Page 25
“Hades.”
I start to pull away.
His fingers close gently around my wrist.
“Don’t.”
I freeze.
He immediately loosens his hold.
“Unless you wish to.”
I stare at him.
“What is happening?”
He opens his eyes.
“Your touch.”
“What about it?”
“I can feel it.”
“Well, yes. That’s generally how skin works.”
“Not for gods.”
I frown.
He studies my hand against his chest as though it’s something extraordinary.
“For three thousand years, I have watched mortals touch one another. Lovers. Children. Mothers holding their newborns. I have witnessed their joy, their grief, their pleasure.”
His voice drops.
“But I have never experienced it.”
My teasing smile fades.
“Never?”
He shakes his head.
“The gods may inspire desire. We may observe it. But mortal sensation was never ours to possess.”
I glance down at my palm.
“And now?”
His gaze meets mine.
“Now I understand why men have fought wars for a woman’s touch.”
Oh, sweet mercy.
That’s a dangerous thing to say to a girl who hasn’t been properly kissed in months.
