Chapter XXIII: Hades

CHAPTER XXIII

HADES

“We play by my rules,” Persephone said.

Hades raised a brow as he sat across from her at the table in their bedroom.

“Your rules? How do they differ from the established rules?”

“There are no established rules,” she explained. “That’s what makes this game so fun.”

This sounded like his worst nightmare.

“Just listen,” she said when he frowned. “The goal is to collect every card in the deck. Each of us will lay down a card at the same time. If the cards add up to ten or you lay down a ten, you slap the deck.”

“You…slap the deck?” he repeated, confused.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because that is how you claim the cards.”

He tried not to laugh. This sounded ridiculous, but he wasn’t opposed to slapping.

“Go on.”

“Outside the rule of tens, there is a rule for face cards,” she said, and Hades started to think that maybe he shouldn’t have wished for rules. These were confusing.

“Depending on the face card you draw, you have a certain number of chances to get another face card, or the player who laid down the first face card takes all the cards.”

He didn’t understand anything she said, but he nodded as if he did.

“And last, if you slap at the wrong time, then you have to put two cards at the bottom of the pile.”

“Right. Of course. What is this game called again?”

“Egyptian Ratscrew.”

Did she just say ratscrew? Was that even a real word?

“Why?”

She hesitated and then frowned. “I–I don’t know. It just is.”

“Well, this should be fun,” he said drily. “Let’s get to the important part—stakes. What do you wish for if you obtain this…whole deck of cards first?”

This was his favorite part of any game. It was what made playing worth it.

She was quiet as she considered, tapping her lips with her finger, which held his attention, making the bottom of his stomach twist and turn with need.

“I would like a weekend,” she said at last. “Alone. With you.”

“You are wagering for something I would gladly give—and have, many times.”

“Not a weekend sequestered to your bedchamber,” she said, and Hades felt as defensive as she sounded. “A weekend…on an island or in the mountains or in a cabin. A…vacation.”

He liked that.

“You aren’t giving me a very good reason to win,” he joked.

“And you? What do you wish for?”

“A fantasy,” he said. “Fulfilled.”

He did not hesitate because he had been thinking about this for a while.

“A…fantasy?” Persephone asked, confused at first, so he clarified.

“A sexual one.”

“Of course,” she said breathlessly. “Can I ask what this sexual fantasy entails?”

“No,” he said, though that was only because he hadn’t quite decided on which one he would ask her to explore…if she was willing. “Do you accept?”

“I accept.”

Her quick reply made his heart beat faster, and he was suddenly struggling with his blood rushing to his cock. He liked her eagerness but liked more that she trusted him enough to say yes.

Persephone divided the deck and dealt each half.

Her first card was a two of spades, and he placed a queen of clubs.

“That means I have three chances to get another face card.”

He just agreed because he had no clue what was happening, but he figured the longer they played and she explained, the clearer the rules would become…that was if he was able to focus beyond his throbbing length.

She made it harder because she sat opposite him, flushed and aroused. He could tell by the way she kept crossing and uncrossing her legs.

Her next card was a king.

“Now you have four chances to get a face card.”

He was pretty sure she was making this all up as she went along. A face card, he thought, attempting to recall what those were—a jack, queen, or king. The first was a five of diamonds, the next a three of clubs, the third a jack of hearts, which meant it was now her turn.

Except that she immediately placed a jack on the pile.

“Now you have one chance to draw a face card.”

What he drew was a ten of spades.

Hades wasn’t sure what overcame him, but as soon as he saw, he slammed his hand down on the table. Persephone jumped at the sound and stared at him, wide-eyed.

“What? You said to slap.”

“That wasn’t a slap. That was more like a collision.”

His eyes darkened. “I just really want to win.”

“I thought you were intrigued by my wager.”

“Yes, but I can make your wager come true at any point.”

“And you do not think I can make your fantasy come true at any point?”

“Can you?”

He knew she could, but the question was if he would be willing to ask outside a wager, though now that he knew she was receptive, it would be easier. It wasn’t that he was embarrassed. It was more that he did not wish to scare her or make her uncomfortable, especially given that her nightmares about Pirithous were only worsening.

He held her gaze, and the air between them thickened. He liked the way she looked at him, like she wanted to fuck him raw.

“Shall we continue?” he asked.

He had no issue continuing after she came around his cock.

