In the Arms of Hades: A Sinful, Twisted Retelling Read online

  The crown is set on her head; it fits perfectly as she rises. She’s no longer the daughter of a king and queen. She’s in her own right, the ruler of the Underworld. She may have half my kingdom, but she holds my whole heart.

  8

  Persephone

  Never did I think I’d be a bride to the man who rules the Underworld. A place of darkness, where death is a perfume and destruction, is a garden in which the demons bask. But as I make my way down the halls, I feel it thrumming through me.

  Am I as evil as he?

  No, I can’t be. Mother and father would never have raised me like they did if there was evil lurking within my soul. Turning the corner, I find him in the room that reeks of wealth. Surely, he doesn’t need money, but there’s something about this room that reminds me of my parlor back home. It's dripping with gold, filled with ornaments and paintings, furnished as if a king lives here.

  “A king does live here, beauty,” he says, not looking my way. Can he read my mind? “There are many things that show your true feelings toward me, one being that darkness that follows you around like a fragrance. It lingers when you walk around my home.”

  “So, you can read my mind,” I say to him, entering the room. He doesn’t move, his body languid in the large onyx-colored chair. The leather is soft to my touch when I place my hand on the back.

  “I can feel your words.” He speaks so low, so controlled, it cocoons me. As if he’s pulling me into his arms and embracing me. “Your father has the same gifts as I,” he informs me. “For years, I hid my emotions, my plans, but he knew, he always knew, until the day I stole you.”

  “And you admit that you stole me?”

  He chuckles, a low rumbling sound that emanates around us. It’s lighter than his voice, giving a stark contrast between the room bathed in muted tones and dark colors to the sky I can no longer see.

  “Let me take you to your garden, my queen,” he tells me. Rising from his throne, he turns to face me once more. “You’re more beautiful today than you were yesterday and the days before.”

  “And what will you do when I age?”

  “You’ll not age while you’re here,” he tells me with a smirk that’s both sinful and also filled with promise. My heart beats wildly at his words. “You’ll stay youthful forever unless you attempt to leave. Once you reach the surface, your natural human life will continue as if you’d never come here.”

  “What if I want to visit my family?”

  He nods. “You may do so, but your time will be limited.” I consider this, wondering if I can really live a life in darkness, with a short amount of moments to see my mother and father.

  I don’t know if they’ll ever forgive me for wanting to be here, to live in the darkness with him, but something about it feels right. I glance away from my new husband for a moment, looking at our surroundings. Everything is rich in deep crimsons, dark blues, and purples. The oranges remind me of a setting sun.

  “If you miss your flowers, I’ll take you to the garden,” he tells me then. “Come, my queen.” He offers his hand, which I gratefully accept. The electricity that sizzles through me at the contact warms me from the inside out. I want more than what I had above ground, more than just existing. I want to live.

  Hades guides me through hallways of darkened windows and locked doors. Each one we pass holds secrets; this, I know. I’ve heard terrible stories about this Underworld. Mother painted such sordid pictures for me when she told me about it.

  Once we reach outside, Hades pulls me beside him, stopping just outside the enormous, ornate metal doors that lead back into the castle. Or palace. I’m not even sure what to call it. He waves his hand, gesturing toward the black cobblestones that lead through blackened trees, and I wonder briefly what he’s doing. It doesn’t take long for the darkness to turn to color.

  Leaves slowly change from charcoal to bright green. The stems of all the flowers match, and when the bulbs pop from their raven-hued petals to pinks, reds, orange, and an array of other colors, it steals my breath.

  “This will be yours,” he promises.

  It’s like a rainbow of beauty in a world of darkness and danger. I can’t speak for a moment as I take in the flowers. Tentatively, I take a few steps down onto the cobbled pathway that leads through the garden.

  It’s a curved road of freshly blooming buds, and my heart is filled with happiness. It isn’t as big as I expected, but the space is perfectly patterned to offer a picturesque view even though I’m in the dark.

