A Touch of Darkness (Hades & Persephone, #1)

by Scarlett St. Clair

walls were reflective,

her cheeks and the brightness of her eyes. Her glamour had weakened

The gorgon lifted her head but did not speak. For a moment, there was silence, and then the creature inhaled, and she froze. “Divine,” the gorgon purred. “Excuse me?” Persephone asked. “Goddess.” “You are mistaken.” The gorgon laughed. “I may have no eyes, but I know a god when I smell one. What hope have you of entering?” “You are bold for a creature who knows they speak with a goddess,” Persephone said. The gorgon smiled. “Only a goddess when it serves you?” “Pathos!” Persephone snapped.

She watched as graceful hands dispensed cards and listened as players at the tables bantered back and forth. Then she came to an oval table where the occupants were leaving. She wasn’t sure what drew her to it, but she decided to sit. The dealer nodded. “Madam.” “Do you play?” a voice asked from behind her. It was a deep rumble she felt in her chest.

He was beautiful in a dark way—in a way that promised heartbreak. His eyes were the color of obsidian and framed by thick lashes, his hair pulled into a bun at the back of his head. She had been right that he was tall; she had to tip her head back just to meet his gaze.

the smell of him—smoke and spice and winter air.

It filled every empty place inside her.

“It’s brave to sit down at a table without knowing the game.”

“Oh, Minthe. She’s always putting her hands where they don’t belong.”

hers. His touch was electric and warmed her from the inside out. She pulled away quickly.

“Deal.”

“Sometimes, poker is just a game of deception…especially when you’re losing.”

His grin matched hers. “Noted for the future, I assure you.” “The future?” “Well, I hope this isn’t the last time we’ll play poker.”

He smirked, and she could feel it deep in her gut. “Darling, I win either way.”

She’d allowed Hades, the God of the Underworld, to instruct her, touch her, play her, and question her. And he had won.

No, the worst part was that there was a side of her—a side she’d never known existed until tonight—that wanted to run back inside, find him, and demand a lesson in the anatomy of his body.

Persephone checked the mirror to ensure her glamour was in place. It was weak magic because it was borrowed, but it was enough to hide her horns and turn her bottle-green eyes mossy.

A series of black dots marked her skin, some smaller, others larger. It looked like a simple, elegant tattoo had been inked on her arm.

Persephone looked in the mirror. She had been right—Demeter had covered up everything Persephone liked about herself. Still, she managed a forced, “Thank you, Mother.” “It was nothing, my flower.” Demeter patted her cheek. “So tell me about this…job.”

“You are good at so many things, Kore.”

It was her childhood nickname, and it meant exactly that—maiden. The word was like a prison, but worse than that, it reminded her that if she stepped too far out of line, the bars of her prison would solidify.

Hades’s mark

She distracted herself by focusing on choosing her outfit for the day, a pretty, light pink dress with ruffled sleeves, a pair of white wedge shoes, and a white handbag.

“He will keep your secret, or he will find himself in Tartarus.”

“You know, Hades, not everything has to be a threat. You could try asking once in a while—just like you could have asked me to step away from your goddess here instead of throwing me halfway across the Underworld.”

“Are you well?”

“We do not get along well enough to be housemates, Hades.”

goddess added. Despite the command, her voice was warm. She had long black hair, half of it pulled back, and the rest fell over her shoulders, past her waist. She dressed in ancient clothing—a crimson peplos and a black cloak. A set of short, black horns protruded from her temples, and she wore a gold crown. She had beautiful but stern features—arched brows accentuating almond-shaped eyes set in a square face. Behind her, the three Dobermans sat, tails wagging.

“It seems I owe you an apology, Lady Persephone.”

“Hecate is a creature of this world and Hermes is merely a messenger. You…you’re something more.”

“Asphodel has a gift for you.” Persephone waited, curious, as the soul dropped to his knee and drew a beautiful gold crown from behind his back. This wasn’t just any crown; it was a series of carefully crafted flowers made into a circlet. Among the bouquet, she spied roses and lilies and narcissus. Tiny gems of various colors sparkled at the center of each flower. “Will you wear our crown, Lady Persephone?”

“But you are Divine.” “I have never lived that way and you know it.”

“I know you.” He trailed his fingers over her collarbone and moved so that he was behind her. “I know the way your breath hitches when I touch you. I know how your skin flushes when you’re thinking about me. I know there is something beneath this pretty facade.” Hades’s fingers continued their featherlight caress over Persephone’s skin.

“There is rage. There is passion. There is darkness.”

“And I want to taste it.”

“Let me show you what it is to hold power in your hands,” he said. “Let me coax the darkness from you—I will help you shape it.”

“Let me be your first,” he said—begged—and his voice rumbled in her chest.

“A touch of darkness.” His fingers tracked down her arm and threaded through hers. “Dance with me.”

and maybe it was because the darkness in her responded to the darkness in him.

“Action, Lady Persephone. Action holds weight for me.”

“I said I would be a generous lover, not a kind one.”

“Patience, darling,”

“I’d prefer the whole palace know we aren’t meant to be disturbed.”

Their darkness would come together.

Hades had made her feel powerful.

He had made her feel like the goddess she was supposed to be—and she had enjoyed every bit of it.

She took another breath as heat rose from the bottom of her stomach. As she inhaled the crisp Underworld air, she felt something…different. I...

It felt distant, like a memory she knew existed but couldn’t quite recall, and when it started to fade, she chased it. Descending the steps into the garden, she halted on the black stone, her heart racing. She tried to calm herself again, holding her breath until her chest grew tight. Just when she thought she’d lost it, she f...

The calmer she became, the more life she felt around her. It warmed her skin and soaked deep into her veins, as heady as the lust she felt for Hades. “Are you well?”

“I’m not interested in romanticizing Hades for doing something all men should be doing.”