A Touch of Ruin (Hades x Persephone #2)(108)

“I’ll teach you,” he said.

Hades guided her toward the horse.

“This is Alastor,” he said.

“Alastor,” she whispered his name, caressing his muzzle. “You are magnificent.”

The other horse neighed.

“Careful, Aethon will be jealous.”

Persephone laughed “Oh, you are both magnificent.”

“Careful,” Hades said. “I might get jealous.”

Hades handed Persephone the reins and instructed her to put her foot in the stirrup and sit on the saddle as gently as possible. He gave more direction—sink your weight, lean back, firm up your legs.

“My steeds will listen if you speak—tell them to stop, they will stop. Tell them to slow down, they will slow down.”

“You taught them?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said while mounting Aethon. “Don’t worry, Alastor knows what he carries. He will take care of you.”

They started at a snail’s pace, but Persephone didn’t mind. They’d often gone on walks, but those were isolated to the gardens and her grove, and there was something refreshing about seeing the Underworld this way. Alastor and Aethon trotted side-by-side, and Hades took her into new territory—through fields of purple and pink lupin, rimmed by dark mountains.

“How often do you...change the Underworld?” she asked.

One corner of Hades’ mouth rose. “I wondered when you’d ask me that question.”

“Well?”

“Whenever I feel like it,” he said.

She laughed.

“Perhaps when my magic isn’t so terrifying, I will try.”

“Darling, there is nothing I’d like more.”

They came to the end of the lupin field and continued down a narrow path between the mountains. On the other side, an emerald forest bloomed. Hades kept close to the rocky wall of the mountain. The sound of running water perked Persephone’s interest. That was when Hades stopped and dismounted.

He approached her and helped her down, his hands lingered on her waist.

“You look beautiful today,” he said. “Have I told you?”

She grinned. “Not yet. Tell me again.”

He smiled and kissed her. “You’re beautiful, my darling.”

He took her hand and led her through a line of trees. On the other side was a waterfall that poured off the mountainous rocks into a shimmering lake. It was a million shades of blue, and clear as crystal.

“Hades,” she whispered. “How gorgeous.”

When she looked at him, his gaze singed, aroused and intense. Awareness shuddered through her and she turned into him.

They didn’t speak, just came together beneath the trees.

Hades was unhurried in his exploration, and Persephone soaked up each second. Everything was slow—the kisses languid, the caresses dreamy. When he entered her, he paused and brought his lips to hers. There was something extremely raw about this kiss, though it was light and lingering. When she opened her eyes, she found him staring at her, still and swollen inside her.

She reached up and touched his face.

“Marry me,” he said.

She smiled. “Yes.”

Then he moved inside her, the friction built as slowly as he moved and despite the pace he set, her breath came faster. She gripped his shoulders, nails digging into his skin, lost in the sensations he elicited all over her body.

She loved it, loved him.

She came hard, but quietly.

“My darling,” Hades whispered. He kissed her face, brushing away tears. “Why are you crying?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

She just felt everything so keenly—every emotion was like a spear inside her. Her love for Hades was almost unbearable. Her happiness near-painful.

Hades lifted her and carried her into the lake where they showered beneath the waterfall.

After, they returned to the palace.

On the inside, Persephone was still struggling with her feelings. They were so powerful, so heightened. She was so deeply in love, it hurt.

It was a new level of love—one she had entered as his fiancée, as his soon-to-be-wife and queen.

The thought made her chest feel warm—a sensation that didn’t last when she saw Thanatos waiting for their arrival. She glanced at Hades, his face had turned stony, lips tight, eyes hard.

Something’s wrong.

She tried to keep from jumping to conclusions, but it was difficult given the last few weeks.

Hades dismounted and helped Persephone down.

“Thanatos,” Hades said.

“My lord,” he nodded, and his blue eyes met Persephone’s. “My lady.”

The God of Death opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He tried again.

“I don’t know how to tell you this.”

Persephone swore her heartbeat slowed, and it suddenly felt really hard to breathe. Unlike before, Thanatos didn’t even try to calm her with his magic.

“It’s Lexa,” he said.

Persephone was already crying. Hades arms tightened around her as if preparing for her collapse.

“She’s gone.”





CHAPTER XXVII - EMPOWERMENT


There was a strange ringing in Persephone’s ears and she suddenly felt distant from the world around her—as if she were watching things from inside a globe. She couldn’t feel anything, a terrible contrast to the earlier intensity of her emotions. Even Hades’ touch was numb against her skin.