by Carly Spade
“Moussaka. Minced lamb. Potato. One of my favorites.”
After dipping the fork into the cheesy deliciousness, I shoveled it in. I moaned from the flavors exploding in my mouth. Cheese, onion, and, cinnamon. “And here I thought you ate worms and eyeballs.”
He stopped his fork halfway to his mouth, frowning. “I am tryin’ to eat here.”
I’d stuffed another hunk in my mouth and shoved it into one cheek. “Sorry.”
“Is it strange I enjoy watchin’ you eat?” He watched me, absently holding his fork.
“If you were anyone else, I’d say it was a bit creepy. But I can’t imagine you don’t see many mortals eating in the Underworld. Or that you’d want to, considering they’d be damning themselves to eternity there.”
“Very intuitive.”
“Par for the course in my profession.”
His eyes flashed. “Mine too.”
“Why were you, in particular, charged with the Underworld? Did you draw the short straw or something?”
“No. He’d never say it, but Zeus knew I was the only one capable of handlin’ such a task. Poseidon is far too adventurous, and Zeus is too frivolous. Neither of them would’ve lasted a week down there, let alone eons.” He shook his head, glaring into his glass.
“So, you’re the least crazy out of them all?”
“If you want to put it that way, then yeah. I’ve accepted what I need to do. It means I can’t be on the surface for a great amount of time, otherwise, there’d be thousands of souls with no direction.”
I scraped my fork against the bottom of my plate, eating every bit of sauce I could. Would it be bad manners to lick it? Probably. “That is extremely mature of you.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“Oh, it is. Trust me. Especially with the way some men are these days.” I winced. “Not that you’re—a man. I mean you’re—”
“I know what you meant. Thank you kindly.”
I bit down on my lip. “Could we maybe take a walk on the beach?”
His face brightened. “Uh, sure. Let me pay our bill.”
I grinned, scooting out of the booth. “I’ll meet you outside.”
As I made my way down the wooden ramp leading to the shoreline, the moon glowed bright, casting a white hue over anything it touched. The stars, as clear as day, twinkled with intensity. With all the lights and smog around Chicago, you’d have to drive hours before seeing a sky like that. His hand touched the back of my arm, and I gasped.
“Didn’t mean to startle you,” Hades said.
“Did you levitate over here?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Normally, I could, but figured it might turn too many heads.”
I slid off my flats, letting the sand seep between my toes.
“I’m thankful you asked for a romantic walk along the beach under the moon. But I can’t help but feel you have an ulterior motive,” he said, his eyes squinting.
“There goes that intuition again.” I simpered, curling my hair over my ears. “I wondered if you could—do the smoke trick again? Now that I know. That I…believe.”
The skin at the corners of his eyes crinkled as he scoped the deserted beach. The tips of his shoes brushed my toes as he moved in front of me. The black smoke built up at our feet, swirling like a pinwheel around us. It traveled over my chest, then flowed over my neck and cheeks. The eerie calm put me at ease, and I closed my eyes.
“Where is this coming from?” I asked through a sigh.
It flowed through my hair, shifting some of it to drape over my shoulder.
“The Underworld. More specifically, the river Styx. It’s the current that helps the souls travel to their destination.”
My eyes flew open. “I have dead people caressing me right now?”
A corner of his mouth quirked. “No. Just smoke.”
“Was that a hint of a sliver of a smile I saw?” I nibbled on my lip.
“You wish.”
The smoke hovered over my chest. I looked down and shot him a glare. “Are you copping a feel with your smoke monster?”
He pressed a hand to his chest. “I think I’m offended.” A wicked glint formed in his eyes.
“I like this side of you.”
“The side which unabashedly sneaks a feel of you without usin’ my hands?” His brow raised.
I laughed and swatted his arm, leaving my hand on his bicep. “The playful side. Makes you seem so—human.”
“It’s a side of me I thought was lost.” He stared at my hand on his arm before shifting his gaze to my face. “I may have been wrong.”
