Chapter 23

Chapter

Twenty-Three

P ersephone

"Speak of the devil," Minthe purrs over my shoulder, her eyes again on the tent. I twist to see a man I'd recognize in a crowd of millions.

My heart gives a single, hard throb, before it takes off in my chest. The beat is racing at a pace I can't contain. I feel breathless and oversensitive as tingles of awareness spread over my body like fire in a dry forest. The heat that touches my skin suddenly feels a thousand times hotter than the sun. Wilder. More intimate. My craving for it far, far more than my hunger for the sun .

Hades is speaking with Beth under the white tent. I haven't had much chance to see him surrounded by others. Our time together has been mostly private, aside from that first night in the room filled with his art.

He towers over her. Over everyone.

The man stands at an impossible height, emanating a power that should intimidate me. It doesn't, though. Instead, I feel safe under the breadth of his immense power.

Beth, however, shifts uncertainly. But even still, there is a blush to her skin and a light to her eyes that tells me she's attracted to him. Every woman is attracted to Hades Pluton. But the glaring fact that Beth is beautiful and far closer to Hades' age than I am hits me like an icy wave. I'm drenched in a wash of jealousy that makes me feel icky and small.

Again, I wonder what is wrong with me.

But why is he here? Why is he talking to her?

Beth's hands are flying as she talks to Hades. I feel a little relief when I see the head of the program, Ralph, scurrying from the privacy of his tent. Ralph very rarely leaves his tent. His claim is that he's overwhelmed by paperwork, which is probably true.

He looks shaken by Hades' presence. Does everyone know who the man is here? Is he famous for the art he refuses to sell or for the nightclub everyone in Greece seems to know about ?

Ralph clasps Hades' hand, giving it a firm shake. I can see his mouth moving fast, but I'm too far to know what they're talking about. It's clear they know each other, which is surprising. I wouldn't have expected Hades to know the awkward head of the archeology program, who is more comfortable pouring over paperwork than he is conversing with his team. The man takes introverted to a whole new level, which is just fine, because he has Beth to do all the extroverted things that need doing, and the girl is the definition of outgoing.

Still, Hades obviously knows Ralph.

I catch the scent of fresh mint, distracting me momentarily from Hades as Minthe says, "Wonder what he's doing here. Probably something to do with giving another donation."

"What?"

"He's the program's biggest sponsor."

I feel my head notch back in surprise. "He is?"

"Yeah." Minthe's hair shines in the sun as she nods. "He's the reason I got in late. I missed the deadline to enroll, but when I spoke to him about it, he said he could help me." She flashes straight white teeth with a wide smile. "And voila . He did."

I frown as I look back at Hades again. He knows this is where I spend my days. It's not like we haven't talked about where I go every day when I leave his home. I find it weird that he failed to mention he has a connection with the program. Obviously, it's a big connection if he can pull a string and get another student into the already full program.

I feel oddly duped.

I don't know why.

As though sensing that my thoughts have moved from jealousy and confusion to something darker, Hades' eyes shift to land on me. My heart jolts in my chest. It's as though he knew exactly where I was.

Had he spotted me before I'd spotted him?

Again, why is he here?

Hades says something and both Ralph and Beth look to me. I don't know why, but something inside me screams run . My inner voice warning me to flee.

I feel like the prey as his long strides devours the distance between us.

I don't know why I feel this way now. I've never felt unsafe with Hades. Never.

"Persephone," he says my name in his rough voice when he's close. Beside me, I swear I hear Minthe suck in a sharp breath. "Will you join me for lunch?"

"I—my break is almost finished."

His lips twitch. "I've cleared your absence."

I don't know how I feel about that. It's invasive and a little presumptuous—but still, I find myself nodding. The foolish fact is that I want to join him. I want to be with him.

Before I've thought it through, I hear myself agree quietly, "Okay. "

"Good." Hades gives his attention to Minthe. "How are you liking things here?"

"Oh." There's a friendly lilt to her words that has my curiosity spiking. "I'm liking things just fine, Hades."

He smiles a soft, warm, familiar smile. My spiked curiosity red-lines. "That is good to hear."

Questions whirl inside my mind as Hades touches his hand to my back, guiding me through the tent. I can't help but notice the way Addison's striking blue eyes are dark with something ugly as he watches me leave with Hades. Inside, I'm a storm of feelings.

As Hades guides me from the site to a flashy black sports car with a badge I don't have the expertise to place, I try to pick apart the threads of the storm that brews inside me. I try to decipher the mess of my feelings. I fail.

Hades closes the door and rounds to the other side. Even with his massive bulk, he moves fluidly into the seat next to me. The scent of woodsmoke and sinful thoughts swirls a ribbon of temptation around me. My body responds like it always responds to his nearness. To the scent of him. With an aching need I can't contain or control.

"Have you eaten already?" I shake my head in answer. Hades slips a pair of shades over his eyes. "Are you hungry?"

I'm starving. My body is ravenous.

I breathe, "Yes. "

Through the reflective tint of his sunglasses, I feel his eyes on me. Behind his beard, a muscle in his jaw throbs. I swallow hard and force my gaze out the window.

Hades puts the car into gear and butterflies erupt in my belly as he takes off.