by Tee, Marian
"Anyway, I was wondering if perhaps—-" I broke off when he tossed something into the air, and my eyes widened when I realized what it was.
"Is that my coin?" I blurted out.
"Yes."
As Mr. Soldier spoke, the coin's descent gradually slowed to a stop...and it now remained suspended in mid-air as if held by an invisible hand.
"Do you know what's written on this coin?"
I shook my head.
"The characters on it translate to die and kill in your language."
"Uh..." What was he saying here exactly? Was this his way of accusing me for some crime? Was he telling me someone wanted me dead? Or maybe he was just translating the words, and I was reading too much into nothing?
Clearing my throat, I decided to take the diplomatic route and made myself smile politely as I told him, "I'm sure that's just a coincidence."
"In our language, the words would be pronounced as Si. Er. Sha."
Suh-ur-sha?
"That sounds awfully like my name," I said uneasily.
"Do you still think it's a coincidence then?"
I grimaced. "Obviously...no."
"You are taking this quite well," Mr. Soldier noted.
"I'm kinda used to people wanting to kill me."
"Ah."
"But it's not because I'm hateful or anything like that," I added.
"I see."
"I'm not lying!"
Mr. Soldier grunted, and I told myself that was his version of saying he knew I was telling the truth. Which I was. I mean...you guys don't think I'm hateful, right? Annoying maybe, but in an adorable way, and—-
"What the hell do you think—-!"
Mr. Soldier had suddenly taken hold of my hand to press the coin into my palm.
"AAAAAAAAH!"
I couldn't help gasping in pain as the coin in my hand suddenly started burning and melting into my flesh.
Mr. Soldier's gaze locked with mine. "Tell Hades he will owe me for this."
Chapter Seven
A white-faced Hadrian was staring down at me when I opened my eyes, and behind him was the familiar ceiling of his thirteenth-floor apartment. Thank Gaea I was finally back—-oh!
Hadrian had hauled me up into his arms, and with my cheek pressed against his rock-hard chest, I could feel how frantic his heart was still beating.
"One of these days, my love..." Hadrian's tone was resigned. "You're certain to succeed at giving me a heart attack."
I started to apologize, but with my husband already cupping my cheeks and his tongue thrusting into my mouth, all I could do was kiss him back, knowing that this was the best way to let him know I was fine.
When he finally eased off, minutes had passed, and I felt dizzy and breathless for a whole different reason.
"I'm sorry," he said gruffly.
"I'm not," I said feelingly. "We can do it again, too, if you want."
His features softened, and my heart skipped a beat. Whenever Hadrian looked at me with such tenderness, whatever worries I had simply faded away, and everything in my world felt right again...even if there always seemed someone new wanting to kill me.
Hadrian asked me if I was ready to talk, and a vivid memory flashed in my mind: a coin burning and melting into my flesh—-
My fingers uncurled involuntarily, and when I glanced down, I was stunned to see two Chinese characters tattooed on my palm in bright red ink.
Hadrian's lips tightened as he gazed down at my hand. "Do you know what this means?"
I shook my head.
"It's a name," Hadrian said flatly.
"Li Shang?" I guessed hopefully.
My husband's forehead creased. "Li Shang?"
"Um, never mind." If he realized Li Shang was another Disney character, I had a feeling Hadrian might kill me for real this time.
"These characters spell the name Yan Wang. He's the Chinese god of death—-"
My brows shot up. "Are you saying Chinese ghosts aren't allowed in your Underworld?" Because if he was, that was kinda—-oh, good, he was shaking his head.
"He is who I am in his realm."
"Ah." I totally got it now. "We're talking Spiderverse, right?"
"Parallel universe," Hadrian corrected.
"Exactly. Spiderverse."
Hadrian's lips curved, and I automatically smiled back, knowing that we had just silently agreed to disagree.
"How did you know to look for Yan Wang?"
