When it was over, both of them were panting, and with their bodies still joined, he carried her to the couch. He sat down, and her knees sank into the couch as she collapsed against him.
The position caused his still-erect cock to push deeper into her—-
He groaned.
She whimpered.
“Please tell me you’re tired,” she pleaded.
He bit her shoulder, and as she moaned, he whispered, “I hate to disappoint you...”
She shook her head, saying faintly, “Hades, I can’t—-”
“But yes, I am.”
A tired giggle escaped her even as she weakly thumped his shoulder. “Sadist.”
They stayed like there for a long while, and she would have been content for them to be like that forever—-
Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.
—-if such a possibility was in the cards.
But it wasn’t.
Tightening her hold on him, she hid her face in the crook of his neck and whispered, “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course, milady.”
“What if the door I used to come here...disappears? Will I be able to come back here again?”
Frowning at the suddenness of her question, Hades murmured slowly, “I’m not truly sure. Over the years, it’s become harder and harder to get mortals to come into our world.”
“How hard?” she asked with a gulp.
“You’re the first one to cross into our world in the last five hundred years.”
“What?” She jerked against him in shock, causing his cock to slide deeper into her, and Hades sucked in his breath. His semi state of arousal reached a burning need to possess her again, and his hands moved to her hips.
“Let’s talk later, milady,” he gritted out.
She stiffened as she felt the god lift her off him. “H-Hades?”
He answered her by pulling back down, and she shuddered in yearning despite the fact that she was still trying to catch her breath. Even so, she tried stopping him, stammering, “It’s too soon—-”
His hands tightened on her hips, and then he was making her bounce on top of his cock.
Bloody...hell...it felt so good.
Her head fell back.
“Is it still too soon, milady?” he whispered huskily.
She shook her head, choking out, “Don’t stop.”
They came together one more time, but this time she was no longer able to open her eyes in the aftermath of her release.
“Sleep, milady,” Hades said tenderly. Pulling her closer, he transported them back to his bedroom and laid her on the bed. The moment he joined her, she snuggled closer to him, and he stiffened, the broken part of him wanting to tear away—-
Before she could betray him the way his former queen did.
“Hades.” She mumbled his name sleepily, and after one tense moment, he succumbed to the need to embrace her.
“Stop thinking.”
“The door...”
“Don’t worry about it,” he murmured soothingly. “You can stay forever with me.”
A sigh escaped her, and he felt her body relax against his. He was about to think she had finally fallen asleep when he heard her whisper his name one more time.
“What is it?” He couldn’t help smiling as he spoke, thinking that she appeared to be more talkative asleep than when she was awake.
“I love you.”
Ah.
He stroked her hair. “I know.” He closed his eyes and allowed his breathing to even out as if he were asleep. Minutes passed, and he bided his time, waiting—-
And finally he heard it—-
The swift intake of breath when one was holding back tears.
Chapter Eight
Ever was not surprised at all when she woke up on her third day to discover Hades once again gone from her side. Sitting up, she grasped the crystal key from the table—-
It took more moments for the door to appear this time, and as she had feared, it was almost completely closed. She glanced down at the crystal key, its glass body so faded it was hardly visible to the eye.
Not good, Ever thought numbly. This was not good at all, especially when she now knew that the god of the Underworld didn’t love her.
So what now, Ever Carlisle?
Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.
By the time she finished her bath, she had come to a decision.
Even if he didn’t love her now, there wasn’t any reason why he couldn’t learn to love her, could there?
Her glance strayed to the crystal key. Thanks for coming to my life, Ever thought. She had no idea where the key came from, but at this point it no longer mattered. What did matter was that it had brought her here – and it was here she wanted to stay.
“Good morning, milady.” An unidentified girl who looked to be in her early teens was waiting for her at the foot of the stairs, and Ever came to an awkward stop as she tried hard to place the girl’s name.
“Shall I accompany you to the Great Hall for breakfast?”
Ever cleared her throat. “I...uh...I’m terribly sorry for this, but I don’t recall your name.”
The girl’s lips curved. “It’s me, milady.”