Page 65 of Queen of Shadows and Roses
I glared at him and fisted my hands. I glanced at Hermes and Dionysus, who were watching us, looking like they needed a big bowl of popcorn, and it was obvious Charon and Thanatos were gossiping like two nursing home patients.
‘Well,’ Simmy continued, ‘they always want everything on their terms. It’s probably god-speak for “I wanna bang your brains out, but I’ll make you wait till you’re begging me for it”.’
My dream flashed through my head.That’s what he’d said in my dream.I puckered my brow and released an animated sigh—the tosser. ‘Let’s get wasted. Come on, Sim.’
‘I bet Apollo will fuck you,’ he whispered as we walked to find more alcohol. I gave him a death glare, and he snapped his mouth shut.
Tee appeared, carrying two glasses of wine, and handed one to me. ‘You okay, babe?’
‘Peachy.’ I smiled grimly, then downed nearly half the glass. ‘Where’s Hades?’ I asked without looking at her.
‘He, um, returned home,’ she said cautiously. I merely shrugged as if I didn’t care a jot, but inside I was simmering.
A beautiful, melodic laugh—an intoxicating sound—caused us both to turn our heads. Zeus, the smarmy bastard. If I didn’t know better…
‘He’s like a giant jackass piñata begging for someone to beat the candy out of him,’ I mused, making Tee almost choke on her wine.
Behind him, now chatting with Ares, Dionysus looked as if he were a second away from faceplanting into a wall. I fought a grin; Ares was as entertaining as a traffic jam.
After finishing another glass of wine, I crossed the tipsy border and stumbled right into drunk land.
‘Come on,’ Tee said before I could grab another wine. ‘I’ll get you both back.’ Spotting Apollo, I left Tee and made my way over to him. ‘Sephy, don’t,’ she whisper-shouted. Then I heard her curse.
‘Apollo.’ I grinned up at him, and his mesmerising eyes danced with amusement as I wobbled. He grasped my arm.
‘Persephone, are you going?’
‘I am. But I just wanted to do one thing before I leave.’ He lowered his brow at my words.
‘Alright.’
As I rose to my tiptoes and gentry pressed my lips against his, he tensed. But as I ran my tongue over his bottom lip, he groaned softly and placed his large hands on my hips, teasing my mouth open with his tongue. Deepening the kiss, I wrapped my arms around his neck and waited. It felt nice, but not like whenhekissed me. Ugh. Fucking Hades. I pulled back, smiling. ‘Thank you,’ I said to a somewhat bemused Apollo.
‘Erm, you’re welcome?’ His erection was evident, and I winked at him before turning back to Tee. She, Zeus, and Poseidon were all staring at me with intense, almost homicidal scrutiny, looking as if they were ready to breathe fire like dragons of doom, and I should incinerate on the spot. Simmy, however, stood behind them with his lips pressed together, looking rather pleased.
I gave them a small wave, and then carefully sauntered back to Tee.
‘Let’s go,Hecate.’ I smirked. Her glare? Instant death sentence. Grabbing hold of Simmy and me, she flashed us back to my room.
Simmy skulked out of the room, probably because Tee radiated anger like nuclear fallout.
‘What the actual fuck are you playing at, Sephy?’ she ground out through clenched teeth. ‘Why did you kiss Apollo?’
‘Why not?’ I slumped onto the bed.
‘Do you want Hades to kill him? Because, believe me, if he finds out, he will!’
‘He doesn’t own me,’ I bit back. ‘I can kiss whoever I want.’
‘Why, Sephy?’ Her voice softened, and that messy swell of emotions returned as stupid, damnable tears choked my throat and then leaked from my eyes.
‘Hades, he, we—’ I gulped. ‘He was so sweet. He gave me oral sex. I’ve never experienced anything like it. The orgasm was…’ I placed my hands over my face. ‘But he ruined it.’ At my words, her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline, and I’m pretty sure she stopped breathing. ‘And I practically begged him to fuck me, but he’—I hiccupped—‘refused, became an arrogant twatwaffle god again, and left me. Now I feel like a total dipshit.’
‘Damn it,’ she grunted. ‘No wonder he told me to take care of you. Gods, wait till I see him, the dick.’
‘Why, Tee? Why did he refuse me?’
And why the fuck was I so upset? I wanted to go back to London. I didn’t want to be with him. Did I? I released a sob, knowing damn well that I did want him. Physically, at least… I yearned for him. The attraction was beyond compelling. I needed the arrogant god of death to want me back, just as much as I needed the air I breathed.
