Hades flicked a nonexistent piece of lint off the sleeve of his suit jacket and shrugged.
Stavros came to stand beside Toni. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and pulled her into the curve of his body. His sword was pointed blade down, the tip resting against the floor.
Persephone waved her hand in the air and the damage Hades had inflicted to the room was quickly repaired. The glass jumped from the floor and reassembled itself in the window, the furniture became sturdy and whole again and the plaster repaired itself.
Toni was in awe. That was some skill. Gave an entirely new meaning to the idea of renovation and redecorating.
When she was done, the goddess turned to them. “You’ll have to excuse us. We must be going.”
Stavros inclined his head to the woman and shot Hades a deadly glare. “We’re done. The curse is finally finished.”
Hades didn’t acknowledge Stavros at all. He simply wrapped one arm around the woman and ushered her into the swirling portal. It disappeared in the next breath, leaving nothing but a residual energy that made the short hairs on her arms stand on end.
The sword in Stavros’ hand disappeared. She wondered where all that stuff went. Did he have a home somewhere he sent it to? Or did he have a cosmic closet? There was so much to consider. Her life had completely changed.
Toni moved away from Stavros, turned and faced him. She wished she was wearing a little more than a blanket but would have to make do. She was good at that.
He stood with his hands on his hips, tall and powerful, and—uncertain. She could see it in his eyes. He wasn’t sure what she was going to say or do. That was to her advantage.
Toni stared into his dark eyes. They were black like Hades’ but so different. Stavros’ eyes held the secrets of the night and a sensual promise. She walked up to him and placed a hand on his chest. His heart raced beneath her palm.
“So you love me, do you?”
Stavros tried to gauge Toni’s mood, but it was impossible. Her expression was inscrutable, and his own emotions were all over the place. His blood pumped through his veins thick and hot. He wanted to scoop Toni into his arms and drag her back down to the bed. But he wasn’t sure of his welcome.
He’d changed Toni in the most fundamental way and without her permission. Not only that, he’d blurted out that he loved her. He knew she wasn’t ready to hear that. Might never be. The woman had trust issues, and he’d violated that trust by making her immortal without her permission.
He nodded in answer to her question, not trusting himself to speak yet.
Toni’s palm was hot against his skin. She still smelled of sex, of him. His cat yowled his dissatisfaction. The jaguar wanted him to touch Toni, wanted to rub its body over her until it marked her as his own.
She tilted her head to one side, making her hair fall in a thick curtain. “Why?”
“Why?” He wasn’t sure he understood her question.
“Why do you love me?”
Stavros couldn’t stand their separation any longer. He scooped her into his arms, ignored her startled gasp and sat on the bed, resting his back against the headboard. Cradling her in his arms, he sought to find the words to make her understand.
“I have been alone for many years.” The five-thousand years he’d spent imprisoned were the worst of his entire existence. Toni rubbed her hand over his chest as though to comfort him. He caught her fingers in his and brought them to his mouth and kissed each of her knuckles one by one.
“I was created, not born. I came into being exactly as I am—a warrior of the Lady of the Beasts.” He sought to share some of his history with Toni. “I have existed since the dawn of time, since the birth of the world.”
“That’s incredible.”
He lost himself in her eyes. So blue, so warm, like the sky on a summer’s day. It would be so easy to sweep her beneath him and make love to her. But she deserved to know exactly who and what he was.
“The seven of us warriors lived to serve our goddess. She is kind and benevolent.” He paused and gathered his thoughts. “It was a good life until the rise of the Greek gods and goddesses. They were a troublesome bunch from the very beginning.”
“And then came the curse,” Toni prompted.
Stavros rubbed his hand up and down Toni’s arm, enjoying the warmth and the smoothness of her skin. “Yes, then came the war and the curse. I didn’t believe we’d ever go free. I think it changed all of us.”
“In what way?” Her concern was a balm to his soul.
“When I was freed, I was confused. I watched over the woman who’d freed me. I felt a debt of gratitude to her but nothing more. Eventually, I made my way to the jungles of South America. I gave my jaguar free reign, not sure how to behave as a man anymore. To my shame, I stayed that way for long years until I finally felt the call of the Lady once more.”
Toni clasped his face in her hands. There was no anger or disgust in her expressive blue eyes. Only understanding and empathy. “You have no reason to be ashamed. Not after all you’ve been through.”
He swallowed hard. That she would defend him meant everything to him, but he could not allow her to absolve him of his guilt. “No, it was wrong of me.” She looked like she was going to disagree with him, so he hurried onward. “I arrived to help the last warrior freed break the curse. We defeated Hades and the rest of my friends found their mates.” He paused and took a deep breath. “I didn’t think there was anyone for me.”
Toni stilled and looked down at her lap. “I see.”
“No, you don’t see.” Frustration rose in him. He was doing this all wrong. “Then I met you.” He smiled in spite of the seriousness of the moment. “You fascinated me from the first moment I laid eyes on you. I followed you for several days.”
“I knew it. I knew some animal was following me. I thought it was a cougar.”
