blockquote { margin: 0em 0em 0em 1.25em; text-align: justify } p { margin: 0em; text-align: justify } .bold { font-weight: bold } .italic { font-style: italic } Bride of Fire Charlene Teglia � � � Copyright eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement of the copyright of this work. � � BRIDE OF FIRE 28 Days of Heart Series Copyright © 2010 CHARLENE TEGLIA Cover art by Amanda Kelsey Edited by Nicole Bunting eBook conversion by jimandzetta.com All Romance eBooks, LLC Palm Harbor, Florida 34684 www.allromanceebooks.com This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or business establishments, events, or locales is coincidental. All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. First All Romance eBooks publication: February 2010 Foreword �śNothing’s better than a healthy heart, which helps women endure the ailments of life�"physical or romantic�"and come out on top of it all. This anthology, with stories by some of the most talented romance writers in the market, will benefit hearts everywhere. It’s not often you can contribute to a worthy cause, one that may well affect you in your lifetime, and at the same time assure yourself of some excellent entertainment. Have a good time, and let your heart be your guide.” Charlaine Harris � � Chapter One She was light. He was darkness. She could never be his. Hades, Lord of the Underworld, curled his hands into fists as he watched her. Persephone, daughter of Demeter. Hair as golden as the sun he never felt the heat of, eyes as blue as the sky he could not stand beneath, body as ripe as the fields she ran across. She was everything forbidden to him. She belonged to the world above, the realm of light. The realm of life. He’d never coveted that realm. He had his own, and he ruled it absolutely. But he coveted her. His kingdom offered him everything. Power, companions, riches. Any pleasure he desired. If he wished for a thing, it was his. He was lord here, his word inviolable. But his kingdom had no queen. He had everything. Except her. She had everything. Except a lover. As days became months, he watched and he wanted and he waited for her to reveal her choice, with bitter jealousy eating at his heart, but Persephone remained alone. She came to this field in Enna to gather flowers to please herself, not to wind in her long hair to prepare herself for a man she desired. She was alone, as he was alone. She was too closely guarded to be anything else. Guarded everywhere but here, where the landscape itself guarded her. And so, at last, he had prepared a flower for her. A special blossom, so rare she’d never have seen its like; she could not have. No other existed. Like him, it was alone of its kind. It would bloom only for her. It would tempt her, as she tempted him. She would not be able to resist it. She would pluck it from the earth. Then he would take her. ***** Persephone ran laughing across the green field dotted with wildflowers beneath the wide, blue Aegean sky. The explosion of color and scent delighted her. Here, in all the world, she was free to enjoy herself, in a place even her over-protective mother had to admit was safe. Enna sat on a level summit on a high hill, nearly a mountain, surrounded on all sides by cliffs that formed a natural fortress. No harm could come to her here. In all the time she’d been coming here, not even an insect had threatened her. If she was lonely, at least she could console herself in nature. She breathed in air heated from the sun, heady with a blend of rich perfumes. One scent caught her attention. Lighter than jasmine, more subtle. Exotic. What flower produced it? Spicy, enticing�Ś Persephone breathed in again and it flooded her senses with narcotic sweetness until she felt like she stood in a dream. Colors grew brighter, the heat of the sun more soporific. The silk of her dress dragged against her skin, tempting her to discard it and clothe herself only in sunlight. Was it something like a poppy? She searched for the source of this scent that teased and pleased like no other. Ah, there. Could that be it? She knelt in the grass, not minding the cool wetness that wicked through the fabric of her skirt. Cupping the shape, she fingered the texture of a petal. An orchid, but not like any she’d ever seen. It was a pale lavender with a dark scarlet heart. She searched out the stem and found it thick and woody. She rolled it between her fingers, entranced by the beauty of this unexpected discovery. It delighted her senses on every level; the shape, the colors, the fragrance. She breathed deeper, closing her eyes and touching her nose nearly to the flower’s center. Her head spun as she inhaled and images filled her mind like smoke, forming shapes that evaporated before she could see them clearly. They looked like the joined figures of a man and a woman, limbs entwined, dissolving and reforming in varying postures, reaching for something that eluded Persephone. A craving awoke inside her. There was something. Something she wanted. Needed. It uncoiled from her center, spreading heat and lassitude through her limbs. She wanted something. What was it? The flower. Persephone opened heavy lids halfway, gripped the woody stem with both hands, and pulled. The roots ran deep. They resisted her pull, but she persisted, caught in some nameless desire to take, to touch, to know more. She pulled harder, and the earth gave up the treasure she coveted, opening to let it go. But it kept opening until it became a crack, then a fissure, and then a gaping maw she teetered on the brink of while the earth rumbled beneath her and trees at the edge of the meadow trembled. Boulders loosened and flung themselves down sheer cliffs. If she let go now, a whisper of reason told her, she might save herself. She held tight to her prize. It was hers. She would not give it up. A man burst through the hole in the earth. Dark hair, dark eyes. She stared at him, stunned to silence and stillness as he rose above her. Tall, broad, strong. So strong. His hands gripped hers while her nerveless fingers clung to the blossom. �śIt’s mine,” Persephone said as if he’d contested the fact. He could; she knew who he was and knew now what she held. A night-blooming orchid, made to flower where the sun did not shine. It was of Hades’ realm, and this could only be Hades. She ought to let go. She had no right to touch anything of his. But what had it been doing in her world, her field? �śAs you are mine.” His teeth flashed as he spoke. His voice rumbled like the thunder of the earth quaking. His touch burned like fire, not hurting her, warming her as if she’d never truly known what it was to feel heat, until the bright sun felt as cold and distant as the farthest star. He bent to her. His lips touched hers, a kiss of flame that made her gasp. Then he dragged her down, down into darkness, and the earth sealed itself above them, closing her out of the only realm she’d ever known. ***** She woke to find herself naked on a bed covered in velvet so dark a red it was nearly black. She sat up, alarm spiking through her, but nothing moved in the darkened chamber. She was alone. A now-familiar scent made her turn her head to see the flower she’d found at Enna, now neatly trimmed and displayed in a crystal vase on a small table beside her. It perfumed the chamber, as exotic as its surroundings. The four-poster bed was carved with figures like the ones she’d imagined while she held the orchid close and breathed deeply; male and female entwined. Persephone rose up on her knees to take a closer look. She traced a curious finger along one carving, noticing the texture of the wood. Smooth, dark�Śteak, perhaps? The pair of figures cavorted about the headboard, sometimes joined by a third figure that was alternately male or female. Persephone’s