KEEPSAKE

chapter twenty

20 RETELLING

     HADES FOUND HER PERCHED ON HER BED WITH HER BACK TO HIM AS SHE WATCHED HER DAINTY FINGERS TEAR APART A FLOWER

    He kept quiet for a moment. Just watching her carefully concentrate on such a little thing made him calm. It stirred something inside him darkly. Yet still softened him to the touch.

    "You like watching me?" Persephone asked playfully. Hades could already see the foolish smile on her lips.

    "How'd you know I was here?" He asked with curiosity as he walked around their king sized bedpost and sat on the edge Persephone faced.

    Her eyes narrowed up at him, all lust and tired. "I don't tell just anyone my secrets." She giggled, sitting up on the bed so her back pressed against the beds headboard. He watched her with a tentative smile.

    "What is it?" Her attention on the flower pedals she poked out of the flower and placed on her bare thigh.

    He shrugged, still watching her. Her hair shined beautifully, glistened against the unnatural light of the bedside lamp. Without hesitation Hades began stroking her loose hair strands over her shoulder until they were all cascading down her back. Then he smoothly, slowly leaned over and pecked warm kisses over her neck.

She moaned in response, moving her legs to wrap around his body. The flower petals falling over the comforter—long forgotten except one Persephone kept clenched in her fist.

Reluctantly Hades pulled his lips away but stayed close, their foreheads pressed to one another's. "Seph.."

She smiled, touching her lips to his to keep him silent, "shh." she giggled with a hum of approval as his lips parted for her tongue.

When Persephone began moving her hips against Hades, he pushed away and stood from the bed. She looked up at him innocently with a mix of guilt and hurt.

"Did I do something wrong?" She asked, knitting her brows.

He only shook his head as he recollected himself from their passionate kiss. "Seph, I have bad news."

"Wait. Before you tell me..." She sighed and stood up from the bed and approached him. He took a step back and she gave him an annoyed look. Carefully Persephone unclenched her fist and held her palm out for Hades to look.

"A dead flower?" He arched a brow. The raspberry shaded petal sat in her tiny palm, crumbled up a bit but still beautiful.

She chuckled, "It's a present from me, to you. An amaranth petal," She told him and tucked it in his hair, working it so it would stay in.

Hades just watched her with widened eyes and slitted lips. He focused on her crinkled irises because if he looked at those dimples he'd only kiss her. And he couldn't do that, he needed to tell her about Adonis.

"There," She smiled and kissed Hades' cheek. "You know what amaranths mean?"

He shook his head.

"Immortal love." She said and brushed her fingers against his.

Hades inhaled sharply before stepping past Persephone and clamping his eyes shut.