Hades unlatched the clasps and pushed the robe off her shoulders and to the floor.
He took a black box out of one of the larger bags in the pile. It had a red satin bow on it. He laid the box on the bed and stepped back. “Well, go ahead,” he said.
Persephone loosened the ribbon and opened the box. Nestled inside black tissue paper was the most amazing dress she’d ever seen. It looked like the long, simple gowns goddesses were pictured wearing in books on mythology. Except instead of white, it was that silver, slinky, glimmering, sheer fabric the dressmaker had held against her skin.
The material itself seemed to be made from a sort of magic. The way it glittered and glowed. The way it moved. It wasn’t natural. It wasn’t something that could exist in the world she’d come from.
Hades helped her into the dress and guided her to stand in front of the mirror. Her long blonde hair was the only shield she could have had to protect the smallest bit of privacy or modesty, but Hades pulled her hair back behind her shoulders.
She may as well have been naked because the dress didn’t cover anything. It was merely glittering decoration to showcase her nudity. There was a high side slit on either side of the dress, which she was sure was meant for the easy access of whoever he shared her with. The thought made her heart leap into her throat. He’d assured her everything was okay down here, that one’s wildest fantasies could be lived out without consequence or guilt or fear of judgment or reprisal.
Before him, she hadn’t had any wild fantasies. Now it seemed that was all her mind could conjure. It was as though something inside her felt compelled to make up for lost time.
Hades leaned closer, his hands resting on her shoulders. “What do you think, Sunshine?”
“I-I look like a goddess.”
He kissed the side of her throat. “Such vanity.” Then his eyes met hers in the mirror, more serious now. “You look like a goddess because you are a goddess.”
Did she believe that yet? It was still hard without access to the powers she was supposed to have. Part of her remained sure he must have made some mistake—taken the wrong girl. And what would happen when he discovered she was a fraud? What might he do to her if he found out she was just a human and not this goddess he’d searched the earth for centuries to find?
“Should I change back into the robe until the party?” She didn’t want to mess the dress up. It was the most exquisite garment she’d ever laid eyes on—even if it didn’t keep a single one of her secrets. Still, when she looked at herself in that dress in the mirror, she could see what Hades saw—beauty and grace… something desirable. And she felt unconcerned by how many others might see it as well at the party.
“No, the party starts in little more than an hour. That gives just enough time for someone to help you with your hair and makeup and for us to have dinner downstairs. You’ll need to eat something to get through tonight.”
She had no doubt about that.
“I’m taking the rest of the party stuff downstairs. I’ll send someone up. Then when you’re ready, we’ll have dinner.”
Persephone closed her hands into fists, fighting the urge to chase him and beg him not to leave her. He was in the castle. He was just going downstairs. When the door closed behind him, she looked back into the mirror. She couldn’t live like this.
He had to let her go. She had to tell him the truth, and he had to let her go. But she didn’t want to leave him. Even if he would let her, how could she just go back to her life and forget the things Hades had already awakened in her? She couldn’t go back to who she’d been before. As much as she loved that life, it wasn’t enough now. She didn’t want to live alone with a bunch of plants. She wanted to warm Hades’ bed. If only his bed wasn’t located in such a horrible place.
“Your Grace?”
Persephone looked up to find one of the female servants had quietly entered the room.
“Let’s finish getting you ready.”
Persephone nodded and allowed herself to be led to a vanity table. She didn’t know the names of any of the servants or guards. They were like shadows. They were there to make sure she remained comfortable and to give her whatever she requested, but they weren’t friends or confidants. It seemed inappropriate to ask their names, and there were times when she had the weird feeling they didn’t have names at all.
It was as though they weren’t their own beings. They belonged to the castle. It was as if they were part of the mind of the castle. Persephone shook that strange thought away as the woman put makeup on her face, painted her nails, brushed and loosely curled her hair, and sprayed a light mist of perfume on her. It was clear Hades had made all his preferences known, and the servant merely carried them out.
Not that Persephone could argue with the results. There was a light glittery dusting of blush and eye shadow and a creamy pink gloss on her lips. She looked young and fresh and alive—so much more alive than she felt when Hades wasn’t with her.
When she went downstairs, he was waiting in the dining room. He stood and smiled and pulled her chair out. It was so hard to believe this was the guy who had locked her in a cage and been so terrifying that first night. There were long spaces at a time, where she thought she could see something in him that was worth saving.
Persephone stood in the doorway, taking it all in.
The table was already set with food this time. The candles were all lit. The fire roared in the fireplace. That awful endless moonlight shone in through the enormous windows. She felt irrationally angry about that. She wanted to throw a stone at the window as if shattering the glass could make the moon go away. Why couldn’t she have sunlight? She was sure everything would be better if she could have sunlight.
Hades held out his hands to her, and she rushed—perhaps too quickly—into his arms. He was so warm and safe. Nothing could hurt her as long as he was holding her. She was sure of it.
“You look enchanting.”
And he would know about enchantment.
They sat and ate quietly. Hades always sat right next to her, ignoring the regal chair set for him at the far end of the table. That other chair felt like it was miles away, but the one he chose left him just inches from her. She could practically feel his energy this close.
