A Touch of Ruin (Hades & Persephone #2) - Scarlett St. Clair Page 0,117
her hand and led her through a line of trees. On the other side was a waterfall that poured off the mountainous rocks into a shimmering lake. It was a million shades of blue, and clear as crystal.
“Hades,” she whispered. “How gorgeous.”
When she looked at him, his gaze singed, aroused and intense. Awareness shuddered through her and she turned into him.
They didn’t speak, just came together beneath the trees.
Hades was unhurried in his exploration, and Persephone soaked up each second. Everything was slow—the kisses languid, the caresses dreamy. When he entered her, he paused and brought his lips to hers. There was something extremely raw about this kiss, though it was light and lingering. When she opened her eyes, she found him staring at her, still and swollen inside her.
She reached up and touched his face.
“Marry me,” he said.
She smiled. “Yes.”
Then he moved inside her, the friction built as slowly as he moved and despite the pace he set, her breath came faster. She gripped his shoulders, nails digging into his skin, lost in the sensations he elicited all over her body.
She loved it, loved him.
She came hard, but quietly.
“My darling,” Hades whispered. He kissed her face, brushing away tears. “Why are you crying?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
She just felt everything so keenly—every emotion was like a spear inside her. Her love for Hades was almost unbearable. Her happiness near-painful.
Hades lifted her and carried her into the lake where they showered beneath the waterfall.
After, they returned to the palace.
On the inside, Persephone was still struggling with her feelings. They were so powerful, so heightened. She was so deeply in love, it hurt.
It was a new level of love—one she had entered as his fiancée, as his soon-to-be-wife and queen.
The thought made her chest feel warm—a sensation that didn’t last when she saw Thanatos waiting for their arrival. She glanced at Hades, his face had turned stony, lips tight, eyes hard.
Something’s wrong.
She tried to keep from jumping to conclusions, but it was difficult given the last few weeks.
Hades dismounted and helped Persephone down.
“Thanatos,” Hades said.
“My lord,” he nodded, and his blue eyes met Persephone’s. “My lady.”
The God of Death opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He tried again.
“I don’t know how to tell you this.”
Persephone swore her heartbeat slowed, and it suddenly felt really hard to breathe. Unlike before, Thanatos didn’t even try to calm her with his magic.
“It’s Lexa,” he said.
Persephone was already crying. Hades arms tightened around her as if preparing for her collapse.
“She’s gone.”
CHAPTER XXVII - EMPOWERMENT
There was a strange ringing in Persephone’s ears and she suddenly felt distant from the world around her—as if she were watching things from inside a globe. She couldn’t feel anything, a terrible contrast to the earlier intensity of her emotions. Even Hades’ touch was numb against her skin.
“Persephone,” Hades said her name, but it sounded so far away. She couldn’t look at him because her eyes wouldn’t focus. “Persephone.”
Finally, Hades placed his hands on her face and forced her to meet his gaze. When she stared into those black eyes, she burst into tears. Hades pulled her against him as she shook and sobbed.
“My darling,” Hades soothed, rubbing her back. “We don’t have much time.”
She barely heard him, but felt his magic cradling her. They teleported and she found herself on the bank of the Styx. She pulled away, her face was soaked, and the pressure that had built in her nose and behind her eyes made her head hurt.
“Hades, what are we—?”
Her question died on her lips when she spotted Charon’s ferry crossing the black river. The daimon was ignited like a torch against the muted landscape. Behind him, sitting with her knees drawn to her chest, was Lexa.
She looked pale but unafraid, and when Persephone spotted her, a raw sob escaped her. She clasped a hand over her mouth to suppress them.
Charon docked and helped Lexa to her feet. As she stepped onto the pier, she embraced Persephone so tightly, she thought her bones would break.
They cried together.
“I’m sorry, Seph,” Lexa whispered.
Persephone pulled away and met her gaze. It was strange to see her blue eyes in the Underworld. Beneath the muted sky, they were bright and...lively.
“I don’t understand,” Persephone said. “I thought you were...better.”
Pain erupted in Lexa’s eyes. “I...tried.”
Persephone swallowed a thick lump in her throat, and then a horrifying thought occurred to her. She turned to Hades, alarmed and afraid.