Home > A Touch of Ruin (Hades & Persephone #2)(5)

A Touch of Ruin (Hades & Persephone #2)(5)
Author: Scarlett St. Clair

“A moment, my darling.”

“You won’t hurt him, will you?”

“Not too terribly.”

He didn’t smile as he stepped into the hallway.

Persephone felt ridiculous sitting on the edge of the table, so she slipped off, adjusted her skirts, and started to pace the extravagant dining room. Her first impression of this room had been that it was over-the-top. The ceiling boasted several unnecessary crystal chandeliers, the walls were adorned in gold, and Hades’ chair looked like a throne at the head of the table. To top it off, he rarely dined in this room, often preferring to take his meals elsewhere in the palace. That was one reason she’d decided to use it during the Solstice Celebration—all this beauty would not go to waste.

Hades returned. He seemed frustrated, his jaw flexed, and his eyes glittered with a different kind of intensity. He stopped a few inches from her, hands in his pockets.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said. “And no. Ilias has made me aware of a problem better dealt with sooner than later.”

She stared at him, waiting, but he didn’t explain.

“When will you be back?”

“An hour. Maybe two.”

She frowned, and Hades’ touched her chin so that her eyes were level with his. “Trust, my darling, leaving you is the hardest decision I make each day.”

“Then don’t,” she said, placing her hands around his waist. “I’ll go with you.”

“That is not wise.” His voice was gruff, and Persephone’s brows knit together.

“Why not?”

“Persephone—”

“It’s a simple question,” she interrupted.

“It isn’t,” he snapped, and then sighed, running his fingers through his loose hair.

She stared. He had never lost this temper quite like this. What had him so agitated? She thought about pushing for an answer, but knew she would get nowhere, so instead, she relent.

“Fine,” she took a step away, creating distance between them. “I’ll be here when you return.”

Hades frowned. “I will make it up to you.”

She arched a brow and commanded, “Swear it.”

Hades’ eyes simmer beneath the glow of the crystal lights.

“Oh, darling. You don’t need to extract an oath. Nothing will keep me from fucking you.”

 

 

CHAPTER II - A TOUCH OF DUPLICITY

 


Persephone’s body vibrated, warmed from the spark Hades had ignited. Without supervision, the flame had spread, consuming her whole body. She sought a distraction and wandered outside where she walked through the garden, consumed by the smell of damp soil and sweet blossoms. She caressed petals and leaves as she passed until she came to the edge of the plot where a wild field of yellowing grass danced, encouraged by a whispered breezed.

She took off at a run, orange flowers bloomed at her feet as she sailed across the field. She didn’t have to focus on using her magic. It radiated from her, unfiltered and uncontrolled. Hades’ Dobermans joined her, chasing each other until she came to a halt at the edge of Hecate’s meadow. The goddess sat cross-legged outside her cottage with her eyes closed. Persephone wasn’t sure if she was meditating or casting a spell. If Persephone had to guess, she’d say the Goddess of Witchcraft was probably cursing some mortal in the Upperworld for some heinous deed against women.

Cerberus, Typhon, and Orthrus did not follow Persephone as she approached the goddess.

“Sated already?” Hecate asked, her eyes were still closed.

Persephone would never forgive Hades for what had gone down in front of his staff.

“Does it look like it?” she grumbled.

Sexual frustration was making her grumpy. Hecate opened one eye, and then the other.

“Ah,” she said. “Care to train instead?”

“Only if I get to blow something up.”

A small smile tugged at Hecate’s berry lips. “You get to meditate.”

“Meditate?”

The last thing Persephone wanted to do was be alone with her raging thoughts. Hecate patted the ground beside her, and Persephone sighed, taking a seat. Her body felt rigid, her hands warm and sweaty.

“Your first lesson, Goddess. Control your emotions.”

“How is that a lesson?” Persephone asked.

Hecate gave her a knowing look. “Do you want to talk about earlier? Those doors came down because of your magic. They weren’t opened by anyone on the inside.”

Persephone looked away.

“Don’t be embarrassed, my dear. It happens to the best of us.”

Persephone knew her emotions were tied to her powers. Flowers sprouted when she was angry, and vines curled around Hades in moments of passion without warning. Then there was Minthe, whose insulting words had resulted in her transformation into a mint plant and Adonis who she’d threatened in the Garden of the Gods by turning his limbs into vines. Not to mention the destruction of her mother’s greenhouse.

“Okay, so I have a problem,” Persephone admitted. “How do I control it?”

“With practice,” Hecate said. “And lots of meditation. The more often you do it, the more you—and your magic—will benefit.”

Persephone frowned. “I hate meditating.”

“Have you ever tried it?”

“Yes, and it’s boring. All you do is...sit.”

The corner of Hecate’s mouth lifted.

“Your perspective is wrong. The point of meditation is to gain control—are you not hungry for control, Persephone?”

Hecate’s voice dipped low, tinged with seduction. Persephone couldn’t deny that she was eager for what the goddess was offering. She wanted control over everything—her magic, her life, her future.

“I’m listening,” Persephone said.

Hecate’s smile was impish, and she continued. “Meditation means focusing your attention moment by moment rather than getting caught up in the things that plague you—the things that drown you, the things that cause your magic to create a shield around you.”

Hecate led Persephone through several meditations, guiding her to focus on her breathing. She imagined this might be peaceful if she could keep her mind from wandering to Hades. She swore on two occasions he was behind her. She could feel his breath on her neck, the soft scrape of his beard against her cheek as he whispered words against her skin.

I have thought of you all day.

A thrill shivered through her and her core tightened.

The way you taste, the feel of my cock slipping inside you, the way you moan when I fuck you.

Persephone bit her lip, and heat gushed between her legs.

I want to fuck you so hard your screams reach the ears of the living.

Her breath escaped in a harsh gasp, and she opened her eyes. When she looked at Hecate, the goddess arched a knowing brow.

“On second thought, let’s blow some things up.”

***

“I’m going to be late!” Persephone threw off her covers and jumped from bed.

Hades groaned, stretching his arm across the sheets, reaching for her.

“Come back to bed,” he said, sleepily.

She ignored him, running around his bedroom in search of her things. She found her purse on a chair, her shoes under the bed, and her clothes were wrapped up in the bedsheets. She untangled them, and once they were free, Hades snatched them from her hands.

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