The food was what one might find at a formal banquet—large roasted birds, savory stews, homemade bread, and vegetables. Fruit for dessert. But not pomegranates. He hadn’t served her pomegranates again since the first night in the cage. She’d never had that type of fruit before the underworld, and though it had been sweet and delicious, she hoped never to have it again.
“Won’t there be food at the party?”
He placed a hand on her arm as if he needed to be touching her as much as she needed to be touched. “There will be food, yes. But I thought you might prefer eating early. These parties get a bit intense, and I thought you might be too nervous or excited to eat.”
“Oh.” It was true, she was nervous and excited already. She felt both scared of the prospects of what might happen and thrilled by them.
“Who will be there?” Persephone asked.
“Friends. Beings in positions of power down here. Some of my generals. Their consorts. Only the most important of the underworld. You do still want to play with my guests, right? I have great party games.”
Persephone felt a jolt of arousal hit between her legs.
“Yes, Master. It’s not that. I’m just nervous.” As wrong as part of her remained convinced it was, she did want to be open to all the hedonistic pleasures of his world. Partly to please him but partly to please herself. It was a new hunger, becoming just as important as the need for food, and one of the few things about the underworld she liked.
Hades caressed her arm with the tips of his fingers. Persephone leaned into the touch, her eyes drifting closed for a moment.
“Don’t be nervous,” he said. “They’ll love you.”
It wasn’t long after dinner before the guests started arriving. Hades went ahead t
o greet everyone and settle them in the ballroom before sending for her.
When he had her brought to the ballroom, she was afraid she’d have to go in by herself, but he stood waiting at the entrance, his cold, black eyes warming when he saw her.
Persephone peered in from the hallway. The ballroom was almost too much to take in. She’d seen it on the tour, but at the time, the room had looked abandoned and dead—unwelcoming. She hadn’t wanted to go exploring too deeply because the empty lonely place had depressed her. But now all the cobwebs were swept away. The black marble floor gleamed. For light, tall candelabras lined the walls, and glimmering silver chandeliers with lit candles came down from the ceiling. If this weren’t the underworld, she might worry about the fire hazard, but she was sure Hades had things well under control.
There were alternating white and black marble statues coming out of the walls in high relief. Images of monsters and of the damned. A few highly sexual. The candles cast their faces in eerie glows and shadows. In the middle of the ballroom was an enormous white marble statue. Persephone hadn’t noticed it during the tour.
It depicted a huge man-like beast sitting on a large throne. His presence was so lifelike and intimidating it seemed as if he would bust out of the marble to come join the party. His hands were clawed. He had huge bulging muscles. Sharp teeth showed from his smiling mouth. And there were horns. Persephone was sure if he were real, his eyes would have glowed.
A large cock jutted out from between his legs, and several nude nymph-like women surrounded him in chains. It was hard for Persephone to tear her eyes away from it. Hades had the most distressing and yet compelling taste in art.
On a stage at the far end of the room, an orchestra played instrumental music—lush, dark melodies. It was the kind of music that made you forget all the reasons you shouldn’t listen to temptation, the kind of music that was temptation. Along one wall was a buffet table with all kinds of wonderful-smelling food as well as a fully stocked bar. She didn’t think she’d want to eat anything for a while, even though she’d only managed to eat a small amount at dinner. She was too nervous to eat.
At least fifty people filled the ballroom, though Persephone wasn’t sure they were all—strictly speaking—people. Most of them seemed otherworldly and a little frightening. She hadn’t expected that.
She wasn’t sure what she’d expected but not quite this. It was hard to put her finger on what made some of them seem not human. It was a feeling, an energy. Some of the guests had solid black eyes… not black like Hades had where that was just their color—but eyes that had no whites. Others had eyes that glowed red like embers from a fire. Some glowed a different color like green or gold, though the glow wasn’t constant. It came and went in small quick flashes that one could easily miss if not paying attention, or if they didn’t want to see it.
A few had… horns? She didn’t want to think the word demon, and yet that word kept floating to the surface of her mind. Visually their inhuman quality was subtle—not an overblown show. You could overlook it or miss it if you were just looking with your eyes. But the energy that crackled off them was another matter entirely. It made Persephone feel anxious.
She didn’t think they were evil necessarily. Just as the underworld wasn’t really hell like what she’d heard stories about in the human world, these beings weren’t really demons in the sense she might have heard of either. But though they didn’t seem purely evil, there was something dark about them, something that… disregarded the rules of human engagement. She was sure they didn’t have the same moral restraints or moral reasoning as she was used to. If Hades hadn’t been standing beside her, she might have fled for fear of what some of them might do to her should they become bored with the music, food, and conversation.
“Ready?” he asked.
Persephone nodded. She wasn’t sure it was true, but what were her options here? Make a scene and flee? Embarrass herself? Disappoint Hades? She felt sure he wouldn’t let some nasty down here hurt her. In a short time, she’d come to depend on him, and so far he hadn’t let her down. As much as she missed the world of light and living things, Hades had shown her kindness.
