Page 93 of Queen of the Underworld

He skimmed his hands down her biceps and pressed closer, his mouth lowering to her ear and his words tempting her as he whispered, “You do not need to return to that life, Persephone. You do not need to be near someone who would question your strength or wound you in such ways. You do not need to return to a world where people do not see your value or your beauty.”

She turned in his embrace and sought his eyes, needing to see that he meant that. She saw something else in them. Something she knew he wouldn’t voice. Regret. Now that he knew her sad little tale of woe, he felt bad about what he had done. It was there for her to read in his gaze as it left her to drift in the direction of the tower.

She blew out her breath, pushing her anger and hurt back down inside her, not wanting to feel either of those emotions or think about her mother and what awaited her back in Olympus. She wanted to seize this moment, to live her life for once, the way she wanted to live it.

Hades’s gaze dropped back to her, his expression deadly serious. “I know of a way to release your pent-up anger.”

He was talking about sex.

She arched an eyebrow at him, trying to appear unsurprised and unflustered by his blatant offer to bed her, but heat flared across her cheeks. She silently cursed the fact she hadn’t been able to conceal her reaction to his words, and willed him not to mention how she blushed whenever she thought about sex.

His eyes widened slightly, and he was quick to say, “I was speaking of riding my chariot. Whenever I am angry—”

“Something that happens often,” she interjected, trying to lighten the mood and distract him from the fact her thoughts had immediately turned to sex when he had mentioned finding release.

He arched an eyebrow at her now. “Not as often as you might think. As I was saying. When I am angry, I go for a ride. It is thrilling and takes my mind off things for a time. The thunder of hooves, the wind against my face, the excitement of racing across the realm and the challenge of controlling the horses and the chariot… I always feel better afterwards.”

It did sound tempting.

“I have never been on a chariot before, although I have seen others riding on them through Olympus.” She canted her head to her right as she tried to imagine his chariot and pictured them on the back of it in the way she had seen those people in her city, but the image didn’t fit.

He wasn’t talking about a gentle ride. He was talking about pushing the horses to their limit and courting danger. And gods, it was thrilling. That little Olympian that was growing fainter and fainter inside her whispered not to do it, attempting to hold her back. Persephone ignored it and embraced the daring side Hades had awoken in her.

She held her hand out to him and smiled.

“What are we waiting for?”

Chapter 26

The four enormous black horses kicked at the ground, scuffing the dirt as they shifted restlessly in their harness. The front left one snorted and tossed its head, the whinny it unleashed echoing around the stables. Hades cast it a look and went back to fastening the leather straps that attached the beast to the black-and-gold chariot. It was beautiful. The onyx lacquered wood was polished and reflected her body as she waited, and the elegant gold edging and filigree was a sublime contrast to it.

“Step up.” Hades flicked her a glance as he finished tightening the last strap and then gathered the reins. “But do not jostle the chariot too much. On second thought, remain where you are.”

“Why?” Persephone froze halfway through stepping onto the back of the chariot, fear flashing through her. She backed away from the vehicle.

“The horses tend to set off as soon as I am mounted.” He bunched the reins in his right fist and swept his left arm around her waist and she gasped as he lifted her and walked with her pinned to his side.

Heat swept through her, turning her mind hazy and pulling her gaze to his noble profile as he stepped onto the chariot and set her down. She drifted in thoughts of kissing him, and then shrieked as the horses took off just as he had said they might and she fell backwards.

Her heart shot into her throat as she flailed and tried to find her balance.

Hades’s arm banded around her waist, tugging her to him and righting her, and her hands landed on his chest and shoulder as he gazed down at her.

He husked, “I have you.”

Truer words had never been spoken.

She reached for the curved edge of the front of the chariot, gripping it tightly as she convinced herself to release Hades and make the most of this chance to see more of his realm. Hades didn’t release her though. He kept his arm around her waist, holding her tucked against his side with her back to him, slightly in front of him.

She hadn’t realised how fast they were moving.

The black landscape that had appeared forbidding at first whizzed past her as the horses thundered onwards, their huffs and grunts as they galloped as one filling the silence.

She focused on it to tame the rising fear that swelled inside her as the chariot rounded a narrow bend at breakneck speed, Hades’s mastery of the vehicle not lost on her, but definitely pushed to the back of her mind as she tightly held on, afraid she would fall off as the whole conveyance leaned to the left. The route ahead of them, up a pass between two mountains, was narrow too, and winding, and she was sure Hades would slow at least a little so they didn’t strike the sheer rock walls or the boulders that had tumbled into the road in places where it was wider.

He cracked the reins and urged the horses onwards instead.

Their speed increased and she tensed, her entire body locking up as fear fully took the helm. She turned to ask Hades to slow, hating the idea of admitting she was afraid and maybe this had been a mistake.

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