eyes widened as she took in the tableau of two males with a female kneeling between them, one filling her mouth while the other filled her from behind. Their sexual organs were surely exaggerated in size. The oversized male organ was better displayed in another arrangement that had two females kneeling to either side of him, hands and mouths worshipping. But throughout it all, the pair remained central, whether the woman was on top or underneath, kneeling, standing, lying, sitting. The lusty twosome decorated the whole headboard and drew Persephone’s attention to the emptiness of the large bed. It was certainly a big enough bed to accommodate anything depicted in the carvings, including the groupings. But the pillow beside hers was smooth, undented. Only the imprint of her body disturbed the velvet expanse. She hadn’t undressed herself, however. Other hands had done that. His hands? She remembered the heat of them on hers and shivered. Had those hands stripped her bare while she lay senseless? Had they touched anything more than her fingers, or the laces that tied the back of her dress? Persephone imagined those hands on her body as she stared at one carving, depicting the man’s hands cupping the woman’s breasts from behind, her legs spread wide as she seated herself on his lap, leaning forward slightly, eyes closed and lips parted. Had Hades’ hands shaped themselves to her breasts like that? Had his palms rasped the tender skin of her nipples? They swelled as she imagined it, growing visibly tight and blushing a darker shade of pink against the pale skin of her upper torso. No man had ever touched her. Not so intimately, not even innocently. No man had ever kissed her until Hades’ mouth had brushed hers. The memory of his lips sent a flash of heat through her. Hard, rough, and so hot. When she’d gasped, her lips had been opened to his for a heart-stopping instant. And he’d taken her. What had he said? That she was his. Now here she was, in the underworld realm that he ruled. In his chamber? She wasn’t certain, but the bed wasn’t feminine in the least. It was masculine and erotic, blatantly built for pleasure. Her nudity, the bed, the memory of the kiss all told her he had not taken her for conversation. But what did he want of her? Persephone gazed at the carvings in mixed apprehension and newly awakened sensual curiosity. Would he want her for all of that? Some of that? When he had satisfied himself, what then? Would he let her go, returning her to the field he’d taken her from? Persephone slipped from the bed to explore the room. Obsidian walls glittered with sparks of light as if gems shimmered deep within the stone. A fireplace provided the dim light and warmth in the room, the mantel carved of the same dark, sleek wood as the bed. Unlit wall sconces hung on either side, made of wrought iron in ornate whorls. A low, backless couch ran along one wall, covered in velvet to match the bed’s cover. The room held nothing else. No chest filled with clothing, no wardrobe. Just a door made of wood with a black wrought-iron handle. She tried it and found it unlocked, which failed to comfort her. She wasn’t imprisoned in this room, but her lack of clothing made her loathe to explore beyond it. And if it was unlocked, what was to prevent anybody from coming in? Persephone whirled and ran back to the bed, bare feet making no sound as they struck the stone floor. She found the velvet cover too heavy, but the black satin sheet beneath came free when she tugged. It fell at her feet in a slick midnight cascade. She scooped it up and wrapped it around herself, fashioning a sort of toga from it that would probably hold if she didn’t strain the slippery folds. The excess fabric flowed behind her like a train. It felt cool and smooth against her bare skin, although for some reason she still felt naked. But it would have to do. A sound brought her head up. Distant footfalls grew nearer and stopped at her door. The handle turned, and the door opened, smooth and silent on its hinges. Hades filled the doorway. He regarded her for a moment that seemed to stretch to infinity as the silence deepened and her heart raced, the pulse beating frantically in her throat. Her makeshift gown felt even more inadequate and flimsy than it had before. She held her breath, certain that if she filled her lungs too deeply, the expansion of her ribcage and uplift of her breasts would cause the fabric to fall away. And then she would stand naked before him, with no barrier between her and whatever he desired of her. Her knees trembled, but the memory of his kiss and the heat of his touch made her wonder what that might be like. Chapter Two She was here. She was his. Hades regarded his golden treasure in triumph. She shone like a precious gem in this room, the dark and masculine setting contrasting with her feminine beauty. Her skin glowed like a pearl above the ebony satin she’d clothed herself with. Her hair caught highlights of amber and gold from the fire behind her. Her eyes seemed deeper, filled with mysteries like the midnight sky. Her lips trembled, but otherwise she gave no sign that she was alarmed to wake here, nude and alone. Pride kept her spine straight, pride and the knowledge that she was the offspring of gods and cherished by them. Here was a woman who knew her worth. Yet she knew nothing of why he valued her. He’d stripped her of her gown and left her by herself to wake on his bed, accompanied only by the flower he’d created to seduce her senses and the carvings to seduce her imagination. She might guess what he wanted of her. She couldn’t know. He wanted that uncertainty between them. He could see the rapid beat of her pulse at the fragile hollow of her throat and below that, the tightly budded nipples that stood out clearly beneath the satin she wore like a second skin. The fabric draped and clung, revealing every curve from the swells of her breasts to the pubic mound at the apex of her thighs. �śPersephone.” He shaped her name with his mouth and found the sound of it as pleasing as the sight of her here, in his chamber. �śHades.” She inclined her head slightly, her voice low and musical. He wanted to hear that voice drop into a lower register, to go hoarse as she cried his name out in passion. �śReturn me at once.” �śYou are in no position to make demands.” Her chin rose higher. �śYou are in no position to debate. If you return me now, before I am missed, I will let the matter remain between us. If you keep me against my will, you will be forced to release me. You stand only to gain by giving me what I ask.” �śI stand to lose a great deal.” He stalked forward, feeling fierce and predatory at the very thought of releasing her. �śHere stands Persephone, beautiful, untouched. A maiden. Mine for the taking. Let you go? How will I be compensated for such a loss?” Her lips tightened. �śYou speak foolishness.” �śI speak the truth. You took the flower I offered you. I took you in turn. Now I have you here in my realm, in my chamber. I will have you in my bed. Having gone to great lengths to win this prize, I will not be robbed of it.” �śSo you see me as a prize in some game.” She regarded him steadily. �śYou will not return me untouched?” Hades came closer, until his body heat warmed hers from proximity and the heady scent of her made his head swim. He touched a fingertip to the pulse at her throat, and traced it down until it rested at the top of the fabric fold that marked her cleavage. He both heard and felt her sharp, indrawn breath, and felt the satin threaten to slip. His cock reacted, hardening in anticipation of the moment the sheet would fall away. His eyes burned into hers. �śNo. I will not return you untouched.” He wouldn’t return her at all. He had chosen her, and she, whether she knew