Want a sneak peek?
Read the first chapter now!
Chapter 1
Hayden
Sunrays
kissed my skin, dusting my normally pale shade with gold. Seagulls squawked above and waves crashed
against the shore while the salty scent of the ocean penetrated my nose. Being the dark, brooding god of the
Underworld, sunbathing on a beach was not my usual forte. But Hartley wanted to go and I had trouble denying
her just about anything. Most people did.
My
eyes shifted to her lying next to me in a scantily clad red bikini. A smile curled my lips thinking of the time
we were under Hecate’s spell and Hartley donned one similar and lured me to her
yard while she was in the hot tub. T-R-O-U-B-L-E,
that’s what she was. And I loved every
bit of her.
Her
golden skin glistened under the sun, smelling of coconut while her dark brown
and red hair shone with the brilliance of jewels. Her hazel eyes were hidden beneath
sunglasses. She wore my red and silver
ring on her index finger regardless of the tan line it was producing.
The
last few months had been incredible—bliss really. My brother and his vengeful wife Hera had
stayed away. No one had bothered
us. And it’s started to scare me. It’s been too quiet. I’ve masked my tenseness from Hartley,
reluctant to show my worry. I was
waiting on the other shoe to drop and I know it was only a matter of time
before shit hit the fan.
Callie
squealed in the distance as Jake pulled her into the ocean, a foamy wave
converging on them. It was strange
having friends too—even if they didn’t know all
of me. It still counted. Sort of.
Hartley’s
shown good progress with them. She didn’t
always dread spending time with them, especially if I was around. She still had her moments when she got that
distant, icy look in her eyes.
Of
course her chain to the Underworld was still present. I would never forgive Persephone for tricking
Hartley into eating pomegranate seeds, forcing her to return to the
Underworld. It broke my heart every time
she donned that panicked expression as my domain called her, cutting off her
air supply until she returned.
I’d
been spending a lot of time with her above to counteract the effects. It was so hard to leave her, but I had
responsibilities in my domain I could shirk.
Graduation was only a few months away and Hartley was convinced she was
moving to the Underworld with me for good.
I told her she was nuts and couldn’t.
She told me she had it all figured out.
We could have a home above too, traveling back and forth.
Deep
in my heart that was exactly what I wanted—for her to be with me always. But I was still worried the Underworld would
change her. I knew she wasn’t afraid,
but I didn’t want her giving everything up for me. Zeke’s warning still rung through my
mind. He cautioned us Hartley couldn’t
have it all. She’d have to choose one
day. I was afraid she would choose me
and end up regretting it.
“Hayden,”
she sang. “I can feel you staring at
me.”
My
lips twitched. “I can’t help it,” I sang
back.
She
found my arm and trailed her fingertips lightly up and down, spawning tingles
across my skin. “And I can feel you
worrying.”
My
smile faded. “I am not.”
Hartley
cocked her head toward me before pulling her sunglasses off, her brow arching,
unconvinced.
“I’m
not,” I repeated.
She
rolled over on the blanket until she was hovering above me, her elbows holding
her. Her hair that had grown well past
her shoulders tickled my bare chest.
“Liar liar, pants on fire.” The
corners of her lips twitched, threatening a smile.
I
slipped my arm around her and pulled her to my chest, her roses and pine scent
mixing with the salty air and coconut.
“Well, baby, if my pants are on fire maybe you should remove them.”
She
scoffed. “I’m sure all these girls would
love that.” She motioned her index
finger around, pointing out the girls staring furtively at me.
It
was my turn to scoff. “I’m not the only
one being ogled.” I motioned my chin
toward a group of guys walking past us again,
trying to check Hartley out. I shot them
a glare while I slid my hand down to cover her ass. They scurried by.
Hartley
tsked. “Hayden, are you threatening guys
again?”
My
lips pursed. “Define threatening?”
A
giggle tumbled out of her mouth. “You’re
so bad.”
I
wiggled my brows suggestively. “I heard
you had a thing for bad boys.”
