ONYX

Chapter Thirty Six

The bed was warm, which was something Hades had missed.

At his side in a bed unused since the death his beloved Persephone, Alessandra slumbered soundlessly. Her dark locks splayed against the sheets, her body nude and partially covered by the silk fabric that clung to the lower portion of her frame, leaving her topside exposed. Smiling, he couldn't help but marvel at the wondrous being that he'd made love to.

Beautiful, Hades thought.

He prompted himself on one elbow as he continued to gaze at her, dreading that he would have to leave so soon. He needed to go back to Olympus. Sharing a piece of his power-his soul-and forging a bond with Alessa stripped away his strength. He needed to be in good standing condition if he were to go back to the work that needed to be done.

But, still.

He couldn't find the capability to leave.

Casually running his long fingers through the soft wave of her hair, he guided a section off of the crook of her neck, and down the bend of her shoulder. Alessa stirred, wiggling to his touch, her body trembled in response to that single, intimate touch, and then her eyes opened. Eyes like sapphires stared long and heartily into his. A part of her couldn't believe this was real-she was alive and that for one moment in her life, she didn't feel cursed. This morning hadn't felt like any other she'd ever woken up to before.

Copying his pose, she lifted her head and placed it on her palm. And because he didn't even try to conceal himself, Alessa's eyes trailed down his torso all the way to his lower section until she stopped at his member. "This definitely isn't a dream." She blurted.

Hades chuckled breathily; he enjoyed being this way with her so open and carefree without the fear of rejection because she'd accepted him finally. His smile, although rare, was fitfully rewarding as it'd come from a place of pure bliss and it pleased Alessa to be the one that'd given that to him. Their emotions were in sync as were their souls that now functioned on the same frequency, the weight of it was heavy with the love that filtered between them, and her breath caught in her throat.

She knew in that moment, as well as last night that she was in love with this man. She didn't need all the time in the world to fall for him, but it was the actions on which he showed her that proved his feelings were the same.

He made her feel like everything she did was by her own choice, and while she was use to life as a princess, she had felt like the curse kept her from enjoying her life. It was poetic that the same man who made her suffer for his own selfish reasons had been the same man that set her free. Though none of that mattered, Alessa wanted to forget everything that had happened, all the deaths that she caused, and focus on the future.

She couldn't return to the place she called home, she couldn't fix the things that went wrong, and she accepted that.

She made a new family with Hades, Winnie, and even Gemma, the woman who saved her life. Though she hadn't quite found the time to thank her for that yet.

"This is real. We are real." Hades liked how he was able to show more affection towards her. Their hearts had been calling for each other all along, and now their love was solidified.

"What comes next, Hades?" Alessa asked. Wrapping the covers across her chest, she tucked it under her arms to hold it in place. She didn't see the need in concealing her body from a man that'd only just explored it merely hours ago, but with the way his eyes became hooded and his expression mirroring the one he had last night when he was making love to her, she knew what would come.

"Well," Hades began as he lowered himself to her, capturing her lips for a chaste kiss that surprised her. "I have an idea about what I want to happen next."