When the familiar scent of roses reaches me, I close my eyes and let the aroma mingle with his wintry cologne.
Memories assault me of standing outside the greenhouse on a cold morning.
Only, the vision shifts to one from my dreams of Hades holding me in a garden surrounded by fiery orange flowers.
It’s an image from one of my earlier dreams,reminding me of why I first took a rose outside. I was trying to re-create the fragrance from my fantasy.
Is it normal to smell something so beautiful while one sleeps?I wonder.Or is my dream actually something else entirely?
Hades told me the roses I picked were similar to fire lilies, at least in terms of scent.
Are those what blossomed around us in my dreams?
I’ve never smelled a live fire lily, only the decaying ones Pip often leaves on my pillow.
I wasn’t even sure of the species due to the black petals and leaves, but he wrote it down for me one day.
Then Hades mentioned that it was Persephone’s favorite flower.
Is that a coincidence?
“Serapina?” Hades murmurs, the question in his voice suggesting this isn’t the first time he’s said my name.
I open my eyes and find him standing in front of me, his hair dripping onto his muscular shoulders.
He’s intimidating. Large. Ridiculously handsome. Yet watching me with a guarded gaze, like he’s afraid I’ll somehow hurt him.
It’s strange. Utterly impossible. Yet his nervousness is almost tangible.
“Do you want the soap bar, or can I touch you?” he asks.
I swallow. I should probably take the soap bar and tell him to leave me alone. To give me space. To just…go away.
But I really don’t want any of that.
I’ve been trying to take care of myself for months. I’m not sure if I’ve even begun to succeed. But I need a break. I simply want to let someone else take control, even if it’s just for a few stolen moments.
Lifting my palm, I press it to the crown tattoo on hischest and close my eyes again. “You win for now, Hades. I don’t have energy for anything else.”
He releases a rumble that sounds more like a growl than a purr. “We’re not playing a game, Omega.”
“Says the Alpha who demanded I marry him because he hates my soul,” I mutter.
His palm is on my nape again in a flash, and I’m suddenly up against a wall.
No.Betweentwo walls. One made of marble and the other all hot, hardman. “I do nothateyour soul, Serapina. Iloveyour soul. Persephone may have betrayed me in the worst way, but she is still mine. And I could neverhatemy Omega.”
I shiver, my gaze glued to his as he stares me down.
“The games Persephone and I played were complicated,” he goes on. “But what’s happening between you and me is not a battle or a game or any other passing amusement.”
His palm moves to my throat, giving it a subtle squeeze.
“Thisis intense, Serapina. It’s serious. I fucked up, and I’m going to fix it. And if I can’t, then you’ll choose who sees you through your heat. All while I’ll be forced to watch and guard. Because I won’t let anyone hurt you, Omega. You’re mine to cherish and mine to protect. But you’re not mine to knot. Not until I earn your trust.”
With that, he steps backward and holds out the soap.
“Take it and finish washing yourself while I find you something to wear.”