Persephone cleared her throat and her eyes dropped to the cards.

The longer they played, the more uncomfortable he became, wishing to relieve this tension pulsing between his legs. Soon, Hades was down to one card, and Persephone’s victory seemed imminent, but she underestimated his wish to win.

“Do not look so smug, darling. I will come back with this card.”

She rolled her eyes, but when he laid the card down, it was a ten, and he slapped the deck and claimed the cards.

Persephone sat back, her shock quickly turning to frustration.

“You cheated!”

He smirked. “A loser’s claim.”

“Careful, my lord—you may have won, but I am responsible for the experience. You want it to be good, don’t you?”

She was responsible for his experience, but he would like anything so long as it was with her. She followed him as he stood and loosened his cuff links.

“Ten seconds,” he said.

“What?” she asked, confused.

“You have ten seconds to hide,” he said. “Then I will seek you out.”

“Your fantasy is hide-and-seek?” she asked.

“No. My fantasy is the chase. I am going to hunt you, and when I find you, I will bury myself so far inside you, the only thing you’ll be able to say is my name.”

She tilted her head to the side. “Will you use magic?”

“Oh, this will be much more fun with magic, darling.”

“But this is your realm,” she protested. “You will know everywhere I go.”

“Are you telling me you don’t wish to be caught?”

She smiled wickedly and, without another word, vanished.

He remained in his room, counting to the throbbing of his cock, and when he reached ten, he followed after her.

He found her in the garden outside his palace, hiding beneath a willow. She looked wild and beautiful, her eyes burning with lust and delight as she pressed into the trunk of the tree. Her gaze raked his body, tracing every hard part of him. He felt it like a physical caress.

“I’ve thought of you all day,” he said darkly. Her eyes gleamed as she pushed away from the tree, luring him deeper into the garden. He followed, eager for his prize. “The way you taste, the feel of my cock slipping inside you, the way you moan as I fuck you.”

She turned toward him as she reached the garden wall, and he trapped her beneath him, leaning close.

“I want to fuck you so hard, your screams reach the ears of the living,” he said, leaning over her. As he spoke, their lips brushed, then he felt Persephone’s tongue caress his mouth.

“Why don’t you?”

He growled low in his throat at her teasing, aware that he had asked for this torture.

She gathered her magic, and he considered stopping her from teleporting, but he had not had enough of this yet. He wanted to see what she would do.

Except he had not been prepared for her to arrive at the center of Asphodel, amid crowds and crowds of souls. By the time he arrived, the children had already swarmed, pulling on her hands and the end of her skirt.

When he appeared, they turned their attention to him.

“Hades!” they cried and rushed him.

Well, this was embarrassing.

He caught the youngest child at the waist, letting him soar into the air as he shrieked with laughter.

“Hades, play with us!” they cried.

“I’m afraid I have made a promise to Lady Persephone I must keep,” he explained as he set the child on his feet. “But I will make a promise to you now—Lady Persephone and I will return to play as soon as possible.”

He met her gaze and could not quite place her expression. She looked stunned. After a moment, she swallowed and managed to smile at the children.

“We shall visit soon,” she said before she vanished.

Hades followed quickly, reaching for her magic to direct where she appeared—in the Asphodel fields.

As soon as they arrived, he took her into his arms and kissed her almost violently, his body shaking with such keen desire, he could hardly contain himself as he lapped at her mouth with his tongue. Fuck, she was amazing, and she tasted like spring.

He was surprised when she pulled away. They stared at one another for a moment, breathing hard, and then he took a step forward. When she did not take one back or leave, he reached for the front of her dress and pulled her to him again.

She did not protest as he tore the fabric or when he took her breasts into his hands and sucked them into his mouth until she clung to him and ground against him.

“Surrender,” he whispered as he kissed up her neck.

He could take her in this field among the asphodel, but as he met her gaze, she offered the faintest smile.

“No,” she said in the headiest whisper.

Then she was gone again, and he groaned in frustration as he followed, determined that wherever she ended up would be the place he took her—he didn’t care who watched. He could not maintain this any longer, and then he appeared before her as she sat on his throne, and he almost knelt at her feet.

She was a fucking dream.

“My queen,” he said and took a step toward her.

“Halt!”

He had not expected her command, so he obeyed despite the way it bristled through him. He watched her, breathing hard, frustrated beyond all reason. He wanted to defy her so badly, but he also wanted to see what she was capable of.

