A Touch of Ruin (Hades x Persephone #2)(7)

Cerberus, Typhon, and Orthrus did not follow Persephone as she approached the goddess.

“Sated already?” Hecate asked, her eyes were still closed.

Persephone would never forgive Hades for what had gone down in front of his staff.

“Does it look like it?” she grumbled.

Sexual frustration was making her grumpy. Hecate opened one eye, and then the other.

“Ah,” she said. “Care to train instead?”

“Only if I get to blow something up.”

A small smile tugged at Hecate’s berry lips. “You get to meditate.”

“Meditate?”

The last thing Persephone wanted to do was be alone with her raging thoughts. Hecate patted the ground beside her, and Persephone sighed, taking a seat. Her body felt rigid, her hands warm and sweaty.

“Your first lesson, Goddess. Control your emotions.”

“How is that a lesson?” Persephone asked.

Hecate gave her a knowing look. “Do you want to talk about earlier? Those doors came down because of your magic. They weren’t opened by anyone on the inside.”

Persephone looked away.

“Don’t be embarrassed, my dear. It happens to the best of us.”

Persephone knew her emotions were tied to her powers. Flowers sprouted when she was angry, and vines curled around Hades in moments of passion without warning. Then there was Minthe, whose insulting words had resulted in her transformation into a mint plant and Adonis who she’d threatened in the Garden of the Gods by turning his limbs into vines. Not to mention the destruction of her mother’s greenhouse.

“Okay, so I have a problem,” Persephone admitted. “How do I control it?”

“With practice,” Hecate said. “And lots of meditation. The more often you do it, the more you—and your magic—will benefit.”

Persephone frowned. “I hate meditating.”

“Have you ever tried it?”

“Yes, and it’s boring. All you do is...sit.”

The corner of Hecate’s mouth lifted.

“Your perspective is wrong. The point of meditation is to gain control—are you not hungry for control, Persephone?”

Hecate’s voice dipped low, tinged with seduction. Persephone couldn’t deny that she was eager for what the goddess was offering. She wanted control over everything—her magic, her life, her future.

“I’m listening,” Persephone said.

Hecate’s smile was impish, and she continued. “Meditation means focusing your attention moment by moment rather than getting caught up in the things that plague you—the things that drown you, the things that cause your magic to create a shield around you.”

Hecate led Persephone through several meditations, guiding her to focus on her breathing. She imagined this might be peaceful if she could keep her mind from wandering to Hades. She swore on two occasions he was behind her. She could feel his breath on her neck, the soft scrape of his beard against her cheek as he whispered words against her skin.

I have thought of you all day.

A thrill shivered through her and her core tightened.

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

Persephone bit her lip, and heat gushed between her legs.

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

Her breath escaped in a harsh gasp, and she opened her eyes. When she looked at Hecate, the goddess arched a knowing brow.

“On second thought, let’s blow some things up.”

***

“I’m going to be late!” Persephone threw off her covers and jumped from bed.

Hades groaned, stretching his arm across the sheets, reaching for her.

“Come back to bed,” he said, sleepily.

She ignored him, running around his bedroom in search of her things. She found her purse on a chair, her shoes under the bed, and her clothes were wrapped up in the bedsheets. She untangled them, and once they were free, Hades snatched them from her hands.

“Hades—” she growled, lunging for him.

His hands clamped down her on her waist, and he rolled, pinning her beneath him. She laughed, squirming.

“Hades, stop! I’m going to be late and it’s already your fault.”

He had made good on his promise, returning to the Underworld around three in the morning. When he slipped into bed behind her, he’d kissed her goodnight and hadn’t stopped. After, she’d fallen into a deep sleep, hitting the snooze button when her alarm went off to wake her.

“I’ll take you,” he said, bending to kiss her neck. “I can get you there in seconds.”

“Hmm,” she said, pressing her palms against his chest. “Thanks, but I prefer taking the long way.”

He arched a brow and gave her a menacing look before rolling off. She got to her feet again, holding up her wrinkled clothes and frowned.

“Allow me to help,” Hades said and snapped his fingers, manifesting a tailored black dress and heels. She looked down, smoothing her hands over the fabric which had a faint shimmer.

“Black isn’t my usual color choice,” she said.

Hades smirked. “Humor me,” he said.

Once she was ready, he insisted she accept a ride from his driver, which was how she ended up in the back of Hades’ black Lexus. Antoni, a cyclops and a servant to the God of the Dead, was in the driver’s seat whistling a song Persephone recognized from Apollo’s White Raven album. Despite not being a fan of the god’s music, she’d spent Friday night celebrating her best friend, Lexa Sideris’ birthday at the god’s club where his songs were on a constant rotation. She now felt she knew them all by heart, which only made her distaste for them stronger.