The smoke faded away, but my hand remained glued to his arm. My lashes fluttered as we stared at each other in silence.
“I should probably get back to the room,” I said. “I appreciate you telling me the real story behind Persephone. Put a lot of things in perspective.”
“I’m glad.”
“Will you meet me in the pool tomorrow?”
He cocked his head to one side. “The pool?”
“We need to practice the lift.”
“You remember the part about bein’ a god, right? Strength being a given?”
I batted my lashes. “Please?”
“As you wish.” He bowed his head.
Princess Bride. How did he keep doing that? Did he even know he was?
“Well, I’ll see ya,” I said, turning away.
“What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t escort you to your room?”
I turned on my heel, biting back a smile. “Your southern charm?”
“You don’t seem to mind the accent I chose for my mortal form, darlin’.” He shook his head.
“Why did you choose that accent? This…look? Do you all get to choose how you appear at any given time?”
We walked on the tiled pathway to my room. He sunk his hands in his pants pockets.
“We can appear as anyone or anything we choose. It’d been so long since I’ve been on the surface, I did some quick research and chose an accent that seemed comfortin’ to most mortals. Inviting.”
“And your appearance?”
He smirked. “Random.”
We walked the rest of the way in silence and arrived at my door. I curled my hair over my ears and rummaged through my clutch for the key.
“You seem nervous,” his voice rumbled.
I found the key and held it up in the air like a piece of gold. “Nervous, why would I be nervous?”
He pressed his hand against the doorframe near my head, leaning forward. His eyes searched my face as if judging my reaction to his proximity. His gaze dropped to my lips.
Oh, my God. The King of the Underworld was about to kiss me.
His mouth hovered over mine before moving to my cheek, giving it a peck. “Goodnight, Stephanie.”
“Good—” I stood frozen like a statue, still feeling the brush of his beard on my skin.
He backed away, giving me a mischievous curl of his lip.
“Night,” I finished.
I’d seemingly brought out a new side to Hades. A deeply buried side. And he liked it.
“How many more times are you going to look for him?” Sara asked, fishing for her straw with her mouth.
My eyes fixed on her after peering over my shoulder for the twentieth time since we’d sat down at the swim-up bar. “What are you talking about?”
She rolled her eyes. “You’ve barely said a word and keep looking around. Is he supposed to meet you here or something?”
Her gaze moved over my shoulder, fingertips tracing over the dip between her breasts.
Behind me, Hades took labored steps into the pool, clad in a pair of black boardshorts. I kept my fist under my chin to keep my jaw from dropping. He winced when the water hit his stomach, making his muscles clench. In turn, it caused something of my own to clench. It wasn’t an exaggeration of how close he resembled a Greek statue, right down to the individually carved abdominal muscles. I’d already seen him shirtless, but s
omehow, he managed to look even sexier today. He waded over to our stools; his hands balled into fists beneath the water.
“Well, hello again, Hades.” Sara took the opportunity to scan him.
He nodded. “Sara.”
I gripped my stool to keep from falling off it.
“Darlin’,” he said to me, with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Hi,” I squeaked.
He put his hands on each side of the bar top, caging me in. “Did I ever tell you how much I hate the water?”
“Yes.” I gulped.
“And yet you’ve managed to coax me into it for the second time since we’ve met.”
I chewed on my lip, and my gaze dropped to his chest. “A sick, sick ploy to continuously get your shirt off.”
“How naughty.” His lips brushed my ear, and he whispered, “Careful. I may need to punish you in Tartarus.”
Goosebumps littered my skin, and I tried not to squeak again.
“Umm, should I leave you two alone?” Sara asked.
He stepped back, and I quickly stuck my tongue out at Sara.
Hades leaned on the bar beside me and jutted his chin at the bartender. “Whiskey. Neat.”
“Well, look who decided to join the crowd,” Rupert said.
“Oh, boy,” Sara mumbled, pulling on the brim of her floppy hat.
