Page 31 of His in the Dark

“I will care for you,” he adds. “Even if you do not care for yourself.”

Anger simmers but only dully. As if he knows anything about me to that extent. I do not say a word.

I think, for a few moments, that he will offer me some of the blanket he brought with him, or cover me with it, the way he did last night.

Instead, he rises up from the bed. I lay with my eyes closed until it dips again, then open them and look.

He has brought food on a small plate, and he sits on the edge of the bed, the night lighting his face. My heart races at the regal lines of his beauty. The harsh, handsome face that brooks no argument. The power that sings in the air when he’s here. This is his realm, and herules, and yet he sits here next to me, an offering in his hands. Slowly, I sit up to see him more clearly, keeping the sheets clutched to my chest.

My mouth waters. It has nothing to do with the food on the plate.

Hades holds the plate out. Not quite offering it to me, but showing me what he’s brought.

“You desire these do you not?” he asks with the plate of stuffed vine leaves and marinated feta. Some of my favorite bites. As if he knows my cravings.

With strong fingers, he picks up a morsel and holds it to my lips. I desire to take it into my mouth so badly that I tremblefrom head to toe, but I don’t let myself do it. I want to lick the food off his fingers.

“If you eat…”

He lets his words trail off and doesn’t finish.

When I open my mouth, my lip brushes the morsel of food. “What will you give me?”

“Nourishment so you can gain your strength.”

With those words, it seems to me that he is taking back some kind of deal.

Of course. Nothing he offers me comes without consequences. Nothing is offered without an implicit contract between us. Not even one bite of food. Not even a scrap of warmth.

I pull my head back an inch, clamping my mouth shut tight and raising my chin.

Hades makes a soft sound. Whether it’s disappointment or frustration, I cannot tell.

As soon as Hades stands, I lie back down on the pillow, shaking harder with the near miss. I almost gave in. I almost let him feed me. I almost lost.

His footsteps move around the bed.

There’s a soft click as he puts the plate on the table next to my pillow.

I do not move.

His footsteps retreat to the other side, and the mattress dips again. He climbs into the bed and turns onto his side, his back to me.

I do not know if he is sleeping when I reach out to take the food from the plate. I eat it silently, one morsel at a time, swallowing without any sound at all. I wish more of it would appear on the plate. I wish an entire tray of delicacies would materialize in the room. I wish I could eat it all night, and all day, and then the next night as well.

When I’m finished, my stomach no longer pains, but it’s not full, either. I stare at the empty plate for a long time, wanting more, but I do not move. And I do not cave into his warmth.

HADES

If she does not respond to the offerings, I’ll be forced to make her surroundings harsher. She will leave me with no choice. It is not my desire but I cannot bend her to my will.

I pause for a moment after I unlock the door. Not long enough to make it seem as if I'm eavesdropping, but long enough to hear Persephone's footsteps quiet, flying across the room inside.

I pray she was eating. Her complexion has diminished and without nourishment, her powers are weaker than they were when she arrived. Again, not my desire. She is strong willed.

The emotion flares up in me like a flame. I have to swallow it back, my expression harder than intended.

I cannot stop thinking about her eating. I cannot stop thinking about color coming back to her cheeks.

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