“Undress.”

His gaze was steady. “For someone who doesn’t like titles, you sure are commanding.”

She lifted a brow. “Must I repeat myself?”

He smirked, but as he began to call on his magic, she stopped him.

“Not with magic. The mortal way. Slowly.”

He swallowed hard and licked his lips. “As you wish.”

He rarely did this, but with the way Persephone was looking at him, he thought he might need to do it more often. Her gaze was unwavering as he shed his clothes, slowly exposing himself to her burning gaze.

“And your hair. Take it down.”

He watched her shudder as he shook out his unbound hair. He thought he was finished, but she gave one more order.

“Drop your glamour.”

“I will if you will,” he challenged.

She hesitated, though he wasn’t sure why. Perhaps she just had not expected him to bargain. Then she released her magic, and he could not quite describe the awe of watching her transform. He felt like he rarely saw her like this, and though he loved her in any form, there was something about seeing her as she was made that left him reeling.

He took his time appreciating her, his eyes roaming her body—from her horns to her bare feet. He would never tire of looking at her.

When he met her gaze again, her eyes were dark and hooded. He dropped his glamour, his magic peeling away from his body like shadows only to disappear into the darkness.

She rose, and each step toward him only wound him tighter.

“Don’t move,” she said, her voice hushed.

He took in a low and harsh breath as she placed her hand on his chest and explored him until her hand wrapped around his cock. He thought he might explode then, just from the sheer anticipation of her touch. She stroked him until come beaded at his head and then gathered it on the tip of her finger, only to lick it away as she looked up at him.

He ground his teeth.

He wanted to kiss her and taste himself on her tongue.

Then she took a step back and returned to his throne, reclining before she spoke. “Come.”

Fucking finally.

He smirked. “Only for you.”

He was on her in an instant, his hands tangled in what remained of her dress, and when she was completely naked, he picked her up. She needed no coaxing, her legs instantly winding around his waist, and he guided his cock inside her.

They groaned together, mouths open and touching.

“I was beginning to think all you wanted to do was stare,” he said, breathless as he ground against her.

“I wanted you,” she breathed. “I wanted to fuck the moment we were alone.”

“And instead of fucking, you asked for a game. Why?”

“I like foreplay,” she said, and all he could offer was a choked laugh.

Her teeth grazed his ear, and he inhaled between his teeth, mouth colliding with hers. Her body grew slick beneath his hands, and it was almost hard to hold on to her, but she gripped him hard.

“I hate waiting for you,” she said.

“Then find me,” he said.

“You are busy.”

“Dreaming about being inside you.” It was true—every minute of every day.

She managed a breathy laugh.

“I love that laugh,” he said, dragging his lips along her jaw and to her mouth.

“I love you.”

Hades pulled away and met her gaze, then he sat, holding her against him.

“Say it again.”

Her eyes softened and her fingers threaded through his hair.

“I love you, Hades.”

He grinned. He was so in love with her.

“I love you,” he said as she moved against him harder and faster, meeting her movement with equal vigor. “You are perfection. You are my lover. You are my queen.”

She came around him and he followed, and they collapsed against his throne, spent.

“Why is this the first time I am hearing about your fantasies?” she asked as he kissed her head.

He didn’t really know what to say. “How do I verbalize such a thing?”

She held his gaze. “I suppose you just…tell me what you want. Is that not what you would want from me?”

“Yes,” he said, intrigued by the thought of desires. “So tell me, what is your fantasy?”

Her eyes widened and then her brows furrowed. “I…do not think I have one.”

“You’ll forgive me if I do not believe you,” he said.

“No, I won’t. It is in your nature to detect lies.”

He chuckled. “But what will it take? To learn of your fantasies?”

It took her a long moment to speak. He knew she had an answer; it was on the tip of her tongue, building tension between them.

“One day…I want you.…to restrain me.”

He’d expected something different—maybe exhibitionism. Given her experiences with Pirithous, he’d thought restraints something that would be off-limits. He had a feeling that was something they were both going to have to work toward.

“I will always do as you ask.”

They were quiet, and she rested her head against his chest. After a moment, she spoke. “And you? What other fantasies live in that head of yours?”

His arms tightened around her slick body, his arousal growing long and thick inside her again.

“Darling, every time I fuck you, it’s a fantasy.”