Page 53 of Queen of Shadows and Roses
I blinked once, then twice, thenlaunchedat him, wrapping my legs around his waist and closing my mouth over his. I felt his erection against my core, and a heated curl dipped in my stomach and went lower. As his tongue plundered my mouth, a riot of sensations crashed over me like a torrential downpour. Our lips, tongues, and breath entwined as I moaned softly in my throat, feeling him shudder.
‘Hi!’ The high-pitched voice startled us both, and I jumped down, running a hand through my hair. Heat scorched my cheeks as I looked around and saw a small girl standing a few feet away.
‘Are you two married?’ She tipped her head and stared up at us. ‘My mum and dad do the kissing thingallthe time.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘It’s gross.’ She wrinkled her nose, and I coughed out a shocked laugh.
‘Are you lost?’ I bent to one knee and gently stroked the girl’s tiny face.
‘Oh, no. Mommy and Daddy are over there,’ she said, pointing. I raised my head, following the direction of her arm,and saw two smiling people. The little girl beamed and raced towards them. They all faded away.
‘A whole family?’ I whispered, a scalding tide of tears brimming in my eyes.
‘Sometimes,’ his voice soothed as he leaned down to touch my arm, then helped me to my feet.
‘Will they find their way, you know, to Elysium?’
‘Yes,’ he murmured. ‘Those who are destined are drawn to the Gates of Elysium. Let’s head back.’ I was in his arms again, and within a heartbeat, we were back on the other side of the river.
Before I could utter a word, a loud ‘woof’ almost caused my eyeballs to rattle. Hurtling towards us came Cerberus. Hades grinned at the sight. Cerberus reached us, nearly knocking Hades over, and that grin deepened until a dimple appeared.
It was obvious how much he adored Cerberus, and when he grinned—my gods, he was devastating. That dimple. That sinful little dent I suddenly ached to trace with my tongue. My gaze flicked between the three-headed hound and the man who owned him, and my chest clenched. Then he laughed—low, dark, rumbling—and it rolled through me like thunder.
My ovaries practically applauded
For the love of everything holy, I was losing my mind. I knew that the feelings I had for Hades were real.Wasit because he was thesexiestman I’d ever met? My stomach clenched with apprehension—I realised whatever ‘this’ was ran far deeper than mere looks. Something immeasurable—it transcended chemistry; more than desire, although the desire I felt was intense. I could feel it, whateveritwas, in every part of my being.
Itwas something tangible yet ineffable… The bond.
The horny bond-bitch had a tantrum in my chest and commanded me to cling to him like a psychotic limpet and takewhat I needed. I pushed the sexually frustrated little fucker back down—not happening. Nope. I wasn’t giving in.
But gods, it was tempting.
I was lost in my conflicting emotions when Cerberus zeroed in on me and lunged, pinning me to the ground and making me squeal with laughter.
‘Hi, baby. Oh, you’re such a cutie. Let’s give the big, proud puppy dog a scritch-scratch. You big soft bundle of fluff.’ I buried my fingers in his fur and raked my nails against his skin, eliciting a low groan as he licked my face with all three tongues.
‘Stop talking to him like that. You’ll embarrass him,’ Hades said awkwardly but with a slight smile. I laughed even harder… The king of shadows was trying to be facetious. He took my hand and helped me to my feet but released me as we walked, Cerberus bounding alongside us.
‘What does Cerberus mean?’ I asked as I scratched the hound’s head.
Hades’ nose wrinkled, and I’m pretty sure he blushed. ‘It evolved from the word “?érberos”, which means “spotted”.’
I burst out laughing. ‘You, oh mighty Lord of the Dead, literally named your dog Spot?’
He gave a half-shrug. ‘Well, he has a spot on his belly.’ Tears streamed down my face as I struggled to breathe from uncontrollable laughter. He shook his head. ‘Ignore her, Cerberus; she’s just rude,’ he grumbled.
When we arrived back at the castle, I gave Cerberus a belly rub—checking out his apparent ‘spot’—showered him with kisses, and reluctantly left him after Hades refused to allow him to sleep in my bedroom. We sauntered back to my chambers, and he poured two glasses of nectar, handing me one. I was exhausted from using so much flora magic.
‘Are you hungry?’ Hades asked.
‘I’m starving!’ My eyes widened at the thought of food. ‘Will you cook or conjure food?’ He was about to answer, but I continued. ‘If you conjure food, can we have New York-style hot dogs? Please?’ I made grabby hands at him.
He rolled his eyes, clicked his fingers, and juicy hot dogs topped with sauerkraut, sautéed onions, ketchup, and mustard appeared inside fluffy buns. I squealed with delight and dove in, downing the feast so quickly, I’m surprised I didn’t choke. Hades watched me as he nibbled politely on a hotdog.
I licked my fingers and lips and took a large gulp of nectar. ‘May I ask you something?’
He placed his food on the plate. ‘Of course.’
‘When I drank your blood’—I side-eyed him—‘I felt a myriad of emotions.’ I hesitated. ‘Emotions that weren’t mine.’