  “This is more than I expected.”

  “Is it?” he questions from behind me. The curious tone of his voice has me turning to regard him with a small smile.

  “It is. I thought . . .” Allowing my words to filter into the silence, I’m unsure of what to say to him. I don’t want to anger him, but I wasn’t expecting such beauty in such an ugly world. This is his kingdom and mine, and I want to show it the love it deserves.

  Aren’t all broken things in need of more love than those counterparts that are whole?

  “You thought this place would be filled with horrors,” he says, nodding as he utters the words, and I find myself moving my head in agreement. “I won’t deny there are many things that are evil lurking amongst the walls of my kingdom, but this . . .” The king smiles as he regards the flowers once more. “This was always meant to be for the queen, who was strong enough to stand beside me.”

  There’s a wistfulness in his voice, and I want so badly for him to come to me, to take me in his arms. He stole me from the light, brought me to the darkness, and now I’m finding myself wanting him more than I thought I would.

  He’s not a good man.

  At least, that’s what I believed him to be, but when I meet his gaze, the dark irises that regard me allow me to stare right through him. He’s showing me his soul. And in the darkness that shrouds him, I see his light. Dim as it might be, I see his broken pieces that hold the love and affection he has for this Underworld he rules.

  And I realize, in this moment he’s bare to me, I will be his queen.

  Forever.

  9

  Hades

  She watches me as I allow her inside my soul. I’ve never let anyone look right into me before, and it scares me. I’m more afraid of her running away than I am of anything I’ve ever been through before. There’s nothing that can stop my affection for her. I’ll give her the world, both aboveground and below. I wish I could tell her that. But fear holds me back.

  Finally, after moments of watching me, she smiles. “You’re not the evil person people make you out to be.” Her words are a balm to my rather fragile heart, and I can’t help but chuckle in response. Persephone steps closer toward me, closing the distance between us, and as she does so, her perfume wafts around me, filling my senses with sweetness.

  “And you believe I’m a good man?” My brow lifts, arching in question as I gaze down at the beauty before me. Her flowing red hair hangs in curls over her smooth, porcelain shoulders.

  “You are,” she tells me adamantly. “You may rule the Underworld, but you’re far from bad or evil. Stories are told about you. They’re all lies. Aren’t they?” Her face is a picture of innocence, and I wonder what it would take to corrupt her.

  What would it take to make her doubt everything she’s ever believed in?

  “Stories are for children to scare them into behaving themselves.”

  She tips her head to the side as she looks up at me through her long lashes. “I’ve heard all those stories, and I was never scared.” I believe her. She’s a strong woman, someone who I can see would be resilient in the face of adversity. She walked into Hell with the king of darkness beside her. But what strikes me most about that revelation is she would’ve come with me of her own free will. I didn’t have to steal her, kidnap her from her family. She would’ve walked out the door with her fingers tangled with mine.

  “You’re a silly girl for doing this,” I tell her. Even though I don’t want to scare her o
ff, I feel like I need to warn her against this choice.

  Because that’s what it is.

  A choice.

  “Am I?” She’s challenging me, her mouth pouty, and her lips full as she waits for me to tell her to leave, or perhaps she’s waiting for me to hurt her, to show her just what I am.

  “Yes, but you’re also a strong woman,” I mutter as I run my fingers through my hair, wanting to tug at the strands. “I have always wanted a queen who can rule in the darkness.”

  “Then I shall,” she tells me adamantly. “Take me to bed.” Her voice is husky, low, and filled with need. She places her hands on my chest, the heat of her burning through me as she peeks up at me with innocence that belies her words.

  “Would you bear my son?” I ask her as I tangle my fingers through hers, tugging her along the hallways toward the room that will be our shared space.

  “As your queen, I thought that would be required.”

