Page 16 of Seduced

She had to brace herself for the endless hours of kneeling on the rice that awaited her, or, better yet, for the endless eternity of burning in hell. Surely nothing less than that could exonerate her from everything she had committed tonight.

“You look like you are attempting to solve the riddle of the Sphinx,” a voice said from her left.

Right. Hades was still here. Add riding in a carriage alone with a man to her sins.

Not a mere man—Hades himself.

Hades, who had saved her life. Hades, who had caught her cheating at cards, and had apparently been following her around London. He would have probably discovered where she lived, and who she was, if she hadn’t been stopped by the gang.

God have mercy on my soul.

God has forgotten you exist by now; or He wishes He had.

“I am,” she murmured, and at least this was hardly a lie, hardly a sin.

But she could find one in there if she looked hard enough.

Maybe she shouldn’t speak at all, but instead concentrate on discovering the sin in everything she did, like her brother had taught her.

“Tell me what is troubling you,” Hades said, sounding more curious than annoyed for once. “I have a few unsolvable problems in the Hell Club myself. We might have a similar riddle to solve. If, for example, you should turn out to be the heir to a vast fortune, disguising yourself only to escape the crowds of your adoring subjects, you might advise me as to my own business.”

His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

“Doyouradoring subjects follow you everywhere?” she asked, in the same tone.

“Constantly.”

Fine, if he wanted sarcasm, she would give him sarcasm.

“Ah, I see,” Poppy said, the words flying out of her mouth on their own, completely ignoring her previous decision to keep her mouth shut and contemplate her sins. “In that case, my advice would be to shut down the Hell Club altogether.”

At least, that was her honest opinion and there was no sarcasm in it at all.

“Don’t say hell,” Hades said quickly as if on instinct, but his mind was elsewhere, she could see.

“I had heard of gaming hells,” Poppy went on, “who hasn’t? But the Underworld was vile beyond my expectations. It was despicable and illegal on a whole new level. I mean, I myself wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it.It’s an entirecitysprawling underneath London’s streets. What I did see was that in it, my lord, you indeed offer all kinds of opportunities for foul pleasure, gluttony and ruin.”

“I try,” Hades murmured with a soft, self-satisfied smile. Her stomach turned.

“Although really, your praise is ill-deserved. You have seen nothing yet.”

“I amnotpraising you!” she squeaked.

“I see now that I shall have to give you a full tour.”

“I am not going back in there,” she hissed at him, before clamping her lips shut.

Add the sin of disobedience.

No, wait. Was that disobedience? What if a man like Hades commands me to do something? Should I obey then? But how to refuse? Wouldn’t that be a sin?

She was so confused her head hurt. Her brain was about to split into a million pieces.

“You’re back at the Sphinx again,” Hades’ mocking voice said softly out of the darkness.

The carriage clambered over the cobblestones.

Hades watched her.

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