Page 102 of Queen of Shadows and Roses
Adonis was much bigger than I was—not as big as Hades, but to be fair, I’m about the size of Yoda in a trench coat. If I could get close enough to him, perhaps I could strangle him with the Adamantine chain. I needed to stay calm. Hades would findme; I knew he would. Gods, even Poseidon would help him. I couldn’t allow a whole new level of ‘what the actual fuck’ derail me.Keep it together, Sephy.
The bond in my chest keened for Hades; it was a maelstrom of love. I needed to get back to him—back to the safety of him. The door opened again, startling me as Adonis entered carrying a plate of open sandwiches and a glass of amber liquid.
‘Nectar will ease your nerves.’ He motioned towards the glass and placed the plate on a table.
Shaking my head, I stepped backwards until my back hit the wall. ‘Nothing you offer me will pass my lips,’ I said through gritted teeth.
He sighed, placing the glass down and pressing his palms against his eyes. Lowering his hands, he studied me, his eyes boring into my face and body.
‘You never had a problem when I was fucking your mouth with my cock, and you swallowed me down.’ He gave a dark smirk, and my stomach roiled in response. ‘I want to taste you again,’ he growled softly, and panic consumed me as adrenaline flooded my system. My thighs clenched together of their own accord—the thought of him touching me sparked disgust that twisted its gnarly talons into my gut.
‘No, don’t you dare?—’
But he was on me in a flash, his hands around my face, and his mouth on mine as he forced my lips open with his tongue in a brutal kiss.
‘You’re mine.’ His breath touched my cheek like a frosty breeze. Then his mouth was on my neck, and he bit down hard, making me yelp. As he sucked on my blood, I started screaming; an obliterating pain tortured my every nerve ending, my skin stabbed by a million hot knives, causing the breath in my lungs to turn to ice. Air slowly leaked from my parted lips, and I inhaled raggedly, trying to close down my mind and call on myshadow magic.Please, please,I begged as tears ran rivers down my cheeks.A single shadow rose from my unrestrained palm but went unnoticed by Adonis.
Thick tendrils of shadows spiralled into the room, coiling and rolling along the floor and up the walls. Loud popping sounds caused Adonis to spring backwards, and I crumpled to the ground. ‘Hades,’ I whispered as my eyes met his god form, and those pure golden eyes locked onto mine, flashing like two lodestars when he noticed the bite on my neck. The power emanating from him drenched the air, and I couldn’t tear my eyes from him.
Adonis attempted to teleport but didn’t notice Tee behind him, her eyes pure white. Adonis remained motionless as she raised a hand.She then flicked her fingers at my wrist, and the chain snapped, freeing me from the shackle. Two more popping sounds revealed a murderous-looking Poseidon and Zeus, who both rushed to my side. Poseidon gently lifted me into his arms, and Zeus strode to stand with Hades.
My beautiful god shifted form to the man I loved, his massive presence filling the room. As Hades’ golden eyes regarded Adonis, deadly violence etched onto his features—a maelstrom of whirling fury. Shadows surrounded Hades like a cloak, swirling around his legs and licking over his shoulders. He really did look like death incarnate. He was cold, stunning, brutal, primaeval—and he was mine.
‘You can’t harm me. Zeus forbade you from doing so,’ Adonis said, his voice steady, but his face was pale. His gaze flicked to Zeus, whose expression remained impassive.
Hades’ dark laugh was smoke and ash. ’Shut up,’ he roared as his gaze drilled into Adonis. ‘You’re a monster. You were born a monster. Yetyouthink I’m the monster. You haven’t seen what I’m truly capable of… But now you will, you piece of shit. I’ll see you in Tartarus.’
Adonis went to speak, but Hades’ aether shadows were on him before a sound left his lips. They wrapped around his head and ripped him in two, straight down the middle, as if he were made of nothing more than water. A sickening sound of popping bones and tearing muscle filled the room. Great gods, Hades was terrifyingly beautiful.I think there’s something wrong with me because I found it sort of arousing, and a ripple of tight shivers cascaded through me to my very core.
‘Agapi mou.’ Hades took me from Poseidon, cradling me gently, and as I buried my face into his chest, that earthy, spicy scent of him wrapped itself around me.
‘Hades,’ I whispered again, and then blackness claimed me.
CHAPTER 42
HADES
Persephone slept nestled against my chest all night, her ordeal draining every ounce of energy from her body.
She felt so tiny in my arms. At times, I tended to forget just how small she truly was. Her larger-than-life, sassy, headstrong personality, control, and attitude were big enough for a tribe of Amazonians. Yet when she slept, I saw the petite, beautiful woman with hair like spun starlight and those plump lips that parted with a soft sigh as she burrowed further into my chest. All I could see was her perfection and the way we owned each other.
She is the light in my darkness—my everything.
I slipped out of bed, showered, and put on sweatpants and a T-shirt. My cock was hard with need, but she’d been through enough. If he’d… I couldn’t bear the thought of him defiling her. The bite was enough for me to cope with. I knew it would have been excruciatingly painful, and my teeth clenched tightly at the idea.
An unwanted bite was painful beyond measure; a willing bite was pleasurable, and a bond bite was the most arousing aphrodisiac. We’d all discovered this aeons ago. The thought of her in pain made my shadows twitch… I’d ensure Adonis went through literal hell in Tartarus for doing that to her.
I shadow-walked to the kitchen and brewed coffee, preparing scrambled eggs and toast when Thanatos strolled in and poured himself a cup.
‘How is she?’ he asked through his teeth.
‘Sleeping. She will be fine. Tell everyone not to worry. Please let Simos know; apparently, the Satyr had a meltdown when he heard,’ I said as I buttered the toast.
Hecate had stayed with Persephone for a while after we returned to the Underworld, tending to the bite and bruises. Persephone had remained unconscious, but Hecate wasn’t worried. Sleep was when our minds were almost free of stress following a traumatic event.
‘Sleeping is a normal healing and recovery process after expending so much adrenaline,’ I added as I turned to Thanatos. ‘Is our guest settled in?’
A cruel smile stretched across Thanatos’s lips. ‘Oh, yes. Tisiphone and her sisters were eager to get their hands on the piece of scum.’
