The Goddess of Marriage stood between them and used her spear to sever the thread that connected them. That was not the end of Hera’s rage, however. The threads continued to depict her pursuit of Persephone until she descended into madness.
Hades closed his eyes at the scene, and when he focused on the Fates again, the threads were gone.
Atropos spoke. “And the consequences of refusing her are so great, you are willing to face our wrath.”
It was not a question, and Hades did not speak.
“A life like Briareus will cost you dearly, King,” said Lachesis.
“The consequences are the same—a soul for a soul,” said Clotho.
He did not bother asking which soul would replace the one he was about to take, though he knew a life like Briareus would come at a great cost. He was an immortal being, a monster, and whatever took his place would have to be powerful.
“Where does this path leave Persephone?” Hades asked, focusing on what was important.
If one path led toward madness, he did not trust that the other would not lead to hardship.
“Oh, dear king,” said Clotho.
“There is no path,” said Atropos.
“That will leave her unbroken,” said Lachesis.
*
There is no path that will leave her unbroken.
Those words crowded his thoughts, pressing hard against his skull as he watched Persephone sleep from his position near the fireplace. She lay on her side, draped in black silk. Her hands were curled under her head, her breathing even and undisturbed.
She was safe.
If he were true to his nature, he would never let her leave his realm. It was the life above that would damage her…or would it be him?
He frowned at the thought and then downed what remained of the whiskey in his glass before shedding his clothes and climbing into bed. He hovered at the end and pulled the sheets from her body. As the silk slid over her skin, exposing her nakedness, she opened her eyes and turned her sleepy gaze to him.
“You’re back,” she said groggily.
She rested on her elbows, and her breasts filled his vision. They swelled as she breathed, her nipples peaked and rosy, contrasting beautifully with her creamy skin. Hades leaned forward and took each into a hand, lavishing her with kisses. As his tongue teased, she let out a moan, fingers tangling into his hair and tightening as she pulled, urging his lips to hers, and he obliged, crashing down on her mouth. He let his body mold to hers for only a moment before his knee parted her thighs to tease her, feeling the wetness of her arousal. Another wave of sheer pleasure rocketed through him, straight to his already-hard cock, and as much as he wanted to be inside her, he wanted to prolong this more.
He left her lips, trailing kisses down her body until he reached the apex of her thighs, and as he went down on her, he held her gaze. She had returned to her original position, leaning back on her elbows, watching with lust-clouded eyes. She inhaled deep, and Hades focused on the sound of her quickening breaths as he continued. He loved the taste of her, the feel of her heated flesh against his tongue. All the while, his cock throbbed and the anticipation of plunging into her warmth made his balls tight.
“Fuck,” Persephone breathed, and Hades glanced up to see her head had fallen back, her fingers crushing the sheet beneath her. Then she began to move against his mouth, chasing the friction that would make her come.
That was when Hades pulled back. Persephone watched him, and then her eyes fell to his length, heavy with arousal.
“Let me pleasure you,” she said.
He did not argue as she moved to her knees before him and took him into her mouth.
He intended to release his breath in a slow stream, but it came out as a gruff exhale. In their time together, she had gained a rhythm, and she used it now—her hand cupping his balls, her mouth working the crown of his cock.
“Yes,” he hissed as her mouth moved down his shaft while she continued to stroke him. The pressure made his ears ring, and all he could focus on was her touch, her smell, her presence. She filled all his senses, and as her mouth popped off his cock, he guided her onto her back. Her legs fell open, and he jerked her close, stroking himself before guiding his cock to her entrance. She slid on with a practiced ease and they moved together. Hades kept himself upright, one hand on Persephone’s shoulder, as they slammed together. Her breaths turned to cries as he moved, alternating between long, slow strokes and rapid thrusts. He wanted to kiss her, but he also wanted to watch her expression continue to morph as he fucked her into oblivion.
“It feels so good,” she whispered, her head hung back, her throat exposed.
Hades bent and kissed her there. “I thought about this all day,” he said.
“How I would make you come.”
At his words, she met his gaze and he pulled back, bringing her with him, lifting her into his lap. Her legs framed his body, giving her the leverage she needed to move with him. He liked this position—he could feel her breasts and her swollen clit rubbing against him, and when she grew too tired to move, he rolled with her, moving to their sides. He pulled her thigh up and behind his knee, continuing to thrust. The pressure at the base of his cock was building, moving upward, and he wanted to go faster but also make all this last forever.
Persephone’s cries became keen, and he could feel her muscles contract around him.
“Fuck,” she breathed, her hand sliding down her stomach to her clit, rubbing vigorously.
“Come,” he commanded, and as her orgasm tore through her, he followed, body stiffening as his release spilled inside her. Hades drew his arm around Persephone’s waist and pulled her close, their breathing evening as their bodies relaxed.
“Was everything okay?” Persephone asked, her voice heavy with sleep.
“Fine,” he replied, even though it was a lie.
Chapter IV
The False Oracle
“Are you sure you do not wish for me to take you to work?” Hades asked, standing outside Nevernight. He gripped Persephone’s ass, his cock growing harder the longer he held her close, but he found that he did not want to let her go, even with Antoni waiting to take her to work.
“I am sure you have more important things to do than take me to work,”
she said.
“Nothing is as important as you,” he said.
She arched her brow. “My life will never be the same now that all of New Greece knows about us,” she said. “I’d like to keep parts of my routine, even if they seem…impractical.”
He had anticipated this and did not argue, though he glanced at Antoni, who had instructions to see her safely to work and report on anything amiss.
“Will you come to me tonight?” he asked.
“I think I should stay at the apartment tonight,” she said. “Lexa misses me.”
Disappointment made his body heavy, though he tried to mask it by pressing a kiss to her forehead. He knew this was what she had wanted—a balance between the life she shared with him in the Underworld and the one she had here with her friends and roommate.
“Of course,” he said.
“You aren’t…mad, are you?” Though she peered up at him, she almost seemed to shrink, as if she were either embarrassed by her question or expected him to express his anger.
Instead, he frowned, brows lowering over his eyes. “Why would I be mad?”
“I just…didn’t want to disappoint you.”
Her words confused him, but he thought he could guess where this was coming from, and it had everything to do with her mother.
He lifted her chin. “Will I miss you?” he asked. “Yes, but I am not disappointed.”
Persephone stared at him for a moment, then lifted onto her toes and kissed him on the mouth. She took a step away before he could hold her any tighter or deepen the kiss. It was time for her to go.
A new sense of dread filled him at the thought of what she would face today. Given their public reunion, it was likely she would endure not only questions from her curious coworkers but an onslaught of other media.