A Game of Fate (Hades Saga #1)(18)

“I’m a student at New Athens University.”

It was an example of how much he did not know about this woman, and he found himself curious. What was she studying? How long had she been in college? Where had she been living prior to New Athens? What had Demeter taught her about the Divine?

All things I will learn in time, he reminded himself.

“After…class, then.”

They stared at each other for a long moment, still touching, still invading each other’s space, and he found he was content with this—the silence, the feel of her energy—because it made his chest feel lighter.

“What about your bouncer?” she asked suddenly.

Hades frowned, brows lowering. “What about him?”

“I’d prefer he not remember me in this form.” She lifted her hand to her horns, and Hades eyes followed. They were beautiful horns, gracefully twisted into sharpened points, but as he looked at them, they disappeared from his view, covered by the glamour Persephone had called up. His eyes, again, fell to hers.

“I’ll erase his memory…after he is punished for his treatment of you,” he promised.

“He didn’t know I was a goddess,” she said.

Do not come to his aid, he wanted to say. He does not deserve your kindness.

“But he knew you were a woman, and he let his anger get the best of him. So he will be punished.”

And I will enjoy the process thoroughly.

“What will it cost me?”

He focused upon her again, on her thick lashes, mesmerizing eyes, and sensuous mouth.

“Clever, darling. You know how this works. The punishment? Nothing. His memory? A favor.”

“Don’t call me darling,” she snapped, and he raised a brow at her sudden frustration. Perhaps she thought he was growing too comfortable too fast. “What kind of favor?”

“Whatever I want,” he said. “To be used at a future time.”

She narrowed her eyes, skeptical of his request, and she should be. The most dangerous favors were those unspecified, and if she agreed, it would give him an idea of just how much she truly knew about what it meant to be Divine.

“Deal.”

Nothing, he thought. She knows nothing at all. It made him more than curious. How could Demeter let her daughter enter a world run by the Divine and know nothing of them? She had to know that sooner or later, Persephone would find her way into this world.

Despite his worrying thoughts, Hades smiled at her. “I will have my driver take you home.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“It is,” he insisted.

Hades was not in the habit of trusting the world. He knew too much about what lingered beneath its surface.

“Fine,” she snapped.

He frowned. She was probably more than ready to leave, except that he was not quite ready to see her go. Not on the heels of his last thought.

Keep her safe, he thought as he grasped her shoulders, sealing the space between them. He had thrown her off-balance, and her fingers clenched the front of his shirt, nails scraping his chest. He pressed his lips to her forehead, and the heat from her skin rushed to the bottom of his stomach, making his cock throb and his thoughts turned chaotic. He wanted to tilt her head toward his, to kiss her mouth and taste her tongue.

Focus on the task, he told himself angrily, and bestowed his favor upon her. In ancient times, Greek heroes were favored by the gods, given special weapons and aid during battle, and on rare occasions, even a second chance at life. In modernity, favor could mean anything—access to exclusive clubs, insurmountable wealth, or protection from harm.

Hades offered Persephone the latter, along with access to his realm. He released her from the kiss. Inches apart, she looked up at him.

“What was that for?” she whispered.

Hades smiled, brushing a finger across her heated cheek.

“For your benefit. Next time, the door will open for you. I would rather you not piss Duncan off. If he hurts you again, I will have to kill him, and it’s hard to find a good ogre.”

“Lord Hades,” Minthe’s voice interrupted. “Thanatos is looking for you—Oh!”

The nymph’s presence frustrated him, because it meant Persephone was no longer looking at him. She tried to pull away, but Hades held her tighter, refusing to let go.

“I did not know you had company,” Minthe said, her voice dripped with judgement. Perhaps Hecate had been right when she had suggested he tell Minthe about his future bride.

“A minute, Minthe,” Hades gritted out without looking at her.

When she was gone, Persephone’s gaze returned to his, and he studied her, lips pressed together.

“You haven’t answered my question. Why are you using your mother’s magic?”

He wanted to see if she would admit what he already knew—that she had no magic of her own. Instead, she surprised him by smiling.

“Lord Hades,” she said, her voice breathy and sensual. She drew a finger down his chest, and the movement stirred his desire for her once again. He was going to have to find release by his own hand after this. He could not stand it. Did she know her power? “The only way you are getting answers from me is if I decide to enter into another gamble with you, and at the moment, it’s not likely.”

Then she took the lapels of his jacket and straightened them before leaning in, much like he had done earlier in the foyer, and whispered, “I think you will regret this, Hades.”