“I’m not trying to hurt you.” She put her hand on his shoulder. The gesture lacked the soaring heat of their previous interactions and conveyed mere friendly concern. “I meant what I said back there. I’d never want to bring you pain, not after everything you’ve done to make my stay here a happy one.”
Apparently, all his efforts to secure her happiness hadn’t been enough to make her stay. “You’re afraid if we make love ...” He put his hand over hers, slowly lowering it into the water, away from his body. “You’re afraid if you let me inside you ...”
She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes.
“You’re afraid if we make each other come until we’re both limp and soaked with sweat ... it will strengthen the connection between us.”
She opened her eyes, a heavy, drugged expression on her face. “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”
He let his gaze devour her breasts. “Don’t you think it might be worth it?”
She scrubbed her forehead with her hand. “I think we can’t afford to find out.”
He lifted her hand and kissed it in the old familiar way. “As you wish, my lady.” He let her hand go and swam toward to ladder. “But if you change your mind ...” He glanced back at her over his shoulder as he climbed out of the pool. “... you know where my bedroom is.”
He stood beside the pool, drying himself with the towel he’d placed on a nearby chaise lounge. Her mouth hung open in surprise. Not bothering to cover himself, he turned and went through the doorway that led to his private chambers.
She could deny it all she wanted, but their heat and passion was mutual. If making love would form a stronger connection on her part, then he had to find a way to get her into his bed as soon as possible. If it would make her stay with him, he’d keep her in his bed until the next millennium rolled around.
Not that he’d have any objections to such a plan under the best of circumstances. He grinned to himself.
He just had to find a way to make her give up her resistance and realize they were meant to be.
* * * * *
“Can I take the blindfold off now? Please?” Hyacinth groped blindly at the scarf covering her eyes.
“Not yet.” Hades held her hand, directing her step by step, but she still longed to see exactly where they were. They’d been walking for a while, and she could tell they were outside, but otherwise she didn’t have a clue.
“Almost there.” He took her other hand in his. “Step down.” His voice came from in front of her now, instead of from her side.
She gingerly put a foot down, feeling for solid ground. He led her down three small steps and stopped her.
“Here we are.” He reached around to untie her blindfold.
The scarf fell away, and she blinked a few times, her eyes struggling to adjust to the bright sunlight.
“Where are we?” She took in the towering trees hung with golden fruit, the green grass topped with bushes bearing crimson roses, and the majestic white gates in the distance, looking as if they’d been carved from solid mother of pearl. A strong west wind blew her hair back from her face and cooled her skin deliciously. She inhaled deeply, realizing the wind carried the scent of incense.
“This must be paradise.” She gazed around with wonder.
“Close enough.” Hades wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his chin on the top of her head. “This is the gateway to the Elysian Fields.”
“No wonder it took so long to walk here.” She nestled into his embrace and sighed with contentment.
“Says the lady who walks all the way to Persephone’s grove every day to feed the owls.”
He must’ve memorized her routine. “This is a wonderful surprise ... I’m so glad I got the chance to see it.”
“And I’m glad I got the chance to show you.” His arms tightened around her. “But we’ll see much more, before the day is done.”
She craned her neck to look up at him. “How so?”
“Watch this.” He released her and stepped back, taking a golden whistle from his pocket. He blew into it and a lilting tune emerged. He flashed a smile and pointed to the sky.
She squinted against the sun, scanning the clouds. “I don’t see anything.” She glanced over her shoulder at Hades.
He put the whistle back in his pocket. “You will.”
She turned her attention back to the sky. It remained unchanged, the same placid clouds drifting across a brilliant sky.
“Look to the west.” Hades spoke from behind her.
She followed his suggestion, gazing up until her neck cramped. “It might help if I knew what to look for.”
He laughed. “You’ll know it when you see it.”
She was about to answer when something appeared between the clouds, a white speck, moving rapidly through the sky.
“I see it!” She hopped up and down. “But what the heck is it?” It came closer by the second, until she could make out the shape of a horse.
A horse with wings.
“Oh my God.” She couldn’t take her eyes from the sight of the white equine speeding toward them on angelic wings. “Is that who I think it is?”
“Pegasus!” Hades beckoned the creature toward them. “Feel like giving us a ride today?”
With more grace than the finest Russian ballerina, the horse came to land on delicate hooves a few yards away from where Hades stood. Hyacinth gaped, astounded by the creature’s beauty.
He pawed the ground with his front hoof and let out an affirmative whinny before turning his dark, wise eyes toward Hyacinth.
“Pegasus, my friend, allow me to introduce Hyacinth.” Hades waved his hand in her direction. “She’ll be accompanying us today.”
Hyacinth nodded, almost blinded by the creature’s dazzling white coat. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Hades took the horse’s golden bridle in hand. “Are you ready to go?”
“I’m not about to turn down the chance to ride on Pegasus, if that’s what you mean.”
She ran to Hades’s side. After mounting the horse himself, he helped her to settle into the saddle behind him.
“Hold on tight,” he cautioned her.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed herself against his strong back. “You couldn’t pry me away with a crowbar.”
