Of Lockets and Pomegranates: Chapter 9
Of Lockets and Pomegranates
Content Warning: Sexual Content and Graphic Sexual Scenes
When Pandora stepped out of the portal into Nyx’s office, her attention snapped to the row of enchanted windows. The view was still her favorite thing, even a month later. The gods didn’t follow the same linear timeline as mortals, so the view was from a distant future from the top of a high-rise building. A nighttime cityscape sprawled several stories below. Pinpoints of lights speckled in an amazing display like stars that Pandora had never seen.
Turning her attention from the window, Pandora scanned over the rest of the room. Nyx’s sleek black desk sat near the back wall, leaving space for the couch and chair combo she used to meet with clients. She hadn’t always been a therapist, she’d explained, but there had been a need.
Nyx was at her seat, typing vigorously on her computer. Dark purple hair piled into a tight ponytail high on her head, and wire-rimmed glasses perched on the tip of her nose. They were purely aesthetic, having no glass within the frame, but made her look scholarly. Their eyes met when Pandora turned, and they exchanged soft smiles. Nyx didn’t speak, and Pandora returned to looking out the windows. Comfortable silence filled the room.
The city was something she looked forward to; it gave her a sense of purpose that didn’t revolve around being in the Underworld. It hadn’t taken her the full month to realize she’d clung to Hades readily because she feared the Upperworld, but it had taken her a long time to understand why that was avoidant. She had so many lives left to live, and she was squandering them because of fear.
She was terrified to tell Hades. Not because of his reaction. She was worried what it would mean for them. Healing meant leaving. That was their deal. Without his steady presence, she didn’t know if she could continue her progress. It was unlikely he would visit her in the Upperworld for many reasons. His work. The Greek Pantheon outside of the Underworld. Persephone. The forbidden nature of their relationship. Everything was stacked against them.
“You seem light-years away, dear.” Nyx’s voice pulled Pandora out of her spiraling thoughts. She had moved, leaning against the front of her desk, arms crossed as she watched Pandora. “Let’s start today’s session with why.”
Looking behind her, Pandora was suddenly dismayed that the portal had already closed. There was no escape. Sighing, she plopped onto the plush couch and settled in as best she could while her mind whirled. “I’ve never felt as calm as I have for the last month. The storm inside my head has quieted, though it has not gone.”
“And that worries you?” Nyx asked as she slid into the chair opposite the couch. She folded elegant hands on her lap and watched.
“Every time the storm quiets, I’m one step closer to leaving,” she whispered, her attention moving to the windows again. “That was our deal: I return home once I feel healed. What if he realizes he doesn’t care for me after I’m gone? Or he realizes that he will always love Persephone more than me?”
“Those are heavy emotions, my dear, and they are understandable.” The weight of the goddess’s hand on her thigh brought her attention back. Starlit eyes watched her carefully before she spoke again. “Have you spoken to Hades about these concerns?”
She hadn’t, had been too scared. It wasn’t even Persephone’s presence that she truly feared; it was her absence when she left. Absence doesn’t always make the heart grow fonder, especially when they had so little time together.
The last time they’d been intimate, she’d panicked. She realized now that it had little to do with her virginity and everything to do with her insecurities. Since that night, their romance had stifled. There were still kisses and flirtatious comments, but none of it went below the collarbone, hers or his.
“No,” she said aloud.
Silence fell between them.
“Do you miss Athena?” The sudden change in topic was startling but not unwelcome.
“You know I do. Same with Warin and Helen.”
“They probably miss you, too.” She smiled. “I cannot speak for Hades, but he would be a fool to not truly love you. Returning home may be the best way to see how much he cares for you.”
Furrowing her brow, Pandora paused before speaking. “How would that help?”
“His actions when you leave would prove whether your emotions come from the curse or are genuine.” Nyx let her hand fall away from Pandora’s leg and leaned back in her chair. “Which I think you’re more terrified of than you’d like to admit.”
“I know,” she said weakly.
Their conversation moved from Hades shortly after, but her mind stayed focused on the storm gathering in her chest.
***
The portal opened in the middle of Hades’ office, where he sat at his desk. His white and black hair pushed from his face as she’d told him she liked it, and his electric eyes watched as she caught her footing outside the portal. Wicked amusement glowed on his face, backlit by the red ambience of Tartarus behind him.
