Corrupted by Bella Klaus

Chapter Sixteen

Ispent the next several minutes kneeling on the orchard floor with a healer, helping her treat the dryads’ wounds. As a form of wood nymph, the little creatures needed to immerse themselves into the soil to draw sustenance from its power.

They lay with their heads sticking out, and with magical bubbles over their faces to channel oxygen into their lungs. I swallowed hard, willing them to fight their injuries.

“How long will it take them to heal?” I asked the healer.

The old woman sprinkled magical dust over their foreheads, letting it sink into their skin before adding more. “Smoke inhalation and fire damage are pretty easy to fix, but I’m more concerned about the seeds I extracted from the little one.”

My stomach clenched at the familiarity of her words. I turned to the smaller of the dryads who still hadn’t regained consciousness. “What have you found?”

The healer flicked her wrist, and materialized something the size and shape of a sycamore seed. “Here’s one of them. I have no idea how or why she would have a handful in her belly, but these little parasites were draining her magic.”

“Have you taken them all out?” I asked.

“Only those that haven’t taken root.”

“You can’t leave the others inside her,” I said.

The healer frowned. “The roots have already burrowed into the lining of her stomach. Extracting them is delicate work on a being that’s half plant.”

I swallowed hard. Dr. Atallus had succeeded in removing seeds from Dami, but she was all flesh and blood. “But you’re working on it?”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” the healer replied. “Expect it done by the morning.”

“You have an hour to complete your task,” Hades said from behind us.

I turned to find him standing by the greenhouse door with his wings folded behind his back.

The healer rose from where she knelt and bent into a low bow. “The situation is complicated—”

“Then recruit others to help you,” Hades snapped. “I don’t care how many healers work on this dryad. You must remove every seed before they germinate.”

“Yes, sire.” She bent so low that her head touched the soil.

Hades turned to me with his arm outstretched. “Come.”

After giving each dryad a pat on the head, I rose and walked across the greenhouse to where Hades stood. He pressed a kiss on my forehead and transported us to a familiar-looking tapestry. We were in his bedroom in St. James’s Park within the world of the living.

My gaze immediately went to the right side of the canvas, where Zeus sat on his throne, surrounded by Mother, Zeus, Poseidon, and the coven.

“Thanks for getting help for the dryads,” I murmured.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “I’ve worked out how Persephone created that monstrous beanstalk.”

“The seeds in the dryad’s stomach?” I asked.

He raised his brows. “You figured it out, too?”

I nodded. “But I think they came from outside Hell.”

“Explain,” he said with a frown.

I told Hades how the cat doctor had found the foreign bodies inside Dami’s stomach. I hadn’t thought much about it at the time, but seeing it happen to someone else made me all the more suspicious that the coven was behind this latest spate of attacks.

As I repeated what the doctor had told me about cats’ stomachs being too acidic for seeds to spout, Hades took me to the back of the room, where a round mirror hung in the ceiling above a huge circular bed. The scent of wood polish and leather filled my nostrils, mingling with the mahogany wood panels to create the sense of stepping into a 1970s bachelor pad.

He pulled off my helmet, untwisted my bun, and ran his fingers through my curls. “Can we compare samples of the seeds?”

“I’ll ask Dr. Atallus to send over the ones he extracted from Dami.”

“Good.” Hades unbuckled a fastening at my neck and peeled the leather armor from my shoulders.

“Why don’t you undress me with your magic?” I asked.

He pressed a kiss on the tip of my nose. “Sometimes, a man just wants to take his time unwrapping such a delectable gift.”

I ran my hands up his leather breastplate, looking for an opening. “Does that mean I get to unwrap mine?”

A smirk curved his lips. “If you can materialize the fastenings.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, picturing seams forming across the leather. As soon as I opened them, thick zippers appeared down the front of his armor.

“That’s a rather modern spin on a medieval classic.” He unhooked a series of fastenings around my back, and opened up the leather armor, letting the cool air swirl around my bare skin.

“It’s all I could think of at the moment.” I reached up to his collar and pulled down the zipper, exposing his broad chest, tight abs and the beginning of a treasure trail.

Thoughts of the dryads invaded my mind, as did images of a green-eyed Persephone, bent on making everyone germinate her seeds. I shoved them to the back of my mind and focused on Hades’ smoldering eyes.

Heat pooled low in my belly as I ran my hands across his pectoral muscles, marveling at the smoothness of his skin. With a low groan, he pulled off my bodice and exposed my breasts.

“You’re making the unwrapping process extremely hard. My breeches suddenly became too tight.”

Every nerve ending on my skin tingled. I dropped my gaze to his full lips. “Can I practice removing the armor completely?”

He chuckled. “You never have to ask permission to strip me naked.”

“Alright.” I flicked my wrist, the way Hades usually did when he performed magic, but the armor barely shifted.

“What are you imagining?”

“The way you move your hands when you perform magic,” I replied. “Should I be doing something else?”

He placed both hands on my shoulders, his thumbs massaging my collarbones. “This is the most important thing to know when you’re performing magic. Always picture the end result and let your power do the rest.”

“That’s it?”

He leaned in close, rubbing the tip of his nose against mine. “For the likes of us, a strong will is all that’s required.”

“Because we’re gods?” I whispered.