With him nestled between her legs, she had to fight the urge to moan. She heard him cluck to Pegasus, and suddenly they were moving effortlessly into the air.
Hyacinth squeezed Hades and looked down, watching the earth seem to fall away as Pegasus lifted them higher and higher into the sky. Soon they were soaring through the clouds over the Elysian Fields.
“How do you like this mode of transportation?” Hades called to her.
“I love it. I’ve never felt so free and alive before.” The landscape gave way to a shore beneath them, with crystal blue waves washing against pure white sand.
He inclined his head down. “Be sure to wave to the Nereids.”
She followed his gaze to the rocks dotting the seashore. Hyacinth could hardly believe her eyes. Mermaids sat on the smooth gray surfaces of the rocks, their tails fanned out in the water. They combed each other’s long hair, dressing each other in strands of resplendent pearls and ornaments made from seashells. Each of their tails was a different color, ranging from palest coral pink to deepest violet, from apple green to vivid emerald, from sky blue to the richest sapphire. Their hair, impossibly long and every shade from blond to red all the way to chestnut and ebony, swirled around them in the ocean breeze.
Hyacinth cautiously let go of Hades with one hand and waved it at the mermaids below. Apparently Hades was well known in every corner of Olympus, for the mermaids all waved back enthusiastically before bursting into a haunting song.
“They have such beautiful voices.” She breathed deep of the salty air, letting the music combine with the sensation of flight until she felt as if she were soaring toward heaven itself.
“You should hear
the Sirens,” he answered, steering Pegasus with the gold reins.
They flew further out to sea. Hyacinth couldn’t take her eyes off the water flowing endlessly beneath them, where dolphins performing synchronized ballets and fish leaped into the air, reflecting the joy she felt at that very moment.
There were ships, too, seafaring vessels of every description, both modern and ancient, some with sails billowing in the wind. The captains at their wheels and the crews on deck looked like tiny dolls from Hyacinth’s vantage point. She waved to the figures below, smiling when they lifted their caps to salute the king of the Underworld.
She pressed her cheek against Hades’s shoulder, enjoying the way his spicy scent mixed with that of the wind and sea. She couldn’t ask for more than to be close to him, sailing through the sky as if they were the only two people alive.
To the east she saw another mermaid, this one more regal and beautiful than all the others. Her tail was the color of the finest aquamarine, and countless stands of pearls hung around her neck. She wore a fishnet hung with pearls and jewels on her wavy golden hair, and rode across the waves in a chariot made from a giant seashell. Hyacinth gasped to see a team of dolphins pulling it through the water.
“Who’s that?” She indicated the chariot to Hades.
“That would be Amphitrite, queen of the sea.” He saluted the queen, and Hyacinth did the same. Amphitrite gave them a wave of her hand as she sped away. A burst of white sea foam formed in her wake.
“We’re approaching land,” Hades said, steering Pegasus further west. “Our capital, Olympus City.”
It certainly looked like a capital. Near the shore, she could make out buildings constructed in classical Greek style, all white with towering columns. Some were government buildings, courthouses and town halls. Others were temples dedicated to various gods and goddesses, and still others appeared to be bathhouses.
“Look, there’s the Olympus Supreme Court!” She pointed out an especially imposing building with a statue of blind justice on its grounds.
“Yes, negotiating my divorce settlement even as we speak.” He threw her a wry smile over his shoulder.
She giggled and held on to him a little tighter.
“And here’s our marketplace.” They flew over a sprawling white structure surrounded by countless signs, including one welcoming visitors to the Olympus Mall.
“You have a shopping mall here?”
“Hyacinth, darling, we live in Olympus, not the dark ages.”
He could say that again. She saw signs advertising Hestia’s Depot, promising supplies for every imaginable home improvement project. A sign with a logo composed of gold wings invited customers to try Hermes Cellular for all their calling needs.
She studied the strip of shops across from Olympus mall, a pink boutique catching her eye. Her mouth turned up in a smile when she saw the name of the place. Aphrodite’s Secret. No mystery about what was being sold there.
“D&D’s Superstore,” she read out loud from the sign above a huge one story building. “What’s that?”
“Demeter & Dionysus’s all purpose grocery and liquor store.” He guided Pegasus to swoop down, giving her a better view of the place. She caught sale ads in the windows offering ambrosia, two quarts for an obolus.
“Feel like doing a little shopping?” He leaned down slightly, reading the signs on the window. “I see they’re running a special on feta cheese.”
“I’m perfectly happy letting your kitchen staff cook for me, thank you very much.” She nudged his shoulder with her chin. “I’ll be back to my own kitchen before you know it, heating up Lean Cuisines and wishing I had some ambrosia or baklava.”
Her heart sank when she heard her own words. Back to sitting alone at her TV tray, picking at a half-thawed chicken breast fillet and watching reruns. Would Hades miss her? Or would he be so busy living the life of Olympus’s most eligible bachelor that he’d forget her as soon as she went above?