Hades cocked an eyebrow. “Something I should know?”
“Rupert’s been a bit of a pill lately. He insists on drinking like a fish and doesn’t like it when Michelle tells him he shouldn’t,” I whispered.
He narrowed his eyes, staring at Rupert over the rim of his glass.
“I thought they were going to bloody well carve your name into that stool at the other bar,” Rupert said to Hades, chuckling.
Michelle batted his shoulder. “Be nice.”
“Well, I’m surprised they haven’t etched your name into every bottle across the resort,” Hades retorted, casually sipping his drink.
Rupert slipped his sunglasses onto his head with a glare. “What did you just say?”
Michelle grabbed Rupert’s shoulder. “He’s just a bit antsy about the dance contest is all.” She patted him.
“Oh? Did you two enter?” I asked, scooting back on my stool. I would’ve fallen off if it weren’t for Hades’ hand pressing against my lower back, steadying me.
“We did! It’s a shame it’s for Valentine’s Day, being couples only and all. You love that movie, don’t you?” Michelle asked.
Hades’ arm slipped around my waist, his hand resting on the top of my thigh. If I’d been capable of melting into a puddle, I might have. “She is here with someone as luck would have it. Just established last night. Isn’t that right, darlin’?”
I leaned into him and awkwardly patted his very bare shoulder. “That’s right!”
Sara gave me a look over the top of her sunglasses. I wanted to kick her in the shin.
“How bloody convenient,” Rupert muttered, leaning on the bar near Hades.
I forced a laugh and tugged on Hades’ arm. “Can I talk to you for a second?
Once we were out of earshot from everyone else, I swatted his arm. “What are you doing?”
He eyed me sidelong. “What do you mean?”
“You just told everyone we’re together.”
He squinted. “How else would we enter the contest?”
“I figured they just meant two people.”
“For Valentine’s Day? A holiday that’s known across the globe for its romanticism?” He raised a brow.
He had me there.
“Would you be more comfortable entering the contest with someone else?” He asked.
No, I really wouldn’t. I wanted it to be him more than anything.
I shook my head.
“Good.” He took my hand and led me back to the bar, slipping his arm around my waist. Hades cocked his head to the side until Rupert looked at him. Neither man said a word, but Rupert’s eyes widened, and his bottom lip quivered.
“You’re looking a little pale there, Rupe,” Hades said, still staring him down.
I lifted my sunglasses. Rupert was more than pale. Talk about downright terrified.
Rupert reached behind him for Michelle, grasping at nothing but air the first several tries before latching onto her arm. “Let’s uh—let’s go to the other side of the bar, eh?”
“What? Why?” She asked as he pulled her away.
I narrowed my eyes at Hades. “What did you do to him?”
He finished his drink. “Nothing he didn’t deserve.”
“Hades…”
He planted a quick kiss at the corner of my brow and moved to the open space of the pool. “You ready to try this lift?”
It happened so quickly, so naturally, I was at a loss for words. I traced my finger over the spot he kissed, staring down at my legs.
“Hey, space cadet. Hades is calling for you,” Sara said, nudging me with her elbow.
I tossed her a glare and hopped off my stool. She forced her grin so wide it made her look like a crazed clown. Hades stood in the middle of the pool, his arms stiff at his sides.
“You should probably make this look somewhat difficult for yourself,” I said.
His brow furrowed. “By doing what?”
“I don’t know. Drop me a few times?”
“You want me to drop you? On purpose?”
“Yeah. It’s a pool. That’s why the creators used a lake in the movie. So no one would get hurt.”
He dragged a hand through his hair, slicking it back with water. “Whatever you say, darlin’. Am I just liftin’ ya over my head and holding you there?”
“Right. You haven’t seen the movie. Yes. Lift me over your head by my hips. That’s it.”
“I can handle that.”
My heart raced with excitement as I moved to stand in front of him. “Ready?”