“My little pixie.” He extended a hand toward her. “I have been waiting for you.”
She stepped around his desk and into his arms. The warmth of him soothed the worry that had almost overwhelmed her. The sound of his voice and the way he purred when he called her his little pixie sent chills through her. She hated being small because people underestimated her. Hades wouldn’t dare.
“Am I interrupting your work?”
“My work is interrupting my time with you, pixie. Never the other way around.”
He tilted her head until their lips brushed. She melted into him, whimpering as he pulled her onto his lap. At 6’8”, he towered over her by more than a foot. Even sitting, she was smaller than him, so he usually ended up holding her to equalize their height. Breaking the kiss, his gaze racked across her. Goosebumps rushed over her skin.
She cupped his face, stroking her thumb over the light stubble that had started to grow. It never lasted; he kept himself clean-cut. Jaw-length hair always slicked back. Facial hair clean shaven. Suits crisp and unblemished. Only with her did he go unfiltered and raw.
“Nyx thinks I’m ready to return,” she whispered as she stroked her thumb over his lower lip.
She felt him tense for a moment before he kissed her thumb. “Is that so? That’s good news, yes?”
“Of course,” she said, despite her heart hammering in her chest. “I’m sure Athena has noticed my absence.”
Tell me you want me to stay, she silently pleaded. He couldn’t do that. If she did not return soon, the Greek pantheon would be at Hades’ door, and then, if she was allowed to live, she wouldn’t even remember him. She’d be at the mercy of the Fates. Tell me you’ll visit me on the Upperworld, she silently begged instead, knowing that was impossible as well.
She placed another kiss on his lips, more demanding this time, to keep from begging him for something she knew couldn’t happen.
When she pulled back, she smiled mischievously at him. “There’s one way to prove how much I’ve healed.”
His brows rose, and a sinister grin tilted his lips. “Enlighten me. Another movie marathon? I’m all about all-nighters, but you are surprisingly terrible at staying awake.”
“No!” Suppressing a smirk, she slapped his shoulder. “I want you to take me to bed, Hades. I’m ready for all of you.”
For a beat, she thought he was going to deny her. Since her panic attack, he had been frustratingly gentle with her. She was tired of gentle and wanted all of him. A tremor ran through him. Then his eyes darkened with desire. His arms encircled her like a vice.
“Are you sure, my little pixie?” He stood, placing her on the edge of his desk. His fingers dug into the supple flesh of her thighs, covered by thin leggings, as he stepped between her legs.
She pulled him closer so she could whisper into his ear, deliberately brushing her lips over the sensitive skin. “Why don’t you find out for yourself? Hades, I need you.”
She hooked her finger into the knot of his tie and tugged it loose. Once it came undone, she tossed it onto the floor before moving to the buttons of his shirt. She teased the exposed flesh with each one she released, kissing and biting as she went. He allowed her to undo three more before he placed a gentle hand around her neck.
“You’re playing a very dangerous game, pixie. My restraint is thin and, if you touch another button, it will snap. I’ll fuck you on this desk and not care about who could walk in.” His hand tightened when she leaned forward, challenging him. The growl he released was primal.
“I want you to lose that perfectly crafted control.” A downright disobedient grin spread across her lips. “I’ll strip you here if it means you won’t run away. I’m not as fragile as you think.”
“Trust me, I hold on to no illusions. I have seen every dark part of you.” His hand slipped from her neck, trailing down her sternum. Her stomach clenched when he hooked his finger into the front of her bra through her sweater. “There will be no running tonight. I don’t want to be too rough your first time.”
“We can be gentle later.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she was in his arms, and he was carrying her through the hidden door that led to his chambers. His fingers bit into her thighs again, holding her firmly against his arousal. Delicious friction built at her core as he walked, and she failed to swallow the whimper that escaped her. He answered with another growl.
“Tell me to stop if there’s anything—and I mean anything—that makes you uncomfortable. No safe words. No questions. I will stop if you change your mind. Understand?” He stopped at the bedroom door, pressing her back against the hard wood.
“I understand,” she panted, shifting her hips against him again. There was no stopping this, not tonight. Not ever. She craved all of him, soft and gentle or rough and raw.
Editor: Shannon Hensley