“Onward, Pegasus.” Hades spoke in a gruff bark. They rode in silence for a few minutes, until he pointed out another storefront to her. “Nine Muses Art Supply,” he said, shaking his head. “I wish they were open today. You’d love their floral design department.”
“I know I would.” She let her face rest against his back, savoring the feeling of peace he gave her, trying to extract the maximum mileage from each passing second.
They flew over an arena so enormous that it dwarfed everything in its shadow. A statue the size of Lady Liberty back in the mortal world overlooked it, holding a crossbow the size of a small ship over the area itself.
“I think you guys should apply to host the next Superbowl.” She looked down in awe at the line of patrons eager to enter the arena and take their seats.
“We’re rather busy putting on the annual Golden Fleece Cup.” He began to turn Pegasus in the opposite direction. “The Centaurs are taking on the Lapiths, with Apollo 5 playing the halftime show.”
“Do I want to know about Apollo 5?” She hid a smile.
“Lyre playing boy band,” he explained. “The maidens go quite wild over them.”
“Where are we headed now?” She braced herself as Pegasus gained speed and altitude.
“Home.” He transferred the reins to one hand, leaving the other free to rest on her thigh. “By way of Atlantis.”
“You mean it actually does exist?” She shook her head in disbelief.
“It’s just a few miles off the shores of paradise.” He stroked her outer thigh with his fingertips. “I want to show you things you’ve never seen before.”
She gave in to the shiver of need rocking through her. He’d already introduced her to worlds she’d scarcely imagined.
* * * * *
“Did you have a good time today?” Hades twined his fingers through Hyacinth’s. The walk back to the castle had been filled by a contented silence, but he needed to know that she could be happy in the life he’d shown her that day.
“I don’t even have the words to tell you how I’m feeling.” She beamed up at him. “It was perfect.”
Then don’t go, his heart cried out to hers. “Olympus isn’t such a bad place to live, after all?”
“It’s fascinating.” She followed him up the stone stairs leading to his private quarters. “I could’ve listened to your stories about the places and creatures all day.”
He seized the opportunity. “Then let me take you out again.” He rushed on before she could refuse. “We’ll take my golden barge out onto the sea.”
She averted her eyes. “It’s almost too good an offer to turn down.”
“Then don’t.” He stopped at the door to his sleeping chamber. “Let me show you my world.”
He sensed her teetering on the edge of decision. So close, just a fraction away from giving in to her feelings for him. He summoned every ounce of his will to sway her, mutely chanting his desire for her like an incantation.
“I really should head for bed.” She dropped his hand from hers, and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Thank you for everything today.”
Hades watched her walking away, his hopes deflating like a pricked balloon. Every time he came close to unlocking her heart, she slammed down the gate of her internal fortress, leaving him standing outside, empty handed and begging for one last crumb.
* * * * *
Hyacinth reached the end of the hallway and stopped, overcome with self-loathing.
What the hell was wrong with her? She’d just frozen out the only man who’d ever made her feel like a woman, denying her own overwhelming attraction for him and walking away. And why? Because it had to end at some point?
Or because she was afraid to risk getting hurt again?
Hadn’t she vowed to give herself fully to this once in a lifetime experience? She wanted to be with Hades, whether they had a future together or not.
Even if pain was the price she paid, she wanted one night with him.
She’d had enough of self-denial. What was the use in saving
her heart for someone she might never meet? The man she wanted was right down the hall, waiting for her.
She turned around to go to him.
Chapter Six
When she arrived, she found the door to his chamber closed. Without knocking, she turned the heavy knob and opened it.
“Hades?” He sat in a large chair in front of the fireplace, a book in his hand. A fire filled the room with a golden haze. Her heart jumped into her throat. Could she really go through with this?
“Yes?” He rose to greet her.
She walked toward him, feeling as if her feet didn’t touch the ground. Propelled by desire, she stopped a few inches from him and ran her hands down his chest.
“Hyacinth?” He caught her hands in his. “What’s the meaning of this?” His words were gentle, his expression puzzled.
She answered him without words, seeking his lips with hers. He returned her kiss tentatively, and she felt him holding himself in check, waiting to be sure of her intentions.
“Make love to me,” she whispered in his ear. “I don’t want there to be any boundaries between us tonight.”
He responded with his body, crushing her in his embrace. She felt the hard length of him against her stomach, and when he slanted his mouth on hers, his tongue communicated his plans for her with teasing thrusts.
She opened wider for him, letting him wedge himself between her legs. Her core pooled wetness, readying itself for him. Everything she’d witnessed, every sight and taste of forbidden fruit she’d discovered since coming to the Underworld, came roaring back to her in the form of desires she’d never known before.
She wanted him in every way possible.
He took his mouth from hers and stepped back, gazing at her. She looked at him in the firelight, lightheaded with anticipation. Her dream lover, the only man who had ever roused her passions, stood before her in the flesh, ready to fulfill every fantasy.
With a single motion, he tore the simple white robe from her body, leaving her naked before him except for her sandals. He knelt down to the floor and unlaced them, removing them from her feet. When he stood again, he pulled the combs from her hair one by one, letting the strands fall around her shoulders like a curtain.
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