Page 51 of The Catacomb King
“Get a life.”
Hades huffed. (He was still erect, though. I resisted the urge to reach out and touch his cock. I knew somehow that if I did, it would be just as rock-hard as it looked, and he wouldn’t be able to help collapsing into me, Iknewit, and once I had it in my hand I wouldn’t be able to stop —)
He turned away from me. His self-control was phenomenal.
Unless I was just lying to myself.
Again.
He went over and collected the pieces of earthenware bowl, meticulously. He placed them in a neat pile by the door for Elke to gather the next day. Then he lay down on the carpet. “Well, goodnight.”
“Are you kidding me? That’s it? We’re just going to bed now?”
He rolled to face me. His eyes were bright. “You want to do something else?”
It occurred to me that if I was going to die, then banging the Prince of Darkness wouldn’t be a bad way to spend my last hours.
But I said haughtily, “No,” and climbed into the bed. I settled myself under the covers. At least now he couldn’t see my nipples anymore.
The silence was unbearable.
Then I said, “Yes.”
I heard him shift. Raise his head. I could not hear him breathing.
I cleared my throat. Hated myself for being such a coward. But I’d hate myself more if I kowtowed to my kidnapper.
So instead of saying,Get up here and take your clothes off, I said, “I want to talk to you about the irrigation project.”
His breath started up again. “Erotic,” he said. But I could sense his shoulders loosening. There was a light thump as he laid his head back on the carpet. I sat up and looked at him. He asked me, “How did it go?”
“It fucking sucked. How didyoursgo?”
“It fucking sucked,” he admitted, and then we both laughed.
We both shut our mouths at once, staring at each other.
Hades said, “Well, then. Glad we got that figured out.”
I lay flat on the bed, facing the ceiling. He rolled back to the fire.
Just come up here, I wanted to say,this is stupid. But I didn’t.
Raw Meat
Iwoke up to the smell of raw meat.
The scent jerked me to a sitting position before I even realized I was awake. I hadn’t eaten meat since the last holiday season. Even when I’d purchased food for my mother in the village, most of what I’d been able to afford was vegetables and dried beans. Maybe eggs or hard yellow cheese if I was careful, and if Mr. Stammerer had given me a tip.
A dead rabbit was bleeding on the pillow inches from where my head had been.
I screamed. I scrambled out of bed and almost tripped over Hades. “Hades!”
“Keep it down,” he hissed. I couldn’t believe it. He was just lying like a fucking lump on the carpet. “Do you want everyone to hear you?”
“Do I want everyone to know what adepraved weirdoyou are? Uh, yeah! What the fuck is this!”
He sat up, looking insulted. “What’s wrong with it?”
