He’s making it sound like what happened that night is exactly what I’m afraid of.
He leans close, and I realize that he’s actually an inch shorter than me. He seems so much larger than life, it’s strange to look down into those dark eyes. Hades smiles slowly. “For such a smart boy, you’re awfully dense. I can talk about Meg however I damn please. She’s mine, Hercules. I own her. I told her to fuck you that night, so she did. If I stripped her naked and set her on this bar and lined up every member of the Underworld and let them fuck her one right after the other, she’d thank me for it just like she did after she fucked you.” He lowers his voice, still so close that our chests damn near brush. “I can do every single dark and twisted thing I want to our Meg, and she has no choice but to comply.”
Anger finally derails my attraction to him. If what he’s saying is true, and what little evidence I have supports it, then she truly didn’t have a choice that night. My stomach lurches and I clench my fists. “I won’t let you hurt her again.” I can’t go back in time and take back what happened between us, but I will do whatever it takes to ensure she’s not put in that position again.
Something flashes in his eyes, there and gone too quickly for me to identify. “I won’t let her go. I suppose we find ourselves at an impasse.” He finishes his drink, and I try my best not to watch the way his throat moves when he swallows. “What a shame.” He starts to turn away.
“Wait.”
“Yes?” Is he holding his breath? I can’t be sure.
I down the remainder of my drink, letting the alcohol buzz through my veins, though it doesn’t give me nearly as much courage as I’d like. “I heard you make deals.”
Hades turns fully back to face me and steeples his fingers. “You heard correctly.”
“I’ll make a deal with you to free Meg.”
He taps his fingers against his lips. “Meg is very dear to me, Hercules. I’m not sure what you could possibly offer that would make me give her up.”
I don’t possess anything of worth. Not anymore. If I were still in Olympus, I’d have access to resources and more money than even Hades could bring to the fore. Hades. Olympus. I stop short. I hadn’t even made the connection before now. Surely it’s not coincidence that Hades goes by that name. The one shared by the bogeyman in Olympus. Be a good boy or Hades will get you. It’s not a threat I’ve been on the receiving end of since I was a small child or I would have made the connection sooner. Hades isn’t supposed to be a real person, for all that he’s technically one of the Thirteen. If he existed, I would have known about it. “Hades.”
He seems to sense the change in me and raises his brows. “That is my name.”
“Do you have some connection to Olympus?”
Just like that, he goes as icy as he was the first moment we met. Cold. So fucking cold. “If you’re afraid of making a deal, then stop wasting my time. I have more important things to be doing at the moment.”
I have nothing to offer him. Not really. My trust fund is long gone, and even if it wasn’t, Hades doesn’t seem the type to be swayed by a series of commas and zeroes. No, he’ll want something more. Which is a damn problem. I have nothing except…
I take a deep breath. “You can have me.”
“I can…have you.” He studies me. “The devil is in the details, my boy. I’m going to need you to be significantly more specific.”
I clear my suddenly dry throat. “I mean you can have me. However you want to take that.” It’s only right. A way to balance the scales of the wrong I’ve done. The mistakes I’ve made. Penance. There’s a sweet relief in that, in giving up control so completely. I don’t really understand it, but in the end my feelings don’t matter. Helping Meg does.
“You mean, I can fuck you.” He circles me slowly, a predator going in for the kill. “I can shove my cock between those pretty lips of yours. I can do whatever I please to your cock. I can take your ass whenever and however I like.” He stops in front of me again, seemingly unaffected by the words he just launched at me like daggers. “Is that what you mean when you say I can have you?”
“Yes.” It takes me two tries to keep speaking. “If that’s what it takes.”
“A better man would turn you away. Forced consent is hardly consent.” He smiles suddenly, a full smile that rocks me back on my heels. “You’re a terrible negotiator. Truly awful. I accept your terms—you’re mine, and I no longer force Meg to follow my commands against her will.”