“Nah. That was just a fluke. I like more of the all-American jock type—blonde
hair, blue eyes, plays a dozen sports… that sort of guy.”
“Oh
yeah.”
“Yep.”
Without
warning, I flipped her so she was on her back while I hovered above, my lips
barely an inch from hers, her breath blowing raggedly on my face. “Still don’t like bad boys?”
“Nope,”
she breathed, her body arching into mine regardless.
“Now
who’s lying?” My lips sealed against hers
in a searing kiss. When I pulled back
distant fire danced in my irises, reflecting in hers.
Her
delicate fingers slid into my hair, massaging.
“Mmm baby.”
A
shiver rolled down my spine and I growled.
She knew what she was doing.
“Hartley,” I warned. If she kept
it up I was going to lose control with her right here on the damn populated
beach.
“Let’s
go somewhere…” Her words trailed off as
a shift occurred through the crowd.
We
both glanced toward the shore to see none other than Poseidon strolling out the
water in all his sea godly glory. His
wet, shoulder length blonde hair dripped trails of water down his bare, tanned
chest. His green board shorts plastered
against his bottom half, outlining his impressive muscles.
I
groaned and rolled over, my eyes watching the females start to drool
unabashedly at him as he headed our way.
“Great. There goes any privacy we
might have had.”
Hartley
pointed to the left. “He’s not the only
one coming.”
Aphrodite
was sauntering down the beach in a skimpy white bikini and a tan fishing net
sarong that might as well have been nonexistent for all it covered. Pearls and shells twinkled in her long platinum
blonde hair.
Every
male within a half mile radius was growing catatonic—or just growing.
Damn
it.
I
sat up, Hartley following me.
“Your
eyes are flaming,” she whispered.
“That’s
because I’m angry.” I matched her
teasing tone.
She
laughed and kissed my shoulder, leaving behind a hotspot. “We’ll have plenty of us time in a minute
Hayden. You should be nice to them. They both helped us when we were under that
stupid spell.”
I
sighed and squashed the insults I wanted to release.
“Littlest
bro,” Si said as he reached out to tap my fist with his. “You’re finally getting a suntan.” His aqua eyes sparkled as waves crashed in
them, mirroring the ocean before us.
“Yep.” I hitched my thumb toward Hartley. “Blame her.”
Si
unleashed a dazzling smile. “Hartley, my
beautiful little seashell.” He bent on
one knee and gripped her hand, kissing her knuckles.
I
punched him in the shoulder. “Cut it
out.”
“Oh
Hayden.” Aphrodite flipped her white
blonde hair from her face. “Don’t be unkind. He means no harm. He knows you two are destined for each
other.”
“Still
doesn’t mean I want him kissing any part of her,” I grumbled.
“Hey
guys,” Hartley said, ignoring my irritation.
Aphrodite
skipped over and kneeled next to Hartley hugging her while Si slid to my other
side.
“How
have you two love birds been?” she asked, grabbing Hartley’s suntan lotion.
“Good.”
I
abruptly stood and pulled Hartley up.
“We’re going for a swim.” I
motioned to our blanket. “Make yourselves
comfortable.”
“Don’t
be rude Hayden.” Hartley glowered at me
with her hands stuck on her hips. It was
so damn cute.
“I’m
not.” Without warning I tossed her over
my shoulder, pulling a squeal of surprise from her. “You guys understand right. I’m a selfish god. I don’t like to share.”
“Totes
baby bro.” Si leaned back on his hands
with a smirk. “If she were my sexy siren
I’d probably stow her away in one of my caves and never let her out of my
sight.” He winked knowingly.
Aphrodite
wiggled her fingers while a furtive smile curled her luscious lips. “Have fun.”
I
chuckled darkly knowing full well what I had in store for Hartley. “We will.”
I smacked her ass.
“Hey! You better watch yourself Hayden or I’ll…”
“You’ll
do what?” I asked, toting her toward the water, ignoring the onlookers.
“I’ll
torture you with painstakingly slow kisses.”
