A Touch of Darkness (Hades x Persephone #1)(49)

“What? No. Absolutely not.”

Lexa pouted. “Why not?”

“Uh, what makes you think Hades would share that information with me?”

“Persephone, you’re a journalist. Investigate!”

“I’m not really interested in Hades’ past lovers,” Persephone said, looking out the window.

“Past lovers?” her best friend questioned. “That makes it sound like he has a current lover…like you’re the current lover.”

“Uh, no,” Persephone blushed. “I’m pretty sure the Lord of the Underworld is sleeping with his assistant.”

“Write about that!” Lexa encouraged.

“I’d rather not. Lexa. I work for New Athens News, not the Delphi Divine. I’m interested in truth.”

Besides, she’d rather not learn whether or not that was true. Just thinking about it made her sick.

“You’re pretty sure Hades is banging his assistant just get it confirmed and it’s truth!”

She sighed, frustrated. “I don’t want to write about trivial things. I want to write about something that will change the world.”

“And bashing Hades’ godly antics will change the world?”

“It might,” Persephone argued and Lexa shook her head. “What?”

Her friend sighed. “It’s just….all you did in publishing that article was confirm everyone’s thoughts and fears about the God of the Dead. I’m guessing there are other truths about Hades that weren’t in that article.”

“What’s your point?”

“If you want your writing to change the world, write about the side of Hades that makes you blush.”

Persephone face heated. “You’re such a romantic, Lexa.”

“There you go again,” she said. “Why can’t you just admit you find Hades attractive—”

“I have admitted— “

“And that you’re attracted to him?”

Persephone’s mouth snapped shut, and she crossed her arms over her chest, withdrawing her gaze from Lexa to the window. She didn’t want to talk about this.

“What are you afraid of, Persephone?”

Persephone closed her eyes against that question. Lexa wouldn’t understand. It didn’t matter if she liked Hades or not, if she found him attractive or not, if she wanted him or not. He was not for her. He was forbidden. Maybe the contract was a blessing—it was a way to think of Hades as a temporary thing in her life.

“Persephone?”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Lexa,” she said tightly, hating the direction this conversation had gone.

They didn’t speak, even after they arrived at La Rose. When Persephone left the cab, the distinct smell of rain hit her nose, and when she looked up, lightening illuminated the sky. She shivered, wishing she had chosen a different outfit. She wore a slippery, shimmery teal dress that reached mid-thigh. It hugged the curve of her breasts and hips, and the deep V-neck left little to the imagination. She had chosen the dress to spite Hades—it was silly. She’d wanted to look like power, like temptation, like sin—all for him.

She wanted to dangle herself in front of him, and then draw back at the last moment when he was close enough to taste her.

She wanted him to want her.

It was all pointless, of course. La Rose was another god’s territory, and it was unlikely that Hades would see her tonight.

La Rose was a beautiful building that looked like several crystals jutting from the earth. They were made of mirrored glass, so that at night, they reflected the light of the city. Like Nevernight, there was a huge line to get inside.

A sudden chill of unease spread over Persephone and she glanced around, unsure of where it was coming from, when her eyes landed on Adonis.

He was grinning ear to ear, striding toward her and Lexa dressed in a black shirt and jeans. He looked comfortable, confident, and smug. She was about to ask what he was doing here when Lexa called out to him.

“Adonis!” She hugged him around the middle, and he returned the embrace.

“Hey, babe.”

“Babe?” Persephone asked flatly. “Lexa...what’s going on?”

She pulled away from Adonis. “Adonis wanted to celebrate you, so he reached out to me. We thought it would be fun to surprise you!”

“Oh, I am surprised,” Persephone said, glaring at Adonis.

“Come, I have a suite,” Adonis said. He took Lexa’s hand and looped it through his arm, and when he offered the same to Persephone, she declined.

Adonis’s smile faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered, looking down at Lexa to grin as if nothing was amiss.

The goddess considered leaving, but she had come with Lexa, and she really didn’t feel comfortable leaving her with Adonis. At some point tonight, she was going to have to tell her best friend about what her crush had done.

Adonis led them passed the line and inside the club.

Music vibrated Persephone’s body as she entered, and there was a misty, pink hue to the air from laser lights. The ground floor had room for dancing, and places to sit that were curtained in crystals. The upper tiers of the club were suites, and overlooked a stage and the dance floor.

Adonis led them up a set of stairs to a suite on the second floor. It was luxurious. A curtain of crystals created a barrier from the outside world. Soft pink couches sat on either side of a fire pit which offered warmth and a place for drinks.