His hands left my hips, and his arms wrapped around me.
“My adoration of you is only heightened by your concern for her. Thank you.”
I pushed at him in annoyance.
“That’s not a solution to the problem, Hades. Megan’s my friend, and it feels like you just sent her on an impossible mission.”
He made a non-committal sound and shifted me to the side just enough so that he could see Zotera but not enough to unseat me.
“Is the name Thanatos familiar to you? It teases my brain as if I should know it but disappears when I try to recall why.”
I captured his face and forced him to look at me.
“I’m serious, Hades. Don’t send the furies after a creature that might be more powerful than them. Especially if he’s working with Adira. You don’t know her like I do. She puts the survival of the creatures in her care at the top of her priority list. Megan might be your favored daughter, but she’s not Adira’s. Are you willing to risk Megan like that?”
“You underestimate Megan,” he said, kissing the tip of my nose. “She has more strength than you know, and I pity any creatures that stir her wrath.”
Frustrated, I attempted to move away from Hades. He caught me close and stole a kiss. It held notes of the hunger he showed before but with a gentleness that made me melt against him and kiss him back. I may have even rolled my hips against him a few times too.
We were both breathless when we broke apart, and I leaned my forehead against his.
“I shouldn’t feel the things I feel for you,” I whispered. “You weave a spell around me that I can’t resist, and it’s not fair.”
He chuckled and brushed his lips against mine.
“Don’t attempt to resist. Give me what you will, and I vow to return the pleasure tenfold.”
I slowly shook my head, trying not to sink into the memory of just how wonderful he could make me feel.
“You shouldn’t make so many vows. If we keep going like we are, you’re bound to break one, and I’ll be the one to suffer.”
Zotera cleared her throat as Megan had.
“What vows?” she asked.
I flushed red.
“Nothing.”
This time, Hades let me scurry off his lap, but I only went as far as the cushion next to him.
“Your mother confessed her inability to resist me when we kiss,” Hades said. “So I vowed not to sink into the pleasure of her welcoming embrace even if she were to beg me.” He grinned. “And she has begged. Her cries for more in the shower this morning were particularly difficult to rebuff.”
I snapped my mouth shut and gave him a dirty look.
“Where I’m from, it's impolite to talk about private matters, like your sex life, with other people.”
“Sex?” Zotera echoed. “Is Father forcing himself on you?”
“What? No. That’s not…” I groaned and buried my face in my hands. “This is so embarrassing.”
Hades reached out and smoothed his hand over my back. Like the hopeless idiot I was, I leaned into it.
“Father, you asked if I knew the name Thanatos,” Zotera said. “I do.”
Hades’ hand stilled, and I lifted my head to look at Zotera.
“You do?” I asked.
