Chapter 70

Hades

Waiting for the woman you love to respond when you’ve asked her to spend eternity with you is a form of torture. Persephone’s hesitation was less than a minute, but it seemed like hours.

“By bonding, do you mean witch or fallen angel?”

Her question made me smile. I should have guessed she’d have questions.

“Fallen angel,” I replied. “If you want to do a witch bonding ceremony, we can, but I honestly prefer to avoid your council.”

“No, that’s fine,” she assured me. “I’m not interested in attending a long, boring council meeting just so they can perform an affinity test first.”

“We don’t need one of those,” I argued.

“As I’m sure you’ve already figured out from the council meeting you attended, the COWs like to stick with boring procedures, and they don’t react well to any deviations,” she stated.

“Cows?” I asked. “Since when do witches follow instructions from cows?”

“Council of Witches—C-O-W,” she explained. “My boss always refers to them as the COWs. I like it.”

I laughed at her response. “I like it, too. It would probably piss them off.”

“I’m sure it would,” she agreed. “Anyway, I’d rather avoid dealing with them if possible. This fallen angel bonding sounds better. Beatrice said it’s a lot like what she expected a witch bonding to be, but with no audience.”

“I’m not sure how a witch bonding normally works,” I admitted. “My magic has been drawn to yours several times when we’ve lost control together. It’s been a struggle to keep it from trying to bind itself to yours.”

Her expression was thoughtful as she considered what I’d said. “There’ve been times when I’ve felt the tug of your power before you’ve reined it in. I didn’t understand what was happening, but I should have. I understand how these things work—in theory, at least.”

“So, will you agree to allow our magic to be bound together?” I asked.

“I want to get married.” Her reply surprised me, though it shouldn’t have. Lucifer had married Beatrice. The practice was common among witches and humans, so it only made sense that Persephone would want a wedding. It was something I should have anticipated.

“I should have proposed to you,” I grumbled. “This is the perfect place for a romantic proposal.”

She blew out a frustrated breath. “Can you please stop worrying so much about being romantic or making everything perfect? Don’t get me wrong. It’s great, and I enjoy the attention, but I don’t need this all the time. I also don’t want you acting like someone you aren’t. You’ll be miserable if you spend all your time questioning your own actions.”

“A proposal is still important,” I argued. “This is one area where I need to do this right.”

“No,” she insisted with a laugh. “The wedding is for my parents. They’re old-fashioned, and they will want to see some sort of ceremony. This will be easier than going through the witch bonding process. Beatrice also told me a little about her bonding with Lucifer, and I definitely don’t want my dad witnessing something like that.”

Hades chuckled. “That would make even me uncomfortable. Are you honestly telling me you don’t want me to propose to you?”

“Yes, consider this decided,” she replied.

I grinned. “So, you’re going to move in with me and be mine in every way imaginable.”

The shudder that ran through her body was proof she was thinking about all the delicious ways I could possess her body.

She cleared her throat before speaking. “Yes, but we need to discuss details first. I’m not quitting my job, and I don’t want to feel like I can’t come and go as I please. My movements have been limited while you’ve been worried that I’m in danger. How will it be when I’m not in danger?”

I let out a sigh because my answer wasn’t going to be exactly what she wanted to hear. “You aren’t a prisoner, and you never will be.”

“I’m sensing a but in your response,” she muttered.

“The demon realm isn’t always a safe place,” I replied. “There are areas you simply can’t go alone.”

“Because I’m a woman?” she asked.

“Because you’re not a fallen angel or a demon,” I replied. “If you go to those places, I’ll need to arrange for guards to accompany you, and there are some areas you can’t visit without me. This isn’t about gender. That may seem hard to believe, with the way Lucifer coddles Lucy, but that’s got nothing to do with her gender. He’d be the same with a son. I’m sure I’ll act the same if we have children.”

“Do you want children with me?” she asked.

It was my turn to fall silent. The only discussion we’d had regarding children was about how to prevent one from being conceived.

“We suck at this communication thing,” Persephone grumbled.

“Sorry,” I told her, leaning in to rest my forehead against hers. “I haven’t thought much about having children.”

“But you have children,” she replied. “Have you forgotten your daughters, Macaria, Goddess of Blessed Death, and Melinoë, Bringer of Nightmares and Madness?”

“You really know your Greek mythology, don’t you?” I asked as I studied her.

“It’s always fascinated me,” she admitted. “Especially stories about you.”

“Macaria and Melinoë are myths,” I replied. “I’ve never had any children. Do you want children?”

“I always imagined myself having children,” she replied softly. “I imagined I’d live in a cute little yellow house with a dog and two children.”

“So, you want children,” I replied.

“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “Finding out I’m related to Azrael and thinking about living in the demon realm are big changes. I don’t know if children would fit into this new vision I have of my life. You still haven’t answered my question about how you feel about the subject.”

“I’ve never admitted this to anyone,” I said in a quiet voice. “When I first heard the myths of my daughters, I felt an ache in my chest. I was lonely, and I wanted those daughters to be real. This was before the curse, when I still thought I was happy alone. It seemed I was always wrong. When Lucy was born, I was jealous. So, yes, there is a part of me that wants children. At the same time, I often wonder if I have what it takes to be a parent. I’m not sure.”