With Adonis.
He gritted his teeth.
Had he not warned her to stay away from the mortal?
Hades glanced at Adrian and Ezio, and the ogres branched off to the left and right while he took the middle. Mortals made space for him, unaware he walked among them. He scanned faces, searching for Persephone’s familiar features. His chest felt tight and his breaths grew shallow as he looked for her, thinking of all the sin he had seen upon Adonis’s soul. He was a predator and a liar.
Were they somewhere in the shadows together? Was he touching her the way Hades longed to touch her? The thought made him feel violent.
And then he found her in Adonis’s arms, and everything seemed to move in slow motion. He realized he had never really known rage. This was primal. It jolted his whole body and made him quiver. He wanted to roar, to strike fear in each and every person in this room, just so they would cease their unabashed revelry.
Adonis’ hand cupped her head, fingers twining in her glossy hair, and his lips were pressed against hers so hard, his nose was bent. But it was Persephone’s body language he watched—the way she pushed against the mortal’s chest the closer he tried to bring her, the way she clamped her lips together, refusing to partake of his, the tear that slipped down her cheek the longer he held her there.
This is torture, Hades thought.
All of a sudden, everything resumed its usual speed. Adrian and Ezio appeared, each fixing a hand on Adonis’ shoulder, and yanked him away from Persephone. Hades moved toward her, unsure of what he intended to do, but wanting to be near her, to comfort her.
The goddess turned toward him as she wiped her mouth, her eyes meeting his.
“Hades.” She breathed his name, and the sound made him shiver. He was further surprised when she threw her arms around her waist and buried her head in his chest. For a moment, he was frozen. Had he not just wished to offer her comfort? Why was he suddenly unable to move? Slowly, he pressed a hand to her back, the other twining with her hair, hating that Adonis’s fingers had experienced the feel of her.
He held her for a moment and wanted to hold her longer, but they needed to leave this place, so he drew his finger beneath her chin, tilting her head until her eyes met his.
“Are you well?”
She shook her head.
Hades gritted his teeth, quashing the urge to find Adonis and grind him into ash.
“Let’s go.”
He drew her against him and guided her toward the exit. Like before, the crowd parted, but this time, it was because they could see him. He had dropped his invisibility when he approached Persephone and had not bothered to glamour up again. They stilled and stared while the music blared.
“Hades—”
“They will not remember this,” Hades assured, knowing her anxiety would rise at the thought of being seen together like this in public. The media would descend, the headlines would speculate. She would become the story, not the storyteller.
As much as she did not want that to happen, Hades did not either, and as they came to the edge of the crowd, his magic rippled out, stealing memories and returning the floor to its blissful chaos.
Then Persephone tried to bolt.
“Lexa!”
She moved too fast and swayed. Hades wasn’t certain if she tripped or if she had too much to drink. Either way, he bent to gather her into his arms, unwilling to risk having to chase after her.
“I will ensure she gets home safe,” he promised.
He watched her face, seeing her close her eyes tight and frowned.
“Persephone?”
“Hmm?” Her voice vibrated, her breath teased his lips, carrying the scent of wine and something metallic he could not quite place.
“What’s wrong?”
“Dizzy,” she whispered.
He didn’t speak but left the building. If he stayed any longer, he would burn it to the ground and incur the wrath of Aphrodite, something he might welcome to free himself of this rage. Outside, the air was cool, and Persephone started to shiver, burrowing closer to his chest. She took a deep breath.
“You smell good.”
Her small hands curled into his jacket, and he chuckled at her lack of inhibition, holding her tighter as he ducked into the back of his limo. He considered keeping her cradled against him until they arrived at Nevernight, but decided against it. She had been accosted on the floor of La Rose, and probably wanted distance. Plus, she was cold. He helped her into the seat beside him and adjusted the controls so the heat would warm her.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice quiet, and Hades looked at her as he sat back in his seat.