A Touch of Malice (Hades & Persephone #3)(57)

“You think I would let what happened to them happen to you?” he asked.

“That is not what I’m saying,” she spoke carefully, knowing that her words mattered here—Hades already blamed himself for what happened with Pirithous. “I want to be able to protect myself.”

Hades just stared, his eyes dipping to the blood which caused her to cross her arms over her chest to hide it.

“I swear I’m fine,” she said. “Kiss me if you think I’m lying.”

His eyes returned to hers and he inched forward, his hand cupping her jaw. “I believe you, but I will kiss you anyway.”

The lips pressed to hers sweetly—it was too short and too tame. When he pulled away, she stared up at him and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me I had the ability to heal myself?”

“I figured at some point Hecate would teach you,” he said. “Until then, it was my pleasure to heal you.”

She flushed—not at any particular memory, but at the sound of Hades voice—a lover’s voice, warm and hypnotic. Her eyes fell to his lips, luscious, alluring.

“What shall we do this evening, darling?” Hades asked.

A smile curved Persephone’s lips as she answered, “I am eager for a game of cards.”





CHAPTER XVI – HIDE & SEEK

“We play by my rules,” Persephone said.

They sat across from each other before the fireplace in their bedroom, a table and deck of cards between them.

Hades raised a brow. “Your rules? How do they differ from the established rules?”

“There are no established rules,” she said. “That’s what makes this game so fun.”

Hades frowned and she knew this was exactly the kind of game he hated. He needed structure, guidelines— control.

“Just listen. The goal is to collect every card in the deck,” Persephone said. “Each of us will lay down a card at the same time. If the cards add up to ten or you lay down a ten, you slap the deck.”

“You… slap the deck?” Hades asked.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because that is how you claim the cards.”

He cleared his throat. “Go on.”

“Outside the rule of tens, there is a rule for face cards,” she explained.

She had to give it to Hades, he did make a show of interest in the rules of the game, more than likely because he was interested in the stakes. “Depending on the face card you draw, you have a certain number of chances to get another face card or the player who laid down the first face card takes all the cards.”

“Okay,” he said very deliberately.

She continued. “And last, if you slap at the wrong time then you have to put two cards at the bottom of the pile.”

“Right,” he said. “Of course. What is this game called again?”

“Egyptian Ratscrew,” Persephone said.

“Why?”

She frowned. “I-I don’t know. It just is.”

Hades raised a brow. “Well, this should be fun. Let’s get to the important part—stakes. What do you wish for if you obtain this…whole deck of cards first?”

Persephone considered this before saying, “I would like a weekend,” she said. “Alone. With you.”

Hades lips quirked. “You are wagering for something I would gladly give—and have, many times.”

“Not a weekend sequestered to your bedchamber,” she said, rolling her eyes. “A weekend…on an island or in the mountains or in a cabin. A… vacation.”

“Hmm. You aren’t giving me a very good reason to win,” he said.

Persephone smiled. “And you? What do you wish for?”

“A fantasy,” he said. “Fulfilled.”

“A…fantasy?”

“A sexual one.”

It took everything in her not to stutter.

“Of course,” she managed smoothly, taking a shallow breath. Now who was making it hard to want to win? She bit her lip. “Can I ask what this sexual fantasy entails?”

“No.” His eyes sparkled with amusement. “Do you accept?”

“I accept,” Persephone said and as she spoke, she squeezed her thighs together, feeling a jolt of heat pool low in her stomach. She hoped she could focus enough on the game to actually attempt winning.

She cut the deck and gave each of them twenty-six cards. The first card she put down was a two of spade. Hades placed a queen of clubs.

“That means I have three chances to get another face card,” she explained.

Her next card was a king.

“Now you have four chances to get a face card.”

“Alright.”

His first card was a five of diamonds, the next a three of clubs, the third a jack of hearts. Then, it was Persephone’s turn—luckily, she laid down another face card.

“Now you have one chance to draw a face card,” she said.

What he drew was a ten of spades.

Lightning-fast, Hades’ hand came down upon the deck with a loud bang.

Persephone flinched and stared at him in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to move so fast—or to remember the rules so well.

“What?” he asked when he noticed her expression. “You said to slap.”