A Touch of Darkness (Hades x Persephone #1)(24)

It was her turn to narrow her eyes. “Do you know him?”

Hades ignored the question.

“You plan to write a story about me? Tell me, Lady Persephone, will you detail your experiences with me? How you recklessly invited me to your table, begged me to teach you cards—”

“I did not beg!”

“Will you speak of how you flush from your pretty head to your toes in my presence and how I make you lose your breath—”

“Shut up!”

As he spoke, he leaned closer.

“Will you speak of the favor I have given you or are you too ashamed?”

“Stop!”

She pulled away, and he released her but he was not through.

“You may blame me for the choices you made, but it changes nothing. You are mine for six months—and that means, if you write about me, I will ensure there are consequences.”

She tried hard to keep from shivering at his possessive words. He was calm as he spoke, and it unnerved her because she had the distinct impression that he was anything but calm on the inside.

“It is true what they say about you,” she said, her chest rising and falling. “You heed no prayer. You offer no mercy.”

Hades’ face remained blank. “No one prays to the God of the Dead, my lady, and when they do, it is already too late.”

Hades waved his hand, and Adonis awoke, inhaling sharply. He sat up quickly, and looked around when his eyes landed on Hades, he scrambled to his feet.

“S-sorry,” he said. He looked at the floor, and didn’t meet Hades’ gaze.

“I will answer no more of your questions,” Hades said. “Minthe will show you out.”

Hades turned away. As he did, Adonis got to his feet. Minthe appeared instantly, hair and eyes aflame, dead set on Persephone. She had the fleeting thought that she and Hades would make quite the intimidating pair and she didn’t like it.

Adonis and Persephone turned to leave.

“Persephone,” Hades’ voice commanded her attention. She paused at the door and looked back. “I shall add your name to my guest list this evening.”

He still expected her tonight? Her heart fell into her stomach. What sort of punishment would he add to her sentence for her indiscretion? She had the contract, and she already owed him one favor.

She stared at him for a moment and all his darkness seemed to blur together, except for his eyes which burned like a fire in the night.

She turned to leave the office, ignoring Adonis’s shocked expression.

Once they were outside Nevernight, Adonis spoke, “Well, that was interesting.”

Persephone wasn’t listening. She was too distracted by what had transpired in Hades’ office. She was appalled by Hades’ misuse of power and his corrupt belief that he was helping.

“You said you only met Hades once before?” Adonis asked as they got into his car.

“Huh?” She asked

“Hades, you’ve met him once before?”

She stared at him a moment. Hades had said he would erase Adonis’s memories, but at that question, she wondered if it had worked.

“Yes,” she admitted hesitantly. “Why?”

He shrugged. “There just seemed to be a lot of tension between you two, like...you have a history.”

How was it that a few hours of history between them felt like lifetimes? Why did she invite Hades to the table? She knew she’d regret that decision for the rest of her life. This kind of deal had claws, and there was no way she was getting out of this without scars. There was too much at stake, too much that was forbidden. Persephone’s freedom was wrapped up in this—and the threat came from all sides.

“Persephone?” Adonis asked. She took a breath.

“No,” she said after a moment. “We don’t have history.”





CHAPTER VI – THE STYX



What do you wear on a tour of the Underworld?

It was a question Persephone had been asking herself since she left Hades’ office earlier in the day. She should have asked more questions like would they be hiking? What was the weather like below? She was tempted to wear yoga pants just to get a reaction out of him, but then she remembered she was going to Nevernight first and they had a dress code.

In the end, she picked a short silver dress with a low neckline and heels that sparkled as she walked.

Persephone stepped off the bus in front of Hades’ club and approached the entrance, ignoring jealous stares from the impossibly long line. The waiting bouncer was not Duncan, but he was an ogre. Persephone wondered how Hades had punished the monster for his treatment of her. She had to admit, she’d been surprised by the God of the Dead in that moment. He hadn’t defended her because she was a goddess, he’d defended her because she was a woman.

And despite his many flaws, she had to respect that.

“My name is—” she started.

“You need not introduce yourself, my lady,” the ogre said.

Persephone reddened, and hoped that no one in the line closest to her could hear. The ogre reached and opened the door, bowing his head. How did this creature know her? Was it the favor Hades had bestowed upon her? Was it visible somehow?

She met the ogre’s gaze. “What is your name?”

The creature looked surprised and said, “Mekonnen, my lady.”