“Of course you don’t,” Darcy responded, rolling her eyes.
“Cate, who is this mortal that dares to challenge you?”
Cate opened the back doors of the van with much more strength than she’d intended. The van jolted from the force as Hades hefted Gunner inside.
She sighed in exasperation.
“Hades, meet Darcy… Darcy, meet Hades.” She rounded the side of the van toward the driver's seat.
“Hades? Like, God of the Underworld Hades?” Darcy’s voice went up nearly two octaves.
Hades smirked devilishly.
“The one and only,” he responded smoothly.
“Cate, you didn’t tell me—” Darcy opened the passenger door without hesitation as Hades crawled into the back with Gunner.
“There’s a lot of things I’ve never divulged, Darcy. Don’t take it personally,” Cate muttered as she started the car.
“What’s with the dead guy?” Darcy glanced back at Hades and Gunner, as Cate backed up rather quickly.
“He isn’t dead. I would know,” Hades chimed in.
“Is he always this fun at parties?” Darcy gestured behind her passenger seat.
“Darcy…”
“Is this why you didn’t want to come out? Get you around a good time, some drinks, and hot guys, and you go all serial killer?”
“He’s not dead!” Hades’ voice went up an octave, taking on a tone Cate hadn’t heard in quite a long time.
Panic.
Annoyance.
It seemed Darcy had quite the way of getting under his skin.
“I wasn’t trying to hurt him, really. I was just trying to give him back his stupid rock, maybe give his drunk ass a ride home…”
“I didn’t peg you for the type to take advantage of a hot drunk guy, but—”
“Oh, my word, Darcy, that is not what I was doing!” Cate sighed in exasperation.
“In the olden days, men used to throw themselves at her feet,” Hades chuckled. “No alcohol needed. Just pure, unfiltered sex magic.”
Cate felt her cheeks redden, and she refused to look at Darcy.
“Hades!” she scolded him.
He had the audacity to laugh.
“I knew it!” Darcy said with a light chuckle. “It’s always the quiet ones.”
“Don’t listen to him. His memory is shaded from the fact he hides in a fucking dungeon all day with the undead,” Cate said.
Darcy let out another laugh.
“So did he pass outbeforeyou made your move or—”