I
grinned. “Sounds like a plan baby.” I flipped her upright and positioned her
until her legs wrapped around my waist and hands curled across my neck.
“You’re
so bad.” She couldn’t fight the smile
splitting her lips.
“I
know.” The waves hit us, but I stayed
steady and swam several feet out into the ocean where our legs no longer
touched.
“Now
that you have me all the way out here what are you going to do?” she asked, a
wicked twinkle in her eyes.
“Oh,
I’ve got something much better than floating in the water.”
Her
brow arched curiously.
“Take
a deep breath and hold it. We’re going
under for a minute.”
“Okay,”
she slowly drawled out, but placing her trust in me regardless and following my
instructions.
Moments
later I dove under the water, holding her tightly and moving in super
speed. I’d have to remember to thank Si
later for giving me the covert okay.
Only
a few seconds passed before our destination was in sight. I swam into the underwater cave, the magic
shimmering over us as we passed through the doorway only gods and demigod could
access. We popped up in the middle of a sparkling
pool of water.
“Wow. Where are we?” Hartley asked as her wide
hazel eyes traced the glittering green, blue, and gray walls of the cave.
“One
of Si’s places.”
She
glanced at me questioningly. “Does he
know you took me here?”
The
corners of my mouth quirked. “He said it
was cool.”
“Riiight. You two have your own secret communication
now?”
“Of
course.” I winked and started swimming
us to the edge of the water. I helped
Hartley up before pulling myself onto dry land.
“This
place is pretty cool,” she said, sliding her hand across a wall trickling with
water. “How come it’s wet here and
completely dry in the center?” Her head
tilted up to survey the ceiling.
“Shouldn’t water be dripping everywhere?”
“It’s
magic. Si’s doing.”
She
nodded. “Of course.” She found one of his many stashes of
seashells and started riffling through them with several oohs and aahs.
I
stood back and watched the water leaving trails across her wet skin as it
dripped down her curves I knew so well and yet not well enough. Her dark hair curled around the long ends while
the red gleamed in the sparkling light.
Heat stirred within me, spawning crimson flames in my eyes.
“Wow,
look at this one.” She held a giant
iridescent conk shell up before gently setting it back in the basket.
My
feet slowly carried me toward her, my heart shuddering in my chest. I let my fingers curl around her hips and
pulled her flush against my chest with a tiny gasp from her mouth. “I didn’t bring you here to look at shells
Hartley,” I whispered gruffly into her ear.
She
shivered against me. “Oh. Well…”
Her head tilted back so she could peer into my face, a smile twitching
hers when she noticed my flaming eyes.
She batted her lashes demurely.
“What did you bring me here for Hayden, baby?”
Ah
shit. She was good. She knew exactly what it did to me when she
called me baby. I growled in her ear
before leaning down and planting kisses along her neck, teasing that sensitive
spot behind her ear. “I brought you here
to have my way with you.”
Hartley
suddenly spun around, catching me off guard, and pressed against me while she wrapped
her arms around my neck. “What makes you
think it’s not the other way around Hades?”
She’s
done it now. My heart slammed against my
ribcage and whole body tingled with desire.
“You know how to press my buttons, don’t you?”
She
bit her lip and tilted her head in that way that drove every male in the
vicinity nuts. “Yep.”
My
lips crashed on hers, igniting a fire between us so intense I thought we’d burst
into flames. Her mouth opened beneath
mine, inviting my tongue in to taste hers.
Oh and what a taste.
I
wrapped my arms around her waist and picked her up, forcing a little cry of
surprise from her. I walked until I
found a huge bed with white gossamer curtains surrounding it, fluttering in the
air like currents in the water. I sat
Hartley down and ripped them open.
Her
eyes landed on the bed with white and blue satin covers. She bit her lip hesitantly which only served
to spur me on.
If
I didn’t have her soon I was going to explode.
“Are
you sure this is okay with Si?”
