When Darkness Calls

by C. R. Jane

  “It’s been awhile,” she told him, her voice like the sound of a bell chiming in the wind.

  “Aphrodite,” he said again with a sigh, and I stiffened even more because there was so much there in the way he said her name. So much history. So much pain. Maybe even so much love.

  What about Persephone? What about the other girls? It sure as hell didn’t sound like he’d just been pining away for his lost love, not when this Aphrodite chick was around.

  “I need to speak to you,” she told him desperately, her hands clasped in front of her beseechingly.

  Hades hesitated, giving me a polite, questioning glance, even as his body language was screaming that he wanted to talk to the goddess. I tried to be cool about it and shrug it off with a smile as he walked away beside her, but he’d just promised to stay by me. And yet here I was, surrounded by strangers...powerful strangers.

  “I wondered how long it would take for her to get him alone,” said a deep voice, the sound of it sending a pulse between my thighs.

  I looked to my left to see the golden dreamboat standing there. I lost my ability to speak for a moment because up close he was even...more. He stared at me amused as my gaze danced across his features, unsure of where I wanted to focus on more. Everywhere was equally perfect.

  Finally what he’d said sunk in, not that his words came as a surprise. A woman who’d been dumped was easy to spot, even for someone with basically no dating experience at all.

  “I’d guessed there was history there.”

  “Enough to fill a thousand of your history books, little human,” he said smugly.

  My stomach curled up even more. I needed to get out of here. I believed in gods, the goal was achieved. Now it was time to leave.

  I ignored the pretty boy and looked behind me where I’d thought we’d come in from...except there was nothing but a smooth wall where I’d swore the doors to the elevator had been. A smooth wall and a god decked out in full armor sliding in and out of the silver tree girl I’d noticed before.

  I quickly averted my eyes. But where I looked next wasn’t much better. At that moment the Amazonian-looking woman I’d spotted before fired a shot at another handsome male. I gasped in amazement as I saw the arrow disappear in a cloud of smoke right before it would’ve hit him square in the chest.

  “Is there a way out of here?” I asked the golden stranger, searching around for Hades and not seeing him anywhere. My frustration and anger grew.

  “I have to say, I’m not sure whether to be offended or turned on at how quickly you went from eye-fucking me to wanting to get away,” he answered with a ridiculously sexy eyebrow raise.

  “It’s not you. I just get the feeling that this place doesn’t see very many humans,” I hesitated a second. “It doesn’t feel safe.”

  “That’s because it isn’t,” he whispered in my ear, all of a sudden standing directly behind me. “But unlike your morose companion, I’m going to make sure you stay alive on your little adventure.”

  “Stay alive?” I squeaked as he began to steer me forward.

  He hummed non-committedly as every being we passed tried to get his attention as he continued to push me towards where a long golden table had appeared, one that was at least ten times the length of the table in Hades’ mansion.

  When we got to the table, he pulled out a chair and gestured for me to sit down. I clumsily tried the hover approach on the seat and almost fell into the table when he smoothly pushed the chair in.

  His responding laugh sent goosebumps trailing lazily down my spine.

  He lounged in a seat next to me. I said lounge because I’d never seen someone look so effortlessly cool...so at ease in their own skin, as this striking creature.

  “I’m Elena,” I said, holding out my hand to him.

  He studied my hand for a moment and I wondered if hand shaking wasn’t something they did up here in Mount Olympus. “Elena,” he murmured before finally taking my hand, his touch rushing over me until it felt like all my blood was focused right there, just on the skin he was touching. His full, pouty lips brushed against my skin and I stared at them entranced, suddenly wishing he’d put them on other parts of my body.

  “You’ll have to forgive everyone for staring. It’s not often we get guests. Especially ones as pretty as you,” he purred. I fought the blush heating my cheeks and turned my head to stare at the floor. I had no idea how to respond to a compliment, even one as cliche as that.