it or not, admitted it or not, had chosen him. He could not woo her any other way, so he had sent his blossom to speak for him. If she had not wanted it, he would have left her to her solitary wandering. But she had wanted it. Had clung to it tightly, and defied him over it as if she expected him to take it from her. �śThen you claim me as your bedmate?” Persephone tilted her head back to ask her question, not shying away from his gaze. �śBedmate. Concubine. Mistress. Queen.” She blinked, unable to hide her shock. �śYou would make me your queen?” �śI would.” She considered that, thoughts flickering over her expressive face too quickly for him to read. �śI would never be able to leave here.” �śYou will never leave here in any case,” Hades informed her. �śRefuse my bed, and you will still remain.” �śAs your prisoner.” Was that hurt that flashed in her eyes? �śMy guest.” He stroked his fingertip along the line of her cleavage, dipping lower. �śAll that I have is yours. My kingdom. My treasures. Myself. I will deny you nothing.” �śExcept my freedom.” Her voice broke, cracking his heart in the process. �śI will never let you go.” His tone was harsher than he intended, but Hades was resolute. The sooner she accepted her fate, accepted him, the easier it would be for her. She must put aside the foolish hope that he might relent. If she had not wanted him�Śwell, that would be a different matter. But she hadn’t backed away from him, hadn’t resisted when he took hold of her. Instead, she had gazed up at him while she knelt in the grass as if she found him strange and wondrous. Her hands had trembled in his, but she had not pulled free. She had left them in his grasp. And when he bent to kiss her, she did not evade. She left her face upturned to his, and when his lips touched hers, she had opened them in invitation. He had captured Persephone’s maiden imagination as surely as he had captured her body. Now he had only to capture her heart, and she would be his in full. �śYou will not be permitted to keep me.” She spoke softly, but clearly. �śYou are wrong,” Hades said. �śI am lord here. My word is law. None grant me permission. I do as I will. And outside of my realm, sweet Persephone�Ś” he bent to brush a kiss against her temple, �śnone know that I have taken you. To the world above, you have simply vanished.” ***** Persephone caught her breath as his words sank in. Vanished, without a trace. The earth had opened up and swallowed her. She had been alone; no witness to her abduction existed except the sky above. She swallowed the lump in her throat and whispered, �śWhy?” His arms caged her in a loose embrace. He didn’t pull her closer. Yet. �śWhy did I take you? I am a king without a queen. I chose you.” �śI will not be yours.” But she couldn’t bring herself to break free, to draw away from him. The heat of his body drew her. She wanted to warm herself against it. She could almost imagine herself blossoming for him as if he were some dark sun and she a rare night-blooming plant like his orchid. Her nipples brushed his chest, and the thin satin felt like no barrier at all between them. The thought of standing before him naked heated her from the inside. He gave a low laugh. �śYou already are.” Could he sense her reaction to him? Did he know the curiosity he aroused? Did he know, oh gods, that her body warmed to his? �śReturn me,” Persephone said again, but this time her tone was unsteady, her voice a thread of sound. �śNo.” She licked dry lips. �śAfter.” His eyes burned like dark flames. �śAfter?” �śIf I go to your bed�Śif I give myself to you, will you let me go, after?” She forced the words out, forced herself to be clear and not flinch. �śYou think once will be enough for me.” His arms tightened around her, and she caught a sense of power barely contained. �śYou think I want only to be the first to claim you. Do not delude yourself, my sweet. I will be your first, your last, and your only. No man will ever have you but me. And I will never let you go.” �śPlease.” �śAsk me anything else.” Hades drew her inexorably closer, by degrees, until her breasts were flattened against his chest and her body molded to his. His hands slid lower until they cupped the swell of her buttocks and pressed her hips tighter to his. She could feel him hard and engorged against her belly. The evidence of his desire made her tremble. And tempted her. To see, to touch�Śwould he undress for her, display his dark, masculine beauty for her? Would she be allowed to explore his turgid shaft with curious fingers, to learn the shape and texture of him before he buried himself inside her? �śAll that I am, all that I have is yours for the asking.” He had set his mind on her. But men’s minds were changeable. He saw her as a prize, but once she submitted to him, he would tire of the game. Even if he did not, it was absurd. He would never be allowed to keep her. And she did not belong here, in this strange world he ruled. And yet. What would it be like, to sprawl on that huge bed with him? Beneath him? Could they satisfy their mutual curiosity with no harm done, no one the wiser? Could she satisfy this odd yearning he awoke in her, this ache? Being Hades’ cast off lover would hardly interfere with her life. He would send her back to where he had found her, and she would go on as she always had. Persephone let her hands rest on his waist and pressed her cheek into the curve of his shoulder. She spoke to the column of his throat. �śWill you undress for me? You saw all of me when you removed my clothing. I wish to see all of you." She felt his body react, felt his hands grip her with fierce strength. Yet it was tempered strength. He held himself in check for her sake. That unexpected consideration made her throat tighten. He had offered her a flower. A lover’s gift. And she had accepted the offering. She had invited this moment, and now she knew he would be gentle with her. That eased her fear, allowing her to relax in his embrace. �śI say I will give you anything you ask for, and you ask for my nakedness,” Hades murmured. His hands molded her buttocks, gripped, and kneaded the soft flesh. The heat of his touch burned through the satin. The unaccustomed sensation of a man’s hands on that tender part of her arrested her attention. It felt decidedly pleasurable. It made her want something more. For those hands to slide lower, to cup her between her legs. �śI did not think it too bold a thing for a mistress or concubine to ask,” Persephone said. �śIt pleases me that my queen would ask it.” She shook her head, a tiny movement but she knew he felt it. �śI am not your queen. I will not be your queen. But I will be your bedmate.” �śYou lie to yourself if you believe I will be satisfied to have you one time.” His ornate, erotic carvings flashed through her mind. He was a man of broad experience and exotic appetites, by all indications. What might he demand of her? Things no other would, she felt certain. To all others, she was Demeter’s daughter. Untouched. Untouchable. Only he dared to touch her. To take her for his own. �śPerhaps you will need more than one time to be satisfied.” She could hope for that much. Although it was dangerous to want him at all. Hades was not a man to trifle with. If he would not relent, if he demanded she take her place at his side and rule in hell with him, what then? If she accepted, she would be bound to him eternally. Bound to this realm forever. Shut away from the warmth of the sun, the ripe fields, the woods and waters teeming with life. Trapped until the end of time with a man who did not, could not, love her. The lord of death did not know love. She shivered, suddenly cold despite the heat of his body against hers. Chapter Three �śYou’re chilled.” Hades held her closer, then swung her up in his arms