,” he said, caressing my face.
“Is she okay?”
He studied me closely. “Are you not angry?”
“Angry? Why?”
“For begging to love me. For touching me in front of others.”
“I wasn’t angry, but I’m starting to feel a little annoyed.” I tried to pull away from his touch, but he only drew me closer. “After what we did in the bathing pools in Hell, why would I get angry about asking to love you? I might have been a little embarrassed about licking you publicly, but I wouldn’t get mad about touching each other in front of other people. That’s just me, but we’re not talking aboutmeanymore, are we? We’re talking about Persephone. And until you can get that through your thick, horned skull, maybe I don’t want you touching me.” I poked his chest for emphasis. “Now, let me go.”
Megan reappeared in a flash beside us with her eyes covered before Hades could respond.
“Please don’t be naked,” she said. “I’m just a baby fury.”
“Clothes are on,” I said with one last scowl at Hades. “Is Eliana okay?”
“She’s freaking out but otherwise okay,” Megan said, lowering her hand. Her gaze locked on my frown. “Everything all right here?”
“Not really. Your father is annoying.”
Megan smirked and quickly tried to hide it with a throat clearing.
“So, about Eliana. She’s worried she accidentally put the whammy on you and that you’re going to want to have her babies.”
