Lexi's Fate (Book 2 of A Goddess Unraveled)

~3~

Hades felt as if the day would never end, and his pulse sped up as he watched Lexi approach, imagining her sweetness on his lips and her fragrance filling his sinuses. He looked forward to hearing how she had spent her day and the discoveries she had made, but mostly he looked forward to her lips.

The fact that Melinoe was expected to join them at the table was a nuisance, as conversations with Melinoe usually proved awkward and exhausting. But he could survive a hundred conversations with Melinoe as long as Lexi was close enough to touch. As he waited at the foot of the bridge, the palace door opened and his large, floppy companion, Cerberus, bounded through it. Behind Cerberus, Blythe stood at the open door, smiling serenely as only a nymph could do.

Lexi and Misty pulled up, and Hades held out a helping hand as Lexi dismounted, her shapely legs enticing him beneath the snug fabric of her riding pants. She wore a silk blouse made from the fabric he had purchased from a merchant in India. The vibrant colors made him think of spring, and of Persephone, who loved the spring. However, she did not love the fabric, and the nymphs stored it away until another purpose could be found. Lexi wore it well.

"Hello, my sweet," Hades said as he pulled Lexi in for a kiss, relishing the plump flesh of her lips. "I have thought of you every moment since I left for the gates. You look stunning in that shirt. I told you Blythe is a skilled seamstress."

"Blythe is amazing," she said with a smile. "She can sew, cook, sing harmony, play backgammon, and she doesn't mind listening to me whine about how much I miss my family."

Cerberus finally arrived and dropped next Hades with a thud, nuzzling him with two heads while the third stretched toward Lexi so she could scratch behind his ears. It had become clear from the beginning that Cerberus adored Lexi. She had a keen connection with animals that matched any god, except perhaps Aristaeus. Hades hoped this would encourage Lexi to stay with him, as there were many creatures in the underworld who could benefit from her compassionate nature.

Lexi waved at Blythe, who broke into a bout of giggles and disappeared behind the door. Then Lexi slipped her arm around Hades's waist, triggering a shudder that traveled the length of his spine. He loved that shudder, and he kissed her again, this one more passionate than the first. As he explored her mouth with his tongue, he reached under her shirt, trailing his fingers over her supple skin.

"If you keep that up," she said against his mouth. "Our dinner will be cold by the time we eat it."

"I would rather eat you. What do you say to that?"

"I would say you were a wicked god with an insatiable appetite. It's one of the things I love about you."

"Is that a yes?"

"Hades, we're on the bridge." Lexi glanced at Cerberus and Misty, neither of whom seemed interested in their suggestive banter.

"Let's see how this shirt looks as a dress." Hades began a slow descent to his knees, the unforgiving stones barely registering as he tugged Lexi's pants down. She ceased her protests as he pressed his mouth over the fabric of her panties, blowing warmth against her skin, and she drew in a gasp when he pulled the crotch aside to tongue her.

"We really should... Melinoe will be here... Oh, gods."

Lexi offered her weak pleas as she swiveled her hips forward, letting Hades coax her toward climax, and a rush of hot wind swept across the bridge, lifting her shirt higher. Hades expected as much. The elements often wanted to play whenever Lexi was being seduced, and her strength made Hades hard with desire. He supped on her delicate flesh, flicking, sucking, tasting until Lexi's thighs shook against his head, and with a breathless moan, she spilled into his mouth.

When Lexi's body had calmed to a contented hum, Hades pulled her pants up and pressed his manhood into her pelvis. "I would fuck you right here if Melinoe weren't walking up the path."

"Oh, damn." Lexi's shoulders stiffened as she turned toward the forest where a cloaked figure emerged from the tree line. "How did you know she was coming?"

"Let's just say, I'm sensitive to her vibration. As you climaxed, I had an image of Cerberus ripping your head off."

Lexi's eyes widened in horror. "That's awful. Does she do that on purpose?"

Hades shrugged, having given the matter more thought than was reasonable and coming to the same conclusion each time. Melinoe was a jealous goddess. "I don't know. It may be a byproduct of her gifts."

"Tormenting mortals in their dreams then confronting them with their transgressions when they die is beyond morbid. I'm glad I'll never have to face her at the gates."

Hades brushed Lexi's flushed cheek with the back of his hand. "Even as a mortal, you would not encounter Melinoe at the gates. Your soul is too sweet and pure, almost too pure to be a god, but we have time to work on defiling that."

Lexi fondled his buttocks as she brought her mouth to his ear. "If wanting you makes me impure, then you defile me every time you touch me."

Hades held Lexi in a tight embrace, wishing he could freeze time so her feelings for him would never change, but that was a gift no god possessed, so he tucked away his irrational thoughts. At least there would be time, again, to partake of her purity.