in a motion so swift and sure her head spun. He cradled her across his chest and braced her with one arm. He pointed the other at the hearth. At his gesture, flames leapt up. The wall sconces caught and flared to life. �śI’m all right.” But she clung to him and let him carry her to his bed. It was weak and foolish to swoon at this display of strength, to thrill at the power he wielded over the element of fire without thought. For now, this once, she could be foolish. He pulled the velvet cover back and lowered her to the bed. She wondered how she looked to him, draped in black satin and resting on more. Did he find her pretty? Would he compare her to the others he’d had here? Then his hands went to his clothing and she forgot everything else as he revealed himself to her. His shoulders were broad, his chest deep, his stomach ridged with muscles her fingers itched to explore. And below that, his hips and belly, long, strong legs, and between them, his cock, engorged and outthrust. She wanted to circle him with her fingers, to measure him with her hand. But when she reached for him, he caught her hands in his. �śYou will be my queen.” Persephone shook her head. She could not be his forever. She could be his now, however, and she wanted to be. That yearning that had caught her when she held the blossom that was not of her world rushed back. Aching desire. For him. �śYou deny me?” His face tightened and his eyes darkened. So fierce. He took her breath away. �śI deny you nothing.” She undid the fold of fabric that held the sheet together and let the slippery satin fall, baring herself. �śYou will accept my bed, but not my throne,” Hades stated, staring down at her. Persephone inclined her head, not trusting herself to speak. �śThen you will be a slave in my chamber, not my equal.” He took her shoulders and pulled her to a sitting position, ran his hands down her arms in a caress that awoke a skin hunger for more, and circled her wrists with his fingers. �śMy slave is not allowed to touch me.” She wanted to protest that, but pride kept her silent. A black satin ribbon glided across the room, appearing from thin air and arrowing to him as if brought forth by the power of his will, long ends trailing. Then she felt it wrap around her wrists, replacing his hands, binding her. �śSlave or queen, you are mine and I will not let you go.” His dark eyes burned into hers. She could not look away. �śYou will have others,” Persephone said, knowing it was true. �śYou have had countless others before me, and you will have them after me. Perhaps alongside me. You want me now, but desire is fleeting. In time it will please you to let me go.” And when he tired of her, she would not sit beside him, watching the parade of other women who took her place. Better her lonely meadow fortress than that bitter fate. �śWas it fleeting desire that made me watch you all these months?” Hades caught her hair in his hands and let it trail through his fingers. �śWas it a passing passion that drove me to plot a way to enter your world and take you from it? I am lord here. I can have any woman I please, and it has pleased me to take many. If I wanted only another novelty in my bed, I did not have to steal the daughter of Demeter.” His hands followed the long fall of her hair from the crown of her head to the sensitive nape of her neck, down the length of her spine to where it ended in a spill around her hips. �śI want you and no other. I will have no other.” His voice rang with assurance laced with sexual intent. He wanted her. He would have her. Perhaps he would tire of her soon after, but for now, she had captivated the dark lord, Hades. �śI do not deny you,” Persephone whispered. She could feel a fine tremor in her limbs, the ache in her center, a strange heaviness in her breasts. Ah, gods, would he not touch her soon? His hands on her hips felt strong and sure, his fingers caressing, holding her as he might when he lay beside her, or atop her, positioned for his possession. �śYou say you will not be my queen.” He shifted one hand, stroking it over her belly. �śWill you change your mind if I get you with child?” Her breath caught. Could the lord of death give life? Was such a thing possible? �śIf you give me a child, I will cherish the gift.” �śBut you will not be my queen.” His eyes flashed. �śYou are stubborn beyond words. And since words will not serve us, it is time to be done with them.” His hand moved lower, cupping her pubic mound. The bold touch undid her. Her eyes shuttered as if to guard some inner part of herself while he had his palm pressed against the petals of her sex. �śNo.” His voice, low and commanding, was underscored by a light squeeze of his hand between her legs. �śYou will not look away. Open your eyes, Persephone. Watch what I do to you.” He stroked her, an intimate caress along her folds without attempting to part them. The heat and pressure of his hand soothed the ache inside her, but not enough. She wanted more. She raised heavy lids and let him see the desire in her eyes. �śYou want me.” Triumph lit his gaze and determination hardened his face. �śSweet Persephone, give yourself to me. I will give you everything you want.” He tempted her. How he tempted her. But if she lost her wits, she would be lost forever. �śYou cannot give me the sun shining on the fields,” she answered. �śI can give you gold shining in the heart of the earth.” Cold metal. Beautiful, but not alive. He could offer her nothing but death. �śI will not drink or eat while you keep me.” If she did, she would bind herself to his kingdom. Refusing any sustenance would force a time limit on her captivity; unless he meant to starve her, he would have to return her to her world. If time was short, surely she would not weaken in the face of his temptation. His lips tightened. �śI will change your mind. I did not take you for a day’s dalliance.” If he bent all his will on persuading her, could she withstand it? She would be wiser not to find out. Better to distract him with what they could both have here and now. �śShow me how you would use your slave.” She fell back on the bed in a pool of her own hair, her bound arms arching her spine so that her breasts her upthrust as if in offering. She slid her knees further apart, giving him easier access to the gateway to her body. Soon more than his hand would touch her there. �śI will give you no cause for complaint,” Hades murmured. He rose up on his knees on the bed and lowered himself over her until his lips brushed hers in a fleeting caress. �śI will give you no reason to wish to leave me, but you will be discontented with the role of slave. You will take your rightful place at my side. Your pride will allow nothing else.” Pride would keep her from surrendering her heart and her future, but nothing could keep her from surrendering to the passion he awoke in her. �śKiss me again,” she whispered. The brief pressure of his lips on hers had been the merest tease. Not enough to satisfy. �śI will do as I please. You refuse to taste, but I make no such vow.” His mouth took hers, hot, hard, hungry. Heat to match his flooded her body. She opened for him, wanting a taste that held no substance and could not bind her. His tongue swept inside at her invitation, invading, seducing and conquering. As he intended to invade and conquer her body. Persephone trembled beneath him. She struggled against the satin ribbon that bound her, wanting her arms around him, her hands exploring his sinewy build. But it held her fast. He lifted his head, his expression too knowing. �śSay the word, and I will free your hands.” She forced herself to relax. �śYou wish your slave bound so I will not forget my place.” �śYour place is with me, stubborn Persephone. You will admit it before long.” His mouth trailed