Page 395 of The First Taste
For his part, he doesn’t move. His body doesn’t soften in any way. But he doesn’t actively resist my attention or try to pull away.
“Shit happens,” Hades rumbles. “People had it worse. A lot of people.”
I hug him harder, holding onto him. After half a minute, his hands gently come up to wrap around my waist. I add a little consoling rocking motion into my embrace.
And in exchange, I feel his lips graze the crown of my head.
In this moment, I can see him for what he really is. He’s a strong man, yes. But he’s also so violent and reactive to anything he perceives as bullying.
I can easily imagine him as a small child, dreaming of being exactly like this. Of needing no one, of making men tremble at the mention of his name.
It breaks my fucking heart. I close my eyes, pushing all of my care and all of my tenderness into a tight ball of energy. I feed that ball directly into Hades through my hug, my closeness.
I don’t mean to cry, but a tear slips free and rolls down my cheek.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper against his chest.
It’s an emotional moment for both of us. Hades clears his throat and straightens, easing back from the embrace. When he speaks, his tone is cool and distant once more.
“The best thing I can do now is not repeat the whole thing with a family of my own.”
My mouth starts to open, a million questions on the tip of my tongue.
“Wait, that’s what you drew from your experience?” I ask, puzzled.
He shoots me a look and starts walking again. “Come on. Dinnae dawdle.”
I frown and trail after him, wondering what to make of his revelations today.
Hades
Ipress my satellite phone against my ear with one hand. With the other, I rub the bridge of my nose.
“It can’t be helped,” Ares is explaining. “Any ship’s captain that comes to him with proof that we’ve contacted him can earn double what we’re paying. All thanks to Constantine.” He gives a little growl. “I think we have really fucked up by kidnapping Constantine’s ex, Hades. Every single time I try to do something sneaky, I turn around and find Constantine has already been there, throwing his money around.”
My temple throbs. I stand at the window of my father’s study and peer out the window, trying to think.
“Asshole,” I mutter. “I hate fucking bullies. And Constantine is the ultimate bully.”
Ares gives a snarl. “Look, Hades. I know that ye and I regularly disagree on how things ought to be run?— “
“Only because I insist on thinking things through rather than just punching the first guy standing near my goal,” I interject dryly.
“That’s not the point, ye fucking cad. The point is that we made a mistake, but we might be able to fix it.”
I squint, not liking the sound of that. “And just what are ye proposing?”
He takes a deep breath. “Maybe if we just tied up the girl and dropped her on Constantine’s doorstep, he would let us get on with our lives instead of… of cock blocking us at every fucking turn!”
I grimace. “Yer saying that ye want to give into him? That’s not how ye beat a bully, Ares.”
“No one cares about yer vendetta!” Ares explodes. “So, he’s a bully! Who the fuck cares? I just want to be able to keep operating without being mired in all this shit that Constantine keeps throwing at our feet! We can’t afford to get buried in it forever!”
“I don’t care,” I tell him, struggling to keep my tone even.
He waits a few beats. “This is about the girl, isn’t it? Yer finally fucking her and ye are getting attached. Ye can find another girl to fuck, Hades?— “
“Fuck off,” I snarl.
