Page 44 of Hades

Technically, I still hadn’t met her. Not really. But from the moment I saw her, I knew. All it took was looking into her eyes, and I knew deep down her soul was as black as mine. Dark and twisted and perfect.

I rode up the long dirt driveway until her house came into view. The farmhouse sat back from the road, surrounded by gardens and trees. Peaceful. Isolated. The kind of place where secrets could grow as easily as flowers. I knew someone was living here—just never took the time to find out who.

The front porch door opened as I stopped the bike. Her dog came bounding down the steps, all snarling growls and bared teeth. Massive. Black. A fucking hellhound if I’d ever seen one.

“CERBERUS, FASS!”

My eyes locked on the dog as he skidded to a stop. His hackles rose as he snarled and growled. Saliva dripped from his jaws. One wrong move and he’d rip my throat out.

“Cerberus, platz!”

The noise stopped and the dog sat. His snarls had ceased, but a low growl rumbled from his chest. A warning. A promise of violence if I fucked up.

I looked up at the sound of her voice. “Cerberus, komm.” She stood on the porch in her flowing skirt and sleeveless shirt. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders, catching the sunlight, turning it gold. She was staring at me, not the dog. Those eyes locked on mine. Seeing everything. Seeing through me.

“His name’s Cerberus?” I asked, struck stupid by how fucking gorgeous she was. My cock stirred in my jeans, already half hard just from looking at her.

“Yes.”

Cerberus sat by her side on the porch as I swung my leg over my bike and walked closer. Each step was deliberate. I stopped at the bottom of the steps when the dog growled again; only this time, she didn’t stop him.

She watched me warily as my foot landed on the first step, then the second, until I stood eye to eye with her. Close enough to smell her. Flowers and earth and something darker underneath. Something that called to the darkness in me. The dog growled louder and stood, his massive body coiled and ready to strike.

I couldn’t tell you I wasn’t terrified, because the beast was huge and one lock of his jaw would have ended me, then and there. Torn apart. Bleeding out on her porch. But as the God of the Underworld, hellhounds were my bitches, and Lettie?

She was my fucking queen.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Lettie

I stood frozen on my porch as he stepped up until his eyes were level with mine. Heat radiated off his body. The scent of leather and whiskey and something darker wafted around me. Something that made my pulse hammer in my throat. He was doing it again—holding me hostage as he stared into my soul. Cerberus growled beside us, a low rumble that vibrated through the wooden planks beneath my feet, but he wouldn’t attack. Not without my command.

“W-what can I do for you?”

“Not a damn thing, baby.” His hands cradled my face, rough palms against my cheeks, and then his lips were on mine before I could even breathe. Soft at first. A whisper of contact that made my knees weak. Then firmer as his teeth nipped my bottom lip. Sharp. Possessive. His tongue traced the seam, seeking entrance, but my mind was lost on his hands.

His fingertips dug into the back of my head, holding me in place as if I might try to back away. As if he didn’t want to let me go. As if he’d chase me down if I ran.

One hand gripped the porch pillar, and the other fisted in his shirt. I couldn’t say if I was pushing him away or pulling him closer. I couldn’t even think as I opened my mouth for him and his tongue swept inside, deepening the kiss. He tasted like coffee and something darker. Something dangerous. Something I wanted more of despite every warning bell screaming in my head.

“VIOLET!”

The sound of my mother’s yell broke the spell this man had cast on me. I stepped back, my hand dropping to my side. My lips felt swollen. Bruised. Claimed.

“Excuse me,” I whispered and ducked inside. My hand went to my chest as I tried to calm the storm raging inside me. My heart slammed against my ribs. My skin felt too tight. Too hot. I’d never been kissed like that. Never had my body reacted like that to a simple kiss, like he’d reached inside me and flipped a switch I didn’t know existed.

“VIOLET!”

“Coming, Mother!” I rushed to the back of the house and into her room. The air was stale, heavy with the scent of unwashed sheets and stagnant air.

“Was that a motorcycle outside?”

“Yes, Mother.”

“I thought those people left?”

“They did. This is someone else. From the club next door.”