  Taking my chin in hand, he brought my eyes back to his, a smile on his beautiful lips. “Don’t look away from me. I like what I see; a strong, independent woman.” His voice was deep, a warm caramel that soothed my anxious spine.

  I scoffed. “You know nothing about me.”

  His face sombered and I immediately missed the warmth of his grin. “I can tell enough by the fact that you were brave enough to come here. That you stayed once you got here and realized exactly where you were.”

  I wasn’t about to tell him how much I wanted to run away the second I’d gotten here. The compliment felt too good. I was pathetic, starved for affection, that would always have issues with men because of my deep-rooted daddy issues. At least that’s what the therapist had basically told me as a child when my mother had taken me after my dad left.

  I was kind of seeing the therapist’s point at the moment, because there had to be something wrong with me with what I was feeling.

  “Zeus,” Hades responded coldly, suddenly appearing right behind my chair. Aphrodite was hovering right behind him, her gaze locked on me menacingly. I pulled my hand from Zeus’s. Wondering why I felt like I’d been caught doing something wrong when Hades was the one that had disappeared with a woman.

  The name Hades had just said hit me right then...my eyes widened in alarm. This was Zeus. Like the Zeus that basically ruled everyone?

  All of this was way over my head.

  “I was just entertaining your charming, little pet” Zeus said, any hint of the easy-going, almost sweet male gone. I stiffened in my seat, hating the mocking way he’d said it.

  “I would say I appreciate that, but I would be lying,” Hades drawled.

  “I have to say, the Fates aimed high with this one,” Zeus said, lazily dragging his gaze down my body. Despite the insult in his voice, I found my nipples pebbling, my chest rising...my skin heating up. “Much prettier than the others,” Zeus said flippantly. “What do you think your chances are with this one?” he asked as if he was discussing the weather and not the fact that he was talking about a situation that would only bring heartbreak for the two people involved.

  “That’s enough,” Hades hissed, and the lust-ridden high that was enveloping me just disappeared. Zeus had been using magic on me.

  I didn’t know why that was so disappointing to me.

  “I’ll leave you all to it,” said Zeus, sliding out of his seat. “Three’s a bit of a crowd. Don’t you think, little human?”

  The wood right behind my head cracked and I swung around, shocked to see that Hades had ripped the top of the chair right off.

  Zeus laughed as he stood straight up, the sound of it echoing around the enormous room, garnering a look from every being there. He was an inch or two taller than Hades, at least six four or five I would guess. They both towered above me as I sat there and I wanted to stand up, just so I could feel a little less overwhelmed. Not that my 5’7 height was going to make much of a difference.

  “Have fun with your pet, Hades,” said Zeus, before he gave me a sexy wink and trailed a finger down my throat. A growl ripped from Hades throat at the touch, only amusing Zeus more.

  “Have a great time,” said Zeus with a small bow, gesturing around the room. “I’ve been told there’s something here for everyone.” A bit of melancholy slipped into his voice as he said that, though his face remained perfectly blank, giving the beautiful god a touch of mystery.

  And then he was gone, disappearing to the other side of the room almost faster than I could blink, immediately
surrounded by a throng of worshippers. Zeus reminded me of the popular kid in school that everyone wanted to be around. Those kids always had demons. I wondered what his were…

  I also wondered why I felt a little empty with him gone, like he’d taken something I needed with him.

  “I get the feeling that the two of you don’t really get along,” I murmured to Hades as he sat down next to me, my eyes still trained on Zeus. He’d been different when it was just the two of us, hadn’t he? Or was I just imagining that and looking for kindness in this confusing place.

  “You would be correct in that assumption,” Hades said wryly, drawing my attention back to him. He was seated where Zeus had been sitting, and Aphrodite...she was right next to him on his other side. Lovely.

  I should have been amazed when my plate was filled with an array of mouthwatering food, or when most of the other beautiful creatures in the room sat at the table. I should have enjoyed the harp music that began to play, filling the whole room with haunting, delicate sounds.

  But all I felt was a little bit heartbroken.