  “But it’s your choice.” The challenge is there in my words. I don’t want her to feel as if I’m forcing it on her. She needs to decide she wants to be with me, to give me a child who can take over from this life I’ve been forced into.

  As we make our way through the spacious mansion, I hold her tight, close to me. There aren’t any of my soldiers roaming around, and I’m thankful for that. She doesn’t need to be introduced to them just yet.

  I know the moment she is, she may change her mind, and that scares me. She’s mine now, and if she ever chose to leave, I’m unsure of what I would do. Giving her the garden was part of a prayer I sent up to those who no longer want me. I haven’t done that since I was banished to the Underworld, but right now, she has me wanting to be better.

  “Well, my choice would be to give you what you need to feel the affection you so clearly need.” Her words stall me momentarily. My chest aches when I glance down her at. Almost a whole head shorter than me, she’s tiny, fragile, and I could so easily break her.

  “You’re quite the spitfire, my queen.” I smile as I push open our bedroom door and allow her to enter. It’s been made up beautifully, and I make a mental note to thank Orissa for her assistance.

  “That’s something my father would tell me more often than not.” Persephone smiles at me from over her shoulder as she strolls through the space. Her fingertips trailing along the soft material of the curtains as she stares out the window, which overlooks the dry, cracked earth.

  The views from each of the rooms overlook the darkness I rule, and before Persephone walked along these halls, I was proud of what I’d achieved, but right now, in this moment, I feel less than proud.

  I shut the door and follow her deeper into the bedroom. Her small frame is illuminated in the crimson glow coming from the window, and her wavy cherry-red hair looks like it’s on fire as she gazes out into the fields of nothing.

  “You’re far too beautiful to be here, but my selfishness won’t let you go,” I whisper in her ear, running my fingertips over the smooth skin of her arms. The small shiver that trickles through her makes me smile, and I know I affect her as much as she does me.

  Persephone leans back into my body, and a small gasp falls from her lips when she feels how much I need her right now. Her head tips onto my chest, and my mouth finds the long, delicate column of her neck. I suck the flesh hard, allowing my teeth to graze along the silky skin.

  A whimper of need tumbles from her, and I’m tempted to take her right here, but I don’t. I keep my composure, closing my eyes as I attempt to focus on the strength I possess to not break her right here.

  10

  Persephone

  His body is utterly perfect — dips and peaks of smooth, solid muscle. Dark hair smatters his pectorals, and I allow my fingers to tease their way over each and every curve. He’s handsome; the darkness that seems to shroud him is nothing but beauty to my eyes.

  I’ve never seen anything like him. He’s otherworldly, and the moment he enters me, it’s as if I’m finally free. He opens me, taunts me, spreads me, and I can’t help but cry out as pleasure takes hold of me. His hands tease me, yet their path over my breasts, down my stomach, and to my core turns my body inside out.

  “That’s it, my queen,” he coos, whispering sweet nothings but also filthy promises in my ear. “I’ll fuck you so hard, so deep, I’ll engrave my cock inside your body, and no other man would dare to touch you.” The violence of his words sends me roaring over the edge, and I soar into the darkness as my orgasm grips me in a feral hold, not letting go.

  He stills for a moment, and my eyes land on his. They’re black as he watches me, but the smile on his face is angelic. A dark angel from the depths of the Underworld has taken me and shown me heaven.

  “You’re beautiful, perfect, mine,” he tells me without a hint of doubt. His hips start moving again, and I know soon enough, I’ll find another release. “I want to fill you with seed. I want you to bear my child.”

  “I . . .” I’ve never thought about children. Yes, I’ve dreamt of a wedding, being with a husband, but I’d never had an inkling to have a baby in my arms. To raise it and teach it. I still feel like a child.

  “When you’re ready,” Hades tells me, and he rolls his hips, hitting a spot inside me that has me seeing stars. “Your pretty pussy was made for me,” he tells me in awe. “It fits perfectly around my cock. Just like I knew it would.”

