Descent into Desire Page 7

  “Soon it won’t be. No matter what your choice is, people will see you very differently because of this.”

  Her eyes brightened a bit, but she still didn’t smile. “Really?”

  “Yes.” He reached out and this time he stroked her cheek. “It hurts me to hear you belittle yourself. Please don’t do it again.” He felt her tremble at his touch. “We haven’t really kissed yet.”

  “No, we haven’t,” she whispered. Her breath came out in a sigh, and she lightly put her hand over his.

  He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. He kissed her gently. She wrapped her arms around him, but he resisted deepening the kiss. He pulled back and looked into her eyes. She wanted more, so much more, but he still pulled her arms away and held her hands in his.

  “I want you to feel what I feel before we go further,” he said.

  She nodded tentatively. “Okay.”

  He kissed both her hands. “That means I need to go. For now.”

  The disappointment on her face pulled at his heart. She squeezed his hands.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow?” she asked.

  He brought her right hand to his face. He’d expected her to be angry or upset, maybe to even say she didn’t want to see him for a few days. It gave him hope she hadn’t reacted that way. “We’ll go for a walk in the garden in the morning. I’ll come get you.”

  She nodded, but she held tight to him as he pulled his hands away. He could feel her eyes following him as he walked away from her. He hadn’t thought going to bed alone tonight would be so painful, but every step was harder than the one before. He wanted her desperately and knew his night was going to be long and sleepless.

  Chapter Five

  Persephone brushed her hair and thought of her first night in the Underworld. It hadn’t been that long ago, but in a way it seemed like a completely different part of her life. Cerberus sat watching her. He wandered off some days, but he spent most of his time by her side.

  “Are you going to come on our walk with us?” Persephone always talked to animals. They never talked back, and never would, but she’d taken care of enough over the years to know it did make them smarter.

  He came forward a few feet and sat down again.

  She smiled. “Good.”

  There was a knock at her door, and she stood up. “Come in.”

  Hades opened the door and stepped over the threshold. “Are you ready?”

  She nodded and patted Cerberus’ head. “We are.”

  Hades held out his hand for Cerberus, and the hound walked forward to sniff it and be petted. Persephone smiled.

  “What?” Hades asked.

  She laughed. “Both of you are supposed to be scary, striking fear into mortal hearts. If they could see you now.”

  She definitely liked what she saw. Still all black, but he was at least wearing a t-shirt and jeans. He looked nice and much less formal. She held her hand out.

  He took her hand and kissed it. “Let’s go then.”

  They walked through the halls in silence. Persephone looked at all the paintings. “Who painted all of these? Are they from the mortal world?”

  “They’re duplicates of ones from the mortal world.” He pointed to a canvas covered in flames. “That one was painted by Thomas Miller.”

  “I’ve never heard of him.”

  “No one else has either. He was a lawyer. He painted for his own pleasure. No one knew about it, and after he died there was a fire. His family didn’t even know what treasures they’d lost.”

  “That’s sad.” She looked at another. “I’ve seen this one.”

  “They’re all portrayals of the Underworld. This one’s from the sixteenth century by an unknown artist. We know his name was Daniel Roper. It’s a vague interpretation of Dante’s Inferno. The swirling colors are meant to be the different parts. The Catholic Hell of Dante’s time had separate places for murderers and atheists. The middle is blue. Do you remember why?”

  She smiled. “It’s frozen. Satan is frozen in the middle of a lake.”

  He nodded. “Many of these are taken from literature. The Greeks and Romans, but also men like Dante and Milton.”

  “I like Milton.”

  “Do you?”

  “Yes. Surprised?”

  “No, of course not.” He led them out into the garden. “Did you think I would be?”

  “I suppose not, but no one’s ever talked to me about literature before you.”

  “I see. No one down here reads that much, except me.”

  “It’s the same up there. Except for Eris, no one in our world really writes either. Have you noticed that?”

  He considered this, and then nodded. “You’re right. We don’t exactly have a literary tradition.”

  “Just my luck. One way I could impress people, and it’s not relevant.”

  He gave her a slightly warning look.

  “I know, I know. People will be impressed once they get to know me.”

  He kissed her hand again. “Yes, they will. Your mother kept you hidden away. It was the main reason I didn’t feel guilty for bringing you here.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. My plans haven’t gone too smoothly from there, but I’m working on it.”

  She squeezed his hand. She had no idea what to say to him. She tried anyway. “You’re doing fine. We had a few kinks to work out.”

  “Is that what they were? Kinks?”

  She looked up at him. “Yes. That’s exactly what they were.”

  “All right then.”

  After a few moments of silence, she took another chance. “I finally got what I wanted.”

  He seemed puzzled, but also intrigued. “I’m glad to hear that, but I’m not sure I understand.”

  “I said I expected certain things when we met. I wasn’t looking for a husband, remember? I was looking for a boyfriend.”

  Hades smiled, and she thought he blushed a bit. When he looked back into her eyes, she was sure of it.

  “You’re blushing,” she said, unable to resist teasing him.

  He shrugged. “Maybe I am. It’s good though. Very good.” He lowered his head.

