Vowed to Hades (Romancing the Seas #4)

29. Hades

HADES

H ades caught a flash of something in Persephone’s eye as she gave him a cheeky smile. It was a spark of the fiery woman he knew so well.

His breath caught in his chest. But then her eyes dulled, and she cleared her throat.

“You said I’m not human,” she began, straightening up and looking away from him.

“Indeed,” Hades replied, trying to ignore his disappointment.

Be patient, Hades. Patient.

Persephone entered the garden maze, holding her hands behind her back. “I confess that I do not remember anything about my life before Adonis.”

She stopped and turned to give him a penetrative stare. “I do not even know where I was born… when I was born. I don’t know who my parents are.”

Hades snorted. “That is a blessing, not a curse, my love. ”

He watched her keenly, realizing that calling her love again was so natural it slipped right out.

She scrunched up her pretty features in a reproachful look. “How can you say that? Shouldn’t I remember my parents?”

Hades sighed.

He had far more interesting topics of conversation in mind than to talk about her family history. Like, how they first met. Where they had their first kiss. The first time they made love.

Then an idea struck him. “How about I show you?”

“What do you mean?” Persephone asked, frowning at him.

Hades took her hand and dragged his thumb across the silky skin stretched over her knuckles.

“Do you remember what I said about time in the Underworld?” he asked as he guided her out of the maze and further down the path.

Persephone affirmed with a hum.

Hades smiled. “I cannot show you our life here in the Underworld, but I can take you back to our beginning.”

“How is that so?”

They reached a simple stone arch, and Hades gave her a triumphant look before he waved his hand and formed a portal.

Persephone looked at it and gave him a surprised stare. “We’re going back to the Land of the Living already?”

Hades was delighted to sense the hint of disappointment in the tone of her voice. “Yes, my dear. To the past. To our beginning.”

Persephone sucked in a breath, and her eyes widened. Then she nodded and the two of them stepped through the arch.

T he world shifted around them; the cool, shadowed air of the Underworld replaced by the warm, sun-drenched breeze of ancient Greece.

They stood in a small village nestled in the rolling hills outside of Athens. The sun bathed the stone buildings and bustling marketplace in a golden glow, everything touched by the light seeming to shimmer with life.

Persephone looked down at herself, now dressed in a soft Grecian gown that flowed around her like water. She touched the fabric, marveling at the transformation.

“This is… strange,” she murmured.

Hades watched her, his heart swelling with a mix of nostalgia and longing. “Welcome to ancient Greece, my love.”

She turned to him; her brow furrowed. “Are we invisible?”

He nodded. “Yes, this is the past. The year is 170 AD, and we are in Greece. The Parthenon is just over that hill. ”

Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Are you saying I’m… over a thousand years old?”

Hades chuckled, stepping closer, unable to resist brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. “Do not worry, Persephone. You do not look a day older than twenty-five.”

A snapping twig drew their attention, and both turned to see his past self lurking behind a tree, his gaze fixed intently on Persephone as she moved through the marketplace, her fingers brushing the wildflowers that grew along the path.

“This is how we met?” Persephone asked, her voice tinged with surprise.

Her past self continued picking flowers, blissfully unaware of the man watching her from the shadows. Hades's past self, dressed in dark robes, blended into the background, his eyes following her every move with a mix of fascination and longing.

Hades offered a sheepish smile. “Well, it’s how I met you.”

They followed her through the village, past vendors calling out their wares and children playing in the streets.

Past Hades remained a shadow, always watching, always drawn to her but never daring to approach.

When Persephone reached a small house on the edge of the village, she entered, her voice carrying through the open window as she spoke to someone inside.

Past Hades lingered outside; his gaze fixed on her silhouette .

Present-day Persephone turned to him, disbelief and a hint of amusement in her eyes. “You stalked me? I cannot believe this.”

Hades winced, feeling a pang of guilt. “I was… intrigued by you,” he admitted. “You had an aura, a presence that drew me in, and I couldn’t resist. I had never met anyone like you before.”

The world shifted again, the sun dipping below the horizon as night fell.

They were now outside the house, the warmth of the day replaced by the cool stillness of evening.

Past Hades stood closer to the window, his expression one of raw obsession.

Present-day Persephone’s expression darkened, and she moved to slap Hades on the arm. “You were spying on me? How long did you do this?”

Hades caught her wrist before she could land the blow, his grip firm, yet gentle. “I became obsessed with you,” he confessed, his voice low, tinged with a vulnerability he rarely showed. “I watched you, learned about you, before I ever approached you. It was… wrong, I know that now. But at the time, I was captivated. You were everything I never knew I needed.”

Persephone stared at him for a long moment, taking it all in.

“And then what happened?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Hades released her wrist, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her breath catch. “And then,” he said, his voice softening, “I knew I had to make you mine.”