Committed

by Penelope Sky

  “Tell me about your shitty day.”

  His body tensed again. “Damien and I butted heads a bit…”

  “You always butt heads. Was he upset when you told him you were leaving?”

  He continued to watch Andrew. “He seemed to be fine with it. But then he confronted me about our friendship…and shit hit the fan. We ended on bad terms.”

  It’d been so long since they’d stopped being friends that I’d given up on them a long time ago. “Hades, this is your last chance to bury the hatchet. I think it’s time you forgive and forget.”

  He ignored me like he hadn’t heard what I said.

  “You love him. He loves you. You know that.”

  Still, no response.

  “Something is going to happen one day, and it’ll be too late. I don’t want you to live with that kind of guilt.”

  He turned to me, his eyes cold. “I’ve made my decision. Leave it alone.”

  I’d tried to talk him out of it many times, but nothing ever stuck. It was time to move on. “Alright.”

  He lay in bed beside me, on his back with his powerful chest directed at the ceiling. There was a gleam of sweat on his skin from the workout he’d just performed making love to me. Now, his chest rose and fell quickly as he recovered from his exertion.

  I moved on top of him and kissed his chest everywhere, feeling his hard pecs against my soft lips before I felt the valleys between his abs over his stomach. My kisses continued because I couldn’t get enough of this man. I could have him every minute of the day, and it still wouldn’t be enough.

  He moved his fingers through my hair as he watched me. “I thought I was doing a good job, but I guess not. You’re never satisfied.”

  I looked up and met his gaze. “I’m not unsatisfied. I’m addicted.”

  His eyes darkened like he enjoyed that response. “Move in with me.”

  The request was so sudden, I didn’t react right away. “Yeah?”

  “This is your home.”

  I’d wondered if and when he would ask me to marry him again, but I should be grateful he was offering me this. As long as I got to live with him and see him every day, I was okay with never getting married again—even though I wanted it more than anything. “I want nothing more…”

  “And bring your mother.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “She told you to give me that awesome blow job. So, I like her a little more.”

  I smiled at his playfulness, loving the fact that he was himself again. “You know, you can have one of those every day.”

  “I know…but I get distracted by that perfect pussy of yours.”

  “Perfect?” I rubbed my palm across his chest. “I had a baby… I doubt it’s perfect anymore.”

  “It’s even better now.” He stared at me with a loving gaze. “Knowing you gave me a son is the biggest turn-on ever.” He continued to run his fingers through my hair.

  When I’d thought about the women who’d replaced me during our estrangement, it made me so sick. His admission that there had been others made it worse. But now that I had him back and he loved me, I had to force myself to let those thoughts go. None of them mattered…only I did. “You seem to love me, no matter what.”

  His eyes grew intense before a slight smile moved across his lips. “You have no idea how true that is…”

  29

  Hades

  Sofia moved back in to the house.

  My closet was full of her clothes again. The top drawer of the dresser was full of her delicate panties and bras. On the bathroom counter were all her hair supplies, makeup, and her favorite perfume.

  It felt the way it used to.

  Her mother came as part of the deal and returned to her old bedroom downstairs. I could negotiate her removal, but since it was important to Sofia, I let it be. Besides, we always had a trusted babysitter on call.

  Now when we had dinner together, we had true privacy. Sofia didn’t have to breastfeed during her meals so her food wouldn’t grow cold. And when we hit the sheets, we never had to be interrupted by a crying baby.

  It was like a second honeymoon.

  She sat across from me now on the terrace, wearing a long-sleeved sweater with her curled hair pinned back. She slowly ate her food and looked up at me from time to time, letting the silence linger because she didn’t feel the need to fill it with unnecessary conversation. She understood I was the strong and silent type and let me be.

  She understood me better than anyone.

  I set my fork down even though my food was only half eaten. “I want to ask you to marry me, but there’s something I have to tell you first.”

  My statement was so unexpected that she jerked noticeably when she heard what I’d said. Her fork fell and clattered against the plate, making a loud tapping noise. Then she took a deep breath and rubbed her hand across her chest, disconcerted by the abrupt change in tone. “Okay…” She took another deep breath. “But there’s nothing you can say that would stop me from wanting to marry you, so there’s really no point in saying it at all.”

  I appreciated her enthusiasm and commitment, but she’d made the wrong conclusion. I had no wrongs to confess, no secrets to expose. I just wanted her to know the truth about us, to understand the intensity we had experienced over these last few years. “You’re not going to believe what I’m about to tell you. I didn’t believe it myself until it became more blatantly obvious that it had to be true. But please trust me.”

  She rested her elbows on the table and blinked a few times as she prepared.

  “When I was twenty-one, I visited a gypsy in Marrakech who read me my fortune. I assumed it was silly and just a way to take my money. Her prophecy stated I would only love one woman, and she would never love me back.”

  Sofia’s eyes narrowed.