  She thought quickly, not wanting him to feel she was teasing him because she thought it was silly or weird. “So are you. You’re not a bad boy at all. You’re the good guy every girl would try for if she had any sense.”

  He was silent as they entered the maze. He held his hand in front of Cerberus, and the hound sat down. “Stay.” He pulled Persephone into the maze with him.

  She felt her pulse quicken. When he didn’t speak, she asked, “Did I say something wrong?”

  He turned and pulled her close. “No. It was very right. No one has ever described me or thought of me that way. I’m amazed you could think that, after what I did.”

  “I already told you I forgive you. You didn’t want me to leave. I’ve done very selfish and stupid things to get my way. I understand why you did it.”

  He stroked her face. “So you don’t want a bad boy anymore?”

  She found it hard to breathe in his arms. “I think we all have more than one side. I’d like to see all of yours.”

  He smiled and pulled away. He held out his hands and an enormous Greek helmet with a visor appeared in his hands. The Helm of Darkness. Why would he want that? He put it on and lowered the visor, disappearing before her eyes. She heard him move around her, and she tried to follow the sound. His hand slid around her waist.

  “We’ll see if I live up to your idea of a bad boy. I’ll give you a head start.”

  He pulled away, and she had no idea where he was.

  “You’re going to chase me?” She felt that heat low in her belly again as she imagined being pursued by him. Making love out in the open on the grass.

  He didn’t answer.

  “Oh boy,” she whispered to herself.

  She looked to the right and left. Both ways looked the same, leading her to a turn that would take her toward the center. She went to the
right and then took a left. She stopped and listened. She couldn’t hear anything. She went forward a few feet and had three choices. She went straight. She paused again when she came to a fork that would take her to opposite sides of the maze. A warm breeze blew around her.

  Then she felt a hand slide over her ass. She gasped and instinctively pulled away. He didn’t make a sound. She reached out, but she only felt air. She turned and jogged back the way she’d come. She took several turns and became disoriented. The maze’s walls were two feet taller than her, so she couldn’t see any landmarks.

  What do you want?

  She heard his voice in her head, and her knees went a little shaky. “I want you to catch me.” She didn’t hear anything, so she wasn’t sure how far away he was.

  Then something else touched her, but it wasn’t his hand. A thick vine twisted around her waist and pulled her against the hedge wall. Two more bound her hands. She couldn’t move. She tried to break them, but she couldn’t. They wouldn’t obey her. All living things obeyed her above.

  “Down here,” Hades said, “Everything obeys me.”

  He was still invisible, and she looked all around her. “Including me?”

  He removed the helmet, and he stood just inches from her. He shook his head. “No. Never you. I obey you.” His finger traced the strap of her purple sundress. “Command me.”

  When she’d first arrived, she’d felt like she was being tested. This felt different. He was giving her this choice to find something out, though she wasn’t sure what. He’d said he only wanted them to have sex when she returned his love. As fast as her heart was beating, as aroused as she was, she knew she didn’t. What did he expect her to ask for then?

  Since she didn’t know, she asked for what she wanted. “Kiss me.”

  His finger strayed down to the swells of her breasts. “Where?”

  She took a deep breath. “Anywhere you like.”

  His finger moved lightly over her breasts, down to the tiny buttons he slowly undid. He moved his hands over her breasts, never reaching inside, just caressing what he had uncovered. He leaned forward and kissed the hollow between them, and she sighed.

  “Anywhere, my lady?”

  She nodded her head. She felt dizzy with him touching her. The pulsing between her legs returned. She felt it often when she thought of him. She didn’t have to touch herself to know she was wet.

  He lowered himself to his knees and toyed with the hem of her skirt. Then in one movement he ripped it off. She gasped as he pulled her panties down. These were the kinds of fantasies she’d had, the kinds of things she’d pictured as she waited for him that first night. The real sensations flowing through her blew the imagined ones away, and he hadn’t even started yet. He smiled as he ran a finger over her shaved pussy. The look in his eyes confirmed his approval.

  “You’ll have to forgive my enthusiasm.” His voice was different, deeper and darker. He was breathing as heavily as she was. “May I pleasure you?”

  “Pleasure me?” she repeated, her mind struggling to make sure she knew what he meant.

  He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her just above her clit. “You said I could kiss you anywhere. I want to make you come.”

  “That’ll be quite a kiss.”

  “It will be.” He lowered his mouth to her pussy and licked her slowly.

  She gasped as his hot tongue delved into her. He groaned as he explored her further. After a few moments he ripped at the vines that held her, freeing her. He pulled her down to the ground and pushed her back on the grass before burying his face in her pussy again.

  She wanted him to touch her everywhere, but he only held her hips still as he licked and kissed her pussy. He took her clit between his teeth for a moment, and she jerked at the sensation. A white-hot bolt of pleasure had shot through her. She’d touched herself before, and Alala had given her a vibrator years ago, but the pleasure she’d experienced then didn’t compare with this. The hum of the little toy and her own fingers were nothing compared to the powerful and passionate man eating her pussy.

