Page 15 of Tempted By Hades

“T-take?” she choked out. “You want to take these plants?”

“Why, yes. They will thrive in the Underworld quite well.”

“You can’t just take them,” she said, exasperated.

“Why not?”

She waited a heartbeat before replying, hoping he would laugh and tell her he was joking. “You’re serious?”

“Of course. I came to your plant shop so I may purchase the asphodel plant, and you brought me here, so I assume they are, in fact, available for purchase.”

“I—” She snapped her mouth shut. To be fair, he had a point. Why did she take him here in the first place?

Though she didn’t want to admit it, perhaps some small part of her had hoped he had shared in her love of plants.

Which was a silly thought. Not to mention, embarrassing and cringe-inducing. Because who was she, anyway, compared to him? She was just the lowly goddess of spring, and he was the ruler of an entire realm.

“So?” he asked, breaking into her thoughts.

“Er, I’m afraid you can’t just take these plants,” she said. “These belong to the Botanical Gardens.”

“Then I shall speak to the owner of the gardens and ask them how much they would like for the entire lot.”

“Wh-hat?” she burst out. “Y-you can’t do that.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “And why not? It’s not as if I am attempting to steal them; I can be generous and pay almost any price.”

“This is a public place, and those flowers are meant for everyone’s enjoyment.” She gesticulated around her. “Not everyone can afford to just purchase these plants for their own personal gardens. Having them here ensures anyone has a chance to see them.”

He remained silent, his lips pressed together as he seemingly contemplated her words. “I suppose I could find these plants in their natural habitat and obtain them from there.”

“Good.” She frowned. “But then, why didn’t you do that in the first place? I already told you where you can find them. Why come back to the shop?”

“Why do you think?”

The air around them shifted, thickening into a strange tension. The question hung between them for what seemed like an eternity, and as she lifted her face to meet his dark eyes, she felt a knot tightening low in her belly. The intensity in his gaze was startling, but she couldn’t turn away, not when she wanted to know what those piercing onyx eyes were trying to tell her.

He took a step closer to her. “You’re unlike anyone I’ve met, Persephone.”

Her mouth parted as a soft gasp escaped. Yet, she couldn’t make any other sound.

“I want to spend more time with you. Would you like that too?”

A million thoughts swirled around in her head. What would her mother think? Would she approve, since he was a god? Or would she throw a fit? Or would she find herself whisked off to another continent, like the last time?

Somehow, she knew if that happened and she never saw Hades again, she would regret it.

“Yes,” she answered.

This time, there was no mistaking the visible relief in his expression.

“But…not here.”

He nodded. “Of course. How about we go for a meal somewhere?”

“No, no. That’s not what I—” She panicked, and thought of the one place her mother would never discover them. “I want you to take me to the Underworld.”

“I beg your pardon?”

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