Free Hades' Return by N.J. Walters

but Stavros hadn’t contacted them. Neither had Phoenix. That was worrying. But the phoenix would have to take care of Tilly on his own. All Mordecai’s concern was for the pale, slight woman lying so still in the bed beside him.
    “Open your eyes, Jessica,” he begged. “I need you.” He, who had never needed anyone in his immortal life, not even his fellow warriors, needed this fragile human. If it wasn’t so tragic, it would be laughable. Brought to his knees by a woman.
    He feared that when she died, what little light remaining inside him would dissipate and the threatening darkness would consume him forever. If that happened, he’d have to go to the Lady and ask her to destroy him. There was no other way. He didn’t want to live in the darkness any longer. He longed for the light, for Jessica.
    The dawn light filtered in through the window, the beam falling on Jessica’s still body. After a moment, she turned her head toward it, as if seeking the warmth and light.
    “Jessica.” He held his breath and willed her to open her eyes.
    Her eyelids fluttered and finally opened. “Why is it so dark?”
    Mordecai’s heart sank. Hades’ curse was getting worse. His darkness was overtaking her.
    “It’s dawn. It will get lighter now,” he promised. He reached out and took her hand in his. Her skin was hot to the touch. She was running a fever again. Her usually vibrant eyes seemed dull and lifeless. Hades’ cursed mark was literally draining the life from her.
    She licked her lips. “Is there something to drink?”
    “Of course.” He lifted a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice from the bedside table, glad Sabrina had brought it with her the last time she’d stopped in to check on her friend.
    He put one hand behind her head and lifted her up to meet the rim of the glass. She was so weak she could barely take a few sips before she was done. Mordecai wanted to rage at the world and at the capricious gods. Why was this happening to someone as good as Jessica?
    But he knew the answer. Goodness had little to do with it. The gods played games with all of mankind, and sometimes fate was a bitch.
    He gently lowered her head back to the pillow and set the glass on the table. She licked her lips again and offered him a weak smile. “Is there anything I can do?” He wanted to do something. Anything.
    She nodded. “Can you—” She broke off and her cheeks turned a charming pink.
    “What is it?” He brushed a damp lock of her sunlit hair off her forehead.
    “Can I see your dragon once more?”
    Of all the things she could have asked him, he never would have guessed she’d ask him this. “You want to see my tattoo?”
    “For starters.”
    He stood and dragged his shirt over his head. Jessica watched him so intently it almost made him smile. He turned, presenting his back to her. Her murmur of awe had him flexing and tightening his back muscles.
    “He’s so fierce.” He heard the slight rustle of the bed covers, and then she stroked her fingers over the beast’s wing. Mordecai arched his back into her touch.
    “The serpent is just like you,” she continued. “Wild. Untamed. Unpredictable.” She continued her exploration, touching the serpent’s flat head. Mordecai bent his head to the left, feeling her caress just as the beast did. When she caressed the beast’s flanks, his cock roared to life.
    He lowered his head as his breath came faster. He knew he should object, should make her lie down and conserve her waning strength. But her tiny, capable hands felt so right against his skin. That she accepted his serpent as readily as she did him astonished him. Most people feared his beast.
    Even when they’d roamed the world in days long past, the other warriors had garnered the awe of the people. Mordecai was feared and, in some cases, reviled. His lip curled and he sneered. Humans should be afraid of him. He was an immortal warrior.
    He was so caught up in Jessica’s tender touch that he didn’t sense