A Touch of Malice (Hades x Persephone #3)(58)

“That wasn’t a slap, that was more like a collision.”

He smirked. “I just really want to win.”

She raised a brow. “I thought you were intrigued by my wager.”

“Yes, but I can make your wager come true at any point.”

“And you do not think I can make your fantasy come true at any point?”

Hades’ lips quirked. “Can you?”

They stared at one another for a heartbeat. The tension between them gathering rapidly, a storm on the horizon. Part of her wanted to discard the game completely just to embed his body into hers.

Then Hades spoke, his voice low and gruff. “Shall we continue?”

Their game progressed—a near-endless exchange of cards. At one point, Hades only had one card left—Persephone’s victory was at hand. She was so excited she could taste it.

“Do not look so smug, darling. I will come back with this card,” he promised.

And when he laid the card down, it was a ten.

He slapped the deck and claimed the cards—a winner.

Persephone glared.

“You cheated!” She accused.

Hades chuckled. “A loser’s claim.”

“Careful, my lord—you may have won but I am responsible for the experience. You want it to be good, don’t you?”

She wasn’t even sure what he was going to ask for—a fantasy of some sort. What did he wish for? She thought of the time he’d threatened to take her in his glass office. Perhaps he had darker wishes—submission or bondage or roleplaying. She could barely breath as she waited for him to speak—to instruct.

Then he stood, loosening his tie and cufflinks. Persephone tilted her head back, gaze trailing the planes of his well-muscled physique.

“Ten seconds,” he said.

Persephone brows furrowed. She’d expected other words to come out of his mouth like…undress or maybe kneel.

“What?” Maybe she’d misheard him. There was no way she’d misread the tension in this room. Her gaze dipped where his erection strained against his slacks.

She hadn’t.

“You have ten seconds to hide. Then I will seek you out.”

“Your fantasy is hide and seek?” she asked.

“No. My fantasy is the chase. I am going to hunt you and when I find you, I will bury myself so far inside you, the only thing you’ll be able to say is my name.”

That seemed fair.

She feigned considering this proposition and said, “Will you use magic?”

His smile widened. “Oh, this will be much more fun with magic, darling.”

She narrowed her eyes. “But this is your realm. You will know everywhere I go.”

“Are you telling me you don’t wish to be caught?”

It was her turn to smile. Without another word, she teleported and appeared in Hades’ garden. She had landed in the open, upon the black stone path that wound through colorful flowers and dark trees. She darted into the foliage, ducking under curtains of wisteria and parting willow branches.

She felt Hades appear. He was heat, a flame that warmed her skin and she was drawn to it like a moth. She pressed herself into the trunk of the willow, watching him through its graceful limbs.

He turned in her direction, taking deliberate but careful steps toward her.

“I’ve thought of you all day,” he said, and a thrill went through her. She peeled herself away from the tree and wandered along the garden’s edge. Hades continued following and talking.

“The way you taste, the feel of my cock slipping inside you, the way you moan as I fuck you.”

Persephone came to the garden’s wall, heart beating faster. She was trapped. She turned to find Hades blocking her way, his gaze hungry. He stuck one arm out and then the other, caging her between him. His breath caressed her lips as he spoke.

“I want to fuck you so hard your screams reach the ears of the living.”

Persephone’s lips curled, and she leaned close, tongue flicking out to taste his lips before she asked breathlessly, “Why don’t you?”

Then she vanished.

She appeared in Asphodel, at the center of their crowded streets. It was a market day, which meant the souls were out in droves, trading the goods they made in the comfort of their homes. The yeasty smell of bread, bitter teas, and sweet cinnamon wafted through the air.

“Lady Persephone!”

“My lady!”

“Persephone!”

The souls called and began to crowd her. The children were especially happy to see her and squeezed between the older souls to reach her, hugging her legs and grasping her hands.

“Come play with us, Persephone!”

“I’m so very sorry, everyone. I’m afraid I’m...in the middle of a game with Lord Hades.”

“What kind of game?” One of the children asked.

“Can we play, too?” Another said.

She really should have kept her mouth shut, but when Hades arrived, the souls of Asphodel turned their attention to him.

“Hades!” the children cried and bounded toward him. The Lord of the Underworld caught one—the smallest child, Theo—and lifted him into the air. The child giggled and Hades smiled. It was a breathtaking smile and it hit her heart like an arrow. Once again, she found herself thinking of Hades as a father.