Always Down

Chapter 19 ¦ Technical issue

With his leaned back posture and calculated words, he appeared threatening and knew consciously what he was doing to that waiter. He relished asserting his dominance and loved the fear with which he was welcomed to. It didn't matter to him whether he looked worst in the eyes of others.

"Anything else, sir?" He enquired, his eyes flickering between both of our faces.

"Si, next time you better keep those eyes off her if they are dear to you." He ordered, shoving him off with a finger motion.

Holding out my elbows on the table, I inched my body closer and watched the waiter strut his way back into the crowd, not once turning to face him back.

"You have anger issues." I stated.

He mirrored my previous action and brought his body nearer with our fingers brushing against.

"You keep on surprising me." He said in a hushed voice. "I had no idea that you're an empath."

His words coincided with my eye roll and instantly after, he placed his hands over mine and grasped them in a tight hold. "Don't roll your eyes at me, Mia."

"And what if I do?" I raised a brow in defiance.

"Then trust me, I'll give you a fucking good reason to do it."

I could feel the heat creep up my cheeks at his remarks and resorted to struggling my hands out of his grip to my lap. His words were so blunt that they could make you undergo a frenzy of emotions in spite of seconds. He seemed to notice the expression that clouded my face and he cursed under his breath.

"Stop blushing so damn much." He grunted in a low, deep voice.

"I'm not."

"Sì, sei tesoro." He pressed on.
[Yes, you're sweetheart]

"Sir, your wine." A voice piped in, relieving me from the embarrassment. The waiter came over and placed a neatly carved bottle in the middle.

"And ma'am, here's your martini. Have a wonderful night." His words were quick and he bolted away without sparing me a second glance.

"You scared him." I frowned, taking a sip from my glass. The moment the liquid touched my tongue, I was hooked. The electric bliss from its taste lingered on my lips, a total elixir of quietude.

"What did you expect I do." He responded, bringing his glass to his lips. His palm had completely covered the surface of the glass leaving barely a sliver of space visible.

"I don't know, be a little more civil." I returned and earned a glare that I'd grown quite accustomed to.

"Ladies and gentlemen—" A loud voice echoed across the speakers in the hall. In the centre of the stage, stood an older man with an imposing demeanor. He had a commanding presence, that's for sure.

"I'm grateful for each and every one of you being here. As you know, the purpose of this yearly ball is to bring us to an agreement to maintain peace and form friendships. Indeed, it's challenging but not impossible. Serving this as our ultimate goal, let's raise our toasts."

"To unity." He lifted his glass among with several others with the sole exception of Hades who looked rather over with these.

"With this, it's time for the annual dance." The man proceeded, with a succession of claps thundering within the confined walls.

"Come on." Hades said and walked over to me, his palm outstretched.

Unsure, I put my hand onto his as he dragged me to the middle of the dance floor. With his fingers trailing from my upper arm to my wrist, he placed it on his shoulder and gripped my waist. He interlocked our free hands and with a abrupt pull, he brought me closer to his body and dropped his face near my ear.