“And I am of the dark. That doesn’t mean we can’t fuck,” he mocked.
“It means I will get my heart broken.” Her eyes pleaded with him. “Your relationship with Persephone—”
“Our relationship ended not because she craved the light. It ended because she was a slut.”
Zerina turned her eyes away from his angry ones. He still loved his ex-wife. She knew she was right when his next words doused the fire in her loins.
“I’m not offering you a relationship, Zerina. I won’t be at the mercy of another woman who is from the light or dark. I’m too old to play those type of games anymore. You offered me your hand in friendship; who would make a better lover than a friend?”
His words were tempting, her virginity wasn’t the prize she clung to. What she did cling to was her untouched heart.
When she finally found the immortal she wanted to spend eternity with, she wanted to offer a heart that wasn’t affected by past lovers. She wanted to discover that joy that would be her happily ever after.
When she licked her lips again, she tasted the salty tears that were being washed by the waterfall.
Resignedly, she stared at him. It was too late. Whoever she found when Hades was finished wouldn’t be her first love. He had already stolen her heart. The only thing left to decide was if he was going to have her body, too.
“Hades,” she whispered.
Hades answered her call by swimming out to her, raising his arms out to her.
She remained unmoving, indecision tearing her apart.
“Zerina, come to me.” Hades’ desire-filled expression was a lure she didn’t want to resist any longer.
She jumped into his arms, feeling him surround her tightly, as if she would try to slip away. His cock against her belly had her gasping.
She stared at him timidly, raising her lips to his, ready to give him her body and soul. Finally yielding, Zerina then wound her arms around Hades’ thick neck.
His eyes glittered down with triumph. He bent his head to take the lips she was offering.
“Is it me, or is the water hotter than it usual?” Jinx shouted as she jumped off the boulder, splashing her and Hades.
Zerina jerked out of Hades’ arms when she saw the fairy who started swimming as if they hadn’t been about to kiss before her interruption.
Embarrassed, she gave a small laugh. “I thought so, too.”
“Evidently, it’s not hot enough.” Hades stared down at her with a questioning brow.
Zerina knew what he was silently asking.
Swimming back to him, she put her hands on his shoulders, trying to push him under the water.
“What are you doing?”
“I was trying to dunk you.” She laughed, shaking her head.
“Like this?” Before she could react, Hades had pushed her under the clear depths of the underground pool.
Zerina kicked out, rising to the surface and gasping for air.
“It would have been funnier if I had done it, but yes, that was what I wanted to do.”
Amusement lightened his features, replacing the thwarted desire that had appeared on his face when Jinx had interrupted them.
“You want to try again?”
“No, you’re ready for it. I have a sneak attack planned when you least expect it.”
“If you’re warning me, it’s not a sneak attack.”
“It doesn’t have to be today, does it?” Her eyes met his meaningfully.
Hades sighed. “No, it doesn’t have to be today. You can dunk me another time.”
Zerina giggled, wrapping her arm around his waist to give him a tight hug.
He went to wrap his arms around her, but before he could, she slipped to his side, then behind his back, winding her arms around his shoulders to lift herself up.
“Got you!” she whispered flirtatiously in his ear.
Hades laughed, but she only had a second to enjoy the sight before Hades went limp, dunking them both.
She came up, determined to dunk the slippery god. When they dunked Jinx instead, they laughed uproariously when her hair got wet. Her powers wouldn’t come back until it dried.
“He did it!” Zerina pointed at Hades when Jinx turned her wrath-filled gaze on her.
Hades’ eyes widened. “You’re blaming me?”
“You’re bigger, and Jinx won’t pay you back. Too bad,” she corrected herself, seeing Jinx swimming around them, circling like a shark.
When fairies got mad, they were unpredictable. That Jinx was half-magical and half-fairy made her a dangerous combination.
Zerina swam up behind Hades, half-laughing and half-serious. “Protect me!” she screeched when Jinx made her move, disappearing under the water. The next second, Hades disappeared also.
She turned around, looking for them and giving a sigh when they reappeared. Jinx had done what she had wanted to and had dunked Hades.
Zerina’s laughter filled the cavern as Jinx swam to the boulder to climb out.
“I’m king of the mountain!” she yelled out, the shout echoing around the cavern.
Hades swam back to Zerina as Jinx danced a jig on the boulder. “That fairy’s a pain in my ass.”
“It could be worse.”
“How?”
“She could have brought her cat.”
Chapter 14
Destiny paused, listening intently. Did she hear laughter?
She practically ran, trying to follow the sound. She had been searching for Zerina for so long she had lost track of time. Neither her nor Fate could find her in the stars, or the surface of the earth. That left only two options: a magic spell was hiding her, or Hades had her.
The two sisters had decided the best way to find Zerina was to split up. Fate was searching different dimensions, while Destiny was going to find a way inside Hades to see if she was there. She hoped that Fate could find her. It would be easier to save her from another dimension than trying to get her out of Hades.
Hearing the laughter again, she stared out at the calm lake. Could Poseidon have her? The water god usually kept to the oceans, but he could have hidden Zerina in any body of water. Destiny turned her attention from the water, listening carefully. That would have been one Fate would have searched.
Hearing the sound again, she turned her head. Trees and grass on three sides surrounded the small lake. The fourth had a large rock that hung over the water. It was a beautiful, idyllic spot in a world that had become uglier with each rise of the sun.
The only reason this remote spot remained untouched was there wasn’t anything around to draw the looters and gangs who were destroying everything in their path.
Staring intently at the rocks, she narrowed her eyes at the water below. Was she imagining that the water was moving?
She started to kick off her shoes. She had dressed like a human so that, if she was seen, they would take her as one.
The feeling of having eyes on her had her turning to look over her shoulder. The sight of a large wolf running toward her had Destiny waving her hand to transport herself. Before she could complete the motion, though, she found herself pinned underneath the wolf’s large body.
“Get off me, you big mutt!” she snarled at Rocque.
The lord transformed himself from the wolf to the grinning man she despised. “Is that any way to greet me when I just saved your life?”
“You didn’t save my life. Only Mother can end my life.”
“Don’t doubt Hades’ power. You anger Hades, he’ll make you beg to end your immortal life.”
“I’m not afraid of Hades.” She hit him on his shoulder. “Get off me!”
“If you’re not afraid of Hades, you’re an idiot.” Rocque stood up, helping her to feet and keeping a firm grip on her arm. When she tried to shrug his hand away so she could transport, he only tightened his hold.
“You’re really beginning to make me angry. Release me, Rocque, or when I return home, I’ll tell Mother.”
“I expected you to threaten me with m
oredire warnings than Mother. You don’t want to threaten me with a litter of pups?”
“I don’t have time to trade insults with you! I’m trying to find Zerina.” She tried to use her nails to peel his hand away from her.