Hades

Chapter 22

I went back to avoiding Hades and glaring at him every time I accidentally let my guard down and allowed myself to be caught in a room with him. I hated him. I loathed him. I wished he had never come into my life and I died a mateless spinster. Anything was better than this. 

True, he was the only person offering me a place to stay. I'm sure that if I tried to go to any other pack I would be shunned and tossed aside. They would all hate me even more than my own pack did. The threat of Hades coming after me was all too real and I was certain that news of a murdered alpha and a beta's daughter being 'kidnapped' had traveled through the lands. I knew that it wouldn't matter how many times I told them that he wouldn't hurt them, they wouldn't believe me. And frankly, I couldn't be sure.

There were moments when he seemed normal, maybe even sweet. Then, there were times when I was sure he was nothing more than an animal.

Thankfully, while I was avoiding him, Ethel was always ready to spend time with me. Granted, she wasn't in the house everyday, but she was there often enough and usually stayed for a couple hours. After she took on my emotional break down I decided that I would lean on her as much as she would let me. She wouldn't be able to replace my mother and she couldn't be my confidant in the same way that Caleb was, but she was warm and caring and fun. True, she was on Hades's side, but what choice did I have?

We would watch reality shows together some days, just lazing around in front of the TV in the sitting room. She was savage in her judgement of those on the shows and having her swear and scoff at people for wearing strange clothes or saying uneducated things on national television would make me laugh. It felt good to laugh and it wasn't something that happened too often anymore.

Plus, she would take me out every now and then. We would go grocery shopping or pick up planting supplies for my beloved flowers. Turns out that she had quite the greenthumb as well and loved cooking almost as much as I did. We would prepare wonderful meals together and I pretended not to notice when she put the left overs in the fridge, undoubtedly for the demon. 

Then, I found out that she had a wonderful eye for modern interior design. It clashed a little bit with the house, but if we were careful and took our time deciding on pieces it turned out well. I ended up with a new dresser and a small desk- all of which was paid for by Hades.

On a gloomy afternoon Ethel and I returned from the city for our weekly shopping trip. I was still laughing to myself when I moved into the house, a new easel, blank canvas and paints under my arm.

The smile remained on my face as I kicked off my shoes and progressed into the home, but I moved quickly. Hades could be lurking around any corner and the sooner I got to my bedroom the better. 

I went as fast as I could through the museum-like home, just on the brink of running, but not quite there. I let my mind wander with ideas of what I could paint. Maybe something like daises or lilies so when all the flowers died in the cold I would still have something beautiful to look at in the winter. 

But when I pushed open my bedroom door I found Hades in my safe space.

Holding a pair of my panties in his hands, his cheeks red.

"What are you doing?" I barked, dropping my newly purchased items on the desk.

I hated the feeling that struck me when I saw him here. I hated the way my heart raced and my tongue darted out to lick my lips. Still, no matter how much I hated him the mate bond would always be present.

Hades snapped his eyes from the fine lace to my face, dropping the garment. The redness of his cheeks only darkened. But, even with the embarrassment clear on his face he still met my eyes as he spoke, "I thought that you might feel more at home if you weren't getting ready out of a suitcase anymore."