Page 1 of The Prince of Hidden Shadows
Prologue
Zagreus
“Now, use my mouth,” my lover’s sultry voice commands.
A low growl rumbles in my throat. Next, my hand snatches the wrist I know as well as my own. We’ve done this before—the games in shadow, the stolen moments on the brink of being caught. But I’m sick of it. One of us may crave an audience. I crave the aftermath. Behind my door. Beneath my hands.
My chambers are a strange comfort. The bed—yes, an actual bed, not some ceremonial slab—sits against the far wall. Its cold, ornate iron frame curves into shapes that resemble the vines twisting over mortal cemeteries. I never needed it, not really. Gods don’t need sleep, but after enough time roaming the surface, I grew addicted to the idea—how mortals surrender to rest, how dreams carry them like the tide.
Down here, there’s no night. Instead, an endless gray presses in through the stone. Still, I’ve tried to mimic their world: a threadbare rug stolen from some noble's villa, a wooden table scarred by age and use, candles for warmth more than light. The air clings a little thicker in this room, as if it remembers things I’d rather forget.
He stops as the back of his knees brush against the bedframe, grinding our concealed cocks together, and flashes me a salacious smile. His breath hitches as I catch mine when he switches places with me. In a heartbeat, our well-rehearsed dance unfolds.
First, his skillful hands slide under my tunic, kneading my butt cheeks.
Second, I kick my practical—if unusual—garment pooled around my ankles, and my steely length jerks free from its confinement.
Third, he kneels before me, his left hand hooked around my thigh, and he dips his head towards the object of his affection.
We’re both stark naked.
Enthralled, I hold his hooded gaze, wicked intent lurking beneath those baby blues. At first glance, you’d think this gorgeous being is harmless. But you’d be wrong. Hermes loves to play—with my heart most of all.
Over the centuries, I’ve learned to protect myself from the frivolous god, but I can’t resist the pull between us any more than I can resist his talented fingers, mouth, and cock. We’ve established an open on/off fuck buddy relationship whenever he brings souls to the Underworld and makes time to pay me a visit, and I’m not otherwise attached.
Ages have passed since I last stepped on Earth. Plenty of chances, never a reason. I hate having to hear it from him—that humans created a video game about me, their misinterpretation of my life. It’s inaccurate on so many levels. How can I blame them for twisting a truth they aren’t privy to? Humans don’t care who I’ve been involved with, even if Thanatos never shared more than bad jokes with me. Humans enjoy hearing about our fantasy lives they dismiss as tall tales. Humans no longer believe in us, all they remember from what they now call “mythology” is that Greek gods fucked like rabbits. Close enough: That’s what happens when you get bored out of your skull from spending too much time stuck in one place—the Underworld, as far as I’m concerned. Living up to such a reputation can be exhausting, but it’s almost always fun.
Eyes trained on me, he licks his lips. His left arm snakes behind my thigh, drawing us closer—if there’s even any space left. My breath falters, and he engulfs me in his wet inferno. He wraps his free hand around the base of my dick, then pleasures me in all the right places, applying perfect pressure.
I groan. “Oh, fuuuck…” I lose myself in the blissful sensation. Soon, his fingers are gone—replaced by the warm pull of his lips. I fist his long blond hair as his cheeks hollow, taking me deeper. Relentless, I thrust until I hit the back of his throat. “So good…” My knees wobble. He devours me with practiced ease, tongue and heat dragging over every inch of my pulsating length. Swirling. Caressing. Loving.
Make no mistake, we love fucking each other’s brains out, but love has no place in this.
My heart skips a beat when he releases me with a pop, and I frown until his focus turns to my tightening balls. He carries on with his ministrations. His stare remains on mine. In betweenlicks, he uses his teeth around the sensitive area, eliciting a mix of pain and pleasure that I revel in. “You’ve softened,” he declares, so I break eye contact to watch my fully erect and throbbing cock that’s begging for attention. A triumphant grin spreads across his face. “I was referring toyou, sweetheart, not your dick,” he says, jacking himself. “Once upon a time, you would have gleefully obliged and enjoyed every second of it… Look at younow!” He shakes his head, his words dripping with contempt. “You’re handling me with care I explicitly refused. Get a hold of yourself—this isn’t how we roll. Listen up! Fuck. My. Mouth. Like. You. Mean. It.”
Upon his request, I do. No holds barred. Tugging harder on his silky hair, I smirk when he winces. With a punishing rhythm, I use him, witnessing his lust-filled, watering eyes each time I slam in deep. “Such eagerness, H!” No more gag reflex. “You’re so fucking good at this… Oh, gods.” My voice cracks, and the fucker chuckles, his ravenous mouth full of cock. He’s obviously proud of his perfected technique.
Too soon, I come down his well-trained throat. Catching his breath, he licks his swollen lips, his eyes zeroing in on me. Blissed out, I flop onto the mattress, legs dangling off the edge of the bed. A way to avoid his quizzical gaze. What does he want from me? Taking deep breaths, I will my heart to calm down.
It won’t stop echoing in my ears. From afar, I hear Hermes collecting his clothes. My brain doesn’t register his farewell until he’s vanished from my chambers.
Gasping for air, I wake up in a cold sweat. “Noooo…” I send the sheet flying with brute force, acknowledging my sticky state. That dream again… Sitting with my back resting against the wrought-iron headboard, knees bent and elbows on them, I hold my traitorous head between my hands and do my best to catchmy breath. A stupid wet dream! The rude awakening drenched my overgrown, tangled curls, and I reek of sex after an orgasm I don’t remember having. A dream—or rather, a hellish distant memory from when my most devoted lover last crossed the threshold of my private quarters.
Former devoted lover, that is. We’ve had our ups and downs, but we never parted ways without a goodbye. A passionate one. An angry one. A careless one. This time was different. Final… How could he break up with me when we were never even dating? Says I’m not the same feisty guy he once knew.
“You’ve softened…”His words have been haunting me ever since.
Overthinking isn’t how I tend to roll, so what’s unusual about this situation?
Guess I didn’t read it right, and it’s eating at me. I misconstrued his accusation as innuendo. It’s only been two days, but unease grips my gut and won’t let go. No amount of fucking has been able to distract me. I’m not foolish enough to claim that Hermes broke my heart. Like I said, it was never about love between us. But somehow, he shattered my pride and my confidence.
I refuse to believe that I softened in any way. Still, I keep rubbing salt in the wound, questioning if Hermes was right. I’m Hades’s son, for fuck’s sake. During a drunken haze I once shared with Zeus, he confided that I was one of his many illegitimate children, but a legitimate god nonetheless. As my birth father, he urged Hades to hide and protect me from his wife’s wrath. Being the Prince of the Underworld suits me just fine, although I’m not what people expect me to be. Somber. Heartless. Cunning. Nah, that’s not me!
Was Hermes right about me after all?Stop it! It doesn’t matter now.
At long last, my breathing evens out, prompting me to spring out of bed, desperate for a hot bath to cleanse myself of the grime left by Hermes and the mess he caused.
Moments later, my arms are extended around the rim of a thermal pool in a large, tranquil grotto. Being immortal, I’m detached from sensation—incapable of feeling it the way that mortals do. The dullness of the Underworld only amplifies that numbness. But I’ve walked the Earth; I know what thingsshouldfeel like. My flesh is pruning, so the dark water must be scalding hot.