  “I thought it was bullshit. But then I met you eight years later. I felt things I’d never felt for anyone else, and then I stupidly asked you to marry me without thinking about what I was doing. You said no…and that’s when I got scared.”

  Instead of objecting to everything I said, she continued to listen.

  “When I found out you needed a husband, I realized the prophecy was true. The gypsy told me I would marry you. She told me we would have two sons. And she told me we were soul mates.”

  Her eyes softened.

  “That was why I married you…because I was supposed to. I was in love with you, and I couldn’t control it. I tried to move on, tried to forget you, but it was impossible. This curse was placed upon me because I killed my father. It was a punishment. So, we were living together as husband and wife, and I hoped you would somehow love me on your own…but you never did.”

  She stayed quiet.

  “I knew you would love me if you could. We’re soul mates, so in any other circumstances, it would be organic. So I went back to the gypsy and tried to break the curse. She told me my only chance was to make amends with my brother…or she could make me stop loving you altogether. I chose the first one.”

  She released a gasp. “That was why you wanted me to meet your brother. That was why you were trying so hard to earn his forgiveness…”

  I nodded. “And I loved you so much that I never wanted to stop, even if it would be easier to do so. The plan worked, and in a short amount of time, you felt the same way. You gave me that watch, and I knew I’d finally succeeded. I finally had what I wanted…and I was so fucking happy.”

  Her eyes started to well up with tears.

  “Then everything went to shit. Maddox ruined everything, and I lost you. It didn’t matter if I broke the curse, we were never going to be together. I couldn’t move on after our divorce, and I was so depressed I considered taking my own life.”

  She closed her eyes, and two streams of tears fell down her face.

  “But then you called me, and that changed my mind. I was still living with the torment, so I did the only thing I could… I went back to the gypsy and asked her to make me
stop loving you. Instantly, I felt different. I stopped caring. I stopped feeling. And then you killed Maddox…”

  She wiped away her tears and sniffled. “It makes sense now…”

  “You fixed everything, but I didn’t feel the same way anymore. I didn’t want you anymore. But in time, you made me fall in love with you again. It wasn’t even that hard…because I’m supposed to love you.”

  She reached across the table and grabbed my hand. “It’s because we’re soul mates…”

  I looked at her with surprise. “You believe me.”

  She nodded. “I don’t believe you. I just know it’s true. Now that I know everything you did to keep us together, to fight for me no matter how much pain it caused you…there are no words. I’m just so relieved that you’re here with me now, that you never gave up on me.”

  Now I felt my own tears start in my throat. “It feels so good to tell you this. I wanted to say something before, but I thought you would assume I was crazy. I thought it would make it worse.”

  She shook her head and squeezed my hand. “No…only made it better.”

  All the weight was lifted from my chest, and I finally found peace. I’d worked my ass off for this woman, and she was finally mine. No one could ever take her away from me now, take away the love we had for each other. We were soul mates…we both knew it.

  “The gypsy told you we would have two sons?”

  I nodded. “Why?”

  She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pregnancy test. “It looks like he’ll be here soon.”

  Epilogue

  Sofia

  The sun had just set on the square of the bazaar, so the flames from the bonfires started to burn brightly. There was music coming from everywhere, followed by the sounds of clinking pots, camels moving around the area, and the occasional altercation.

  My husband took me by the hand and guided me through the chaos.

  My husband.

  I could call him that again…and I would never take it for granted.

  “You still know the way?”

  He glanced down at me with a handsome smile on his face. “Baby, I know everything.”

  I laughed then gave him a playful tickle on the side.

  He didn’t react the way I would because his body was hard, with just muscle and skin.

  He guided me around the fire dancers and cobras then took me down a separate alleyway that was much quieter than the rest of the bazaar. There was a pottery stand and a lone purple tent.

  He pointed. “That’s it.”

  When Hades had told me the story of the gypsy and the fortune she’d read, I believed it immediately. Throughout our entire relationship, I’d always felt like there was a swirling fog clouding my thoughts and restraining my true feelings. If that had never been there, I suspected I would’ve fallen in love with him on our first night in that hotel room.

  But something had stopped me the entire time.

  I distinctly remembered the day my heart started to ache with so much love that I thought it would burst. I went from simply respecting him to loving him a lifetime’s worth overnight. It sprang on me so quickly that my body couldn’t acclimate fast enough.

  So, once I was in love…I was deeply in love.

  I couldn’t imagine my life with anyone else. I couldn’t imagine taking another man as my husband. I was loyal and committed, even when I had no reason to be.

  Because I always knew, deep down inside, that this man was my soul mate.

  He stopped in front of the tent. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Yes.” I rose on my tiptoes and kissed him on the lips.

  His arm nestled deeper into the curve of my back, and he placed his other hand on my small belly, where our second son was slowly growing inside me.

  I pulled away first then strutted fearlessly into the tent. “I’m not scared of anything.”

  He followed me inside.