  She felt her orgasm coming, and she wanted him to touch her more. All she could do was moan as his tongue found her most sensitive areas.

  His voice echoed in her head again. Say my name.

  “Hades,” she said with a gasp.

  He intensified his efforts, swirling his tongue around her clit.

  “Hades!”

  Come, my love.

  “Oh Hades!” Her orgasm hit suddenly. The force of it and the pleasure took her breath away. She arched off the ground, and he held her down. He continued his attentions, and it drove her wild. His tongue stroked her in a smooth and steady rhythm as the energy of her release moved all over her body. Her breasts felt heavy, and her heart raced. She ran her fingers over her tingling nipples. She heard him groan and looked down to see him watching her. He pulled away from her core, and then kissed her one final time. She was still trembling as he moved up her body. She knew she’d never touch her vibrator again, not now that she knew all that an orgasm could be. It was like comparing a strong wind to a hurricane.

  He hovered over her. “You’re so beautiful. So many nights when we talked, I imagined doing that to you.”

  “You did?” She knew her voice sounded shaky.

  He smiled and leaned closer. “Would you like to taste how sweet you are?”

  She felt her pussy tighten at the suggestion, and she nodded. He brought his lips to hers, and she kissed him and tasted the tangy sweetness of her arousal. She licked his top lip, and then his lower lip before deepening the kiss.

  He groaned and pushed his body down on top of hers. She ran her hands through his hair as they kissed, but he soon pulled away and sat down beside her. “Your kiss and sweet taste are overwhelming me.”

  “Really?” she whispered.

  He nodded. “This was not my plan. I lose my head completely when I’m near you.”

  She sat up and turned to him. “I’m glad you did.” She lowered her voice. “That was amazing.”

  He looked into her eyes, and yet again it stole her breath. Why would such an amazing man even look at her twice? She knew she was beautiful, but he was Zeus’ brother. Another goddess would make a more fitting queen.

  His eyes darkened. “I can feel what you’re thinking. Stop it. In this, I will demand obedience.”

  The firmness of his words sent a shiver through her. It startled and aroused her. “I’m sorry.”

  He held up his hand to silence her. “I will have you as my queen. And when that day comes,” he said as he grasped her chin and brought her face close, “you will know how worthy you are to be so.”

  When she’d caught her breath, she moved forward to kiss him, but he turned away.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I shouldn’t have spoken to you so forcefully.” He turned back. “I’m sorry.”

  She stared at him, unbelieving. “Any chance you’re a Gemini?”

  “What?”

  “I feel like you’re two different men. There’s the one who sent me texts about ravishing me and tricked me into staying here. That man just gave me an amazing orgasm. Then there’s the man who apologizes every five minutes and tells me he’ll be fine if I leave him as long as I’m happy. That man acts like he’s scared I’ll break if he holds me too tightly. You demand obedience and then apologize for doing so. It’s hard to know what you want, and even harder to know what you’re feeling. I think that’s most important of all right now, but I don’t know how to judge your actions and words all together. They don’t go together very well.”

  He nodded slowly. “And this is bothering you?” He sighed. “I understand.”

  “It’s not bothering me. It’s puzzling me.”

  “I think I didn’t explain myself well enough before. I’d give anything to make you my queen this moment, right now. That would be unfair to you. It will only be all I want it to be if you choose it willingly.”

  “So for now I’m to be
kept constantly aware of how much you want me?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “But you want my happiness more?”

  “Yes.”

  “Thus the prisoner has at least emotional free will?”

  “Of course.”

  “I think I understand. Can I object though?”

  “To what?”

  She smiled mischievously. “Seems you’ve already seduced me. I thought you wanted to wait?”

  “I persuaded you to let me give you pleasure. I have not yet seduced you.”

  She made a face, and then laughed. “Just because we didn’t…”

  “No. True seduction will make you mine. You will love me.”

  Her smile faded. She felt bad for teasing him now. “I see what you’re saying. I do like you. A lot. We wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

  “You don’t have to explain.”

  “Okay.” She took his hand before he could say anything else. “Now that we’ve gotten that out of our systems, take me for that walk. Tell me everything about your life here.”

  She stood and snapped her fingers. Her torn purple sundress was replaced by a light green one just like it. She held her hand out to help him up. He accepted her hand, never taking his gaze from hers. She walked around him and dusted the grass off his clothes.

  He kissed her forehead. “You said I was amazing before. You’re the one who’s amazing.”

  She linked her arm with his and walked forward. “You were a bit forward on our second date, but I’ll forgive you.” She stopped and looked around. “If you get us out of here.”

  He laughed and led her out. Cerberus looked very happy to see them.

  “Was he lonely or does he know what we were doing?” she asked.

  “Most likely both.”

  She squeezed his arm as they walked in the direction of the orchards. She’d gotten more than she expected, and now she had to decide just how much she really wanted.

  * * * *

  Thanatos fumed as he watched them walk away. Hades was flaunting her. That display of passion had been meant to show his power and privilege. He watched Persephone’s ass as they disappeared from sight. She filled his fantasies now. Her passionate cries of pleasure told him what a delight she would be.