As they crossed the threshold, the room grew very still, the music fading. The murmuring and chattering came to a full stop as all eyes turned to them.
“Allow me to introduce the goddess of spring, Persephone, and now also queen of the underworld.”
It felt like such a lie when he said it, but she didn’t contradict him, and nobody at the party seemed skeptical of her pedigree.
There was a fair amount of oohing and aahing and polite clapping that caused a blush to creep up her neck. Soon enough, though, the moment ended. The music started back up, party chatter resumed, and Hades pulled her into the swarm of underworld beings to make more personal introductions.
The first cluster of people Hades brought her to had two women and three men. Both of the women had dark hair, pale skin, and red painted lips that matched their red eyes. They wore long black gowns which accentuated slim, willowy figures. Persephone thought their fingernails might be more claw than nail. One of the males closest to her had those disturbingly black eyes. The way he looked at Persephone, it was as if she could fall into that penetrating gaze and get lost—more the lost of insanity than the lost of romance.
He was very good-looking aside from that. But when he spoke, there was a slight hiss in his speech that you could only hear if you listened very closely. Persephone could have sworn a forked tongue slipped briefly from his mouth. And when he smiled, his teeth were too sharp.
“Persephone, this is one of my generals, Melos. He does punishment work for me in some of the lower realms.”
She was sure this sanitized version of his job description meant he was head of torturing the bad souls.
“Charmed,” he said as he took her hand and kissed the back of it. “We’ve heard of you for centuries. I can see now why Hades practically tore up the earth searching for you.”
Despite everything, when Melos touched her, her trepidation fell away, and she let him pull her closer. His mouth brushed against her throat in a second, more intimate kiss. She shivered when his snake-like tongue slipped out and vibrated against her skin.
Hades chuckled. “Stop sniffing her.”
“I can’t help it. She smells… delicious. Will you let me taste her?”
The throbbing between her legs intensified. A few weeks ago, in the human world, sex had felt like a blank slate, something confusing and not really desired, at least not enough to go to the trouble of seeking it out. But in the underworld, something new grew inside her—a deep sexual hunger that could never be contained or satisfied. The way they looked at her... the way they spoke. All she wanted was to give in to it and fall under their spell.
“You are my honored guests. Everyone gets a taste,” Hades said. Such a polite host.
Persephone felt she should object to everyone getting a taste of her, but the more the idea lingered on the air, the more exciting it sounded. She was certain the rules of the regular living world didn’t apply down here. As long as Hades didn’t become disgusted with her and throw her away, there were no real consequences to any pleasure to be had with anyone at the party.
The underworld felt like a long, fevered sex dream, barely even real.
For a moment, she considered the awful way she felt when Hades was absent and was gripped with a terror that perhaps he would decide she was dirty and wrong if she did these things. He might decide he didn’t want her anymore. He had seemed thrilled that she’d somehow made it to him without having been with a man. Wouldn’t the thrill be gone if she were with so many now? She couldn’t understand his excitement by her purity only to turn around and corrupt it so completely.
But when she looked at him, his face seemed lit up like the sun, a positively carnal grin on his face, a warm glow in his eyes. He had no doubts about this, and suddenly neither did she.
“Persephone?” Hades said.
&n
bsp; “I-I’m sorry, Master, what?” She was sure he’d said something to her and she’d missed it. She blushed when she realized she’d just called him Master in front of all his party guests, but Hades didn’t seem troubled by this. He seemed pleased.
“Ah,” Melos said, “when I saw that silver band around her throat, I thought it might be a collar, but I didn’t want to be impertinent. However did you get the sweet goddess of spring to agree to a kink arrangement? That is… surprising.”
“Well, you know, I did kidnap her,” Hades said.
The general smirked. “Yes. There is that. But, she doesn’t seem too put off by the arrangement. That’s what I meant. As sweet as she is...” He reached out and caressed her cheek. “… she seems to long for it.”
Before Persephone could decide if she should be troubled by this conversation, Hades’ hand moved to the back of her neck. She leaned against him as he stroked the skin there making her feel warm and content. “You’d be surprised how hungry this one is. She may be sweet, but there is a kernel of darkness in her that is so raw and needy. She needs to be touched. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Melos took this as further invitation and reached out to stroke her breast through the glimmering sheer dress. She’d forgotten how on display she was. The fabric pressing and moving against her skin when she moved made her forget.
Persephone leaned into the general’s touch, a small whimper leaving her throat. She’d thought Hades would take her around and introduce her to everyone, but all the guests had come to her instead, forming a wide circle around them.
She felt Hades move away from her as Melos began to explore her body. His hands slipped gently beneath the dress to stroke the tucked away folds of flesh between her legs—the flesh that was swelling with excitement each time he rubbed it. He withdrew his hand and sucked one of his fingers. She blushed, realizing the trail of wetness she’d left behind.
“She really is delicious,” he remarked.
Persephone looked back at Hades to catch a satisfied smile on his face. He motioned to a few of the servants, and moments later, they rolled an absurdly large bed past guests and into the center of the ballroom, stopping next to the statue.