Page 48 of Hades

“I thought we could lay here for the rest of the day and relax together.”

“In your dreams,” she says as she sits up and positions herself on the edge of the cushion. The small action puts a smile on my face. “What are you smiling about?”

Lifting my arms over my head, I stretch and watch as her gaze zooms on my exposed abdomen. “I’m smiling at the fact that you didn’t immediately rush to the other side of the room when you could have. And that you can’t take your eyes off me.”

Her cheeks instantly flush a crimson red at being called out on her ogling.

“Are you hungry?” I ask, although I know she must be famished. For all I know, she hasn’t eaten since we were at the diner.

She says nothing, but her stomach betrays her a moment later with a loud growl. “A little,” she admits as she stands and heads toward the kitchen. “However, I don’t know how to cook on a hearth.”

Coming to stand beside her, I look around the rustic kitchen. “Oh, yeah,” I say as I rub my chin. “I went more for historical accuracy than convenience,” I inform her. “Why don’t you head down the hall into the bedroom—” She glares at me before I finish. “There’s a modern bathroom with a shower, and you’ll find some clothes in the closet. I’ll make us some breakfast and fix the kitchen.”

“Does the shower have hot water?”

“The hottest,” I reply, letting the double entendre hang in the air as I give her a wicked smile. Again, her cheeks redden, and I can hear her heart racing.

She gives me a shake of her head as she rolls her eyes. “I’m going to shower then. I haven’t let Argos out yet either,” she says as she turns and walks away.

I can’t help but watch the gentle sway of her hips as she heads down the hall. And just before she opens the door to our bedroom, she glances back at me, and I give her a wink. Changing the kitchen into something more modern and user-friendly takes me less than a second.

Grabbing all the contents I’ll need to make breakfast, I busy myself preparing her a gourmet meal. I could just as easily manifest breakfast, but something about preparing her a meal by hand warms my heart. It also helps me occupy my time, so I’m not stepping into that shower with her.

Opening the back door, I whistle for Argos, who is still sprawled out in front of the fireplace. He stretches then heads outside with a huff.

“I can’t believe you’re still looking like this,” I say as he passes me and heads outside. A few minutes later, I have breakfast ready, but no Aradia. It takes me a few minutes of pacing the kitchen, battling my inner voice, before I wait for her outside. Grabbing what I need, I head out to the stone patio and set up our intimate breakfast lakeside.

I’m distracted in a memory when I hear light footsteps behind me. Turning around, I’m blown away by Aradia’s natural beauty as she walks toward me. Her hair is still wet and piled on top of her head, and she has on a simple pair of jeans and a black tank top.

“You look amazing,” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. I know I should be trying to earn her back. Taking things slowly, and not telling her everything I’m thinking. But I want to tell her she’s the most beautiful creature in the world every day, because she is.

Aradia looks down at her outfit and laughs. “Well, at least you’re not hard to impress.”

“Everything you do impresses me. Sit, have some breakfast,” I direct her as I stand and pull out a chair for her to sit.

“Wow, you cooked all this?” she asks as she grabs a few pieces of bacon.

“Well, it was either cook or go find you in the shower,” I admit. “So, I hope you’re hungry. There are three more courses inside,” I joke as I take the seat next to her. “I’m kidding, this is everything.”

We eat in silence, yet I can tell by the looks she keeps giving me that she has questions. Of course, she does. It would be ridiculous if she didn’t. With her plate practically licked clean, she leans back and lets out a satiated sigh.

“Oh my God, that was so good. Thank you. I didn’t realize how hungry I was. I also can’t believe how beautiful it is here,” she adds as she looks around. “How is this even possible? I thought you said this was a prison?”

“It is. We’re in the seventh level of Treachery. I cleared it out,” I add, and she gives me a raised eyebrow.

“You cleared out a prison? What did you do with everyone?”

“I set them free,” I mumble as I look out over the lake.

“You set them free!” she shouts, but I can hear the humor in her voice. “The criminals… you set them free to imprison me,” she adds, and I can practically feel the dagger piercing my heart.

“You aren’t in prison,” I maintain, though I can easily see she doesn’t believe me. “You aren’t my prisoner,” I add.

“But I can’t leave.”

“Aradia, look around you. Does this look like a prison? Someplace you wouldn’t want to be?” I ask, doing my best to keep my voice calm, though her accusations are starting to grate on me. She isn’t seeing the bigger picture and hasn’t realized everything was taken from us.

“A gilded cage is still a cage. It doesn’t matter how beautiful it is.”

---