Inescapably Hellbound

by Cassandra Lawson

  “Asshole,” I grumbled.

  Chapter 64

  Persephone

  I’d just turned the bathwater off and was engrossed in my book when the bathroom door slammed open. The shock caused me to sit up quickly and drop my book in the water.

  “No!” I screeched as I fished my book out. I’d just gotten a replacement for the book I’d previously dropped in the tub since I hated reading a book with water damage. I couldn’t believe I’d dropped the replacement in the tub on the first day.

  “Are you okay?” Hades asked, looking worried and less confident than he had when he’d barged into the bathroom.

  “You startled me, and I dropped my book in the tub,” I explained as I pulled it out and shook off the water. “This bathtub is cursed. This is the second time I’ve dropped a book in here.”

  “Sorry for startling you,” he began with a sheepish grin. “I didn’t mean to slam the door open.”

  “But you did mean to barge in on my bath?” I asked.

  “I hoped to join you in your bath,” he replied as his eyes moved to my breasts, which were just above the water while I was sitting up.

  How could I possibly stay angry with him when he was talking about seducing me? Naturally, I’d still make him buy me a new book, but we could discuss that later. “You’ll have to join me now that I’ve drenched my book,” I announced with a straight face.

  “If you insist,” he murmured as he toed off his shoes and began to strip for me. I had no clue why he’d decided to wear so many clothes, but it took far too long for him to get them all off. I’d be happy if he stopped wearing shirts.

  As he stepped into the tub, the water nearly sloshed over the sides. The tub was huge and could easily fit us both. He sat behind me and wrapped his arms around me. When I leaned back against his chest, I let out a sigh. “This is nice.”

  Hades let out a sigh of his own. “Yes, it is very nice.”

  “In the future, you should knock before you come into the bathroom,” I told him. “What if I’d been doing something other than taking a bath?”

  “You’re right,” he agreed. “I’m still working on my social skills. I knew you were in the tub because Beatrice told me she heard the water running a few minutes before I arrived. Still, I can’t just barge in. When you decided to come back here instead of going to my place, it bothered me.”

  “We didn’t discuss where I was staying,” I reminded him. “Rainer thought I should go to your place, but I wasn’t sure. You never even talked about me moving my luggage to your place.”

  His hands moved along my inner thighs under the water. “I’m used to kidnapping women. We never discussed where they were going to live until after I realized they weren’t the one for me.”

  I was silent, not sure I wanted to hear the answer to the question I was about to ask, yet needing to know all the same. “Did you rape them?”

  “No,” Hades replied. “I can see why you’d wonder that, but it seems even I have some limits to what I’ll do. Even without going to those lengths, I ruined the lives of some of the women with my actions. Your aunt wasn’t the only one targeted by some asshole from Olympus. In the early days of my curse, Aphrodite often went after women named Persephone. Some were shunned by their families because of me. I screwed up a lot of lives.”

  Turning slightly, I looked at him over my shoulder. “I’m glad you recognize your mistakes, but you can’t be blamed for the actions of others on Olympus. I’m not saying you didn’t make mistakes. I’m sure you did.”

  “That’s it?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. “You aren’t going to ask me if I regret my mistakes or if I’ve tried making it up to the women I’ve wronged?”

  “How long has it been since your last abduction?” I asked.

  There was a short silence as he considered his answer. “It’s been about a hundred years, maybe more. People started doing their best to avoid having me hear about women named Persephone. I also stopped going anywhere other than the detention areas. I ran into a few demons claiming to be named Persephone. They were hoping to get special privileges. I’m not sure how they expected to pull that off when we have logs of the prisoners.”

  “They probably figured you were desperate, so you’d be willing to try anything,” I replied. “I’m sure it wasn’t all about gaining favors. You’re a very attractive man.”

  “Who scares the hell out of most people.” He turned me in his arms until I was straddling his lap and facing him. “You’re much braver than most.”

  “I’m not always brave,” I whispered.

  “Liar,” he accused softly before cupping the back of my head and pulling me closer for his kiss.

  Chapter 65

  Persephone

  His kiss started out slow as he explored my mouth. I moved closer to press against his erection. I needed more of Hades.

  When he broke the kiss, his breathing was labored and his eyes completely gold. “We should stop. I didn’t bring a condom.”

  “I use a birth control spell,” I assured him as I cupped his cheeks and bit down on his lower lip. “I need you, Hades.”

  He hesitated for little more than a heartbeat before lifting me from his lap and standing. After grabbing a towel and setting it on the counter, he helped me from the tub and then settled me on the towel. Stepping between my legs, he kissed me. His tongue stroked mine, and I sucked on it, savoring his taste. Our wet bodies moved together, and my nipples hardened as they pressed against his chest. By the time he broke the kiss, I was moaning and writhing against him.

  Hades’s lips moved along my jaw and down to my neck. I gripped his shoulders, and my legs wrapped around his waist. Kissing his way down, his tongue swirled around my collar bone before fondling one aching nipple. I grabbed his hair, holding him against my breast as he suckled and occasionally bit down on my sensitive nipple. By the time his attention moved to my other breast, I was throbbing with need.

