him, but after a moment, relaxed, but the pressure on his cock remained. Her sex held him in a vice-like grip, and as he started to move, he never wanted to stop. She spread her legs wider, and he pushed deeper, as if their souls might meet.
“You left me desperate,” he said, pulling out until only the tip of his sex remained. She glared at him, her teeth clenched together until he thrust inside, the ridges of his cock sending pleasure straight to his brain. This is bliss, he thought.
“I have thought about you every night since.”
He could feel her heart beating, smell the vanilla in her hair, taste her sweat on his tongue as he managed to suckle one of her breasts.
“And each time you said you didn’t want me, I tasted your lies.”
This is what it is to be a god.
“You are mine.”
This is humbling. She let him into her body.
“Mine.”
He could feel her come around his cock, a gush of warmth, a convulsion of muscles. He gripped her wrists hard, moving faster, pounding into her harder, until he began to pulse. He pulled out, finishing on her thigh before collapsing on top of her, breathing hard. For a while after, he was lost in the euphoria of the moment. His thoughts tangled with the memories of how they had gotten here—their teasing and touching, bodies coming together, the sounds of their orgasms. Then he began to feel tired, mind numbing from the high.
He met Persephone’s gaze and kissed her eyes, cheeks, and lips.
“You are a test, goddess. A trial offered to me by the Fates.”
He shifted to leave the bed and was surprised when Persephone reached for his hand.
A line appeared between his brows, and he leaned to kiss her, promising, “I will come back, my darling.”
He disappeared into the adjoining bathroom, cleaned himself up, and then wet a cloth for Persephone. Once she was washed, he laid down beside her again, pulling her warm body against his, and they fell into a deep sleep.
***
Hades woke instantly, his cock hard.
He groaned and rocked into Persephone’s warm body, his arousal nesting against her bottom perfectly. He gripped her hips and kissed her neck, and when she turned into him, he climbed on top of her, pinning her wrists over her head so he could tease her with his teeth and lips, reveling in sounds of her breathy moans.
He parted her legs and drank her heat, using his fingers to give her pleasure until she called his name. It made him desperate to be inside her, and he loomed over her body, entering her in one swift push. He moved inside her, and the harder he thrust, the tighter her muscles gripped him.
When he felt close to coming, he switched positions, leaning back on his haunches and bringing her with him. He grasped her hips and helped her move while she held him, her breasts bouncing. Their mouths collided. It was a messy kiss, all tongue and teeth, but it was a mark of the pleasure they shared.
They did not speak, the only sounds coming from their quiet and sleepy lovemaking—breaths and moans and the keen cry of orgasm.
They collapsed, arms and legs tangled, repeating their earlier ritual of washing and burrowing into each other’s warmth, and as sleep descended upon Hades, he had the thought that he would tear this world apart if anyone tried to take Persephone from him.
CHAPTER XXI – A MEMORY BRANDED
Hades woke alone.
He sat up, heart pounding in his chest. For a moment, he feared Persephone had realized her mistake and fled in the night, but once the surprise of waking by himself ebbed, he was able to focus on her and knew she remained in the Underworld, her presence as warm and right as her body against his.
With that realization, he stretched, falling back against his pillows, hands behind his head, and basked in memories from last night.
Persephone wasn’t the only woman he had slept with, but she was the only one he needed. He had never felt this kind of connection before, and he preferred the intimacy. It made sex with her even better, made all the sensations more intense, the gasps of pleasure more rewarding, the aftermath more tender.
It made him even more determined to ensure their Fate wasn’t unraveled, something that was still a possibility with Sisyphus on the run. At the thought of the escaped mortal, Hades sat up, manifesting a piece of cloth to cover himself. He would