Stavros scowled. “You take too many chances out there alone by yourself.”
“So you were protecting me?”
“Yes. No.” He dragged his fingers through his hair. Women were confusing creatures. “I wanted to leave. Tried to leave you alone on several occasions, but I kept coming back.”
She was pleased by his answer if the smile playing at the corners of her lips were any indication. Stavros hurried on with his confession. “The Lady told me I could gift the woman of my choice with immortality. It was her gift to all of us for what we’d endured. I didn’t think I’d ever find a woman to share it with. I’d planned on keeping to myself for the rest of time.”
“To protect everyone from Hades.” Toni nodded as she spoke and he knew she understood.
“Yes. I wouldn’t risk the life of an innocent.” He sighed. “Even though I knew it was wrong, I couldn’t stay away from you. It was because of me that Hades tried to harm you. And for that, I’m sorry.” He slid his hand behind her neck and cupped her nape. He tilted her head to one side and slowly lowered his lips to hers. “But, Toni, I’m not sorry for loving you. And I’m not sorry for this.”
He kissed her then like he’d been dying to do since Hades had left. The curse was finally over. A weight he’d been carrying for five-thousand years dissolved beneath the warmth of Toni’s lips. She kissed him back with no hesitation. That gave him hope that she would forgive him for what he’d done, how he’d changed her life. That she might give him a chance to prove himself and his love for her.
Hades stepped out of the portal behind Persephone. He’d expected her to take him straight to his brothers for judgment. Instead, they were in his private quarters in Hell. The portal winked out behind them. Hades strode to the liquor cabinet, poured himself a double scotch and drank it all in one gulp. Then he poured himself another.
Once again, those annoying warriors had defeated him. It was maddening.
“It’s over, Hades. Tell me you understand that once and for all.” There wa
s a note in Persephone’s voice, a desperation that made him turn and study her. He wanted to be angry with her for her interference but found he was not.
She was standing in the center of the room with her arms crossed over her chest. Her lips were turned down in a frown. She looked…not mad, but sad. He found he didn’t like the idea of her being unhappy.
As much as it pained him to admit it, what she said was true. “It’s over.” There was nothing more he could do to the pesky goddess and her shapeshifting warriors. Not unless he was willing to destroy himself, and that was something he definitely wasn’t planning on doing now or anytime in the future. He hadn’t really needed the warriors anyway. That had been his mistake—thinking he needed anyone else. He’d make another plan better than the last. He learned from his mistakes.
“Oh, Hades,” Persephone cried out in distress. “Have you learned nothing? I can already see the wheels turning in your head, concocting another scheme. The power you lost will grow again in time. Can you not be happy with what you have?”
Why would he be content with what he had? There was a place inside him that craved something more. He wasn’t quite sure what it was. Come to think of it, he hadn’t felt that way during the long years he and Persephone had been together. In fact, he’d quite forgotten the Lady of the Beasts and her warriors during that time.
He threw back the second drink and plunked the glass down on the cabinet. A spark grew inside him. Maybe, just maybe, he understood the warriors and their willingness to do anything for their women. No other woman had ever stirred the feelings inside him that Persephone did.
That was dangerous to him. He really should stomp out those tender emotions and send Persephone away. But he found he didn’t want to. He knew she could fill the empty place inside him. He had eternity to scheme and gain more power, but right now, all he wanted was the woman in front of him.
“Come here.” He crooked his finger at her.
She shook her head. “No.”
Hades stalked toward her, noting the way her body quivered and her nostrils flared. She wanted him. A sense of triumph surged through him. Claiming her as his woman once again would be greater than any victory he could have gained over the puny human race.
He trailed his fingers over her stubborn chin and down her neck until he hit her collarbone. Her breathing increased and she swallowed. “If you keep me occupied, I won’t have time to get into trouble.”
Persephone laughed. “Only you would be so arrogant, Hades.”
He dropped the façade and cupped her chin in his hand. “I miss you, Persephone.” He lifted one of her hands and placed it over his heart.
She sighed. “What am I to do with you?”
He shrugged, not willing to ask for what he wanted for fear she would turn him down. He was already weak enough without adding to it. He leaned down, and when his lips were almost touching hers, he spoke without thinking. “Want me.”
“Oh, Hades. I do. That’s the problem.”
He kissed the corner of her mouth and then licked her bottom lip. “It doesn’t have to be a problem.” He was close. He could sense her weakening toward him. He knew her so well, knew what made her shiver, what gave her the greatest pleasure.
“This is your last chance. I can’t go through this again.” Persephone gripped the lapels of his jacket. “I mean it, Hades. I love you but I won’t be shoved aside in place of your ambition. Not again.”
That gave him pause. But he decided the prize before him was worth the effort. Hades had a new plan, and it was all about pleasure and the woman in front of him. He swung her up into his arms and carried her over to the bed. “You won’t be sorry,” he promised her.
He laid her on the bed, all thoughts of the Lady and her warriors relegated to the past. Persephone was his now and his future.
