Page 28 of Queen of Shadows and Roses
‘You think you can intimidate me with shadows?’
’No. I intend to seduce you with them,’ he drawled, causing my breath to still in my lungs. As the shadows started twistingover my stomach, curling around my aching breasts and over my hard nipples, I bit back a moan.
‘That’s cheating… Oh, God,’ I whimpered.
‘Gods.’ His smile was feral as more shadows crept down to my thighs and under my shorts. I locked eyes with him. They were full of desire, causing me to gasp, filling me with a need I’d never felt before. His shadows licked my body like a thousand tongues, teasing and stroking until my knees turned weak. When the shadows lapped at my clit, I cried out—the twisting and licking continued until I broke into a thousand pieces. My back arched as release tore through me—the vortex of pleasure enveloping me caused my core to pulse, and my thighs tightened as wave after wave of release crashed through me, and then my knees buckled.
My eyes flew open,and I heaved a breath. My body tingled, and a sense of bliss enveloped me. I was relaxed for the first time in ages, stretching and yawning like a contented cat. Who knew dreams could be so vivid and so freaking satisfying? I had never experienced such release. Ever. Then my mind switched to Hades. Why him? But I pushed the thought aside—it was just a dream. It meant nothing.
The magic in the ceiling glowed softly with tiny stars, which indicated it was still the middle of the night. I jumped from the bed and grabbed a bottle of water, then something caught my eye. I walked to my bedside table, and there lay my dagger. I frowned. Shrugging, I snagged the books from my desk. Settling down on the sofa, I leafed through the first book; it was time to learn more about the gods, Hades, and the Underworld.
CHAPTER 10
HADES
‘Leave me.’ I turned to Minthe, who was overstaying her welcome. I poured another whisky and settled onto the sofa.
‘But Hades, the night is still young. Let’s have some fun,’ she purred as she knelt between my legs. As her hand moved to my belt, I grabbed it.
‘It’s still a no, Minthe. I’m married. Do not push me.’
Minthe laughed, and I felt my temper prickle. ‘You’re not married toher,Hades. She doesn’t even know you… Not like I do. No one understands you as well as I do. We’re good together.’ She licked her lips, glancing up at me from beneath her lashes. ‘She treated you terribly at dinner.’ I glared at her; the truth stung. ‘You know I truly love you, and I’ll doanythingto please you.’
I stood up and pulled her to her feet. I could have fucked her senseless and got rid of my pent-up irritation and sexual frustration, but the only person I wanted was Persephone.
Gods, I was so screwed.
‘Goodnight, Minthe.’ I pushed her out the door; her protests were lost as I slammed it.
‘Fucking Persephone,’ I grunted as I poured another drink. Shehadhumiliated me at the meal, much to the delight of my old friends, Hermes and Dionysus. The look of defiance she wore so well only made me crave her more. I wanted to bend her over my knee and spank the insolence out of her, and the sight of other men touching her drove me to fury, wanting to tear their dicks from their bodies. I grimaced and knocked back my Scotch before pouring another.
Morpheus appeared. ‘She is dreaming, Your Highness.’ I raised my glass to him as he bowed and disappeared.
Persephone had no idea I had orchestrated her dreamscape or that I possessed the ability to dream-walk. It had been the only way to visit and converse with her. But this time, I would reveal myself.
Taking a deep breath, I willed myself to her. Looking at her, leaning over and smelling the narcissi made my cock swell. The silk shorts clung to her pert butt, and when she turned around and saw me, her nipples hardened like pebbles, and I had almost lost it. She was desperately impertinent and infuriatingly beautiful. It had demanded every ounce of self-control to refrain from bending her over and pounding my cock into the wilful enchantress.
Touching her hot, desperate body with my shadows and watching her fall apart so quickly because of me was sheer bliss. I hungered for the feel of her, the taste of her, and her moans of need.
Ihadto have her.
Afterwards, I watched her sleep for a moment, her face relaxed and sated, and then I placed her blade on the bedside table and vanished.
Her body responding to me as it always had served to lighten my melancholy. I yearned to be inside her—to fill her in all the right ways—but the time would come, and it would be she who begged for it, not I.
CHAPTER 11
PERSEPHONE
Iwas trying to keep my head above water, committed to the belief Iwouldfind a way out of this fuck-upery, but with each passing day, I drowned a little bit more.
I was well and trulytrappedin the Underworld.
My favourite place became the library, and Simmy was one of my favourite people. Over the following week or so, I spent time with Simos and books, learning more about Greek mythology and the gods, particularly about Hades and Persephone. I was eager to ask Tee a million questions.
Tee was brilliant with magic, as you'd expect the goddess of magic to be, but even though she somehow knew about my dark magic, I couldn't summon it in training. I was too frightened. Nevertheless, she didn’t push me; she gave me breathing space, and we focused on combat training instead, often with Thanatos and Charon.
I hadn’t seen Hades, which I kept telling myself was a good thing, but the pull in my chest was getting stronger; the urge tosee him infuriated me. I hadn’t dreamed of the garden either, which made me angsty. I was missing my ethereal oasis, and even though it was just a dream, the respite of being in that otherworldly place sated me.