down her throat, lower, to the cleft between her breasts. He kissed the upper curve of each, then curled his tongue around her nipples by turn. Heat swirled and pulsed in her center. When he drew her nipple into his mouth and sucked, her inner muscles contracted and liquid heat coated the petals of her sex as if she blossomed for him here in this dark place. The erotic torment went on and on. He kissed and licked and suckled as if he had all the time in the world to amuse himself while she squirmed beneath him and felt her breath coming faster. The hot pleasure of his mouth on her breasts was not enough. Finally, he turned his attention elsewhere. He kissed his way down her torso, down to the soft skin of her belly, pausing to take a sharp nip at the sensitive indentation of her navel that made her pelvis rock up. He slid lower, settling himself between her open legs. His hands gripped her inner thighs and urged them wider apart. And then his mouth claimed her in a kiss that made her cry out. He licked at her folds as he kissed her there, searching out the entrance to her body and penetrating it with a thrust of his tongue. He withdrew it, only to thrust it inside her again, and again. His mouth searched out all her secrets, finding a hidden bundle of nerves that made her cry out again when he suckled her there. He kept up the pressure of his lips and tongue on that sensitive nub of flesh while he drew a hand up to trace the her intricate folds, first the outer, then the inner, and then his finger pressed deep within. She clamped tight around that invading pressure, but he would not retreat. He kept it buried inside her, stroking her inner walls with his fingertip until she relaxed by degrees. And then he added a second finger, beginning a rhythm of pushing deep and withdrawing that he echoed with the pressure of his mouth. It felt strange and unfamiliar, but so good. She began to crave the rasp of his tongue against that nub of flesh, the pressure of his fingers inside her, widening her, opening her. When he added a third finger, the sensation of being stretched to capacity made her breath catch in her throat while her hips worked frantically as she strained for something more. There must be more. Wouldn’t he give it to her? �śYou said you would give me anything,” she protested in a voice gone throaty with desire. �śGive me what I need.” He raised his dark head. �śWhat do you need, little slave? Do you demand something of me?” The words broke through the haze that clouded her mind as compulsion gripped her body. Could he outwit her so easily, tempt her to forget herself in the heat of passion? She forced herself to relax again, fighting the urgency that thrummed inside her. �śIt is not my place to make demands.” But she wanted. Oh gods, she wanted. Chapter Four His fingers moved inside her, hard and deliberate. Persephone let her head fall back, arching up, reaching for something with all her being. �śPerhaps it pleases me to hear what my slave desires.” �śYou.” She spoke without hesitating. �śYou, Hades. Give me all of you.” He sat back on his heels. One hand ravished her sex. The other gripped the heavy shaft of his cock and stroked it. �śIs this what you desire?” That, and more. There would be more when his body joined with hers, but what that more might be, she could not say. She nodded in silence, watching as he worked both himself and her with his hands. �śIt will be a tight fit the first time,” he warned her. He brought the head of his cock down to rub against the sensitive point his mouth had licked and sucked and continued to stroke the turgid length himself with his hand. �śI will make it as easy for you as I can.” What was easy about this? She ached. She burned. She needed, and what she needed remained out of reach. She wanted to scream, but instead she rocked her hips in time with his hand, taking his fingers deeper when it was his cock she wanted there. She could feel the head of him, hard and hot above his penetrating fingers, but instead of thrusting it deep for her inner muscles to grip, he pleasured himself with his own grip. The feel of him there made her inner muscles clench and spasm around the fingers he pushed inside her. Need spiraled tighter. She jerked helplessly in the throes of it, and then her spine bowed as he pressed deeper and she found release in a blinding rush. She could feel his cock jerking against her, spilling hot liquid seed that coated her slick, swollen sex. He withdrew his hand from her, drew the head of his penis down to her opening and pushed it inside her with little resistance. He was still coming in thick spurts as he thrust all the way in, the fluid lubricating his shaft and easing his way. He lowered himself over her and kept thrusting in while her body struggled to accommodate the thick length of his cock. �śYour cunt is so snug, so hot, so sweet,” he rasped as he drove deeper. �śSpread your legs wider for me. I want my slave’s tight, virgin cunt wrapped around my cock while I empty my balls.” Oh gods, he was so large, he went so deep, and the liquid heat of him as he spilled himself inside her bathed her insides, turning her molten. She arched up under him, taking him deeper still, wanting to feel all of his body against hers. He held himself just above her, braced on his hands, so she had to raise herself up to feel his chest against her breasts. She knew he was keeping his weight off her so her arms, bound behind and beneath her, wouldn’t cause her any pain, but she ached to feel him fully atop her, covering her with his heat and strength. �śHades,” she whispered. She kissed his chest, rubbed her cheek against him, rocked under him as he rocked into her. He filled her, stretched her body to the limit, and still she wanted more. They moved together, flesh to flesh. He took her and gave himself and the pleasure of it left her wordless. This heat, this need was real; everything else was a distant dream. He possessed her utterly and she surrendered to him, his slave in truth, enslaved by the dark desire he awoke in her that nothing else could satisfy. He grew even larger inside her and then she felt a deep pulsing begin along his shaft, a pulse echoed in her womb. Something burst inside her, like a hidden sun going nova, lighting up her entire being in a shockwave of light and heat as the two of them reached a second consummation together, this one more intense for being fully shared. The glory of it faded by degrees, leaving her aware of the sheen of sweat that coated her skin, the slick satin beneath her, the leashed power of him above her. Inside her. Still wondrously, gloriously deep inside her. �śYou are generous to your slave.” He tilted his head to hers, a knowing smile slanting his sensual lips. �śI am not finished fulfilling your request.” She had asked him to give himself to her. She swallowed hard as his meaning sank in. He withdrew and turned her onto her stomach, stretching out beside her as he stroked her back and her naked buttocks. She wiggled her bound hands, shrugging her shoulders to ease the strain from the unaccustomed position. �śSay the word, and I will untie you.” �śBut you won’t free me,” Persephone answered. She turned her cheek against the cool satin, feeling it against her breasts and the sensitive skin of her thighs, and stretched, luxuriating in the caress. �śNo, Persephone. I won’t free you.” His tone was gentle but implacable. �śI warned you I would not relent. You are mine. I will never let you go.” �śWill you mount me when I am weak from hunger?” He made a low, rough sound. His hand came down sharply on her backside. The smack made her eyes fly wide open as her inner muscles contracted sharply in a way that was�Śunexpected. Pleasurable. �śYou will cease your stubbornness. You will eat and