Chapter Eight
Toni’s head was spinning. So much had happened, but the most amazing thing of all had to be Stavros’ declaration that he loved her. But could she believe in that love? Everything had happened so quickly. What if he changed his mind? Eternity was a long time.
But when he kissed her, all her reservations slipped away.
Stavros eased his lips from hers and tenderly brushed a lock of hair away from her face. “What are you thinking?”
It was time to be brutally honest. “What if none of this is real? Oh, I believe that you’re an immortal warrior and that Hades was just here.” And how weird was it to say that and not be under the influence of alcohol or heavy medication. “But what about us?”
His expression never changed, but she knew she’d disappointed him, hurt him on a deep level. She’d come to know him so well in such a short time and caught the telltale way his mouth tightened and his eyes darkened. That gave her pause. They might not have known one another very long, but she knew him better than she’d ever known another man.
“I can only tell you what I’m feeling.” He swept his thumb across her cheek. His touch was tender and nonsexual, but that didn’t matter to her body, which was humming with arousal.
“I love you, Toni. Now and forever. You’re it for me.” He touched his chest. “I know it in my heart in a way I’ve never known anything else.”
She swallowed heavily, incredibly touched. Tears filled her eyes, making them burn, but she managed to blink them back. “I don’t know what to say or do.” And that felt cowardly.
“You don’t have to do or say anything. Just stay with me. Give me a chance to show you what we have is real.”
Toni thought about what it had felt like when she’d thought Stavros might have to fight Hades. He’d been willing to battle a god to protect her. It didn’t get any more real than that.
She’d been terrified something would happen to him. She cared deeply for him. Damnit, who was she kidding? She loved him.
It felt strange to say the words in her head. She said it a few more times and then took a deep breath and said them aloud. “I love you.”
Stavros became as still as a statue, not really breathing. Then he exploded into motion and she found herself flat on her back on the mattress, the blanket somehow gone and Stavros covering her with his naked body.
“Do you mean it?” he demanded.
She tenderly stroked his chest and broad shoulders. He was as vulnerable as she was when it came to their relationship. Baring himself emotionally was as new to him as it was to her. “Yes, I mean it. Ever since I first met you, there’s been something there, something I’ve never felt before. I like you. I want to be with you. And for the first time in my life, I can envision being with you fifty years from now.” She paused and laughed. “I guess it’s going to be much longer than that.”
“Much longer.” He lowered his mouth and kissed her. No, that wasn’t quite right. He inhaled her, as though she was the very air he needed to breathe.
“Toni. Toni. Toni.” Her name fell from his lips like a mantra, a prayer. He pressed openmouthed kisses on her neck, teasing a path all the way to her ear. He traced the delicate whorls, sending a shiver of pleasure racing through her. “You won’t regret this,” he promised before gently tugging on her lobe with his teeth.
“I know.” She stroked his firm warm flesh, loving the play of muscles beneath her hands. Stavros was strong, but he tempered that strength whenever he touched her. He treated her in a way no other man ever had, like she was precious and special. “You won’t regret it either.”
His smile was tender and filled with such love that it almost hurt her to look at him. “I know.”
He sat back on his heels and she scrambled onto her knees until she was facing him. He raised one dark eyebrow in question, but she only smiled. She licked her lips and studied him. He really was the most perfect male specimen in the world. And he was hers.
Stavros laughed. “I’m almost afraid to ask what you’re thinking. You look like a cat about to play
with its prey.”
She slowly smiled. “Maybe I am.” She skated her hands over his chest, sifting through the crisp hair that covered it. His abs were sculpted bands of muscle. His cock was fully erect and very impressive. She gripped his thick shaft in her hand. As a photographer, she could appreciate the texture of his skin, the darkness of it against the paler skin of her hand. As a woman, she was enthralled with the way his erection heated beneath her touch. She knew what it felt like to have all that untamed power inside her and she wanted that again.
Toni stroked up and down his cock. He was so heavy and hard in her hand. She rubbed her thumb across the flared head, spreading the moisture that leaked from the tip. Stavros groaned and pushed deeper into her hand.
He was just as busy as she was. He palmed her breasts, covering them with his callused hands. Her nipples were taut but grew harder when he teased them with the pads of his thumbs. It was her turn to groan when he tweaked one nipple between his thumb and forefinger.
“I want you, Toni.” With his dark hair flowing around his shoulders and his black eyes glittering with lust, he looked more like a barbarian warlord than an immortal warrior. Or maybe there wasn’t that much difference between the two. Stavros wanted to claim her and she wanted that claim, wanted to belong somewhere and to someone for the first time in her life.
“Yes.” She slid her hands up his chest, locked them around his neck and kissed him. She loved kissing him. He took his time, exploring, teasing, enticing, as though he had all the time in the world. She felt the heavy press of his cock against her and eased from side-to-side, rubbing it with her stomach.
Stavros pulled away from her and turned her so she was facing away from him. “Grip the headboard.” His voice was deep and rough. She knew he was close to losing control. She wanted to push him over the edge.
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