  “Let me touch your wings,” I pleaded.

  “Fuck me,” he rasped out. “Please, touch my wings.”

  When his wings came out, his power vibrated along my entire body. We both moaned with pleasure when my fingers caressed the soft black feathers. He watched my expression with hooded eyes as I continued to stroke his wings.

  Hades caught my hands and pulled them behind my back before leaning in to bite down on my earlobe. “If you don’t take your hands off my wings for a little while, I’ll be in you before I’m ready. Your touch drives me out of my fucking mind.”

  Without waiting for a response, he dropped to his knees in front of me and lifted my legs over his shoulders. When his tongue glided along my clit, I whimpered with need and gripped his long hair. His tongue swirled and flicked my clit. My eyes widened when he bit down with enough pressure to cause a small jolt of pain. The sensation was intense, almost too much, but when he sucked my clit into his mouth, the contrast was incredible. I found myself begging him for more. “Do that again.”

  Hades growled, sending vibrations along my aching core. “That’s it. Tell me what you like. I’ll always give you what you need.”

  He bit down again and sucked my clit lightly before trapping it in his mouth and strumming the peak with his tongue until I was making soft mewling noises and trying to rock against his face. When I was certain I couldn’t take anymore, he thrust two fingers into me and pressed against the front of my channel. His fingers continued to work just the right spot to make me coil tightly around them. He bit down on my clit one last time, and I screamed with my release. His mouth and fingers eased me through the last of my spasms before he stood and lifted me off the counter.

  I reached between us to position his dick at my entrance as my legs wrapped around his hips. Hades thrust hard into me, causing my spasms to start up again.

  “So perfect,” he ground out when one of my hands moved behind him to touch his feathers. Each touch of his wings sent vibrations through his cock, bringing me closer to the edge.

  “
This is amazing.” My words were strained. It was the truth. Hades set me back on the edge of the counter and thrust hard and fast into me. Loud mewling noises came from the back of my throat. All the while, our power hummed between us, working like a vibrator against my sensitive clit.

  I clawed at his shoulder and tugged at his wings, desperate for more. Pleasure coursed through me until I screamed with my second release.

  Hades called out my name as he came hard inside of me.

  Chapter 66

  Hades

  I held Persephone close as we both recovered from our intense orgasms.

  She recovered her ability to speak first, though it was only one word. “Wow.”

  I chuckled as I reluctantly slid out of her. “I was thinking the same thing, only with more profanity.”

  Persephone giggled at my response. “We’re so different.”

  “Even though you’ve already told me that’s a good thing, I often worry it will end up being too much for you,” I confessed.

  “It won’t,” she assured me. “Being with someone who is too similar would be annoying.”

  “Impossible,” I argued. “There’s nothing annoying about you.”

  “Not even when I ask you a bunch of questions?” she asked.

  I shook my head and wrapped a towel around her. “I love your curiosity.”

  “How about when I insist on going out while you’d rather stay at home?” she asked.

  “Not even then,” I assured her. “While it’s hard for me to go out and do everything you want, it’s also interesting. I’ve been isolated, by my own choice, for a long time. You’re reintroducing me to the world. I need that. I need you.”

  She hugged me and sighed against my chest. “How do you always know the right thing to say?”

  It was impossible to respond because I was laughing so hard. Soon Persephone’s laughter joined mine when she realized how absurd her words sounded.

  “Fine,” she finally said, out of breath from her laughter. “You may not always know the right thing to say, but you try. You also make me happy.”

  “Does this mean you’ll come back to my place?” I asked. I wouldn’t make any assumptions this time.

  “I’d like that very much,” she replied with a smile. “Should I pack up my stuff to stay there while I’m in the demon realm?”

  I hesitated, not because I didn’t want her to stay with me while she was in the demon realm, but because I didn’t want her to go back to her apartment. My mouth opened to tell her that, when I caught myself, deciding we’d talk about that later. I could take things one day at a time. “I’d very much like you to stay with me while you’re in the demon realm. My home isn’t as nice as Lucifer’s.”

  She brought two fingers to my lips to stop me. “I don’t care about that. You don’t have to be like Lucifer. He’s not the fallen angel I’m in love with.”

  “I was actually wondering if you’d like to help me decorate my place?” I asked before adding, “More than decorating, actually. It’s time to do some renovations and make my home more livable.”

  Persephone looked thrilled with the idea. “This will be so much fun! When I get done with your place, you won’t recognize it.”

  “You won’t get rid of my recliners, right?” I asked.

  “Of course not,” she assured me. “Make a list of anything you want to keep the same, so I don’t mess with your man space. Is there somewhere I can go shopping here? Or do I need to go to the human realm to shop?”

  “We have two IKEAs,” I replied.

  “Those stores are popping up everywhere,” she said with a laugh.

  Chapter 67

  Persephone

  I’d been staying with Hades for two weeks, and everything was going well. I’d made some progress on renovating his home, and he didn’t seem to mind any of the changes. Neither of us had discussed the bigger issue—me going home.