drink. You will bind yourself to me, and to my kingdom, and you will rule it by my side. Or I swear I will keep you my naked slave for eternity.” �śYou would not dare,” Persephone said. But fear cracked her certainty. If there were none outside his kingdom who knew who held her, who knew how she was treated, he could do anything he pleased. He might dare to flaunt her before his subjects as she was, and she could do nothing to stop him. Nothing except give him what he demanded of her. He would not humiliate his queen by parading her naked and bound, perhaps even mounting her before an audience while she could do nothing but submit as a slave would. Oh, he had her in a clever trap. Was there no way out? �śDo you care nothing for my happiness?” His hand on her backside soothed and caressed away the sting of his smack. �śYour happiness is everything to me. Were you happy alone on that bluff, Persephone?” Alone. The word struck her like a blow. She had been so alone, and she had wanted something more. Look what wanting had wrought. And despite the dilemma she found herself in, she would not choose to go back and ignore the flower, to keep them in their separate realms, never to meet, never to touch. She had not been happy alone. �śYou know I was not,” she admitted. �śWhich changes nothing. Trading one unhappiness for another is no improvement.” �śYou do not have to be unhappy with me.” He stroked her, fingers gripping and releasing, massaging her buttocks, moving lower until his fingertips brushed her sex. She shifted her thighs apart so he could pet her there, shameless in her need for his touch. �śI can show you wonders you have never guessed exist. I can shower you with jewels and precious metals. I can dress you like a queen. I can introduce you to a world of pleasure you have only begun to sample.” He would give her anything. He’d said so, and his word was law in this realm. He would deny her nothing, not even himself. But he would not give her his heart. He could not. The dark lord had no heart to give, and while he might continue to take pride in the queen he had won over the centuries, his desire for her would fade. Lust without love was like a flower cut from the stem that gave it life and color and fragrance. It would fade and wither. And she would wither and fade from the lack. She had always been beloved. If he could not love her, he must send her back to her world. �śLet me go.” Her voice thickened from unshed tears. �śI cannot.” He covered her body with his, his penis pressing into the valley between her buttocks. �śI will not.” He moved on her, the heat of his body seducing, persuading. �śYou are mine. I will make you mine again and again, until you admit you belong to me.” �śI am your slave.” Her body was enslaved by his, and would only become more so. �śOnly because you will not admit you are more.”� He slid her hair to one side and kissed the bared nape of her neck. His breath feathered across her skin, tantalizing her. �śYou belong to me. You belong with me. Stay with me, and never again be alone. My subjects will adore you. The hidden treasures of the Underworld will be yours to discover. And power, Persephone. I will share my power with you.” Power, yes, but what would she trade for it? Would her heart turn cold? Would that be any consolation to her, to know she was as unloving as she was unloved? �śI cannot stay.” �śStubborn pride,” Hades said, his tone reproving. �śI will still give you what you asked me for.” He rocked on top of her, the hard length of his cock gliding along the cleft of her buttocks until she yearned for him to draw it lower, to press it between her thighs, and sheathe himself in her again. �śIf it is in my power to give, there is nothing I will withhold.” Love was not within his power to give. She would not ask for it. Pride would not allow her to. But the pleasure of his body, that he could give and she could take without reservation. This was what she wanted. What she needed. It was enough. It would have to be enough. And when she was restored to the world of life and light, the memory of Hades’ fire would warm her. He slid a hand under her, lifting her hips up. His thighs moved between hers, pushing hers up and out to raise her naked backside in the air while her chest and cheek rested against the satin sheet. He cupped her pubic mound from underneath, stroking and petting. The sweet heat of his caresses shattered her. His fingertips pressed and glided and searched out the little button of flesh that sent waves of delight through her when he stimulated it. He massaged that hidden pleasure point while his other hand guided his cock to her entry. She wondered how she looked to him, her buttocks pale and gleaming in the dim light, the folds of her sex darkened to shades of deep rose. She could see nothing; he could see everything. She could only wait and want, her breath coming faster as his hand manipulated her flesh and wrung more and more sensation from her. Then he was thrusting deep, filling her in a long, slow glide as the head worked in and the shaft pressed home. He curled his body over hers, kneeling behind and over her. One arm wrapped around her waist, hugging her tight while his fingertips plucked and stroked her sex, all the while fucking his way deeper into her. �śYour body pleases me,” he whispered, kissing the delicate skin below her ear. �śYou fit me like a hot, tight glove of wet silk.” �śYour body pleases me,” she whispered back, pleasure-drugged and thrumming with need. �śFill me until I believe I will never ache with emptiness again.” �śI will not leave you empty or aching.” He thrust harder. �śI will fill you again and again. And while your sweet cunt is stuffed full of my cock, I will pump it full of my cream.” He was as good as his word, fucking her long and thoroughly, filling her to capacity, and then beyond as he came in thick spurts that filled her womb. As the first jet of fluid bathed her inner walls, she felt her muscles contracting rhythmically, milking his shaft while she cried out her pleasure. Chapter Five A long time later, Persephone rested on her side, staring into the fire. Shapes danced there, in flickers that changed too quickly for her to follow. Hades had wrapped himself around her, his chest warming her back, his thighs bracing hers, his spent cock cushioned by her buttocks. His chin rested on top of her hair and his arms were wrapped tightly around her. His hands cupped her breasts and from time to time he squeezed or fondled her. He’d untied the ribbon and re-bound her hands in front of her. The ends of it trailed down and teased the tops of her thighs. His lips pressed a kiss against her hair. Hades was generous and gentle with his stolen slave, affectionate, lavishing pleasure on her. It could almost be enough. Almost. If she could be certain that even this much of his regard would be hers to keep. She imagined him lying entwined with another woman, sating himself and her. Perhaps taking two concubines at a time to his bed, fucking them by turns. She felt cold and sick and opened her eyes wider to unsee that vision. And she beheld Cupid taking form in the fire, knocking an arrow at her. No, she wanted to cry out, but she couldn’t move, couldn’t speak as it flew true and the point buried itself in her heart, piercing her to the soul. The pain of it shattered her. Tears spilled down her cheeks in scalding furrows and she drew a ragged breath. Hades tightened his hold on her. �śPersephone?” �śRelease me.” She trembled with pain and dread. She could not stay with him, could not suffer from love and watch him turn to the inevitable others. �śNever.” He held her closer, his hands gentle on her in contrast to the harshness in his voice. He caressed her as her heart shattered and broke and held her as