Page 45 of Seeking Hades' Ember

Chapter 23

Jillian

Oh. My. Gosh.

Hades was giving me that smile, but I saw the fire in his eyes. He was not happy about the interruption, and I feared for the entity on the other side of the door. I've been lucky they haven't been towards me, but others need to watch out. I've seen a little bit of what Hades can do, and he does have some anger issues.

I pulled my shirt down over my exposed chest, and he slid down my body and gave a quick nip at my hip. A shot of sparks ran straight between my thighs. I squeezed them shut while the pink tint of my cheeks covered me all the way down to my chest. Hades groaned and adjusted himself as he finally slid off the bed. Before he left, he covered me with a blanket, wrapped me up, and kissed my temple.

"Don't move; I don't need anyone seeing or smelling your arousal," his raspy voice invaded my ears as my heart leaped out of my chest.

"Smell?!" I squealed.

"Your mate is a god, so of course we have heightened senses, and let me tell you, Angel, you smell divine." He bit the side of his mouth and strode over to the door. Hades' gait was powerful as his back muscles tensed as he approached the door.

I couldn't believe we went as far as we did. The ember of lust I had for him had exploded into a blaze only meant for two really in love. Could it be love? I'm beginning to think so. I don't want him just for his looks, but the way he treats me, makes me feel, protects me, and cares for me. It is like no other feeling I've ever had or remember. Love is what I am describing, isn't it? To care for someone unconditionally?

Hades was so worried I would leave him that it made my stomach hurt when he gave me a look of defeat. With the mistakes he had made, I felt the desire to comfort him. He continues to put himself down and hold onto the sins he had created for himself, yet he still continues to rectify his wrongs.

Being in the underworld and watching those with horrible crimes themselves be punished and never forgiven has made Hades sit in his own sins of guilt. He must learn to forgive himself on his own time, justlike anyone else.

A small smile came across my face as I realized he was mine and I was his. It made the overwhelming feelings a little less scary. We both had to get to know each other; he's lived for so long, and he has wants and desires, and I would love to know what makes him tick. He claims Persephone made his life spiral down, but there is something else. Even when I continue to tell him I won't leave if he is honest, I fear he is holding something back. If I had secrets to tell, I would tell him. I just don't have anything to give.

I must be patient and continue to reassure him that I'm not leaving. With a new set of determined goals, I cringed as the sound of the door knocked again.

Hades growled which only made me shiver. Every sound this manmade was so sexy. I rolled myself into a burrito as he looked back at me and raised his brow. "Don'tsmell me, don't smell me,"I chanted.

Hades opened the door to be greeted by Loukas.

Uh oh.

Hades gripped his neck as he stepped into the hallway while he shut the door behind him. This wasn't good; I owed Loukas for saving me. He was a great friend the past year while I worked at the strip club. He was the only one who made me smile and made my shift a little shorter.

My body was wrapped up like a burrito as I tried to wiggle free. Rolling back and forth on the bed, I landed on the floor with a large thump and landed on my bad leg.

"Owie!" I slowly rolled out of the blanket only to find Hades and Loukas looking at me, confused. "I fell, I'm fine! But please don't fight!" I pouted my lip, knowing Hades would do anything for me when I did that.

"Don't do that, angel," he growled. I fluttered my eyes at him, begging him not to hurt Loukas.

"Please don't hurt him; he didn't know. When the door is shut, don't knock on it, OK Loukas?" Loukas looked between Hades and me and gave a slight nod. He looked hurt, and I couldn't understand why. Did he like me? I'm supposed to be Hades' mate; he will get his own mate, too, right?

With the tension in the room thickening, Hades continued to stare down Loukas for looking at me. I wrapped the blanket back around and stood next to Hades. "I'm pretty tired," I yawned. Hades immediately scooped me up in his arms and deposited me in the bathroom.

"Get ready for bed; I'll be back in a moment." The quick peck on my lips left too soon as he turned his back to me to talk to Loukas. Grabbing his hand, I pulled him to me, flush against my body. My hand immediately caressed his face.

"Please don't hurt him. I'm sure he has something important to say since he came to your room." Hades let out a sigh and a slight nod before walking out of the bedroom and shutting the door.

Now that the tension was gone, I opted for a bath since I was all hot and bothered. Filling the large bath with oils and bath salts, I waited for the water to warm. My clothes were peeled off me in an instant as I squealed internally at the bath before me. Unwrapping the bandage, expecting to still see a few slash marks, I was pleasantly surprised that there was hardly any. Only a few light scratches remained that looked it could be nothing more than a cat's claws. Whatever they were putting in those IV mineral nutrient bags was working. I've never healed so fast in my life.

Wanting nothing more than to ease my aching muscles, I slid into the tub until my entire body was submerged. The aroma from the lavender helped me calm myself, and I shut my eyes. The bubbles kept my body hidden like a blanket as I heard slight popping from the tiny globes.

As I grew comfortable, I fell in and out of consciousness. The water became cold, and I was no longer comfortable and thought about getting out until I heard a chitter. It sounded like a squirrel but in a bathroom? My eyes fluttered open to see a bright red and orange fox with little wings on its back. It was small, small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Its tail was aflame while the tips of its wings were black and charred. The tips of his ears and paws were also black, which made me wonder if it got too excited, would it just burst into flames? I started giggling at the thought of the entire fox on fire which only made him cock his head in confusion.

It chittered again at me, its head looking down as it stared at me in the water. It would glance at the water, then at me. Chattering again, almost scolding the water and myself so I went ahead and stood up and reached for a towel. The poor thing was in distress as it hopped off the tub and flew up on the counter. I wrapped the towel around my body, and the cute little thing looked me up and down, somewhat satisfied. It chittered again, using its paw to show me what it wanted next.

Hairdryer.

Did it want me to dry off? Bossy little thing. I reached for it as he chittered again for me to start it up, and I dried my hair while it patiently waited and watched. Its eyes never left me once as I brushed and dried it, which did take a bit. Once my hair was dry, it looked me up and down with a satisfied look and used its paw again, pointing to the door.

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