I dug into my pocket to show him Little Iron, and Hadrian nodded in understanding. "He had me a little worried in the beginning," I admitted ruefully. "I asked Little Iron to show me the coin's owner first, and it just kept hopping—-"
Hadrian nodded thoughtfully. "As it should've."
Should have?
"You were the coin's owner, milady. Little Iron could only hop on your hand since it had nowhere else to go."
Oh, so that was what the hopping was all about!
Hadrian's gaze gleamed. "You didn't realize what it was doing?"
"Of course I did!" Not.
"Then—-"
"Anyway." I changed the topic in a rush and saw Hadrian's jaw harden noticeably as I relayed to him everything Yan Wang had said. He looked murderously grim by the time I finished...but not surprised.
"Is there something you don't know about their world?"
"Not much."
Gaah. With other men, those two words could've sounded obnoxious and distasteful, but since this was Hadrian, his mild tone only made it seem as if he was stating a fact, and it was honestly one of my favorite things about him. I just loved it so much every time he calmly asserted his Greek god...ship?
"Coins from their realm are made of powerful magic," Hadrian went on to say. "They can be used to trap the living in the Underworld and allow ghosts to take their place aboveground. In other cases, coins can be used to place a death curse on a person—-"
"Like mine," I said gloomily.
"The moment you touched the coin, you must've seen shadows or some semblance of darkness?"
I nodded reluctantly, remembering that strange sensation I had when my fingers came in contact with the coin. The shadows had been real, after all, never mind if this was one of the rare times I wished I was mistaken.
"Those shadows could and would have killed you in an instant...if you were human. But because you are who you are..."
Hadrian's pause was noticeable, and I couldn't help smiling despite everything. "Because I'm LOTUS," I said sweetly. "You can say it, can't you?"
"Because you're the Lady of the Underworld," Hadrian said instead as if he hadn't heard a thing, "the next worst thing the coin could've done was to trap you there for eternity. Even gods and goddesses require souls to exist, and if your soul hadn't returned to its physical shell in time, your body would've eventually lost its immortality and become susceptible to death."
And Little Iron might've known that, I realized, which could then explain why it had been in such a hurry for me to get to Yan Wang.
"If, on the other hand, someone succeeded in taking your life over there, it would've been worse. Your soul would remain trapped in their world...for eternity."
I could only stare at him in silence for several moments, my mind still reeling from all of the risks that I had unknowingly taken. Lost immortality. Death. Trapped for eternity. I couldn't believe I had risked all of that...and all because I had this silly habit of picking loose change?
"I'm sorry," I told Hadrian morosely. His one and only wish was to keep my neck out of trouble for a month, and I hadn't been unable to last a day. With my current track record, I really wouldn't be surprised if I ended up being assigned the title of Goddess of People Who Always Get Themselves in Trouble for the Stupidest Reasons.
"You were lucky Little Iron took you to Yan Wang," Hadrian said gently.
"I know." I was lucky as hell, but...what if there came a time when I was no longer lucky?
I hated how I always seemed to be causing Hadrian trouble. He deserved s
omeone wiser. Or at least someone who took better care—-
"What is it, love?" Hadrian asked quietly.
"What if I didn't have Little Iron then?"
"I'm sure you'd have still figured out a way to come back to me," he said calmly.
"But that's the thing, isn't it? You can't really be sure—-"
"I am."
A helpless smile touched my lips. "How can you be so sure?"
"A gut feeling, I suppose."
My eyebrows shot up. "And that's it?"
Hadrian seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then he said rather slowly, "I was a very different man before I met you. I was cold and unemotional. Rigid. There was nothing I despised more than losing control, and so for someone who knew for a fact that God existed, I preferred to close my eyes to this."
"Because if you believed in God, then it would mean you weren't completely in control."
"Yes."
"Are you saying then...I made you believe in God?"
