“You enjoyed speaking with your children,” Zotera said. “Perhaps another festival?”
Hades shook his head. “And risk another attack? No. I think another visit to the bathing pools is best.”
Zotera gave me a pitying look, and I answered it with a reassuring smile.
However, Hades’ hungry look when I turned to him had me wondering if the bathing pools would be a wise choice when I was questioning the need to hold anything back from him anymore. That thought triggered another. What would Hades do if I surrendered myself before he figured out that Persephone was dead?
Would he be devastated? Would he shake the foundations on Mount Olympus as he’d said? Or would he see that I’d been honest with him all along and maybe feel some kind of affection for me for being nice to him when she hadn’t been?
My heart ached for that possibility. The one where he would realize he could have the love and affection he craved with me. Yet, I knew his obsession with Persephone. He’d allowed her cruelty for an eternity.
Until I was sure which he would choose, I couldn’t surrender to him. Still, I knew I might not have a choice in the matter if he chose not to keep his word. I seemed to lose all willpower when it came to him once we started kissing.
“You hesitate,” Hades said.
“Yes. Why would you want to go back there? After hearing me talk to Megan, you didn’t believe what happened there was real.”
“What is reality but a construct of our minds?”
“You’re confusing me. But, if you want to go back there, fine.”
Whether it had been real to him or not, it had been real to me. And it now seemed as if it was only a matter of time before Hades realized I’d been telling the truth all along that I’m not Persephone. And when he did, I would be back in my world with only the memories I’d made here to keep me company. So I’d make as many as I could in the time I had left.
Wrapping my arms around his torso, I pressed myself close and told him I was ready.
A tremor ran through him, and the throne room melted away, reforming as the humid bathing space. It was a different one from last time. Smaller. And food already waited near a pile of pillows.
More importantly, we were only a step away from the pool, and Hades’ back was to it this time.
An idea started to form, and I tipped my head up to give him my best innocent look.
“Would you like me to undress for you?” I asked.
“Yes.” He loosened his hold on me.
I took a small step back and plucked the hairpin from my braids. Every ounce of his focus remained riveted on me.
“Can you create another table?” I asked. “I don’t want to lose any of my jewelry.”
A table appeared next to me, and his hungry gaze tracked every movement as I set the pin aside.
He didn’t tense when I stepped closer. In fact, he relaxed further when I ran my palm over his chest.
“I do like touching you,” I said. “It’s a little concerning how much I like it. But do you know what I like even better?”
“What?” he breathed.
I set both my hands on his chest and pushed hard.
His eyes widened in surprise. Then he laughed as he fell backward into the pool.
Smirking, I watched the big splash he made. It wasn’t a deep pool, and it only took him a moment to stand again. His pants were gone when he did. Thankfully, the water covered him from the navel down.
I set my necklace next to the pin as he shook the water from his hair and face.
“I like your laugh,” I said. “You need to stop hiding your humor.”
He smoothed his hair back with both hands, and I tried not to drool over the wet display of undulating muscle.