she shook with silent tears. � ***** Hades watched as the messenger god made his way in to the throne room of the Underworld. Guards in gleaming armor stepped aside to allow him entrance. Hades awaited him, seated in solitary splendor on his ornate throne. A second seat stood empty beside him. Hermes paused visibly as he noted the new addition. Only one throne had stood in this room the last time he’d been here. � �śHades, Lord of the Underworld, I greet you.” �śHermes.” Hades regarded him in broody preoccupation. �śTell me, what do women want?” �śWant, lord?” �śYes. Want.” Hades sat forward, enunciating more clearly as if he suspected his visitor had grown hard of hearing. �śI have never cared if a woman was happy. Now I care. And whatever I give her, it is always wrong. I give her jewels and she thanks me sweetly, but her eyes do not glow like the gems. I give her precious metals worked in every design I can imagine, and her smile does not shine like gold. I dress her more gloriously than flowers in the field, and she droops as if deprived of sun and rain. I keep her with me, and she lowers her head and only speaks when spoken to. I stay away, and she grows even more silent and distant. I cannot please her. So I ask you, what does a woman want?” �śShe has given you no clue?” Hermes asked. �śShe asks for something I cannot accept.” Hades formed a fist and slammed it against the unyielding stone of his throne. �śIt cannot be right. It cannot truly be what she wants.” �śWhat does she ask for?” �śShe asks me to release her.” Hades scowled. The earth trembled from the force of his emotion. �śHow can it be right to take her to my bed and then cast her out of my kingdom, to abandon her and leave her alone?” �śPerhaps she will not be abandoned,” Hermes suggested. �śYou speak of Persephone?” �śI do.” � �śWill she truly be alone? Her mother’s grief has turned the world above to ice and snow. Demeter cherishes her daughter. All who know her love her.” �śShe was alone,” Hades rasped out. �śAlways alone. I brought her here, to me, to rule by my side. Here she is not alone.” �śYet you admit she is not happy.” Hermes spoke carefully. �śNo.” The anger drained out of him. �śYou say Demeter has turned the world to ice?” Hermes nodded. �śThe crops have failed. The people will die. Return Persephone to our world. She does not belong in yours.” �śIt is for her to decide where she belongs.” Hades rose to his feet. �śI will tell her what you said. I will abide by her choice. I, Hades, have spoken.” He picked up a pomegranate from a golden bowl and strode out. Hades found Persephone in their bedchamber. He had not thought of it as his since the day he brought her to it. It was theirs, as all he had was hers. But while he would share all his realm with her, she refused to rule it by his side. She would not be his queen. She would neither eat, nor drink, and events had come to an impasse. Now she must choose, once and for all. He had sworn to abide by her choice, but the thought filled him with dread. She would leave him. He would never be able to reach her again. Never hear the music of her laughter, bury himself in the wet silk of her body, feel the soft weight of her hair covering his chest while she slept curled close to him, her cheek pillowed over the heart that beat only for her. It had all seemed so clear when he sent the flower to her. She would take it, he would take her, and once with him, he would win her. She would give him her heart, and at last he would know love. And together they would rule his kingdom of dark dreams and mysteries, full of enough wonders to please her for eternity. Yet nothing had gone according to his plan. She sat with her back to him, facing the fire, grooming her long hair with a silver comb he’d given her. �śYour throne is completed,” he said by way of greeting. �śYou must tell me if you wish anything changed or added. It will be as you desire.” �śIt is not my throne,” she answered without turning around. �śMake it to suit the one who will be your queen.” �śI chose you for my queen.” He spoke without heat, stating it as it was, an irrefutable fact. �śIf you will not accept the title, it will go unclaimed. Your throne may stand empty forever, but it is no less your place.” �śMy place is not here.” She didn’t sound angry. She sounded sad, lost, and that was what tore at him. Her rage he could weather. �śAre you certain?” He crossed the room and sat beside her. And because he could not be near her and not touch her, he gathered her into his lap and took the comb from her, assuming the task she’d been occupied with. He handed her the pomegranate and noted how she raised it to her nose, inhaling the fruit’s subtle bouquet. �śYou’re hungry. Eat,” he urged her, knowing it was useless. Knowing it was also wrong to hope she would, and thus spare him forcing her choice. If only he had more time�Śbut time had run out. �śIf I eat, I am bound to your realm.” But she didn’t hand the fruit back to him. She held it in her palm, staring down at it as if it held some secret she longed to fathom. He drew the comb through a long strand of hair, pausing to carefully loosen a knot lest it pull her tender scalp. �śI had a visitor today.” �śOh?” She stilled. �śA woman?” Did she think her mother would storm the gates of hell? Well, perhaps Demeter would. He shouldn’t put it past her. He would dare anything for Persephone. He couldn’t expect her mother to love her less. �śNo. Hermes.” Persephone relaxed fractionally, and that left him another puzzle to work. Was she relieved, then? Did she want to return to Demeter, or did she hope to remain undiscovered with him? Hades set the questions aside. He had given his word. �śWhat did he want?” Persephone asked. She leaned into him, and the gesture filled Hades with a mix of frustration and pleasure. She never turned away from him, never rejected his touch. Whether he sought her for sex or for closeness, she always reacted as if she welcomed his touch. At times he even thought she needed him as much as he needed her. �śYou.” Hades stated it baldly, bluntly. �śHe demanded your return.” She went stiff and still, as if turned to stone. �śYou refused, of course.” Hades set the comb down before he hurled it across the room. �śI told him it was your choice. That only you could decide where you belonged. And I vowed whatever choice you made to honor it.” He forced himself to hold her only loosely, not to crush her closer, to rage at her to tell him what she wanted. She loved him, she must love him. He had held her in his arms while Cupid’s bolt took them both in the heart, piercing her and then him with a single shot. She had wept, and he had done his best to comfort her, not understanding then any more than now why she greeted love with tears. Hades stared down at her bent golden head. Light to his darkness. How could he give her up? How could he keep her? �śWhy would you agree to that?” Persephone tipped her head up. Her blue eyes met his, her face impossible to read. �śMany reasons.” He raised her hand, holding the fruit. �śYou will not eat. I did not take you to watch you suffer. Demeter has turned the world to ice, and the people suffer. I did not take you for that purpose, either. I have built you a throne you will not sit in. I have offered you everything in my realm. I have given you all that I am, all that I have, and you hold yourself apart from me. You will not even say that you love me. Why?” �śMaybe I don’t,” she said, but her eyes held the truth and her lips trembled. �śYou are my queen,” he said for what might be the last time. �śYou are my equal, my bedmate, my lover. You alone have my heart. I will rule with you, or alone. I will take no other to my bed if you return to your realm to live in solitude. If you have no consolation, I will