  He moves back and slams back in. His body fucking me deeper and harder now. Making love has happened; it’s time for the pleasure to reach him, to take us both into orbit as we find our releases together as man and wife.

  My nails pierce his flesh as his fingers torture my clit, circling the nub harder and quicker, causing my toes to curl into the mattress as he takes my body and toys with it as if I were merely a puppet. He doesn’t stop when I cry out. He doesn’t relent when I draw blood from his flesh.

  He growls in euphoria. His body spasming above me as he empties his seed deep in my womb, and I wonder if tonight is the night he gives me a baby. When Hades opens his eyes again, there’s an animalistic grin on his features.

  Just when I think it’s over, he rises, pulling me with him, and spins me around until I’m on all fours. I glance over my shoulder, his hands gripping the cheeks of my ass and opening me to his darkened stare.

  “I want this,” he tells me. With his thumb circling my ass, he taunts me with pushing the tip into me, and I can’t help but tense. “Calm down. It’s only going to hurt more if you’re nervous.”

  “I’m . . . I’m not sure if I can do that,” I tell him. A shiver trickles through me. Awareness that he’s going to want to put his cock inside there makes every nerve in my body turn electric. He spits down on me, circling the ring of muscle with his thumb and the wetness from his saliva.

  “It’s so beautiful,” he says. “It will open for me. Every hole of your body is mine now, Persephone.” He leans forward, the tip of his still-wet cock against my pussy. I watch over my shoulder how he grips himself and strokes his cock over the slickness of his seed that’s dripping from me.

  Once he’s happy with his plan, he moves to my ass and nudges me with the blunt head of his shaft. The pain that skitters down my spine is excruciating, but I don’t scream. I allow him to push farther inside, and I feel myself open. The burning sting is too much for me to take. Pulling the sheets to my mouth, I scream into them. The sound is muffled, but I know he’s listening to me. Perhaps he even likes it.

  His hips move slowly as he enters me. The thickness of him splitting me in two, and I wonder how much longer I can deal with this. Seconds later, he stills all movement, and I chance a look over my shoulder. His head is tipped back in ecstasy, and his eyes are closed.

  “Am I...? Is it...?”

  “It’s fucking perfection,” he growls through gritted teeth. “I want to break you, my queen. I want nothing more than to fuck you until you’re bleeding on my cock, coating it with your crimson lifeforce.”

  My eyes widen. I feel the shock on my fa
ce from his filthy words and desires. “But . . . I . . .” My words are merely a mumble when Hades starts moving again, his thick cock deep inside my ass.

  “Play with your pussy, my queen. Play with your clit, and you’ll feel more pleasure than you ever thought possible.”

  I don’t believe him. How can so much pain bring pleasure? But I do it anyway. I obey my king, and I allow my fingers to toy with my pussy, index finger playing with the hard nub that sends sizzling pleasure through every nerve ending in my body.

  Shutting my eyes, I focus on the pleasure, but when Hades moves, I feel the sting of pain. Both emotions take hold of me. They turn me inside out, upside down as they grip me in their tug of war.

  With each thrust, I cry out, but soon, after long moments, it’s no longer pain or pleasure. It feels as if I’m flying. My body shakes, and my arms tremble as my muscles go slack, and soon enough, I feel myself burst from an orgasm so strong, so intense that everything else dims around me.

  I feel weightless and empty, but full and heavy at the same time. I’m not sure how long I lie there, but when I open my eyes, I’m in the arms of Hades, and he’s holding me as if I’m the most precious thing in his world.

  And I suppose I am.

  I can’t wait to give him more.

  Epilogue

  Persephone

  The flowers are in bloom, bright, colorful, and beautiful, just like I remember them. With every step closer to the home I grew up in, I feel more removed than ever before. When I lived here, I recall times where I wished I would be far away. Now, even coming back for my first birthday since leaving, I still feel the same.