Page 21 of A Goddess Unraveled (Olympus Rising)

Lexi had a god in her bedroom. On top of that, she was one too. What were the odds of that happening? Given what she knew now, better than anyone might have guessed.

“How are you feeling?” Hades asked. “We may be immortals, but we still feel pain.”

“I’m pretty sore, but I’m dealing with more pressing problems than a few body aches.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Hades had taken a seat on her blue velvet sofa, which sat below a sofa-sized mirror. He patted the spot next to him and she relaxed into the cushions.

“I feel like I’m going insane. I keep telling myself that this is real, but somehow my mind won’t believe me.”

“I need more specifics.”

“For one, I’m a goddess. But I don’t feel like one.”

“Really? That demonstration in the river didn’t convince you?”

“I was raised to think I was human. Even with proof, humans are skeptics.”

“Would it help if you had more proof?”

“How would we do that?”

“Well, it’s clear you have control over the element of water, although I don’t think we should experiment with that in your bedroom. I also have a hunch that you’re manipulating air. If your power is as potent as I think it is, you should be able to command that element easily with the right focus. Try it out on a throw pillow.”

He pointed to the pink flower-shaped pillow resting at her elbow, and she picked it up. “Do I throw it in the air and try to shoot it down like a clay pigeon?”

“Not exactly, but you can think of your hand as the shotgun. It’s your source of power. Sometimes it helps to imagine a beam of light extending from it. Intention and belief is essential when controlling nature. You’ll want to focus your will on keeping the pillow off the ground using that beam of light. The element should rise to serve you.”

“Okay. Test one commencing.”

Lexi held the pillow in front of her and took aim with the other hand, giving it the same focus she’d given the river when she was trying to save her ass. Electricity tingled inside her palm as she tossed the pillow up, and the damned thing stayed there, hovering a good six feet above the floor as she gaped at it.

“See. There’s your proof.” Hades waved his hand at the pillow, and it shot out of her beam of invisible light. “Now, try to get it back from me.”

She laughed and flicked her wrist hard at the pink target. It zoomed across the room and hit the French door, where it wavered and started to fall. But she doubled her effort and sent it flying upward into the ceiling fan.

With a gasp, she jumped off the couch as the pillow was batted into the canopy draped over her bed. The energy flowed easily now, causing a slight tremor in her arm, but she wanted to keep the pillow from hitting the ground. To her horror, instead of zooming back up it started to smoke as it landed on her comforter, and she shook her hand to break the spell.

“Shit!” She pounced on it to smother a tiny flame that had already scorched one of the seams, while Hades, still sitting on the couch, covered his mouth to stifle his laughter.

“I guess we can add fire to that list,” he said.

“I could have set the whole place on fire.” She clutched the burnt pillow to her chest as she walked back to the sofa, already thinking of places to hide it.

“Not with all the gods downstairs. But now that you know what you’re capable of, you’ll need to treat that power with respect. A poorly timed action could have catastrophic consequences.”

“You mean like all of Zeus’s poorly timed actions that brought me to my catastrophe? I’m just so glad you could be part of that.” She breathed out a sigh, still trembling from her adrenaline rush. “To be honest, if you weren’t here, Jackie O and I might be miles away by now.”

“Possibly leaving a trail of destruction behind you.” Hades tucked her under his arm and pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’m glad I was guided here.”

“You think you were guided here? Do you believe in fate?”

“I believe in the Fates . They call me to the Elysian Fields now and then, usually with bad news. But sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised.”

“Where do you spend most of your time when you’re at home? At the gates?”

“Yes. I perform my duties ahead of anything else. But I’ll admit that my heart isn’t always in it. That’s when I visit the other regions of the underworld. The Asphodel Meadows is a favorite of mine, where the Lethe is most serene. When I’m in the mood for adventure I’ll head to the less explored places, where the creatures prefer to be left in peace. It’s important to remind them that they’re not alone.”

Lexi shivered, but it wasn’t from fear. It was curiosity, even without knowing what these creatures were. Or it could have been his fingers tracing lazy circles on her shoulder.

