“You warned me?” He set his gaze upon her, dark and angry. “You warned me about what, Goddess?”
“I warned you that you would regret our contract.”
“And I warned you not to write about me,” he stepped closer to her, and she didn’t back down, tilting her head to keep his gaze.
“Perhaps in my next article, I’ll write about how bossy you are,” she said.
“Next article?”
“You didn’t know? I’ve been asked to write a series on you.”
“No,” he said.
“You can’t say no. You’re not in control here.”
“And you think you are?”
“I’ll write the articles, Hades, and the only way I’ll stop is if you let me out of this Gods-damned contract!”
Hades went rigid, and then he hissed, “You think to bargain with me, Goddess?” The heat coming off him was almost unbearable. He inched forward—it wasn’t like he had much space—he was already so close to her. She stuck out one hand, clutching the sheet to her body with the other.
“You’ve forgotten one important thing, Lady Persephone. To bargain, you need to have something I want.”
“You asked me if I believed what I wrote!” She argued. “You care!”
“It’s called a bluff, darling.”
“Bastard,” she hissed. Hades reached out, burying his hand in her hair, he hauled her against him and pulled her head back so that her throat felt taunt. It was savage and possessive and she craved him.
“Let me be clear—you bargained and you lost. There is no way out of our contract unless you fulfill its terms. Otherwise, you remain here. With me.”
“If you make me your prisoner, I will spend the rest of my life hating you.”
“You already do.”
She flinched again. She didn’t like that he thought that and kept saying it, finding herself asking a similar question to the one he had offered earlier.
“Do you really believe that?”
He didn’t answer, just offered a mocking laugh, and then pressed a hot kiss to her mouth before tearing away viciously.
“I will erase the memory of him from your skin.”
She was surprised by his ferocity, but it thrilled her. He tore away the silk sheet and she stood naked before him. He lifted her off the ground and she wrapped her legs around his waist without a second thought. He gripped her bottom tight and kissed her. The friction of his clothes against her bare skin drove her to the edge, and liquid heat pooled at her core. Persephone raked her hands into Hades’ hair, grazing his scalp as she freed his long strands, gripping it hard in her hands. She pulled his head back and kissed him hard and deep. A guttural sound escaped Hades’ mouth, and he moved, backing her into the bedpost, grinding into her hard. His teeth grazed her skin, biting and sucking. It kept her from breathing, eliciting gasps from deep in her throat.
Together they were mindless, and when she found herself sprawled out on the bed, she knew she would give Hades anything. He wouldn’t even have to ask.
But the God of the Dead stood over her, breathing hard. His hair spilled over his shoulders. His eyes were dark, angry, aroused—and instead of closing the distance he had created between them, he smirked.
It was unsettling, and Persephone knew she wasn’t going to like what came next.
“Well, you would probably enjoy fucking me, but you definitely don’t like me.”
Then he was gone.
***
Persephone found her dress neatly folded in one of the two chairs in front of Hades’ fireplace. A black cloak sat beside it. As she pulled on her dress and the cloak, she thought of how Hades had looked at her when she awoke. How long had he sat watching her sleep? How long had he simmered in his rage? Who was this god who appeared out of nowhere to rescue her from unwanted advances, claimed it wasn’t jealousy, and folded her clothes? Who accused her of hating him, but kissed her like he had never partook of something so sweet?
Her body flushed as she thought about how he’d lifted her and moved her to the bed. She couldn’t recall what she’d been thinking, but she knew it wasn’t telling him to stop—still, he’d left her.
That heady flush turned to anger.
He’d laughed and left her.
Because this is a game to him, she reminded herself. She couldn’t let her strange and electric attraction to him overpower that reality. She had a contract to fulfill.
Persephone left Hades’ room via the balcony to check on her garden. Despite her resentment of the greenhouse, Persephone still loved flowers, and the God of the Underworld had managed to create one of the most beautiful gardens she’d ever seen. She marveled at the colors and the scents—the sweet smell of wisteria, the heady and sultry scent of gardenias and roses, the calming scent of lavender.