He teased them with his tongue and teeth before he could no longer handle staying still.
“Fuck!”
He broke her hold and gripped her hips, fingers digging into her soft skin as he helped her move, meeting each downward slide with an upward thrust. Their breaths came hard and fast, and when she began to tighten around him, it was enough to send them both over the edge. He came hard, in a gush of heat that continued as her head fell back in listless pleasure.
She sank against him, her heart hammering, and though they were both slick with sweat, he liked the heaviness of her body against his and he wanted this forever.
“Marry me.”
The words slipped out, and once they were in the ether, there was no taking them back. Not that he would want to. Marriage to Persephone had been his plan all along.
Persephone sat back, and as she did, his cock moved with her.
“What?”
It was not the emphatic answer he was looking for. He knew she had heard him, though he could not blame her for hesitating—or even saying no. They had never spoken about marriage, even if he had mentioned their fate.
“Marry me, Persephone. Be my queen. Say you’ll stand by my side…
forever.”
He spoke and recalled Hecate’s words—that no one but the Fates could unravel their future—but what if Persephone never said yes?
“Hades…I…” She hesitated. “You were just angry with me.”
“And now I’m not.”
“And you want to marry me?”
“Yes.”
She rose to her feet on shaky legs, and when Hades tried to help, she pushed him away.
“I can’t marry you, Hades,” she said, her voice breaking. “I…I don’t know you.”
Hades’s lips tightened, and his brows slammed down over his eyes. “You know me.”
“No, I don’t.” She gestured to their surroundings. “You kept this place from me.”
“Persephone, I have lived forever. There will always be things you learn about me, and you should know you won’t like some of them.”
“This isn’t one of those things, Hades. This place is real, and it exists in the present. You hired Leuce to work here. I deserved to know, just as I deserved to know about Leuce!”
Hades tightened his jaw. She wasn’t wrong, but she also did not know what she was asking for. Did she think she could handle the truth of this world?
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.
“Because I was afraid,” he snapped, frustrated by the hurt in her voice.
“Why?”
“Obviously because of your moral compass.” He rose to his feet and restored his appearance. After a few moments, he turned to face her. “I wanted time to think about how to show you my sins. To explain their roots.
Instead, it seems, everyone wishes to do it for me.”
Persephone frowned, but at his admission, her expression turned gentle.
“I’m sorry, Hades,” she said, voice quiet.
Hades frowned. “What are you apologizing for?”
“I guess…everything,” she said. “For coming here…for telling you no.”
“It’s okay. It’s a lot to ask of you right now,” he said. “With Lexa and your work. And I have put a lot on you tonight, shown you a side of me you haven’t seen before.”
“You aren’t…upset?”
He would not say he was upset, not with her, and while he would have liked to end this night engaged to her, it was more for his own peace of mind when dealing with Hera.
“Do I wish you’d said yes? Of course,” he said, and before he could continue, she spoke.
“I’m just…not ready.”
“I know,” he said, pressing his lips to her forehead.
When he pulled away, she was crying.
“Tell me,” he implored as he brushed her tears away.
“I ruined everything,” she said, pressing her face into his chest, her arms twining around his waist.
“You ruined nothing, my darling,” Hades assured. “You were honest with yourself and with me. That is all I ask.”
“How could you want to marry me now? After I have told you no?”
How could he not? She had told him no, and with good reason.
“I will always want to marry you because I will always want you as my wife and queen.”
It was the truth. He felt it in his soul, though he wondered if tonight had fractured her truth.
“Will you show me more of this place?” she asked, rubbing at her face to erase the tears.