He lifted his hands out of the water, making come hither gestures. I took a step forward. He used both hands, gripped my hips, and hoisted me up over his head. I sported my best superman pose, ready to balance, and he let go. I belly-flopped into the water with a loud clap. The gasps and laughter from people sitting at the bar were so audible I could hear them underwater. Mortified couldn’t begin to describe it.
I sputtered water and parted my wet hair away from my face. “Why did you do that?”
“You told me to drop you.” His eyes shifted.
“Yes. Yes, I did. But that doesn’t mean to simply…let go.” I flicked my wrist, spraying water.
“So, you want me to drop you, but not by letting go of you?” One of his eyes squinted.
“No! Well, yes—in a manner of speaking?”
He continued to one eye squint.
“You know what? Forget it. Just lift me.”
He didn’t give me time to prepare myself. His hands gripped my hips, and he lifted me over his head. His arms weren’t even shaking. I was so giddy, I forgot to strike the pose, but didn’t care. He let go, while simultaneously turning my body. I fell into his arms and let out the girliest squeal. Biting my lip, I draped an arm around the back of his neck.
“Was that about right?” He asked, tantalizing me with his gaze.
I nodded.
He let go of my legs, and I quieted a whimper, already missing the feeling of being cradled in his arms for the second time. Michelle abandoned Rupert on the other side of the bar. She stared at Hades, biting the plastic straw in her drink. Rupert hid as far away as possible.
“Tell me, Hades, what do you do for work?” Michelle asked, turning her body to face him.
He leaned on the bar. “Odds and ends. I work from home now, but before that, I was mostly the carrier and divider of souls.”
I laughed uncontrollably, stepping between him and Michelle. “He’s a—funeral director. So, in a way, he assists in carrying their uh—souls to the afterlife.”
Hades smirked at me.
“Interesting. How does someone direct funerals re
motely?” Sara cocked an eyebrow.
Amidst the lying, I’d forgotten Hades’ lie from yesterday.
“Uhhh—well,” I started while twirling my hair.
“The bodies aren’t part of my jurisdiction. For the final…arrangements is where I come in,” Hades said with the coolness of a cucumber. “But recently, I’ve had more of a hand with the bodies themselves due to a coworker up and…quitting.”
Sara narrowed her eyes with a smirk.
Guy walked up in the middle of the enthralling conversation. “Did I hear you’re a funeral director? Must be a pretty grim job, eh?” He asked, claiming a stool.
“Grim doesn’t begin to scratch the surface,” Hades responded.
Sara narrowed her eyes. “You failed to mention the funeral director part yesterday. Must get pretty lonely. Hanging out with dead bodies all day who don’t uphold their side of the conversation?”
“If anything, it’s usually begging and pleading, so I tune them out,” Hades said, sipping from his glass.
Everyone froze.
I forced another bout of nervous chuckles. “He’s kidding. This guy is a regular jokester, aren’t you Had?”
His eyes gleamed. “I’m a comedian.”
“Well, you two have something in common, Sara. Only you see fresh dead bodies.” When everyone remained frozen on their stools, I quickly followed up with, “She’s a detective.”
Guy grinned. “You are? You haven’t said anything. That’s pretty cool.”
Sara’s lips pursed together. I could feel her glare, even though her sunglasses masked it. Michelle scooted closer to Hades.
“I have to admit I’ve never seen a funeral director who looks,” she paused, motioning with her hand over his physique. “Like you.”
What was with her sudden fascination with him?
“Oh? What should I look like?” He asked, leaning on the bar with one elbow. He reached his other arm out and guided me to his hip.
Michelle laughed, draping a hand over her mouth. “The polar opposite, I suppose.”
“Shelly, let’s get some bloody food. I’m starving,” Rupert said from afar. He didn’t look in Hades’ direction, beckoning Michelle with an outstretched hand.
She sighed and slid off her stool. “Until next time.” She flashed a smile at Hades.
A strange pit formed in my stomach. “Would you mind toning down the aura?”