The King Of Death | Hades + Fae

Chapter Nine

Tallulah

He'd heard them too, the whispers that haunted me over the last few days. But Hades' whispers spoke of peace. How could the gods promise both death and peace? It made no sense.

I take in a deep breath and throw my head back, finishing my vinum in a quick gulp. Everything about my visit with the giant man had been planned, from my outfit to my questions and stature. What I hadn't planned, however, was barely being able to breathe without feeling light headed. I'd never liked the smell of smoke, it reminded me of explosions and war. Of burning homes and crying people. This smoke was different. It was sweet like marshmallows over a bonfire and I couldn't get enough.

"Do you make a habit of speaking to the gods?" I thought my question fair, but as I ask it something twinkles in Hade's icy blue eyes and his lips tug up into a small smirk like he's holding back a laugh. Arrogant ass.

"I've spoken to them once or twice." His tone is laced with sarcasm and I bristle, did I say something funny?

"For Aidoneus' sake, you're insufferable!" My calm and collected facade escapes me as I throw my hands up in a huff.

"Aidoneus?" I snap my head back to the raven haired man and clench my jaw.

"Our god of death." The words are slurred and mumbled as I force them through my teeth. My fingertips chill around the glass and before I can stop it, the cup freezes along with the few drops of vinum left.

Hades' eyes widen ever so slightly and he glances back to my guards who were now guarding outside the open doors sensing my wishes without me having to say them. Before I can even comprehend it, Hades moves with lightning speed and pulls me from the chair. He pins my hands above my head with one hand as my back slams into the closest wall and his knee pushes between my thighs, lifting me up until my feet dangle above the floor.

Behind him my glass clatters against the floor but I barely hear it over my thumping heartbeat deafening me. Shit shit shit. My fingertips immediately freeze but my power doesn't move past his hold on my wrists.

"Do you pray to death often, Tally?" His voice comes out in a low growl that sends shivers through my body and he leans forward, pressing the tip of his nose right against the sensitive spot behind my ear. My back arches despite my wriggling.

"Do you drop to your knees and worship him?" His nose moves slowly down the column of my neck and a small squeak slips past my plump lips, Hades returning it with a rumble in his chest sow harsh it's almost animalistic. His nose stops in the crook of my neck and he inhales so deeply I fear he'll suck me in. I try to move but my covered core rubs against his knee sending a shockwave through my body and making me still.

Suddenly I feel them, teeth as sharp as a wolf's scrape over my exposed flesh, right where my neck meets my shoulder. I can't speak, my mind clouds in a fog so deep I feel like I'm completely senseless. Heat pools in my stomach like he's lit a fire in the depths of winter and just as my movements still his sharp teeth nip at my sensitive skin.

Sparks shoot through me and I arch again, this time a yelp works its way up my throat.

Two seconds. That's all it takes for Hades' body to be ripped from mine with such force I stumble forward and fall to my knees. The heat pulls away with him and my body erupts with ice, covering every inch of me as I try and try to calm my ragged breaths.

"Tallulah!" I can barely make out Grison through my blurred vision as he crouches in front of me, his hands reaching out but hovering over my icy skin. One touch and he would freeze. 

"Get away from her!" I try to lift my head when the growl shakes the room, every breath painful in my frozen chest but through my glassy haze I can see Hades fighting against Florian's hold. Grison ignores the giant's shouts and moves into my vision with brows pulled together in concern.

"Heat. Warm yourself, Tallulah. You can feel that fire in your stomach, push it out." I could feel heat in my stomach, but it wasn't my power. Something twisted and tugged and burned me with such ferocity I fear it will consume me. My body sensed it, feared it, that's why it erupted in ice. 

"I-I can't..." My voice cracks as ice begins spreading out from my fingertips across the floor. Somewhere in the room Florian curses with a scuffle, and then all of a sudden something tackles me back. 

Something warm, so fucking warm. The tugging in my stomach subsides and my breathing calms, just as the warmth spreads over me and melts away any remnants of deadly ice. My eyes clear enough for me to look down and my breath hitches. Hades hovers over me like a deadly beast, keeping his weight on his knees and palms as black flames engulf him. They flicker over me without stinging, they were soft and almost ticklish.

"Okay that's enough!" Dark blue eyes meet mine just before he's yanked back into Florian's deadly grip. Grison's hazel eyes replace them as he takes his place above me, blocking Hades from view. The tugging in my stomach returns but the ice stays at bay.

"Let's get you out of here, my Queen." The threat is over. His unspoken words wash over me like a soft blanket, the way Grison had calmed me for the last eighty-one years. I can't hold back the flush of crimson to my cheeks as I realise just how uncontrollable I'd been. It's been years since my power exploded like that, why now? The tugging sensation in my stomach thrums again and I look over to Hades who is pulling against Florian's firm hold. 

Mate.

The word hits me like a wave. No, it can't be. I push myself up to my feet and dust myself off in an attempt to show some sort of composure before I glance at Hades again. 

 "You're free to move around the castle, but until I understand more about who you are you aren't to leave the grounds. Do I make myself clear?" Strong and regal, the words of a queen despite feeling like an awkward teenage girl. Hades' jaw clenches, making his already sharp jaw even sharper, so much so that I feared he'd cut Florian with it. After a few seconds he relaxes and nods, no words spoken.

I turn on my heel and walk out as quickly as my graceful steps can go. I shouldn't have visited him. I got my answers, but I'm leaving with more questions than I had to begin with. Maybe Ilias will have more luck.