Page 31 of Where Darkness Bloomed
He lifted her into his arms, and with steady steps, he carried her through the empty hall, back to her bedchamber.
Inside, he set her down. His fingertips lingered just a moment, brushing against her bare skin, aching to remain—then withdrew.
She clutched the blanket tighter to her chest, shrinking behind it. Her gaze dropped, avoiding his. A retreat.
Slowly, he reached out. Just as he had on Olympus, he gently touched her chin, bringing her eyes to his. A storm raged in the depths. Confusion. Fear. And buried somewhere beneath it, a spark yet unnamed. The same he’d witnessed at the solstice, flickering like a flame not yet fed.
“You need not fear me.”
A trembling breath parted her lips. “My mother will be looking for me,” she whispered. “I must return home… please.”
The plea curled in the space between them, raw and desperate. A tear slipped down her cheek, glistening like starlight. Before he could think better of it, Hades brushed it away with a touch so gentle it startled even him.
Then, quietly—irrevocably: “My lady, we wed in two days.”
Persephone paled. Her breath caught as though the air had snatched it away.
Hades forced himself to step back. To turn away. To put distance between them, though everything inside him demanded otherwise.
Then—
“Bargain with me!”
The words rang out sharply, stopping him cold at the threshold.
He turned slowly.
Persephone stood watching him with bright eyes. “You have bargained with mortals before. Those who sought to leave the Underworld. I’ve heard the stories.”
He didn’t miss the tremor in her voice, the note of uncertainty clinging to her words.
Hades studied her. “Have you?” he asked quietly, facing her fully now. “Then you know none have succeeded.”
Her composure cracked, just slightly.
“It is difficult to win a bargain struck with me,” he said truthfully, though not unkindly. Then he paused, folding his arms over his chest. “But tell me... what terms would you offer?”
She stood before him with nothing. No leverage, nothing to barter.
He waited, watching the realization dawn on her. Her eyes darted around the chamber, then landed on him once more.
Slowly, her fingers loosened. The blanket around her slid away, falling to the floor in a whisper of fabric.
Her bare skin glowed in the hearth’s light, the soft rise of her breasts, the curve of her hips, the warm color rising in her face.
Hades was still as stone, gaze sweeping over her, slow and consuming.
The strain pulsed through him—hardening muscle, tightening breath, desire igniting like molten metal poured down his spine. His body answered her with primal certainty, aching to bridge the space between them. To touch her, to claim what she offered. To worship her in his bed until her cries echoed through the temple. Through all the Underworld.
But restraint gripped him with iron hands.
When he finally spoke, the words left him in a quiet command.
“Come here.”
A shiver ghosted down her spine. He followed its path, feeling the echo deep in his core.
Slowly, she stepped toward him. Each step was a silent surrender, bringing her closer to him.
