Page 20 of The Dread Queen's Bargain

“Fuck me,” Persephone demanded, her eyes still black with power.

Hades was still hesitant, wanting to be sure Persephone was in her right mind. She seemed to sense his hesitation and rolled her eyes.

“Fuck me or fight me, Hades. The choice is yours. If you don’t want to…”

“Gods damn it.” Hades kissed Persephone furiously, biting at her bottom lip as he tried to catch his breath. “You’re going to drive me mad.”

“You love it.” Persephone gasped, arching her back and pressing her breasts against Hades’s chest.

He groaned and ripped his chiton off her with one hand, revealing her naked frame to him. Hades drank in the sight like a man starved, having never been so affected by a woman in all his life. He was still dressed elaborately for meeting with Zeus, and the debauched comparison of his finery to her entirely naked body possessed Hades with a wicked notion to hide Persephone from Olympus forever.

“Before I age another century,” Persephone murmured, wrapping her leg around Hades’s waist and tugging him closer to her core. He was harder than he’d ever been, and Persephone’s consistent goading threatened to push him over the edge.

Hades gripped her waist and growled, thrusting forward to the hilt in one swift movement. Persephone’s eyes flickered closed, and her mouth dropped open into an obscene moan before slipping into a satisfied smile. Hades readjusted his knees and took a few seconds to compose himself before he came in seconds at the feel of Persephone around him.

He could still feel the magic thrumming underneath Persephone’s skin—and it felt like his. It was a dark power that echoed in every square foot and crevice of the Underworld, and Hades was nearly embarrassed to admit how much Persephone felt like home.

“Any time now,” Persephone started rocking her hips against Hades. He let out a low rumble deep in his chest, biting up her jaw as he began to fuck her without abandon. The power flooding her senses had already pushed her close to the edge, and it wasn’t long before Persephone was screaming through her release.

The aftershocks of Persephone’s orgasm pushed Hades over the edge. He buried his face into Persephone’s neck and sucked at her soft skin to keep from screaming.

They were quiet for a long time. When Hades finally picked his head up, he realized Persephone had fallen asleep.

I guess I’m not surprised between her powers surging and the adrenaline. Hades thought to himself, carefully standing and wrapping her in the ripped chiton. She didn’t stir when he picked her up and carried her out of the reception hall. When he deposited her in his bed—he didn’t take too long to stop and think why he was insistent on bringing her back to his bed and not one of the many guest rooms—she only made a small murmuring noise and rolled over.

Hades sat on the edge of the bed, his body still vibrating like a harp string as he tried to piece through all the implications of what they’d done.

He couldn’t deny that it felt like it was all worth it.

Hades was sipping a cup of wine by the fire when Persephone finally stirred. She arched her back like a cat and stretched, taking her time waking up before finally turning around to face him.

“Oh,” she smiled happily, “I didn’t think you’d still be here.”

Hades perked up at that. “You didn’t think I’d be in my room?”

“No, no.” Persephone sat up straighter. “I didn’t think you’d wait around to watch me sleep. I figured you had more…” she waved her hands in the air, “pressing duties to attend to.”

Hades chuckled and noticed the slight blush on Persephone’s cheeks.

“Trust me, goddess, you showing up in the Underworld is the most pressing matter on my plate.”

An expression crossed over Persephone’s face that Hades couldn’t quite place. He put down his cup and walked towards the bed, sitting near Persephone and gently pushing some of her hair off her forehead.

“What’s going through your head right now?” he asked gently.

Persephone’s blush vanished, and she paled slightly, turning away from him. Hades didn’t like it. She’d been open, bold, and precocious since arriving in the Underworld. Now she was acting skittish around him.

Persephone sighed heavily. “I think the gravity of what we’ve done is starting to hit me. The first few days I was in the Underworld, I was so happy to be free of my mother. When Zeus left, that magic was pouring out of me, and I…” she trailed off, and Hades nodded understandably.

“It’s okay. I don’t expect you to have all the answers. I don’t either, but we’ll figure it out together. However, if you regret anything that we’ve done—”

“No!” Persephone interrupted quickly, placing her hands over Hades’s and shaking her head. “Not that. Trust me.” Persephone’s blush returned, and she leaned forward to kiss Hades’s cheek. “I don’t regret that at all.”

An unprecedented warmth spread through Hades’s chest at the admission. He grabbed her fingers and pressed his lips against them softly.

“No regrets here, either. But there is something you need to know before moving forward.”

“Okay.” Persephone seemed hesitant, her brow furrowing as her spine stiffened, but she nodded for Hades to continue. He took a deep breath, steeled his nerves, and prepared for Persephone’s reaction.

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