Page 6 of Love and Death (Tempting the Fates #4)

HAZEL

I flinch as the door slams shut behind me, and I hear the key once again scrape and twist inside the lock. I wish I knew what I’d said wrong to anger him so greatly.

Perhaps he does not believe I will ever forgive him for what he’s done.

Turning to look back, I’m startled to discover that I’m not as alone as I thought.

Cerberus leans heavily against the door, watching me intensely, as if trying to decide how best to deal with me. My mouth goes dry at the thought, my heart skipping an anxious beat in my chest.

Have I already ruined my chances with him? Assuming there was ever really a chance. Will Cerberus report my request to Hades, or does he intend to punish me himself?

I start to open my mouth to question him, if not plead my case entirely, but he quickly lifts a finger to his lips to silence me. It’s only when he leans further back to press his ear flat against the door that my nervousness shifts toward curiosity instead.

A long, painful minute passes between us before I finally hear it …

The faint scuffle of approaching footsteps.

I immediately shoot a panicked look Cerberus’ way, realizing he must have heard them coming long before I did, but he doesn’t seem to notice.

There’s a distant look in his eyes as he continues to listen intently, and I can’t help but wonder if he can tell who the footsteps belong to

Another minute passes before I see the faintest flicker of worry cross his features.

“Who is it?” I ask in little more than a hushed whisper.

He holds up a hushing hand in response, his brow furrowing further as he strains to listen closer. His sustained silence does little to allay my fears as I wait anxiously for him to say something, quietly praying that it isn’t Hades.

“I cannot tell,” he finally sighs, his voice low, “but it is clear from their movements that, not only do they know how to navigate the tower stairs far too well for my liking, but they do not wish to be found out either.”

“What do you mean?”

“Their steps are too slow, too calculated. If I had to make a guess, I would say someone has been sent to spy.”

“On whom?”

Cerberus gives me a curious look, as if he hadn’t thought it possible that he might be the one being watched. “I do not know. ”

My stomach knots at this.

Does the king suspect Cerberus of disloyalty, or has he simply sent someone to check on me?

My eyes suddenly widen in fear.

Did this spy, whoever it is, overhear me asking Cerberus for help?

I don’t even know whether or not he actually intends to help me, but I cannot have them reporting suspected betrayal to the king before I have a chance to find out.

“I need you to threaten me,” I whisper, a wild idea forming in my mind.

“What?”

“We must give them a good report before they can form any conclusions of their own.”

“I have no reason to fear—”

“Cerberus, threaten me, now,” I hiss as the nearing footsteps grow loud enough to be no more than a spiral length away. “Threaten me like you would rather kill me than betray your king.”

The hellhound instantly pushes away from the door, straightening to his full height as he steps toward me.

“You would do well to hold your tongue,” he snarls. “The king’s will burns through my veins as if it were my own. Challenge me again, and you will bear witness to what happens when that fire turns on mortal skin.”

“I will do as I wish.”

“You will do as I say,” Cerberus says, taking another step toward me. “Do not tempt me to use force. Do I make myself clear?”

“You wouldn’t dare. Hades would never allow—”

“The king left me in charge of you. Now, answer me! ”

Cerberus’ face is a mask of fury as he towers menacingly before me, his eyes burning with rage that’s suddenly all too real.

Did I push him too far? His performance is far too intense, far too believable to be but a game.

“Cerberus,” I start as the footsteps come to a stop just outside the door, “I did not—”

“Answer me!”

I flinch at the steel in his voice, now completely unsure of how best to proceed.

“No,” I say, the word barely escaping me.

“No?” Cerberus scoffs loudly before dropping his voice to a growl so low and intimidating that it sends a shiver racing down my spine.

“Then you have forgotten your place, mortal. Here, you are nothing more than a plaything for Hades’ amusement.

You exist to serve and obey the king, and until he returns, that means you answer to me. ”

“I answer to no one but myself,” I spit back, finding my tongue once again as the dark truth within his words, whether or not he means them, sets my soul ablaze with fury. “And I will not be coerced into obedience by the likes of you.”

Cerberus chuckles darkly, the sound setting my nerves on edge.

“Your defiance is most entertaining,” he counters, a wicked glint in his eyes, “but my patience is wearing thin. Now, go make yourself ready for the king’s return.”

“Or what?”

