Mia’s body did a fast furious burn and every nerve was hypersensitive. There was no doubt if Hades rubbed his thumb across her aching nipples, she would immediately come undone. Why did her body betray her like this? Of course, the god was sex and sin rolled into one scrumptious package. Any woman with eyes would desire him. Not to mention he smelled like Heaven even though Hell ran through his veins. There was more to him, however. Mia had seen the flash of loneliness and pain in his eyes. There was no fathoming what it must be like to live in an eternal hell for as long as he had.
Two hundred thousand years.
Her heart shattered for the man whose own brothers had condemned him to such a fate. Now, he rejected her, but it was out of fear. He so much as admitted he wanted her, and it was why he was sending her home. Part of her wanted to rebel against the idea. Yet, Mia wasn’t a one-night stand kind of girl, and no matter how much she wanted him, she wanted a broken heart even less. She wasn’t foolish enough not to realize there was no way they could ever be any more than lovers for a brief period. He was a freaking god after all and she a mere mortal.
“Hades?” she spoke as they walked back to the palace.
“What is it?”
“After you lift my curse and I go back home, will I still wear your mark?”
“Yes. It will keep you safe until this war with Lowan is over. After that I will remove it.”
Disappointment came over her. He was going to break all ties and she should be pissed as hell at him for stringing her on. Should be elated to be rid of Hades, god of the Underworld. Yet, she felt neither.
“Will we still remain friends?”
He glanced at her, surprise in his eyes. “You wish to be my friend?” Was that hope in his voice?
Her heart broke again. “You said yourself I have no ulterior motive. Yes, I want to be your friend.”
He didn’t look at her again, only kept walking. “Perhaps.”
Silence filled the thick air until they reached the palace where Hades left her in the den. “Tonight after dinner, I will remove your curse.”
“What about our contract?”
“I will void it, but you may still take the clothing as promised.”
Before she was able to respond, he was gone, and she was left standing alone until Aster pulled her from her thoughts.
“Mia, darling, I expected you to be gone for hours.” She had slipped in behind Mia and Lilona stood next to her. Both women wore jeans and a top cut so low there was nothing left to the imagination. Mia had recently learned during the time spent with Aster that both women were what was known as a succubus. Female demons who required sex to survive. It was evident they were part of Hades’ harem of females. Mia liked Aster, yet a tinge of jealousy crept over her.
“Hades had business, so we came back early.”
“For shame. Listen, there is a party later this week and we would love to take you.”
“I’ll be going home at the end of the week.” The words nearly choked her.
“But I thought you were here for an entire month?” Lilona asked, a pout on her mouth. Normally the woman was quiet, and Mia had rarely seen her except for meal times.
“Appears not.” She didn’t feel like going into details. “You ladies heading out?”
Aster grinned. “Yes. Lilona and I are going to one of the local clubs for some much-needed sex.”
Mia admired the other woman’s openness and how she owned her sexuality. Perhaps there was something to be learned. “Well, good luck. I’ll see you later. Maybe?” She smiled and headed upstairs, feeling the need for a shower.
Several hours and a nap later, a knock came at her bedroom door. Dropping the book she had been reading, Mia opened the door to find one of Hades’ helpers on the other side.
“My lady.” He gave a bow and held out a silver tray holding an ivory envelope. “Hades has asked me to deliver this to you.”
“Thank you.” She took the paper and closed the door, preparing herself for the worst. Hades had never sent a note to her before, and she only imagined it was more bad news. Pulling the paper from its sealed envelope, she found a thick ivory card that read.
My dearest Mia,
I would be pleased if you joined me for dinner tonight in a very special place. Please wear a gown of your choice. I will send someone to escort you promptly at 7:00 pm.
Hades
Mia held the note to her chest. “A special place?” Where was he taking her and why now? Was it because her time here was almost over? She recalled his words from earlier in the day and suddenly had an idea. Glancing at the clock, she had exactly two hours to get ready. Not nearly enough time, but she would have to make do.
Running to the closet, she whipped open the double doors and stepped inside. To the left were all the gowns. More than twenty and she was going to go through every single one until she found the sexiest of them all. As she grabbed the first, a black one that covered her entire chest, she cursed her request for coverage and now wished for less. Tossing the dress aside, she pushed each gown across the metal rod, rejecting them all until she came to a deep purple gown made of soft silk. The bodice was a combination of lace and silk arranged in a floral display.
She pulled it off the hanger and moved to the full-length mirror, holding the gown in front of her. “Nice.” She laid the dress on the bed then stripped. With great care, she pulled the gown over her head and down her hips until it settled into a sweep of fabric at her feet.
“Wow.” She stared at herself. The floral lace covered her breasts yet left enough to offer any man a glimpse that would make him beg for more. A slit up the front showed more thigh than her shorts usually did. The dress was amazing but now for her hair and makeup.
Mia was careful with the application of makeup. She was never one who wore a lot, but tonight she applied all of the basics and even managed to pull off a smoky eye. The last thing was lip color followed by gloss. As she stepped away, applying final touches to her hair which she had decided to leave down, she was stunned by her own appearance.
Hades wouldn’t know what hit him.
As she slipped on her heels, a knock came at the door. Time to go wow the lord of Hell.
Hades stood at the railing and stared over the vast gardens. Every flower known to mankind and some that were his own creation were in bloom and fragranced the air. It was the delicate step of female heels that caught his attention and drew him away from the place that was often his only escape. Turning, his breath was pulled from his lungs as he stared at Mia. He had thought the gown exceptional when he’d chosen it and he had been correct.
