Page 48 of Queen of Shadows and Roses
‘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 bellyeruptedinto 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 blinkedopen 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 Hadesstiffen. 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,thiswas 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, andenormous. 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 denythatsomethingbetween 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—muchmore.