“Absolutely.” My brows knit and I pulled up short. “Unless you don’t want…”
“Oh
I want.” She hooked her fingers in my
swimming trunks and drew me closer. “I
want very much.”
Yes.
I
picked her up and gently laid her on the bed before hovering over her. “Hartley, baby, I love you more than
anything. Words cannot describe how
much… I mean there’s nothing that compares…”
“Hayden?”
she interrupted.
“Yes?”
A
mischievous glint entered her hazel eyes.
“Why don’t you show me how
much you love me?”
A
crooked smile curled my lips. “Challenge
accepted.” I fitted myself between her
legs, bringing out a moan of pleasure from both of us. I pulled on her bikini top string, slowly
untying the knot. “I haven’t taught you
how to make clothes disappear yet, have I?”
Her
brows shot up. “No.”
“Remind
me to when we get back to the Underworld.”
Without another word I snapped my fingers and her top was gone,
displaying a glorious sight before me.
Hartley
As
soon as we returned to the beach from swimming
it started to sprinkle. I glanced up at
the swollen, gray clouds and wondered if Zeke was raining on our parade. My eyes met Hayden’s and I could tell he was
wondering the same.
I
suppose it didn’t matter where we were whether it was the beach, my house, his
house, or the Underworld, as long as we were together. I just hated this day was ending for our
friends—if it was Zeke’s doing.
Callie,
Jake, Hayden and I piled in to Hayden’s new black Tahoe he got specifically so
we could carry other people around. He
wouldn’t say so, but he’d do anything to make sure I spent quality time with my
friends. I’d never fully be the Hartley
Walker I was before I died and split my soul. I was okay with that. I loved my friends, but I also loved the
Underworld. I think Hayden’s finally
starting to come around to the idea. He
hasn’t quite noticed me bringing more and more of my belongings to the
castle. If he paid more attention to our
room he’d realize half the clothes in his closet were mine.
Boys. So clueless—even a millennia old Greek god.
“That
rain totally came out of nowhere,” Callie said, wrapping a dry towel around
her.
Jake
draped his arm over her petite shoulders, pulling her close and nearly
swallowing her tiny form. “Yeah I know,
but that’s how the weather is in SC babe.”
She
nodded, shaking her blonde, shoulder length hair, tricking water into her towel. “I’m just glad you guys came back in
time. You were swimming forever. We couldn’t even see you in the ocean.”
My
eyes slanted over to Hayden’s while my cheeks flushed thinking about what we’d
actually been doing. He of course smiled
like the naughty little boy he was. I
rolled my eyes. “Yeah. We were pretty far out.”
Hayden
took us on the scenic route through the country side. The car ride was quiet for a while, the sound
of tiny raindrops pattering against the car and cats pawing across the
windshield lulled me to sleep. That was
until Hayden slammed on the breaks.
My
eyes popped open and I sat up at full attention in time to see a giant wooden
wheel careening onto the road before us.
Callie and I both squealed while the guys smashed their arms across our
torsos as an extra precaution. If I
wasn’t a demigod Hayden would have bruised my ribs.
“What
the hell is that?” Jake asked, leaning his head between the seats, his wet
copper hair touching my shoulder.
I
watched the wooden wheel teeter and then finally hit the road with a resonating
crash. I glanced over to see Hayden
glaring at it, his jaw flexed and body tense.
“What
is it?”
“Everyone
stay in the car.” He quickly slipped
out.
Like
I was going to let him boss me around.
“I’ll be back.”
Hayden
wasn’t surprised I followed, but he didn’t appear any less irritated. I grabbed his hand, his fingers instantly
curling around mine. His face paled as
we neared the colossal, man sized wooden wheel.
It looked ancient and charred in places.
Indentions bit into the end of four, equally placed spokes as if something
had been bound.
“Shit,”
Hayden cursed, his eyes flaming crimson.
“Hayden,
what is it? Where did it come from?”
“Tartarus.”
That
one word sent chills trickling down my spine and goose bumps across my flesh. Well, I guess this was the end of our
peaceful life again.
No comments:
Post a Comment