Her escort gave a bow and backed away as Mia continued toward him. A grin on her lips that indicated she knew exactly what the sight of her did to him. He was angry with himself for not escorting her. How could he have allowed her to walk through the palace dressed to kill?
“Mia. You are stunning.” He swept forward and placed a kiss on her cheek.
“Thank you. I must admit, I had fun dressing up.”
He offered his arm and walked to the table where the glasses of Champagne already waited. “You have never had the opportunity to be so extravagant.” There was no missing the flush to her cheeks under Hell’s moonlight.
“No. While my family didn’t lack for anything, parties where we dressed up like this”—she gave the dress a swirl—“didn’t ever happen. I must admit, I feel like a princess.”
It brought him great joy to hear her say that. “You wear the color of royalty. Did you know that?”
She glanced down at herself. “I never thought about it when I picked the dress.” Her gaze met his and it was full of determination.
He handed her a glass and raised his for a toast. “To Hell’s new princess. You bring a much-needed beauty to this place.”
“Thank you.” She sipped her Champagne. “So, why are we having this fancy evening?”
He didn’t dare tell her that he wanted her all to himself. Even after his earlier confession that he couldn’t be near her, he found he couldn’t stay away either. “I thought it might be nice to share an evening without the others.” Mostly true.
“I see.” She looked upward. “It’s hard to believe one is in Hell with such a beautiful full moon. The thing is huge!”
He had made it so, just for her. Knowing how beautiful she would look under its bright light. “It lights the garden and lake very well.”
“There’s a lake?”
He smiled. “This is my favorite place. Unlike the gardens you toured earlier, this is my private sanctuary. No one but I am allowed here.”
“I see.”
“I would be honored to share it with you. Dinner will be ready when we are. Shall we walk first?”
“I would love to. Fill my glass though?” She held out the crystal flute.
Hades pulled the bottle from the ice bucket and refilled both their glasses. He then led Mia down the few stairs to a stone path. On either side roses reached out and perfumed the air with their fragrance. He didn’t stop though, instead he wanted to show her the lake. That was where his soul was happiest in this hellish place.
They walked stone paths bathed in the golden light of the moon as well as a warm splash of color from the stained-glass lamps that lined the walkway. On occasion, Mia would stop to admire a plant and he would give a brief description before he encouraged her to move on. Finally, they reached the shores. The sound of water lapping at the land soothed his soul.
He dropped his arm and took Mia’s warm hand in his. Locking their fingers together. “Come.” They stepped to the edge of the water. The moon reflected off the surface like a giant globe.
“It’s beautiful!”
“It gets even better. Hang on.” He called on his power and transported them to a small island in the water's center. A gazebo covered with trailing white moonflowers stood tall and a spectacular view was had from the wooden swing hanging from its rafters.
“Wow. The moon seems to dance across the water. It’s like looking at a mirror.” Surprisingly, she didn’t pull her hand free from his. Instead, she turned to face him. Light played in the gray of her eyes, bringing forth a storm he wanted to drown in.
It was he who freed his hand. “I’m going to break your curse now. I need to touch you.”
She gave a solid nod. “Okay.”
He placed his palm just above her breasts and the rise and fall of her chest increased. His power flared, searched for the darkness in her soul, and when it was located, he pulled it free. “You are whole once again.”
“Really?” She seemed to check herself. “I don’t feel any different.”
“Do you trust me?”
Mia searched his face. “I do.”
The fact she trusted him was probably the greatest gift he had ever received. “Thank you.” He led her to the swing where they both took a seat.
“Tell me about yourself. I mean other than what I already know,” she said.
He stared over the rippling water. “I created this place as my escape from this world. Since I wasn’t able to leave, I needed a place to go where I could clear my head.” He cleared his throat. “There was a painful time in my life when I spent a lot of it here. I did things I am not proud of during that time.”
“What happened?” She laid her hand on his arm.
“It is not something that should fall on your delicate ears.”
“When my father left, I thought it was because I did something that drove him away. I did everything possible to please people after that, worried they would run off otherwise. When my brother died from a drug overdose, I actually contemplated taking my own life.”
The thought of Mia and her beautiful soul stuck in eternal Hell made Hades shudder. “What made you change your mind?” It was obvious she still bore the scars of her brother’s death.
“My mother needed me.” Pain flashed in her eyes. “I wasn’t enough though. She took her life six months later.” Her bottom lip trembled, and Hades sent out a quick command to his most trusted demon, Baal.
Find Mia’s mother and be sure she is relocated. Tell Zarek that I will speak with him about it later.
Yes, my lord.
Hades had never asked Zarek for anything, but he would do this for Mia. He would make sure her mother’s soul moved on to a better realm. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “We cannot control those around us and certainly not the ones we love most. My own son, Drayos, was the one who placed a curse on the guardians. Blackened part of their soul so they would slowly become nothing but darkness and evil.”
She tilted her head to look up at him. “Where is your son now?”
“Dead. He gave me a grandson, but as you know, Lowan is just as evil as his father. Apparently, my lineage is meant to be cursed in its own right.” One of the reasons Hades chose to never father children again. “I also have a granddaughter, Lowan’s sister whom I have allowed Lowan to imprison, Lileta who is the daughter of Lowan… Well, I cared for her no better.” Never had he regretted his past more than now.