The Passion of Hades (The Hades Trials, #2)

by Eliza Raine

I swore as I blinked the bright spots away. I was competing to marry a freaking maniac.

'You were wronged, by my worst enemy, and you paid the highest price. And now only you have the power to make it right.'

'So it's my fucking fault?'

He loved me. I didn't know how or why, but nothing could be clearer as I stared into those swirling silver orbs.

The desire in his expression alone was enough to make my core heat, a low ache building inside me.

'Does that mean magic sex?' I breathed. His mouth quirked into a smile.

My mouth fell open. Hades, the King of the Underworld, was teasing me. Well, two could play at that game.

And you're a weird little pervert,'

A thrill danced across my skin at hearing his name and I stopped myself from rolling my eyes. I needed to get over this. Now.

All my resolve to avoid her and merely lust after her from afar disintegrated, and I was standing in front of her within a second.

I stopped talking as I realized I was babbling. Not a great trait in a king.

'You literally created life to replace me?' she whispered.

'You deserve to be worshiped,' I breathed. 'And I can't do that here. When I finally touch you I want to hear you scream my name, watch you come over and over.'

the thought of his face if he ever saw Hades caused a bittersweet smile to settle on my lips.

Despite the fact that a mind-bendingly gorgeous god wanted to worship me.

Your black vines are aggressive. But you have other powers too. Like the green vines, that give life to things that grow.'

He was staring down at me laying on the sheets before him, naked and holy fuck, I looked a million times better than I really did. A series of images began to flash before me, so fast I couldn't hold onto a single one; me sinking onto his lap, him burying his face between my thighs, me bending over before him and spreading myself, his length hard and pounding and ready.

'You said no magic sex!' I panted.

'Why didn't you tell me I had magic sex powers!' I demanded, trying and failing to ignore the urgent need between my legs.

'Privacy from perverted gnomes,' I said, my face burning.

'You know, Skop, of the many words I could use to describe myself right now, boring isn't one of them. I have magic sex power for fuck’s sake.' 'What?' 'Yeah.' 'I want magic sex power,' he said. 'I thought you were already a god in bed.' His tail wagged. 'I sure am.'

'Magic wielding whilst drunk is never advisable,' I told her,

I couldn't take her like this. But there was no fucking way I was leaving with nothing.

I had longed for this tree for twenty-six years.

I would never let her go again. I couldn't. She was light and life and love, and she was mine.

'Not as gorgeous as you,' he muttered, and dropped down in front of me again. 'When you use your power like that... You look divine. It's all I can do not to tear your clothes off.'

I didn't know if it was the drink or the thought of Hades naked, but something was definitely revitalizing me.

Something inside me sparked, and it wasn't connected to my desire. It was deeper than that. I was happy. I was happy that he didn't want me to go.

The thought of him kissing someone else, lifting someone else into this chair, touching them as he had me, caused an undercurrent of fury to blaze through me. But that didn't mean anything, I told myself. He'd just made me feel freaking incredible. Of course I would feel possessive of him right now.

Could I love him? There was no doubt at all that I wanted him, and that I cared deeply about his happiness. Was that what love was?

'There sure is,' added Skop. 'I'm only three feet tall, and you should see what I've managed to bang.' I rolled my eyes at him, but he just wagged his tail faster. 'It's all down to my enormous-'

I wanted to win.

I was in Tartarus.

'He is coming,' she hissed, then slithered backwards on her huge snake tail. 'Hades?' Hope soared inside me. 'No. Cronos.'

I had no choice.