  Hades barely spared me a glance through the whole meal. It was like I didn’t exist. He hung on Aphrodite’s every word. I picked at my food, my gaze flicking from Hades to Zeus who had seated himself next to the female god I’d seen him with earlier a few feet down from us.

  I tried to distract myself by trying to guess which god was which. Of course, I had no idea how to confirm any of my guesses so it was a pretty pointless game, but it was better than twiddling my thumbs.

  “I’ll be right back,” Hades suddenly said next to me. I looked over to see he was already standing up. He strode away without a look back.

  “It’s hard to watch him leave, isn’t it?” Aphrodite murmured in her musical voice. It was the first thing she’d spoken to me and I gulped as I stared at the beauty. “You should get used to it,” she continued, not caring that I hadn’t spoken yet. “If you don’t have any expectations, it won’t be quite as devastating.”

  “What won’t be as devastating?” I spit out, hanging on her every word.

  “When you can’t ever be Persephone, silly girl.” She leaned forward. “Or me.”

  I stood up from my chair so fast that it almost tipped over. I barely saved it from falling to the floor, not that it stopped me from garnering what felt like a million judging...or knowing stares. I rushed to the left, not caring where I was going as long as it was away from her, and the others.

  There was a hallway up ahead that I hadn’t noticed earlier and I all but sprinted to it, breathing a sigh of relief when it was somehow blissfully empty. I leaned against the wall, safe from the prying eyes at last. Giving myself a second to calm down, and cursing myself for letting that troll get to me, I looked around to see if there was anything that looked like it could offer me a way out, even while knowing it was a useless endeavor to think I’d ever be able to find my way back to Hades’ place. Imagining myself somehow getting over that green lake without him...just the thought gave me the heebie jeebies.

  I felt him before I saw him. His gaze singed my frazzled nerves. He stood there in the hallway, the golden hue of the room unable to penetrate his silver, ethereal glow. My heart liked him much more than I wanted it to at the moment. It gallopped faster as if it was pressing me to get to him as fast as possible. He stood there casually, his stance wide, the line of his black shirt stretched across his shoulders as he stared at me. I could see the tension in his spine though. It hadn’t been long, but I was already coming to know him.

  One heartbeat, two, and then in his imposing gait he moved across the gold marble floor to where I was.

  “Elena,” he whispered, taking my hand and brushing his mouth across my cheek. My breath hitched. Hades looked at me through his long, thick, black lashes that would be the envy of every woman on earth.

  He bit his bottom lip and I had the insane urge to replace his teeth with mine. It was such a human gesture on someone so godlike.

  “You’re dangerous to hearts everywhere,” I told him, trying to hide the heartbreak I was feeling.

  “What did she say to you?” he all but snarled, getting right to the point.

  “Just reminded me of the situation I’ve found myself in. I wasn’t really expecting you to have more than one famous ex,” I answered, laughing self-deprecatingly. I stared up at the ceiling, feeling like if I looked at him he’d be able to see every single emotion in my suddenly fragile heart.

  “You almost sound jealous,” he told me, a little too happily as he took a step closer to me. He pulled me forward and against every part of him. I was forced to look at him as he pressed me against the wall, intensity building in his eyes.

  I rolled my eyes in return, my exhale coming out shaky and revealing.

  “Aphrodite is an ex,” he began.

  My stomach churned at his words despite the fact I’d already known that.

  “From about three thousand years ago.”

  “Three thousand years ago?” I gasped. “It seemed a bit more recent then that. She was practically frothing at the mouth to get close to you.”

  “She can’t stand not having attention.”

  “You said you wouldn’t leave me,” I told him softly, hating that I sounded so vulnerable.

  Hades' face fell. “I was trying to protect you. She has a tendency to lash out irrationally when she’s not getting her way.”

  “You spent the entire dinner talking to her,” I reminded him, not able to get her words out of my head.

  “She was asking me questions about you the whole time,” he answered gently, smoothing a piece of hair out of my face and tucking it softly behind my ear. “I was still trying to protect you.”

