Page 99 of Hades

“I’ll come with you.”

“You don’t have to⁠—”

“I’m coming with you.” Not a question. A statement.

I wanted to fight him on it. Wanted to assert my independence. But the truth was, I didn’t hate the idea of him coming with me. Didn’t hate the idea of not being alone.

And that scared me more than anything.

Letting someone in was terrifying. Trusting them with your heart when it was already so fragile from being rejected by the one person who was supposed to love you unconditionally.

We walked outside together. Cerberus padded beside me, his massive body a comforting presence against my leg. The afternoon heat was suffocating. Oppressive. September in Texas meant the sun was relentless, the air thick and humid, wrapping around you like a wet blanket you couldn’t shake off.

Hades walked me to my truck, his hand settling on the small of my back. Possessive. Claiming. He opened the passenger door and waited while Cerberus jumped in, the dog’s massive frame swallowing most of the space. Then Hades turned to me, his dark eyes scanning my face like he was memorizing every detail. Like he needed proof I was really there.

“Get in,” he said quietly.

I climbed into the driver’s seat. He leaned in and kissed me hard before closing the door with a soft click. Through the windshield, I watched him walk to his bike. All leather and chrome and raw masculine power. He threw his leg over the seat and the engine roared to life, the sound vibrating through my chest and making something low in my belly tighten.

He pulled up beside me before we left the parking lot, caught my eye through the window, and nodded once.

A silent promise.

I followed the road home with his headlight burning in my rearview mirror the entire way. Two miles had never felt longer. Every time I glanced back, there he was.

Following.

Watching.

When I pulled into my driveway, Hades parked his bike beside my truck and cut the engine. The sudden silence felt heavy, weighted with everything that had just happened at the clubhouse. Everything that had changed.

He reached my door before I could grab the handle and opened it for me. Cerberus jumped down after me, his huge paws thudding against the gravel. Hades’ hand found the small of my back again as we walked toward the house. That possessive touch. That claim.

The screen door slammed behind us as we stepped inside.

“VIOLET!” My mother’s voice cut through the quiet like a blade. Sharp. Demanding. Exactly what I’d expected.

I turned to Hades. “I’ll be right back.”

I didn’t wait for him to respond. Just walked down the hallway toward my mother’s room, my jaw clenched so tight I thought my teeth might crack. I could feel the anger building in my chest, hot and bitter. Ready to spill over.

My mother sat in her recliner, exactly where she always was. The television on but muted. Her eyes fixed on me with that look. That accusatory, disappointed look that had become so familiar over the years.

“Where the hell have you been?” she demanded.

“I told you I wouldn’t be home,” I said quietly. My voice was steady. Controlled. Everything my anger wasn’t. “You knew I was going to the clubhouse. You knew exactly where I was.”

“That doesn’t mean I expected you to stay out all night like a whore.”

The words hit like a slap.

I stood in the doorway, hands curling into fists at my sides. Part of me wanted to scream at her. To tell her exactly what I thought of her judgment. Her laziness. Her complete inability to take care of herself or anyone else.

But I didn’t.

I took a breath instead, reminding myself she was my mother.

She shifted in her recliner, her face twisting with something that might have been concern or might have been resentment. With her, I could never quite tell the difference. “Those men—they’re dangerous, Violet. They’ll use you and throw you away.”