“And forGod’s sake, Hunt. Remember to charge the batteries this time,” Grayson called over his shoulder.
“Yeah, yeah.” Hunter laughed as he closed the door behind him.
“Why don’t we have anything more to do?” I wondered.
“Oh, we have plenty to do, Princess,” Grayson answered as he pulled me into his arms. “It’s your firstofficialheist. We need to work off all that nervous energy.” He winked at me.
My heart sputtered in excitement.
But then his face became serious again. “We’ve been out of step. And that’s on me. But right now, I need you. Spend the day with me. Me and you, Princess. One last time, before everything goes up in flames tonight,” he joked, flicking my nose playfully.
I smacked at his chest. “Don’t say that! You’ll jinx us! The gods are mischievous. You’ll give them ideas.” I shifted from foot to foot, my nerves getting the better of me. I’ve had a sickening feeling gnawing at my insidesfrom the moment I opened my eyes this morning. And it was getting to me. “I have something for you, actually. I wanted to give it to you tonight, but I’m just going to give it to you now, since you’re hellbent on jinxing us.” I glared at him, then motioned for him to follow me up the stairs to our bedroom. I pulled open the bottom drawer of the vanity table Grayson had gotten for me when he saw me struggling to find a decent space to dry my hair on our first night here.
“I hope you like it,” I said nervously, as I handed him the black box. I had never gotten him anything before, while he had made it his mission for me to not want for anything. I’ve had to be careful not to look at things too long, or it would appear on my pillow the next day.
“Aegis,” he whispered as he stared at the open box.
“You know what it is?” I asked surprised.
He nodded and swallowed heavily. “It’s Athena’s shield.” He made a crooked smile. “I’ve been reading up on your gods while you’re snoring.”
I was too happy to let his teasing get to me. “It’s for protection. I’m hoping you will wear it tonight?”
“I will never take it off, Princess. Thank you,” he said, his voice thick. He hadn’t yet taken his eyes off the gold pin.
“You’re just like Athena, you know,” I mused. “A fierce and cunning warrior. Homer called her Heaven’s Daughter, whose spear levels battalions of heroes in her wrath. Not unlike you,” I added in a whisper, smiling in awe at my proud and ferocious lover. That was his plan for tonight, wasn’t it? To level a battalion of crooked men.
He placed the box onto the vanity before turning his sights on me. I leaned back nervously at the hunger in his eyes. A look like that, from him, was unpredictable. I had no idea what was coming next. But somehow it always ended the same—with me panting, flushed and trying to recall my name.
“You don’t see me as Hades anymore?” He took a menacing step towards me.
My heart sped up. “You pretend to be,” I lied breathlessly, taking a step back, knowing what my words would trigger. He never tried to hide his darkness. He was always making sure I didn’t forget who he really was. Like he needed me to know the worst of him.
He arched a brow. It pulled at his scars, making him look every bit as terrifying as he was. “Pretend?” He took another step forward, stalking his prey.
I stepped back again.
“Princess, you forget. Tonight, I will torture a man; take pleasure in his screams for help, then, when his body finally shuts down and I’m covered in his blood, I’ll send him to hell where he belongs.”
I shuddered, taking another involuntary step back. The sudden shift from playful to serious, giving me whiplash.
“Don’t ever make the mistake of thinking I’m good.” Another step forward. “You’d be lying to yourself.”
“You’ve been good tome.” I fought hard against my instinct to take a step back as Grayson took another towards me but lost. I startled as my back hit the wall.
But Grayson smiled. I was right where he wanted me. Where he’d trapped me. And I had been too preoccupied to notice what he was doing. There was nowhere for me to go.
“Yes, I’ll admit, you’ve made me want to climb out of my hell and taste the light again. And God, how fucking good you taste, baby,” he almost moaned. “But that light is turning dark, the longer I touch you. Look at you. You barely flinched when I told you what I was planning for Anderson.”
I wanted to tell him it was a lie. Because with each stolen glance he thinks I don’t notice, with each little smile appearing on his lips because of me, with each stroke of his fingers on my skin, I was glowing brighter and brighter. Yes, the colour of my glow might have changed, shifted, but I was fuckingbeaming.Because of him.
But I knew he would never see it that way. “If that is how you see it, then I don’t want light. I want whatever dark you are. If this is hell, then sign me up.”
He laughed coldly. “This is not hell, Princess. Hell comes later.” He took another step forward. One more step and our bodies would brush. “First the devil lures you.” He took that last step, placing his palm flat against the wall, next to my head. “With a caress here,” he stroked my cheek lightly, as I stopped breathing. “And a kiss there.” He kissed my lips, barely touching them, making me inch after him as he pulled away, leaving me wanting.
“Then he will delight in showing you pleasure like you’ve never experienced. Darling, he will fuck with your head so good, you will be ready to worshiphimas your god.” His breath was hot on my face, sending shiversthrough me. My whole body was tingling in anticipation from the raw look in his eyes. I wanted to crush myself against him, to release the tension between us, but I was frozen. Locked in place by his stare.
My mouth was dry. “Is that when he drags you to hell? Then I’m in serious trouble.” I tried to joke to ease the tension.