  A woman in a purple shawl sat there, covered in jewelry on her earlobes, on her neck, and her wrists. She was playing with a deck of cards, oblivious to the two of us. “I suspect this is the last time I will see you, Hades.” She grabbed all the cards and returned them to a neat stack then she lifted her chin to meet our gazes.

  Hades stayed behind me. “I hope so.”

  The gypsy turned to me. “How can I help you, Sofia?”

  Did Hades tell her my name? “I want to know my fortune.” I took the seat across from her.

  “Are you sure about that?” She glanced at my husband. “Because it can ruin lives…”

  I shook my head. “I know we’re going to have a happy ending.”

  She grabbed the cards again and only took the top half of the deck. She did some shuffling before she laid out the cards in front of me.

  Hades stood behind my chair and placed his hands on the wooden frame.

  After studying the cards for a while, she picked out two from the arrangement and pushed them toward me. “Are you sure?”

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “Your boys will grow to be men. The women they marry will be daughters to you, not in blood, but in water. Your lifetime will be short, not in duration, but in speed. Happiness and bliss pass much more quickly than sorrow and despair, which you will have very little of. You will outlive your husband in old age, but by only two days…because you will die of a broken heart.”

  Tears welled in my eyes because that was exactly what I wanted for the rest of my life, to live a long and happy life with the man I loved, and not to live long without him. I felt Hades place a hand on my shoulder and grip me gently.

  The gypsy gathered the cards and returned them to the stack. “Are you satisfied with your fortune?”

  My hand rested on his, and I looked up to see him staring down at me. “Yes.”

  Next in this series…

  Sofia and Hades got their happy ending, but the story is far from over. Now it's Damien's turn to deal with the curse that was bestowed upon him ten years ago. Will Damien and Hades find their way back to each other? Will Damien fall madly in love with a woman the way Hades has?

  This next trilogy is so interesting because it has guest appearances by these characters from the same universe:

  Conway, Sapphire, Bones, Balto, Bosco, and Heath.

  This story takes place shortly after the events in Skull Ruler, when Balto hands over the crown to his twin brother Heath. And now that Heath is in charge, he wants to collect royalties from Damien...and that's probably not going to go over well.

  It's the first time I've ever used a supporting character from one story as a main character in a different trilogy...and it was super fun!

  I've included the first few chapters to give Damien's story an introduction. Enjoy!

  * * *

  Order Now

  30

  Damien

  When I rose from my chair, I buttoned the front of my suit. I held the folder of papers in my hand and left my office to head down the hallway. My footfalls were heavy on the hard wood, and my shoes were stiff because they were new. There was a slight squeak in the air, but since they were hand-picked by my designer, I ignored the sound.

  His door was cracked at the end of the hallway, and as I got closer, the old rush of feelings returned.

  Rage.

  Ferocity.

  Bitterness.

  Resentment.

  I hated that fucking asshole.

  I walked inside when he was on the phone, noticing his wedding ring on his left hand and the watch Sofia gave him. I assumed my old birthday gift had disappeared in the bottom of a garbage can a year ago.

  The last time we had a real conversation was when I told him to fuck off and have a good life. We were civil as much as possible, communicating at the bare minimum to get shit done. I tossed the folder on his desk. “These are my numbers for the week.”

  Hades stared at me with the phone to his ear. “Baby, I’ll be home in an hour.” He put the receiver on the base and stared at me like
I was the bad guy who’d interrupted his extremely important conversation. “Alright.”

  It was his turn to do the business accounting, but judging by his attitude, he didn’t want to waste time handling that shit. “I did it last time. It’s your problem.”

  His eyes showed his annoyance, but he didn’t argue.

  I walked out again and didn’t bother closing the door to the position he liked. Just looking at his face made me want to explode like a volcano. I’d never had a breakup so bitter, a falling-out that landed so hard. Sometimes I thought about leaving the bank just to rid myself of him.

  But there was too much money on the table.

  My assistant caught up with me in the hallway. “Sir, I have a client who needs to see you.”

  I held up my arm and looked at my Omega watch. “It’s almost five. I’m leaving.”

  “She said it’s urgent.”

  I’d had a really shitty day and didn’t want to deal with any more bullshit. I still had a long night ahead of me at my second job. But my clients were big and powerful, and if it was urgent, it was truly urgent. “Fine. Name?”

  “Annabella De Luca.”

  “Alright. Send her in.” I went to my office and sat in front of my computer. Her name didn’t ring a bell, so I had to look her up in my system to see what kind of funds she had. She couldn’t be that important. Otherwise, I’d recognize her name.

  When I finally located her in the system, it was clear that her husband was the one who made all the money.

  A shit-ton of money.

  I didn’t recognize him either, so he must be a Hades client.

  She walked in a second later, wearing a long-sleeved purple dress with over-the-knee black boots. With curled brown hair that reached past her chest and full lips that looked like pillows, she was not at all what I expected.