Free Bride of Fire by Charlene Teglia Page B

shaped themselves to her breasts like that? Had his palms rasped the tender skin of her nipples? They swelled as she imagined it, growing visibly tight and blushing a darker shade of pink against the pale skin of her upper torso.
    No man had ever touched her. Not so intimately, not even innocently. No man had ever kissed her until Hades’ mouth had brushed hers.
    The memory of his lips sent a flash of heat through her. Hard, rough, and so hot. When she’d gasped, her lips had been opened to his for a heart-stopping instant.
    And he’d taken her. What had he said?
    That she was his.
    Now here she was, in the underworld realm that he ruled. In his chamber? She wasn’t certain, but the bed wasn’t feminine in the least. It was masculine and erotic, blatantly built for pleasure.
    Her nudity, the bed, the memory of the kiss all told her he had not taken her for conversation. But what did he want of her? Persephone gazed at the carvings in mixed apprehension and newly awakened sensual curiosity. Would he want her for all of that? Some of that? When he had satisfied himself, what then? Would he let her go, returning her to the field he’d taken her from?
    Persephone slipped from the bed to explore the room. Obsidian walls glittered with sparks of light as if gems shimmered deep within the stone. A fireplace provided the dim light and warmth in the room, the mantel carved of the same dark, sleek wood as the bed. Unlit wall sconces hung on either side, made of wrought iron in ornate whorls. A low, backless couch ran along one wall, covered in velvet to match the bed’s cover.
    The room held nothing else. No chest filled with clothing, no wardrobe. Just a door made of wood with a black wrought-iron handle. She tried it and found it unlocked, which failed to comfort her. She wasn’t imprisoned in this room, but her lack of clothing made her loathe to explore beyond it. And if it was unlocked, what was to prevent anybody from coming in?
    Persephone whirled and ran back to the bed, bare feet making no sound as they struck the stone floor. She found the velvet cover too heavy, but the black satin sheet beneath came free when she tugged. It fell at her feet in a slick midnight cascade. She scooped it up and wrapped it around herself, fashioning a sort of toga from it that would probably hold if she didn’t strain the slippery folds. The excess fabric flowed behind her like a train.
    It felt cool and smooth against her bare skin, although for some reason she still felt naked. But it would have to do.
    A sound brought her head up. Distant footfalls grew nearer and stopped at her door. The handle turned, and the door opened, smooth and silent on its hinges.
    Hades filled the doorway. He regarded her for a moment that seemed to stretch to infinity as the silence deepened and her heart raced, the pulse beating frantically in her throat. Her makeshift gown felt even more inadequate and flimsy than it had before. She held her breath, certain that if she filled her lungs too deeply, the expansion of her ribcage and uplift of her breasts would cause the fabric to fall away.
    And then she would stand naked before him, with no barrier between her and whatever he desired of her. Her knees trembled, but the memory of his kiss and the heat of his touch made her wonder what that might be like.

Chapter Two
    She was here. She was his.
    Hades regarded his golden treasure in triumph. She shone like a precious gem in this room, the dark and masculine setting contrasting with her feminine beauty. Her skin glowed like a pearl above the ebony satin she’d clothed herself with. Her hair caught highlights of amber and gold from the fire behind her. Her eyes seemed deeper, filled with mysteries like the midnight sky. Her lips trembled, but otherwise she gave no sign that she was alarmed to wake here, nude and alone.
    Pride kept her spine straight, pride and the knowledge that she was the offspring of gods and cherished by them. Here was a woman who knew