“Or I will prepare you for him myself.”

“I’d like to see you try— ”

The words barely make it past my lips before they’re replaced by a startled scream.

Cerberus lunges forward, his hand wrapping around my throat, as he slams me back against the wall with a sickening thud … though it isn’t my body, but his, that makes the sound, his free hand cushioning the stone behind my head.

“I warned you not to test me.”

“I-I shouldn’t have,” I start, fear coursing through my veins at his terrible strength, despite him causing me no physical harm … yet.

“Frightened words will not save you, little lamb,” he snarls, his voice reverberating through my chest as he leans in, and the warm, smoky scent of him washes over me. “Do as I say, or I will make you live to regret what little remains of your sorry existence.”

I search his face, unease filling the space between us as I try to make out how much truth there is to his threat. Before I can come to any sort of conclusion, the echo of retreating footsteps reaches my ears.

I glance over at the door and eye it warily. I half-expect our still unknown guest’s retreat to be some sort of trick and for the door to burst open at any moment.

I can feel Cerberus’ gaze boring into me, but I ignore him, hardly daring to breathe, as I continue to listen for several long minutes.

“I think they’re gone,” I whisper, once I’m certain the footsteps have faded from earshot.

“Hmm,” Cerberus hums in soft agreement, though he makes no move to release me.

Does he hear something I do not ?

I look up at him, the heat of his fingers around my neck growing hotter by the second. The rage still burns within his eyes but with a renewed intensity that makes my skin prickle.

If I didn’t know better, I’d almost swear it was no longer him, but his beast staring down at me.

“Cerberus—”

Before I can speak another word, let alone understand the shift in him, he bends, his mouth catching mine, altogether fierce and unyielding in its want.

I let out a whimper of shock, the sound swallowed whole in his ravenous need. My palms lift to press flat against his chest in protest, but still, he doesn’t budge.

Instead, he leans into my touch, pinning me firmly between him and the wall. His lips move against mine with savage hunger; his fingers dig into my skin, like claws would prey that must be subdued before it has a chance to escape.

My mind screams at me to resist, to fight back, but my body betrays me as it sparks to life beneath the heat of his touch.

Fear, shame, and wanton desire mingle treacherously within my veins.

I can’t breathe.

I can’t think.

I can’t even begin to comprehend the chaos taking over my mind as the hand behind my head twists, his fingers tangling deep in my hair. Pleasure sparks where there should be none, and then he suddenly grabs a fistful of my hair and jerks it back, baring my throat to him .

A soft moan claws its way up my throat before I can stop it. Cerberus growls in response, teeth scraping my lower lip as he pulls back just far enough for me to gasp.

I immediately try to regain control of my muddled thoughts, only to be dragged under again as his mouth drops to my neck.

My body goes rigid. His tongue moves hot and rough over my skin, licking up the side of my throat to the edge of my jaw. He pauses, the tip of his nose brushing against my ear as he breathes me in, a low, guttural sound of pleasure rumbling through him.

If I couldn’t see him with my own two eyes, I’d swear he’d shifted into his hellhound form in order to devour me whole.

I balk at the utter strangeness of the moment and am nearly returned to my senses in disgust. But, before I can open my mouth to demand that he release me, a searing pain suddenly erupts from my neck.

I inhale sharply through clenched teeth. My mind spins, but I have no time to understand what he’s done—no time to register the agony threading through my veins before his mouth is on mine again.

A low, inhuman growl rumbles through his chest as he deepens the kiss. His body hardens as he presses into me, crushing me flat against the cold wall as the hand behind my head drops to trace down my waist, over my hip, and along my thigh.

Another helpless whimper manages to escape me just as my mouth fills with the smoky tang of him, mingled with something else that’s both sweet … and all too dangerous .

And, entirely wrong.

I can hardly tell where the pain ends and the pleasure begins. The warmth of his mouth on mine blurs the lines, twisting and tangling them together until I’m almost certain they’re one and the same.

It’s as if a fire has been kindled, igniting a far more primal desire within me than I ever knew existed. The tension between us crackles and sparks, and I find myself responding to him despite something … something tugging at the very edges of my soul.

I reach up to run my fingers through the dark locks of his hair while my other hand, still pressed to his chest, takes its time memorizing the hard lines of his chest as a shiver of delight runs across his skin.