  “I thought you and Hades were planning to work more on your communication skills.” That comment came from Beatrice. We’d had very little time alone since I’d started staying with Hades, and it wasn’t merely that our schedules hadn’t coincided. We’d also fallen into the pattern of spending time together with our significant others. I wasn’t complaining. The double dating experience was fun, but there were things I couldn’t talk to Beatrice about in front of Hades and Lucifer.

  “We’ve talked about everything else,” I replied. “It’s crazy that I can’t seem to bring the subject up.”

  “What do you want to do?” Beatrice asked.

  “I want to stay with Hades.” While that was the truth, it was more complicated. “Still, there’s this part of me that feels like it’s too soon. I keep thinking it would be a mistake to move in with Hades when we haven’t even dated. Shouldn’t I expect a courtship first?”

  Beatrice considered my question. “I think this all stems from you growing up surrounded by humans.”

  “I don’t think it’s that,” I argued.

  “Think about it,” she began. “Humans feel they need to spend a lot of time getting to know each other before they commit to spending their lives together. Even then, their relationships often don’t work out. With witches, we can tell early on if our magic is compatible. If we were just looking to find the right person, we could have a binding test done. You broke his curse, so you’re the one for Hades.”

  “I knew before that,” I replied.

  “And, so did he,” she added. “Hades acted differently around you, even before Lucifer told him your name. Dating won’t tell you anything you don’t already know.”

  “So, you really think it’s silly to even consider delaying moving in with Hades,” I deduced.

  She shook her head. “I didn’t say that. Being right for someone doesn’t mean you’re ready to live with them. That’s a huge change, especially when it involves a move to Hell. Even when my magic was bound to Lucifer’s, I wasn’t sure I was ready to live here. While I can come and go as often as I want—for the most part—it’s still very different from the life I envisioned for myself. I’m sure you feel the same.”

  With a sigh, I stood. “I need food. Do you mind if I raid your kitchen?”

  “Of course not,” Beatrice replied as she stood and followed me into the kitchen. “We don’t have any zellafruit, but there’s plenty of ice cream.”

  I was a little disappointed that Lucifer didn’t have zellafruit available for me, even though I’d had some for breakfast. It was addictive. “Ice cream is always good for stress,” I replied.

  Beatrice got out the bowls, spoons, and scooper, while I grabbed the ice cream.

  “I assumed you’d agreed to stay with Hades,” she admitted. “You are in charge of redecorating his home.”

  “I can see why that would give you the impression that we’ve settled everything,” I admitted. “That might be what Hades thinks, too.”

  “This isn’t like you.” Beatrice was watching me as I scooped out the ice cream, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Normally, you have no problem telling people what you want or need. Why is this so hard with Hades?”

  “Because I’m not sure what I want or need.” That didn’t sound right. “What am I saying? I want to be with Hades. He’s difficult at times, but he gives me space when I need it, and he always makes sure we have plenty of zellafruit. While he claims he’s not romantic, he already knows my favorite type of chocolate and makes sure we never run out. He’s even had lunch delivered to me at work when I messaged him to say I was hungry and wasn’t sure when I’d be able to leave for my break.”

  Beatrice giggled. “It’s hard to believe he’s the same Hades we first met.”

  “Not really,” I argued. “He was always sweet with me.”

  “True, but he always looked at you like he was about to kidnap you,” she reminded me.

  “But he didn’t.”

  “You’re right,” she agreed. “So, you want to be with Hades. Is it Hell you aren’t ready for?”
r />   “Maybe,” I replied, still not sure what was holding me back. “You really think my time around humans is making this hard for me?”

  “I think that’s very likely the cause,” she replied. “You need to discuss this with Hades. There’s nothing wrong with you wanting to date. You may need to compromise some since I’m not sure Hades is the type to date. He’s trying, but you need to consider that his view on how relationships work is different. You both need to find a middle ground.”

  I grinned at my friend. “Look at you!”

  “What?” she asked cautiously.

  “You’ve only been married a few months, and you’re already acting like a relationship expert,” I replied.

  She snorted in response.

  “You are!” I insisted.

  “Oh, please,” she said with a laugh. “So, are you going to talk to Hades about all of this tonight?”

  I nodded. “We’ll figure out a compromise that works for both of us.”

  Chapter 68

  Hades

  It had been two weeks since I’d heard from anyone on Olympus, leading me to the conclusion that they’d forgotten about their most recent plot. Persephone was safe, and she could return to her apartment if she wanted to. I was hoping she didn’t want to. While I’d been tempted to broach the subject earlier, I’d decided against it, wanting instead to give her more time to get used to life in the demon realm.

  “Hades!” Persephone called out when she entered my home.

  “I’m in here,” I replied.

  “I want to talk to you.” She giggled when she saw me.

  I didn’t blame her. I looked ridiculous in board shorts and a blue shirt with pineapples on it. It was the look I was going for, fun and a little goofy. Fine, a lot goofy.

  “Why are you dressed like that?” she asked with a giggle.

  “I have a surprise for you,” I replied with a grin.

  “I’m definitely surprised. That shirt is quite festive.”

  “Tacky was the word I used when I saw it,” I told her. “It may seem strange, but I decided that, since I’m planning something totally out of the ordinary, I’d dress out of the ordinary.”