have none. I would never abandon you. But if you do not wish to remain with me, I cannot force you to stay. You must choose, Persephone.” He set her off his lap while he was still capable of releasing her and left her to make her decision. He knew what it would be. He had pride to match hers. He would not beg her to stay. ***** Persephone sat before the fire for a long time, turning the red fruit in her hand. It was ripe and tempting, and it would be delicious. Sweet. Pulpy. She could almost taste it. Hades loved her. How was it possible? His heart had been aligned with hers when Cupid shot her. Had that arrow cleaved them both? By whatever miraculous means, it had happened. Hades wouldn’t lie to her. He never had, and even now, he hadn’t adorned his words. Hades had given her his heart. She wanted to shout in triumph, in joy, to dance and sing. But there was the rest of what Hades had told her. People were suffering. The fields she loved were frozen and dead. Could she turn her back on the realm above merely to please herself? Perhaps there was a way. What did she want? Hades was right, it was time to choose. She lifted the fruit to her lips and bit deep. When she finished, she rose and searched out Hades. �śTake me to the border between worlds.” He did not rage or plead or persuade. He simply inclined his head, his expression closed, hard as granite. He took her in silence, which made what she had to do easier. Sweet words might have broken her resolve. She left him at the border without a backward glance, knowing she left her heart behind. If she had looked back, she would never have been able to leave him. ***** �śDaughter.” Demeter hugged her hard. �śYou are safe? You are well?” �śHello, Mother.” Persephone hugged her back. �śI am safe. I am well. I have been with Hades in the Underworld.” Demeter stiffened in shock. �śHe took you? He dared?” �śHe did.” Persephone smiled at his boldness. Even then, he must have loved her a little. He would not have dared the wrath of gods for anything less. �śHe asked me to become his queen.” �śYou refused, wise child.” Demeter patted her back. �śNever mind now. That dreadful time is behind you. We will go out into the fields and I will make them live for you. I will fill the world with the flowers you love. My daughter is restored; all the world will rejoice with me.” �śI did not refuse.” Persephone stepped back, meeting her mother’s eyes. �śI ate the fruit of his realm. I have bound myself to it and Zeus himself could not stop me from returning. But I swallowed only the pomegranate seeds and not the flesh, so I would still be able to cross the border between the realms.” Shock and horror filled her mother’s beautiful face. �śNo!” �śYes.” Persephone said it gently, kindly. �śI love him. He loves me. I have made my choice. He swore to abide by whatever choice I made. Will you do less? Or will you continue to punish the world with your winter?” �śI, do less than him?” Demeter’s mouth twisted. �śYou maneuver me into a corner.” Persephone smiled ruefully. �śI have some experience with corners now.” �śI see that you do.” Demeter straightened her shoulders. �śVery well, daughter. You have made your choice. Return to his realm, rule with him. But return to me once each year to visit. When you come, the world will flower and the harvests will ripen in your honor. Fail, and winter’s grip will not release.” Persephone inclined her head. �śIt will be as you say.” Hades would not like it when they were apart. Her mother would not like it when she returned to him. Yet the bargain would hold the worlds in balance, and the world of light and life would not be entirely closed to her. That was a gift she hadn’t expected. �śGo to him, then,” Demeter said. �śI will await you. I will always be glad to see you, fair child of my heart.” �śI will always be glad to see you.” Persephone embraced her mother again, then left quickly. Hades, she was told, could be found in their chamber. When she opened the door, she stopped and stood like a statue, taking in the tableau. Their bed was torn apart, covers flung about. In the center of it, Hades knelt with a flower cupped in his hands. The vase that had held it was shattered against a wall. �śThat’s mine,” Persephone said in a carrying tone. His head came up. His eyes went to her. His face looked ravaged with grief, his dark eyes wild. �śTake it from me, then.” �śNo. You must give it to me.” That was how it ought to have gone, she realized. How it might have, had things been different, had he had different options. He stared at her in frozen silence. Then he held it out. She went to him and took it, holding it carefully so she didn’t damage the fragile petals. �śThank you,” she said. �śIt’s beautiful. I’ve never seen another like it.” She righted the table that had been knocked over. She studied it for a moment, perplexed by the problem of the shattered vase that was beyond her capability to mend. She was queen here now, entitled to Hades’ shared power. The realm would obey her. Still, she had much to learn before she would be proficient. She waved her hand and a bowl of water appeared. She floated the blossom in the bowl. There. That would do. �śThere is no other like it,” Hades said in a voice like grating stone. �śNo,” she agreed. It was unique. All the gifts he had given her were one of a kind. All designed for her, by him. She bent forward. Her hair fell around him as she did, draping over his shoulder before her lips brushed his. He sat frozen under her caress. Then his arms clamped around her and he hauled her down onto the wrecked bed. �śI let you go once,” he rasped out. �śI will never let you go again.” �śYou will, actually,” Persephone said between kisses. �śI have made a bargain.” His hands flexed, gripping and releasing her as if he could not contain his frustrated fury. �śExplain yourself,” he finally said. �śI must visit the world above once a year, for the fields to flower and the harvests to ripen. The rest of the year, I will take my place beside you and we will rule together.” His dark eyes bored into her as if he was trying to see her soul. Perhaps he could. She didn’t know the limits of his abilities. �śWhy?” �śBecause I love you.” �śYou loved me when you refused to be my queen. What changed?” She smiled, feeling joy shining inside her as brightly as if she’d swallowed a star. �śYou gave me the one thing I wanted. Your love.” About the Author Award-winning author Charlene Teglia loves penning tales of romance and adventure. Among other accolades, Charlene has been presented with the prestigious Romantic Times BOOKreviews Reviewers' Choice Award for "Best Erotic Novel" and nominated for �śBest Erotic Romance”. Also by This Author Sirens The Gripping Beast, Samhain Publishing Miss Lonely Hearts, Samhain Publishing Night Music (Beginnings Anthology), Samhain Publishing Night Rhythm, Samhain Publishing Take Me, Lover Redline Lover, Samhain Publishing Undercover Lover, Samhain Publishing Adventure Lover, Samhain Publishing Neuri Chronicles Animal Attraction, St. Martin’s Press Shadow Guardians Claimed by the Wolf, St. Martin’s Press Single Titles Catalyst, Cerridwen Press Yule Be Mine, Cerridwen Press Love and Rockets, Ellora’s Cave Dangerous Games, Ellora’s Cave Wolf in Cheap Clothing, Ellora’s Cave Wolf in Shining Armor, Ellora’s Cave Ellora’s Cavement: Legendary Tails II, Ellora’s Cave Ellora’s Cavemen: Seasons of Seduction III, Ellora’s Cave Only Human, Ellora’s Cave Earth Girls Aren’t Easy, Ellora’s Cave Two Knights in Camelot, Ellora’s Cave Mammoth Book of Special Ops Romance, Running Press Naughty Nights, Pocket Books Out of This World Lover, Pocket Books Trick or Treat, Pocket Books Wild Wild West, St. Martin’s Press Satisfaction Guaranteed, St. Martin’s Press Wicket Hot, St. Martin’s Press