“What are the rules for visiting the underworld? Would a demigod, for example, have to take an oath to stay for a century and assimilate? Like they have to do in Olympus?”

“Did Z quote a century?” He shook his head. “He treats centuries like they’re decades. The timing is different for every demigod.” Then he blinked at her as if he’d just heard the question. “This is for educational purposes only, right? The underworld isn’t under real consideration.”

Lexi knew the trouble Hades would get into if she was that hasty, so she didn’t let his veto dash her hopes. “Of course. I’m nothing if not a thorough investigator.”

As they smiled at each other, Lexi noticed that his hand had begun an upward trajectory across her thigh, and she was reminded that they were alone, and that time was of the essence. But time meant something different to the gods. Once her party guests said their goodbyes, it could be a century before she saw him again. Goddess or not, that felt like forever. Hades was leaning into her lips when she finally found her voice.

“When will I see you again?”

She quickly kissed him back, letting the question hang there while her stomach lurched at the thought, interfering with the pleasure of his warmth sliding across her skin. He felt like summer. An endless summer that kept her bathed in sunlight and pleasure. And Hades didn’t seem anxious to end it, either, as he spoke against her mouth.

“Will knowing that affect how much you enjoy today?”

“Maybe.”

He broke the kiss to look carefully at her, giving her full access to the god behind the amber. “A century feels like a long time to a mortal. But you are not a mortal, Lexi. You’ll stop aging in a few years and never feel older than that. When life has an infinite timeline, very few things will feel urgent.”

“That’s poetic and all, but it doesn’t make me feel any better now.”

“I can only say that I’m sorry for that. It may take you a century to come to grips with it, possibly when you’re saying goodbye to your mortal family. But you’ll eventually live with a new concept of time. And we’ll see each other, if that’s what we both want.”

“Is that what you want?”

He brushed her chin with his fingers, taking it gently and tugging her toward him until their foreheads touched. “ The maiden’s beauty was more than he could bear. / Skin softer than a dove’s wing. / Lips redder than a pomegranate. / Hair like silk spun of mahogany. / He wanted to possess her, to drink her in, to love her until the stars held no meaning—I want to see you now and any time in the future that you’ll have me.”

Lexi’s breath was silenced by his kiss at the same time his fingers reached the hem of her dress. His touch was like a burn she looked forward to, scorching her as his passion flared. Or was that his power? She brought her hand to his chest, working a button loose from his shirt as he peppered a trail of kisses to her throat, nibbling and sucking her earlobe into his mouth.

“I want to taste my way across your skin,” he whispered. “From your lemon verbena–scented neck to the sweetness between your thighs.”

Her body responded with a clench so tight that a moan escaped, and she yanked on the button until it pulled loose. Then she spread his collar open and slipped her hand inside. She couldn’t decide which sensation felt better, his rippled abs beneath her fingers or his fingers grazing the seam of her panties.

She writhed against his hand, already racing toward a climax when he slipped a finger underneath the fabric. She could have fallen over then, as he touched her right where she needed it, but he only lingered for a few exquisite moments before he took his fingers back.

As he slid off the couch and sank to his knees between her legs, her pulse jumped. “You have the reins. Pull on them if I go too fast.”

Hades took hold of her hips and eased her forward. Then he hooked his fingers around the seam of her panties, and she let him pull them off her legs. The anticipation was nearly as erotic as the rush she felt when his mouth finally reached her. Then the warmth came. Then his tongue. Her sex vibrated, and she wondered if he could feel it.

She stopped wondering when his finger joined the party, taking her out of her head and up to a place she’d never been. A place where everything was perfect and all she felt was pleasure. She could have come ten times over but she reined it in, accepting everything he gave her. She deserved this.

When she finally let go, she found herself grasping his hair, and held his head with both hands as she ground against his mouth like something wild. He seemed just as enthusiastic, keeping her on that high until her body jerked off the cushions.

When the sensations ebbed she eased onto the floor, and they slouched into each other, panting. She was about to comment on the cold tiles when a knock on the door startled them both.

“Lexi, this is Mnemosyne. Zeus is asking after Hades. If you know where he is, you may want to send him back to the party.”

