“Hades, stop.”
“Yeah, you said that to me before.”
It takes me a moment to understand what he’s referring to. “On the bridge.”
“I almost killed him, too.” His voice is just wrong. He hardly sounds like himself. “I might have if you didn’t stop me.”
I clear my throat and try again. “Zeus was a monster. I’m not going to pretend that murder is the right way to solve a problem, but do you honestly think he wouldn’t have killed you if he had a chance? There are so many deaths to lay at his feet. I’m sorry that you have to bear the burden of his, but I’m not sorry he’s dead.” I reach out with my free hand and cup his face, careful of his bruise. “And that man you beat hurt my sister. I didn’t yell because I wanted to save him. I did it because I knew that you’d feel guilty if you lost control.”
He releases a shuddering sigh. “I guess this is goodbye, then.”
I might laugh if I didn’t feel like I’m in the middle of running a marathon. Now is the time for the full truth, but my heart is beating so quickly, I’m suddenly afraid I might pass out. It was so much easier to write the words and slip away before he found them. “I’m not leaving, Hades. I love you. I’m staying and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you—and to help you protect your people.”
“But with Zeus gone, you’re free.”
“I know I’m free.” I take a ragged breath. “And because I’m free, I choose this. I choose us.” He’s not brushing me off, so I scrape up the courage to continue. “A month ago, all I wanted was to get out. I didn’t know you existed, let alone that I’d fall in love with you. I didn’t know there was a part of Olympus that could feel like home.” When he just stares at me in seeming confusion, I give his hand a tug. “Here, Hades. It feels like home here with you. In this house, in the lower city. I want to be with you, if you’ll have me.”
He gives a slow smile. “You mean it.”
“With my whole heart and soul.”
“I love you, too.” He raises our clasped hands and presses a kiss to my knuckles. “I didn’t want to trap you into staying by telling you, but…I love you, too.”
He loves me. He loves me. I suspected, but hearing those three words on his lips makes me dizzy with joy. I wish I could sink into it fully, but my mother’s request still needs to be dealt with. “Hades, there’s one last thing.”
“The terms of your bargain.”
“Yes.” I clench his hand tightly. “I promised my mother six appearances of her choosing in the upper city. Six appearances with both of us.”
Hades stares at me for a long moment. “That’s it?”
“What do you mean that’s it? Having the man behind the myth of Hades at her beck and call a few times a year is going to increase her perceived power exponentially. Even if you’re not her ally, people will think you are. It’s a big deal.”
He carefully moves the puppies and pushes to his feet, tugging me up with him. “It’s a small price to pay.”
“Are you sure? Because if you have any doubts at all—”
“Persephone.” Hades cups my face. “Little siren. Do you think there’s a price I wouldn’t willingly pay for your happiness and safety? For your freedom? Demeter could have asked for a lot more than she did.”
My throat goes tight. “Don’t tell her that.”
“I won’t.” He smiles down at me. “Tell me again.”
There’s no mistaking his meaning. I run my hands up his chest and loop my arms around his neck. “I love you.”
His lips brush my ear. “Again.”
“I love you.”
I feel his lips curve against my skin. “I love you, too, little siren.”
“This is probably an inopportune time to make a joke, huh?”
His hands fall to my waist and he pulls me closer, wrapping me up in his steady warmth. “Since when have you let that stop you?”
I laugh. It starts out a little ragged and then evolves into a sound of pure joy. “You’re right.” I wiggle a little against him. I can barely believe that it’s over. Or not over, but just beginning. It feels like it’s too good to be true, and I can’t stop touching him, reassuring myself that he’s here, that this is happening. “In that case, I have a question.”
“Uh-huh.” He pulls back enough that I can see him grinning. “Ask.”
“Do you love me more than you love your precious floors?”
He laughs. A full-bodied sound that seems to fill the room around us. Hades lowers his head until his lips brush mine. “I most definitely love you more than my precious floors. But I’m going to insist you refrain from bleeding on them in the future.”