Hadrian's lips twitched. "Because of you, milady, I have no choice but to believe in God. No matter how many precautions I take, you never fail to find a way to get yourself in trouble, and even worse—-" My husband's tone turned wry. "It always seems to happen when I'm not around to help you."
"And so all you have left," I concluded, "is to believe that God will keep me safe." I really thought this was the case, too, but Hadrian surprised me by shaking his head.
"I don't think God ever gets involved to that extent," Hadrian said contemplatively. "I think it's more of me choosing to believe that God wouldn't ever put any of us in a situation we couldn't personally overcome, and that our success or survival is largely dependent on how much we believe in ourselves."
I started to smile, thinking that this was his way of telling me he believed I was strong and wise, but then when I mentally went over his words for a second time—-
I looked at him suspiciously. "Is that your way of saying I have too big an ego to get myself killed?"
"I prefer brimming with confidence."
I made a face. "Not funny."
"Tis just a joke, my love." Hadrian kissed my nose in apology, and I quickly wrapped my arms around him before he could pull away.
"Thank you," I whispered.
"For what?"
I pulled back so I could grin up at him. "For choosing to believe I'm brimming with confidence."
Hadrian chuckled.
"But...on a more serious note, though. If, for instance, I didn't have Little Iron with me, and I didn't manage to find Yan Wang either, is there any other way for me to get back here?"
Hadrian's expression turned pensive. "There are two other possibilities, but both would require you to find out who placed the death curse on your name."
"And if I do find out who it was?"
"You either convince them to take the curse back...or kill them to nullify the curse."
"Am I still cursed?" I blurted out.
Hadrian shook his head. "Yan Wang's mark on your hand is proof that the curse has been broken. However..." Warning glinted in my husband's gaze. "You must take care not to find yourself trapped in his world again. I highly doubt Yan Wang will aid you for the second time. He stands to be accused of playing favorites and breaking his own rules if he were to do so, and that is never a good thing for one in our positions."
"I won't touch any magical coins again, I promise."
"Coins are not the only way they can set a trap, milady."
"No falling for any kind of traps then. I swear."
"Our powers are also vastly weakened when we are not in our respective realms," Hadrian went on to say, "so take that as another reason to avoid crossing to their world."
"Got it."
Hadrian's gaze narrowed. "Are you really taking this seriously?"
"I am!"
"This is truly no trifling matter, love. I might not even have found your body earlier if not for Mary Priscilla—-"
Shit.
The mention of the little girl's name made me groan in shame.
How could I have forgotten about her?
"Is she alright?" I asked anxiously.
"She's fine," Hadrian swiftly assured me. "She showed incredible bravery when she appeared in my presence—-"
"She did what?" Just as humans instinctively feared ghosts, so did ghosts instinctively feared Hadrian, whom they only knew as the mysterious Man in Black. Even Mary Priscilla admitted to being frightened of him, and so for her to do such a thing...
"She was very worried about you," Hadrian murmured. "She even volunteered to lead me to your body."
"Aww." I was incredibly touched, but I also had a feeling if I asked Mary Priscilla about it, the brat would deny it to her last haunting breath.
"You are lucky to have such a loyal companion."
"I know, right? Isn't she the bravest thing ever?"
"I said that earlier, my love."
"No, no, you said she showed incredible bravery," I countered, "and that's different from being the bravest thing ever."
"Ah."
Hadrian appeared suitably enlightened, but since his handsome face tended to be impassive 99.9% of the time, it was kinda hard to tell. Nevertheless, I looked at him hopefully, asking, "Don't you think she deserves some kind of, um, place with us in the Underworld?"
Hadrian's silver eyes gleamed. "The child did mention something about a position you had supposedly promised her."
Eep.
My husband cocked his head to the side, asking, "Care to tell me more about this position, milady?"
"Actually, milord..." I fluttered my lashes at him, hoping he'd find it irresistibly attractive, but when I saw his lips twitch instead, I decided something was better than nothing, and amused was always more preferable than angry.
