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Welcome to the Underworld. He bowed to her with a flourish.
The Underworld? She grabbed hold of the chariot seat as the vehicle rolled through
the open gates. The Graiae jumped nervously out of its way. As in Greek mythology?
Greek, yes. He bent his head down to hers. She caught a whiff of his unforgettable
scent. Myth, no. This is very much real.
His nearness had her brains too scrambled to remember her own name, much less the
finer points of ancient Greek studies. That makes you ... She sought to retrieve the correct
name from her mental cache.
Hades, he supplied. King of the Underworld. He lifted her hand to his perfectly
sculpted lips and kissed it. And your eternal slave.
Trying to ignore her body s reaction to the touch of his lips, she forced herself to focus.
What would the king of the Underworld want with a florist from Harrisburg?
To make her his queen. He released her hand, dragging his fingertips across her palm
and setting off a chain reaction of heat inside her. His bride.
30 Alecia Monaco
She tried to digest that bit of info as they reached a second gate, this one guarded by
the most hideous dog she d ever seen.
Cerberus, Hades called out in a booming voice. The dog looked up at them, his red
eyes glowing in the darkness of the tunnel. Catching sight of the king, he lowered his three
heads to the stony ground in submission.
Good boy. Hades reached down and stroked the dog s short brown fur. Good dog.
He tossed down what appeared to be a dog biscuit, which Cerberus caught between his
clawed paws.
Don t tell me that s the family pet. Hyacinth looked on in semi-horror as the dog
devoured the biscuit, tearing at it with his fangs and lapping up the crumbs with a blood-red
tongue.
Cerberus is a loyal servant of the crown. Hades snapped his fingers at the other
footman. Nicus!
Nicus, just as handsome and buff as Jason, leapt down and ran to unlock the gate. He s
friendly as a newborn pup, once you get to know him.
Who, Nicus or the dog? She bit her bottom lip and tried not to laugh.
They re both nice fellows, but I d prefer you to ignore Nicus s considerable charms
and notice the dog instead.
I think I ll take your word for it when it comes to Cerberus s good qualities. She
braced herself as the carriage rolled through the gate, and she drew a deep breath. She had to
get to the bottom of this. What did you mean with what you said about your queen?
You are my fated bride. He spoke as if this were the most natural thing in the world
to say. The seers revealed you to me, and I had to find you.
She stopped him with her hand. Wait a minute. What about your real wife?
Persephone, isn t it?
Hotter than Hades 31
Persephone and I are no longer together. He spoke without the faintest hint of
emotion in his voice or face.
Trying not to fixate on the fact that she was discussing a failed marriage between two
mythological deities, she pressed on. But what does any of that have to do with me? I
mean ... I m just a florist. I like to watch Seinfeld reruns and Nick at Nite while eating TV
dinners.
You re not just a florist. You re beautiful, and passionate. She blushed at his words,
remembering the passion he d evoked in her. You re the only woman who can reign beside
me. He eased back against the chariot seat with the air of having settled the matter.
Not so fast, she thought. What if I don t want to reign beside you? She turned on the
seat to face him. I didn t agree to any of this, and right now, you re no better than a
common kidnapper.
He chuckled. You must admit that nothing about this situation could be called
common.
She went on, ignoring him. You ve taken me against my will, away from everything I
know. I have a life back home -- She stopped herself. Did she really?
Was there anything in her life, other than her work and Cyndi, worth returning to?
He studied her face like a hawk scouting prey. She quickly arranged her features into a
scowl of rebellion. Of course she had a life worth returning to. She wasn t about to sign on
for an eternity as some ghoulish queen of the undead, or whatever it was that he had in
mind.
You were saying? A note of steely resistance entered his voice, and for the first time,
she realized just whom she was dealing with. A deity and a sovereign, older than time itself.
But did that give him any excuse to take her captive?
I was saying -- She cleared her throat. -- I want to go home. I don t want to stay
down here with you. Her gaze swept the dismal gray landscape they were crossing, devoid
32 Alecia Monaco
of color or foliage, save for the black hued cypress trees dotting the hillsides. No, this could
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