  Why did such a simple move feel like so much more?

  “So do you make a habit out of breaking the heart of every beautiful woman out there?” I asked, my question coming out breathlessly.

  He chuckles and my insides jump at the sound. Why did even that have to be sexy?

  “Lately there seems to be only one heart that I’m interested in,” he said in a gravelly voice, pressing up even closer to me.

  His hands slid up to caress the sides of my breasts, and I suddenly envisioned their full weight falling into his palms, the feel of his skin next to mine… the way he would pull at my throbbing tips.

  What the hell am I thinking?

  I moan at the press of his hardening length against my stomach. I’m so out of my element here. I mean I’ve barely been kissed and here I am wanting to throw all my clothes off and let him do me in the hallway next to a room full of people. What is he doing to me?

  He leaned down to nip my jaw, and I imagined what it would be like if his lips touched mine.

  “Hades,” I whispered as his hands found my hair and tugged, pulling so my neck was bared to him.

  “What are you doing to me, Elena?” he asked, the heat of his breath warming a path as he spoke into my skin. When he licked my collarbone, I about collapsed, instead wrapping my arms around his waist to hold myself up. His muscles contracted under my roaming fingers. I couldn’t believe we were doing this. It was like this place had cast a spell on me where I could do everything I’d been thinking but didn’t believe was possible.

  For all I knew, I could be opening Pandora’s Box though. But my body wanted him and I did too. Maybe I could manage to stay on the right side of the line emotionally and delve into this physical connection that was so alive between us. I could do it right? I’d always admired the heroines in my books that could do it.

  My lids closed and I anxiously laid my cheek to his chest, hoping that I wasn’t somehow misreading the situation. His racing heart pounded under my ear. For a moment I drowned in the sweet hint of sandalwood and cool mint that would be forever synonymous with him.

  Hades tightened his hold and my breath exploded from my lungs as he lifted my chin up to find my eyes. He was so intense, jaw clenching as he almost growled, “You need to stay away from Zeus.”

/>   “He was helping me after you left,” I told him innocently, conveniently pushing away the memory of what Zeus had made me feel. None of that was real anyway judging by the way he’d behaved later on.

  Hades’ eyes darkened. “Zeus is never just helping. There’s always an ulterior motive.”

  I opened my mouth and then closed it, wondering why I even felt the need to defend Zeus. I didn’t know him. I’m sure Hades had a perfectly good reason for hating his brother and I didn’t really feel like talking about it when he was standing this close to me.

  “I don’t want to talk about him anymore,” I whispered to him as I got lost in those starkissed eyes of his for what felt like the hundredth time.

  “I don’t want to talk at all,” Hades said gruffly.

  He had my waist, holding it, sinking his fingers into the pad of flesh that curved into my ass. I gasped. He drew somehow closer as his gaze dropped to my lips, and I ran my tongue along their length, moistening them while they remained parted in wait. A delectable shiver ran down my spine as his mouth hovered over mine.

  “Elena.” My murmured name was barely a breeze and I wondered if he’d even said it at all. His lips stayed close as he took in one of my answering breaths at a time. Long deep drags, as if I was his lifeline and without me he couldn’t survive. My knees weakened at the intensity and I leaned in to him.

  And then it happened. His lips touched mine and then retreated, a light gift before he paused and did it again. I shivered, wondering how something so simple and sweet could do infinitely more than any kiss before it.

  Goosebumps sprang up on my arms. I would have been embarrassed but my mind was clouded by this glimpse of perfection. Any ideas I had of what his kiss would feel like were wrong. There were secrets in the gentle press of his lips. Secrets that I was desperate to discover. One thing was not a secret though. He’d been longing for me. I could feel it in every touch. It felt...a little bit like I was reuniting with him, that I’d been missing him all this time and was finally coming home.

  It felt like my soul was finding its other half and I wondered if it felt that way for him. Or if he was comparing our kiss to the girl that had really been his soulmate.