Mnemosyne’s footsteps retreated down the hall, as if she didn’t need to stay to make sure Lexi was in her room. She’d probably heard the grand finale. Somehow it wouldn’t have bothered Lexi if she had. Mnemosyne wasn’t the typical mom. She’d been the only one encouraging Lexi’s interest in Hades.

“I suppose that’s my cue.” Hades pushed off the floor and helped Lexi to stand, which wasn’t as easy as it should have been.

“Wow, my legs don’t want to function,” she said, using the sofa for support.

Hades smiled like he’d just received first place in something. “You’ve had an eventful day. I’m sure everyone would understand if you called it a night.”

He was right. After that incredible orgasm, her body was completely spent. And the thought of relaxing and enjoying the aftermath sounded a lot better than making conversation with a bunch of busybodies. “I wish you could stay.”

“So do I. Why don’t we reconvene after you’ve rested, when the guests have gone to sleep. Let’s say three o’clock under the balcony?”

“We’ll synchronize our watches.” She smiled as she pretended to tap an invisible watch on her wrist.

He left her with a tender kiss on the cheek, escaping down the boat ladder. Then Lexi waved down one of the staff and asked them to relay the message that she was retiring for the night. There wasn’t much happening besides the same overindulgences anyway. But rest didn’t come easy, not with the image of Hades’s head between her legs playing over and over in her mind. After a few fitful hours of sleep, she woke up at two thirty and noticed another text had arrived from James.

Sounds like a story that’s better shared in a call . Let me know a good time to do that

Based on the time stamp, he was probably getting ready for class. Did she want to start a conversation with a guy across the ocean? Hell, no. Not while she had a god within her reach. As she waited for the time to tick closer to three, she listened to the house. Not for the sounds of the staff but for heavier footfalls, the ones belonging to someone who didn’t know the meaning of stealth. Something about the quiet made her wary that Zeus was roaming the halls.

Lexi finally climbed out of bed at 2:50 a.m. and padded across the floor to the bathroom. Despite the body aches and lack of sleep, the prospect of sneaking off with Hades to finish what they’d started thrilled her like nothing else, including that time she’d ditched Mara to corner Seth Baker in his dorm room. Lexi didn’t care if Zeus found out, but she prayed he wouldn’t.

She assessed her reflection in the mirror, debating whether to change out of the dress she’d slept in. She opted to keep the dress on but slipped out of her bra and panties. There was no sense adding extra obstacles, although Hades didn’t seem to have trouble with them.

Before heading to the balcony, Lexi grabbed her riding jacket just in case they ended up back at the stable. It was the only place she could think of where they might find privacy.

Bracing against the wind, which had been tormenting her all weekend, she rehung the boat ladder and peered over the side to the shrubbery below, tensing when she saw a shadow that didn’t belong. She could only hope it was Hades and not the king of everything.

Her stomach clenched in anticipation as she climbed down, and she startled when a pair of strong hands gripped her waist and lowered her gently to the ground. It was Hades, and the desire to kiss him flooded her like a tidal wave. But he didn’t give her a chance before he hustled her around the corner of the estate.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“Z is walking the perimeter. I just saw him head down to the stable.”

“Damn. I was going to suggest we go there.”

Their movements led them to the side entrance of the garage, and when a floodlight flicked on, they ducked beneath it. Lexi sucked on her lip as her brain did a mental scan of the property. The beach was out. Not enough cover. And the outcropping of rocks would be too uncomfortable. Same with the trail. Not to mention the wildlife that might happen upon them.

Lexi realized she had closed her eyes when she felt Hades’s breath against her face. Then he was kissing her. The lethal blend of his cologne, if that’s really what it was, made her lightheaded, and his tongue tasted sweet, like he’d been eating pomegranate seeds.

His hand moved to her thigh then slipped under her dress. When he realized she was naked, his progress stopped and he stepped back.

“I’ve been worried I was being too bold, but—”

“Ditto.”

She smiled and kissed him again as her head spun and her body tingled. Then a thought occurred to her that was so perfect, so brilliantly simple, that she laughed when she said it.

“The limo.”