Page 56 of Hades

“Only if you promise not to ever wear a shirt,” I rebut, closing the distance between us and gliding my hands around his sides until my arms are wrapped around his waist. “I loved waking up next to you.”

“You know you still can’t leave, right?” he says, and I suddenly feel as if the world around me is closing in. He must notice the sullen look on my face because he places a finger under my chin and tips my head up. “But I’ll figure out a way so you never feel alone.”

While I appreciate his sentiment, he must understand that keeping me here for the rest of my life isn’t viable. What if I never get my memory back? What if I’m human, and I grow old and die? There has to be a better option than hiding me away for eternity.

“What if we went to Themis together?” I ask, trying to keep the begging out of my voice. “What if I grow old here and die?” My voice cracks as I ask him.

“As long as you’re here with me, you’ll never grow old and you’ll never die,” he whispers into my ear while nipping at it. “Come inside,” he adds as he grabs my hand and pulls me back into the house. He leads me into the living room and sits me on the couch before he kneels in front of me.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about what he is going to say. I don’t mean to be argumentative, but there must be a better way. If what he said is true, and I believe that it is, then he must be open to trying something new, because everything else has failed.

“Do you love me?” he asks.

“Yes,” I answer without a hint of hesitation. “I do, even though that probably makes me the crazy one.”

“Do you trust me?”

I nod. “What is this about?”

“I was going to talk to you about this later, but I guess now is as good a time as any. I’m going to go to Themis, and before you say anything, I need to go alone.”

“What? No,” I growl. “You aren’t going without me.”

Hades clasps my hands in his and brings them to his lips before kissing each. “Hear me out. If I go there alone, you’ll be safe here—”

“And what about your safety,” I interrupt, because I don’t think he’s thinking about the bigger picture. “If it’s not safe for me, then it’s not safe for you. We got into this mess together. I hid behind you when I should have stood up to her and told her I loved you right from the start.” Hades’ mouth hangs open in shock, and it takes me a moment to realize what I’ve just said.

“I remember that day,” I whisper. “I remember what she did to us,” I add as I put my hand over my mouth in disbelief of what I remember. How could my mother turn her back on me without a second thought? “She judged us as if we had committed some atrocity against the gods when all we did was fall in love.”

The entire day is playing out in my head. I can see everything. Worse, I can hear him yelling my name as I’m banished from the Heavens.

“I heard you calling for me,” I somehow manage to squeak out as my throat tightens, and I do my best to hold back my tears. “One minute, I was standing with you, and the next… I could only hear you calling my name. You sounded so broken,” I add as I recall the nothingness that surrounded me.

“What else do you remember?” he asks.

“I don’t remember ever going to Paris,” I admit. “Or seeing President Lincoln.” I laugh, because the thought of me seeing Abraham Lincoln is still crazy to me.

“It’ll come,” Hades reassures as he wraps his arms around my waist and tugs me to him. My knees hit his chest, and he gives me a devilish smile before separating them and pulling me closer. I hadn’t bothered to put my panties back on, so his bare abdomen is pressed against my pussy. I give a little flinch because I’m still sore after last night.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay,” Hades asks, nearly in a panic.

“I’m fine, just a bit sore, that’s all,” I admit, feeling my cheeks heating in embarrassment.

“I was too rough. I’m sorry,” he apologizes, and I can see by the look on his face that he feels terrible.

Cupping his handsome face with a day’s worth of stubble on it, I lean in and kiss his full lips. “Don’t be sorry, it was perfect.”

“I don’t want to hurt you, even in pleasure,” he says as he runs his hands up my bare legs and around to my backside. “Why don’t I run you a hot bath, and I’ll make us some breakfast.”

I’m about to tell him I’m not hungry since I usually only have coffee for breakfast, but my stomach picks this exact moment to growl like it hasn’t eaten in a week. “I guess breakfast sounds good,” I admit. “But don’t think for one minute that the discussion about you going alone to Themis is over,” I inform him. “Because it’s not.”

He doesn’t argue or even say a word before kissing me on the forehead and heading down the hall to run the bath. Leaning back on the couch, I pull my legs up under me, and Argos jumps up to occupy the rest of the couch, laying his gigantic head on my lap.

“You know, for a Hellhound, you’re an awful big baby,” I tell him as I rub behind his ears.

Looking around the cabin, so many memories pop into my head. Thankfully, unlike when I remembered Alastor, there isn’t any searing pain to contend with, just beautiful memories. Glancing at the diamond on my hand, I vividly remember the night he gave it to me.

Hades and I spent the day together. I remember we got into an argument about telling my mother about us. He insisted that she would never accept him for her only daughter. I guess in retrospect he was right, though I don’t think I’ll ever tell him that. I was so angry with him that I didn’t want to return to our hideaway cabin and spend the next few days arguing. Yet somehow, he convinced me, and when we arrived, candlelight illuminated the entire cabin.

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