"Do you, um, think you could tell me what kind of position that would be?"
"Hm."
It was my turn to feel my lips twitch. It had been ages since I last heard him grunt a la Henry Cavill's Witcher, and the sound made me feel just a little giddy and breathless. I just loved how all these manly, macho things came so naturally to my husband—-
"Oh my God!"
Hadrian stiffened. "What is it?"
"It's nothing bad," I assured him with a grin. "It's just because I remembered something about when I was talking to Yan Wang. He did this grunt thing like you did earlier, and at that time, I couldn't figure out why it sounded so familiar, but now—-mmph!"
Hadrian had cut me off with a kiss while pushing me back down the bed, and I could only moan and wrap my arms around his neck when I felt the hot, muscular weight of his body settling between my legs.
I had no idea why we were suddenly making love, but I certainly wasn't going to complain, and it was only when two hours and three climaxes had passed that Hadrian finally lifted his mouth off mine to give me a rare moment to catch my breath.
"Are you okay?" Hadrian gritted out even as his cock continued to ram relentlessly into my pussy.
I meant to tell him I was having the time of my life, but when I looked up, and saw the silvery swirl of emotions in his gaze, the truth suddenly hit me—-
"You're jealous?"
Hadrian pulled out and flipped me to my stomach instead of answering, and I could only whimper as he drove back inside of me with so much force that it had my whole body stiffening and my eyes rolling back.
"What do you think, my love?" Hadrian growled between thrusts. "Do I have any reason to be jealous?"
I shook my head vehemently, mainly because it was all I could do, with my vocal capabilities now reduced into helpless whimpers and moans.
"But if I were—-"
God, he was going so, so fast.
"Do you—-"
And it was so...
"Have any—-"
So...
"Complaints—-"
Goooooooooooooood.
"About it?"
Hadrian's gaze locked with mine at that moment, and all I could do was
shake my head as a sensual shudder rocked my body—-
No, no, no!
No complaints whatsoever!
And I started to cum.
Chapter Eight
"You look haggard, o Not So Great LOTUS."
It was morning the next day, and said observation came from an ever annoying Mary Priscilla, who was now officially (but not proudly) recognized as the one and only Handmaiden to the Lady of the Underworld. Although the new position didn't immediately promise high wages (she had to complete probation first, apparently), it did come with one major perk, which was that she was now magically "cured" of her instinctive fear of the Man in Black.
She'd never be able to do anything otherwise, if she was too busy running and hiding every time Hadrian came around.
"You're walking kinda funny, too," Mary Priscilla noted curiously as we descended the grand staircase. "Did something happen to you in the Chinese Underworld?"
"Um..."
"I thought goddesses were supposed to be injury-proof."
The words quickly had me biting my lip, lest I ended up giggling like a silly schoolgirl. While what Mary Priscilla was saying was mostly true, and physical harm didn't come all too easily to immortals, it was a completely different matter altogether when it was another god hurting you—-
And real good, too, I thought dreamily.
But since I couldn't very well speak such truths to a kid...
"There's no need to worry," I told her as we entered the Underworld's dining hall. "I just had a bit of an, um, workout last night—-"
"I was just curious," Mary Priscilla clarified as we took our seats at the table. "Did I say anything about being worried?"
I tossed my napkin at her, but since the girl was still a ghost even as my handmaiden, the napkin simply went through the ruffles and lace of her pretty white dress.
"Horrible little brat!"
Mary Priscilla gave me her sweetest smile, saying, "It's not a crime to be honest."
"You know what else isn't a crime?" I growled. "Killing a ghost! Because guess what? You're already—-"
"Where art thou manners, child?"
I dealt Mary Priscilla a smug smile as Hadrian and his ARM came in to join us. "Did you hear that, kid?"
"I did," Mary Priscilla said right away. "And he was also looking at you while he was speaking."