I would save both of us by going to the site of doomsday. It sounded crazy, but after what I’d experienced at the pit of darkness beneath his castle, I had so much reason to believe he was better than all of that. He’d never had a chance to learn right from wrong. He’d literally been crafted from wrong. And yet, there was still good inside him, fighting its way to the surface as he tried to do the right thing. There were some definite missteps on his part, but he was trying.
If one of my girlfriends had told me that she was attempting to change her arsehole boyfriend, I’d have told her she was insane. And it probably was insane what I was trying. Men didn’t change.
But Hades wasn’t a man. He was a god.
And I was going to try. Not just to save him and the world, but because I wanted to. Because I truly believed there was more to Hades. When we were together like this, I could feel the light rise in him.
I pulled my jacket off, then my shirt, tossing them to the side. My bra went next, followed by my boots and trousers. By the time I was stark naked, Hades had turned around.
16
Hades
Seraphia stood at the edge of the pool, every piece of her clothing lying in a pile at her feet. My mouth went dry at the sight of her, at the miraculous vision she created.
She couldn’t be real.
No one could look like that.
Long legs and full hips, a tiny waist and small breasts tipped with pink. Her dark hair fell in waves down her back, gleaming in the light of the torches that had flickered to life when I’d entered the room.
I felt my body go unbearably hard as she stepped toward the water. Desperate desire raced through me, so fierce it stole my breath. My hands itched to touch her, to grip her hips and run over the curve of her waist.
She put one foot on the first step, and my throat tightened.
I should get out. I should let her have the pool to herself.
But that wasn’t what she wanted. From the way her green eyes traveled over my form, bright with hunger, she didn’t want to be alone in this pool.
I groaned low. “If you get into this pool, Seraphia, I will not keep my hands off of you.”
She smiled and kept walking. The water rose up around her knees and thighs, and I was grateful for the magic that kept it perpetually clean. Nothing but the finest things should touch her skin.
I’d warned her once. I wouldn’t warn her again.
The water closed up over her hips, and I strode toward her, cutting through the water.
“You fought for me,” I said, something in my chest clutching at the memory. “Used your magic to drag Poseidon into his cursed sea.”
She nodded, her gaze on mine. Heat burned within her eyes so brightly that it burned me in turn. When she stopped in front of me, I reached for her, grabbing her waist and pulling her forward.
Her body pressed full length to mine, so warm and smooth that my head spun from the pleasure of it. I’d never touched another like this, skin to skin, body to body. It was so intense that for the briefest moment, my mind went entirely blank.
Then she tilted her head up, her lips slightly parted. An aching groan tore from my throat, and I bent to kiss her, taking her lips with a roughness that would have bothered me if she hadn’t wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me back, moaning against my mouth.
She tasted of sweetness and light, and I couldn’t get enough of her, my tongue delving deep. I ran my hands down the long sweep of her sides, my palms tingling as I touched her.
“Hades,” she murmured. “I want you.”
The words lit me on fire. With her scent wrapping around me and her touch burning into me, it was impossible to resist her.
I wanted to know every inch of her. Taste every inch.
Possessiveness ran through me, so fierce it almost made my head spin.
Mine.
“Seraphia.” I said her name like a prayer as I picked her up and carried her to the few steps to the edge of the pool. I sat her on the edge and stepped between her thighs. They bracketed my hips, the smooth skin burning into me.
She gasped, her hands digging into my shoulders as her gaze