I leaned forward, too, stuck out my bottom lip a little, and made my best sad face.
“Please?” The breathless quality of that one word wasn’t a lie, but I knew he’d misinterpreted it when his gaze heated.
He glanced away, but his gaze immediately returned, sweeping over my features and lingering the longest on my mouth.
“It’s a slightly greasy dish, and I’m sure I’ll need to lick my fingers a lot.”
He sat back in a pout of his own.
“I know this game and do not wish to play. You gave your word. It’s in writing.”
“The contract states that, if I hurt one of your daughters, I would give up my right to return home. Right?”
“Correct.”
“Why would I risk giving up my chance to go home after making another deal with you that revolves around going home?” I asked gently. “That doesn’t make sense, right?”
His frown faded as he considered me for a long moment.
“Perhaps the newest contract is nothing more than a distraction to get what you truly want,” he said.
“You don’t know what I truly want because you don’t know me, Ashlyn, the human. You know Persephone. I’m trying to prove that I’m not her. Please give me this chance. I won’t go near the fury or even talk to her if you don’t want me to.”
He continued to consider me.
“Perhaps I should give you this chance to prove who you truly are.” He stood abruptly and climbed the step to his black throne. I watched him sit and lean back into it like he didn’t have a care in the world.
“Come, Goddess. Sit with me, and I will summon my eldest daughter.”
I sprang to my feet and hurried up the step. However, my pace slowed drastically when I looked at the throne beside his. As an ode to her torturous mother, Zotera had carved long, sharp thorns into it. I’d die if I tried to sit on that thing.
“Not there,” Hades said, pulling my attention. “Here. With me.”
He didn’t shift from his relaxed, sprawled pose to make room for me. There was no doubt about what he wanted me to do. The crazy god wanted me to sit on his lap while he ordered me a pizza. Clearly, he’d found the perfect double-edged test. Persephone would refuse to sit like that, and she would probably try to maim one of the furies.
Mentally sighing, I approached the King of Hell.
“Would you like me on your right knee or left? I doubt you’ll remember how to speak if I sit dead center.”
Hades threw his head back and laughed. The humor on his face completely transformed him. Transfixed, I stared longingly at his corded neck.
He’s not yours, Ashlyn,I reminded myself even as I took a shuffling step toward the tempting god of the underworld.
With humor still dancing in his eyes, he watched me.
“Well said, Goddess. With you seated thusly, I would assuredly lose the ability to think. However, I will allow you the freedom to choose. Always.”
When I stood between his wide splayed knees, I turned and perched lightly on his right leg. Not knowing what to do with my hands, I set them in my lap. His hand covered mine, stroking over the skin, and I fought to suppress the shiver that wanted to trail down my spine.
“If you move from this position while she is here, I will send her away.”
“I understand.”
He held my gaze for a long moment then looked at the entrance to the hall. It was empty, but when I glanced back at him, his eyes glowed a vibrant red that slowly faded.
“She comes, Goddess.”
I turned toward the entrance again and did my best to appear calm and collected. On the inside, I was screaming with joy. It didn’t matter that I’d never met the woman who appeared. She strode through the opening and continued forward with confidence.
