Read Online My Lord Hades by Stephannie Beman - Free Book Online

woman, but when his face was cut from cheekbone to chin by a harpy and roughly stitched back together, she’d mocked him his skills as a warrior and a looker.
    She traced the scars, brushing a lock of hair from his face. She leaned closer, her lush body pressed intimately against his, and his body flushed with instant heat. He was lost and didn’t care. He wanted her to touch him. He craved it.
    She giggled, dragging him from the invigorating taste of her magic. “What’s so amusing?”
    “The hair on your head is soft, but the hair on your face…the, um, the beard, ‘tis wiry.” She brushed her fingers over the hair on his lower jaw. “I don’t have that. See.”
    He didn’t resist as she brought his hand to her face, resting his fingers against her cheek. Yes, she was soft. Soft as silk. She was stunning too. Her high cheekbones flushed with color, her full lips curved into a smile for him.
    He tentatively reached out, his mind caressing hers, and ran into an unnatural barrier. He delved deeper, stunned by what he found. She was cut off from the power of her birthright, unaware of the magic flowing between them. Who would dare to tamper with the natural order of things?
    He sought the cause of her blocked power or some hint as to who placed them there. Maybe
    if he could learn more about them, he could remove it. All he found was that it was strong, stronger than any Titan or Olympian could manage, and it was slowly disintegrating.
    He wanted to release her, to break open the cracks in the barrier, but he knew the danger all too well. If done slowly, over a period of time, she’d forgo the spin into madness he’d
    experienced. If done now, he risked causing her more harm.
    He sobered immediately. “I have to go.”
    “Have I done something wrong?”
    He placed his finger under her chin and raised her face to him. She was so pretty, the sunlight revealing the trust in her face as she gazed up at him. He brushed her earlobe with his thumb, cupping her chin in his calloused hand.
    His gaze traveled from her indigo eyes to her lush lips. They remained slightly apart, moist and inviting. He imagined nibbling on the full bottom lip and delving into the warmth of her mouth. He wanted to explore her.
    He willed his breathing to slow, understanding that only her innocence allowed him to touch her, and he refused to take advantage of that sweetness. It was refreshing to be in the presence of an honest soul that the world hadn’t tarnished. And he felt a fierce need to keep it that way.
    “No, sweetling. I want…”
    He wanted to kiss her luscious lips and taste magic and passion flowing beneath her skin. He wanted to lay her back on the loam and claim her as his mate. He wanted to take her far away from this place and those who had hurt her. But he couldn’t. A man like him could never touch a woman as delicate as her and not destroy it.
    “I want us to be friends, but right nowI have business at Mount Olympus.”
    She leaned forward, the full length of her body pressing against his, her hands resting on his shoulders. His hand dropped to the small of her back. Her silky hair brushed his fingers. Her breasts crushed against his chest and her pelvis settled against his hip bone.
    The light touch of her warm mouth against his shocked him. The contact was brief, but left his lips tingling. She rose and stepped away. The simple action left him both relieved and frustrated.
    “Then friends we shall be.”
    She turned and walked away. Hades watched her from his place on the ground as she traveled up the hill to the small villa nestled close to the top. His body refused to respond to his commands. She deserved a kind and gentle god. She deserved better than a killer for a friend.
    Persephone nearly hummed with excitement. She’d met Hades again. She’d spoken with
    him, touched him. And now she understood a measure of the nymphs’ fascination with men.
    His face had been rough, his shoulders and arms strong. But there