What she’d said to set him off registered with her disappearance.
“You need to stop making everything about sex,” I said. “Please. Especially when other people are around. It embarrasses them.”
“Does it embarrass you?”
It didn’t. I loved knowing that I was his entire focus. But I was smart enough not to tell him so. If I did, I doubted we would ever leave my bedroom.
“The world doesn’t just revolve around us and what we want,” I said instead. “We need to think about other people too. I don’t want to chase my friends away.”
He leaned forward suddenly and kissed my forehead.
“As you will it,” he said. “Come. Let us join Megan and Zotera.”
He didn’t portal us to the front of the house but walked with his hand in mine.
“I apologize for distracting us from our purpose and for interfering in your relationship with Ashlyn,” he said to Megan. “I ask your forgiveness.”
Megan looked like she swallowed a brownie. The flying kind.
“Where are we meeting?” I asked to distract her.
“Uh, Nicolette’s place.” Her gaze shifted from me to Hades. “If it’s all right with you, we’d like to drive there for appearance’s sake.”
I glanced at Hades questioningly and found him watching me.
“Do you not yet know?” he asked with a hint of amusement. “Youcommandme. When others seek an answer from me, it is with your voice that I answer.”
I looked at Megan, not quite sure what to think of that. She shrugged slightly, showing she wasn’t sure either.
“I’ll drive,” I said.
The car ride to Nicolette’s was quiet, with Hades relaxed in the passenger seat of my car and Megan and Zotera in the back. My headspace wasn’t. I was nervous about what might happen even though I knew better than to let that emotion have any kind of foothold. I’d been out of Uttira less than a handful of times. The rules were different out there. More relaxed. At least they had been. My mind relentlessly ran through scenarios for all the different ways things could possibly go wrong.
By the time I pulled into the driveway of the house Megan indicated, I was ready to turn around and go back home. However, a middle-aged man opened the front door and waved cheerily before I had the chance.
“Who is he?” Hades asked coldly.
“Eliana’s father,” Zotera said. “He promised to teach me how to make delicious desserts that Ashlyn will love.”
Hades’ eyes flickered red.
“He’s also madly in love with Nicolette,” Megan said. “So much so that he doesn’t even see women as women.”
“Good.” Hades opened his door to get out, and we all hurried to do the same.
“Welcome,” the man called. “Come in.” He stepped back, and I saw the way his gaze flicked to Hades’ bare feet on the snow-covered ground.
Hades paused at the front of the car and offered me his hand. We walked into the house together, and I saw Eliana standing with Fenris, Oanen, and another woman.
“Hades, Zotera, Ashlyn, this is my mother, Nicolette, and my father, Jason. Mom, Dad, that’s Ashlyn, my human friend, and Hades, the god of the Underworld.”
“Nice to meet you,” Jason said, coming around to offer Hades his hand. Hades glanced from Jason to me.
“It’s a handshake. Something we do to say hello,” I said, reaching for Jason’s hand.
Hades grabbed my wrist before I could take it. Surprised, I looked up at him.
“Do not. I beg you.”
