“Close your eyes,” I said softly.
He immediately complied, and I reached up to brush my fingers through his hair. He shivered, and his hold tightened fractionally.
“Relax,” I said, settling my head on his chest. “Try to sleep.”
After a few minutes of running my fingers through his hair, I could feel him attempt to do as I asked. His breathing slowed, and his hold on me loosened.
A surge of panic ran through me at the thought that he might actually fall asleep. What would I do? Zotera was loyal to Persephone and wouldn’t hurt me because I looked like her mother, but would she be enough to keep me safe until a fury showed up again? What if one didn’t? Would Zotera break Hades’ rule about feeding me, or would I starve to death waiting?
I forced those thoughts from my head and focused on the most important one. People were dying because of me. Because I’d woken up the god of the underworld. I needed to do what I could to make that right again so there would be a home for me to go back to someday. Hopefully.
While Hades seemed to grow closer to dozing off, my own eyes closed. My arm grew tired. Eventually, I stopped touching his hair and just rested my hand on his chest, hoping it would be enough to keep him calm.
* * *
Warmth wrapped around me,and I burrowed a little deeper under the cover. I yawned and didn’t fight to linger in that quiet place between asleep and awake. I knew I was still using Hades as a body pillow. However, he was quiet for once, and his breathing was slow and steady.
It took a moment to realize what that might mean.
I opened my eyes and felt relief at the sight of his still normal-looking golden skin. Given the state he’d been in when he’d been chained to the wall, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Although, come to think of it, if he’d only been sleeping, why had he looked like he’d been dead? Most people didn’t decay while they slept, not that Hades was most people.
Trying not to disturb him, I lifted my head.
His very alert gaze met and held mine. The spark of tenderness I saw there matched the quiet awe in his voice when he spoke.
“Goddess, you are everything to me. Name your price for this gift you have given me, and I will gladly pay it.”
All I could manage was a confused, “Huh?”
This wasn’t the first time I’d used him as a pillow, so I didn’t think that was the gift he was referring to.
His expression softened.
“You are beauty itself.”
I closed my eyes, gave him a sleepy smile, and rested my head on his chest again.
“Pretty sure Aphrodite might disagree with that.”
“I challenge her to appear in my realm to dispute my claim.”
“Let’s not. Dealing with a single god is hard enough. A family reunion would be more than I could handle.”
Or survive, I silently added.
When Hades remained quiet, I lifted my head again to see why and found him frowning at me.
“You have no desire to reunite with your mother?” he asked.
“I don’t know my mother, Hades. She died when I was too little to remember.”
His concern disappeared behind a blank mask, and he studied me for a very long moment before he spoke.
“Are you hungry?” he asked. “Would you like to shower?”
“Yes, and yes, but with Zotera for the first and privately for the second.”
The corner of his mouth lifted.