“Precisely.” His lips grazed mine in the gentlest of kisses.

Letting my eyes flutter shut, I pictured the sensual massage lesson, where Hades lay naked on the table, his erection beckoning me hither. The muscles of my core pulsed in anticipation of what I would see when I opened my eyes.

“Very good,” he murmured into the kiss.

I opened my eyes, finding him completely naked, and I ran my hands down his muscular back and over his tight glutes. “Why is magic so simple for us? I thought I’d have to study for ages before I could do anything.”

He pressed kisses down my neck, igniting tiny sparks of pleasure with each press of his lips. “Gods are the original races on this earth. We’re creators, even those of us whose powers are limited.”

“Including mine?” I asked. “Shouldn’t I already know what to do?”

“If you hadn’t been brainwashed into believing you were a mortal girl on the verge of death.” He smoothed his hands down my back and grabbed my ass.

“Right.” My gaze darted in the direction of the tapestry.

Hades scooped me into his arms and pressed a kiss on my lips. “You have centuries to learn more about your capabilities and the intricacies of being a deity. But now, let’s get you to bed.”

I slipped my arms around his broad shoulders and sighed. “Can’t we use our power to help the dryads survive the seeds?”

“Until we know how those parasites work, it’s best not to infuse them with our magic.”

Hades placed me onto the mattress of the circular bed, letting me sink into what felt like clouds encased in the finest silk. Straightening, he stared down at me through hooded eyes.

“You are a sight to behold,” he growled. “So beautiful, so willing, so mine.”

I stretched out a hand and ran my fingers down his side. “Come to me.”

He lowered himself onto the mattress and straddled my body, balancing his weight on his knees and forearms. His masculine scent filled my nostrils, and at that moment, my entire world reduced to the luxurious sheets beneath my skin and the gorgeous male staring down at me as though I was his last meal.

“What are you doing?” I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. “Why haven’t you started kissing me already?”

“I’m drinking you in,” he said, sounding wistful.

“Really?” I asked with a giggle.

His eyes darkened. “Even after living tens of thousands of years, I still pause to savor sweet moments. Right now, having you beneath me, after two thousand years apart, is more precious to me than my magic.”

I raised myself off the mattress and pressed a kiss on his soft lips. “Even though I look different, and my soul contains elements of Zeus?”

His wistful smile widened to a grin. “That bastard would be livid to know how much of his element I can now wield because of you. I hope that whatever has become of his mind is aware that the weapon he used to smite the other gods is now at our command.”

“Was he sadistic?” I nuzzled his neck.

“The worst.” He wrapped his arms around my back and laid me flat on the mattress.

I thought Hades would make love to me or at least try, but he lay down beside me and arranged our bodies so I was curled around him with my head resting on his shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“You’ve had a long day, and I want to make sure you’re well rested before breakfast.”

“What’s so special about tomorrow?” I asked with a yawn.

“We’re having something I think you’ll enjoy.”

I paused, waiting for him to elaborate. When he didn’t, I opened my eyes and tilted my head up to meet his gaze. Hades stared down at me, his eyes dancing with mischief. My lips tightened, and possibilities raced through my mind.

“Are you talking about naked sushi?” I asked.

“For breakfast?” His nose wrinkled. “Certainly not.”

“Then it’s something similar?”

He turned his gaze from mine and to the mirrored ceiling. “I can assure you there will be no fish.”

“But it’s a naked breakfast?” I prodded him in the chest.

His lips curved into a wide grin—one so wicked that the thought of being his plate suddenly now felt appealing. My clit pulsed, and heat pooled between my legs.

“Why do we have to wait?” I glowered into the mirror.

He stared down at me, his grin widening. “You’re that eager?”

I nodded. “Now that it doesn’t involve raw fish, I’m looking forward to trying naked breakfast.”

He rolled us to the side, so I lay on my back again with him straddling me like a tiger who had caught his prey. “You are deliciously decadent.”

“Thank you, I think?” I said with my brightest smile. “Do we need to take a shower first?”

With a wave of his fingers, the outer layer of my skin tingled. “Not anymore.”

“May I try it on you?” I wiggled my fingers.

“Remember to imagine me clean,” he said.

I pictured the time we both sat in the pool within Persephone’s garden, when he washed the plant venom from my wounds. When I flicked my fingers, Hades’ entire body shuddered.

My brows drew into a frown. “Did I get it wrong?”

“It was as cold as aloe vera,” he said. “What were you imagining?”

Heat bloomed across my cheeks. “Maybe my mind drifted to the time I healed the wounds I made to your body with my lightning.”

“We’ll have to create some more pleasant memories for you to draw on,” Hades said. “I’d rather not repeat that experience unless it’s a dire emergency.”

“Sorry.” I gave the space over his heart an apologetic rub.

He placed a soft kiss on my lips. “No harm done.”

My palms wandered from his hard biceps, over his shoulders, and down his arms, lingering at the bulges and dips and curves of his muscles. The man was truly a work of art. An idea sprouted in my mind that would give me the opportunity to explore that gorgeous body, but I held it back, waiting for the right time to strike.

“What’s next?” I asked.

He waved a hand, and a tray appeared on the other side of the bed. It contained a plate of crispy-looking Belgian waffles encrusted with sugar crystals, a dish of chopped strawberries and banana chunks, a jar of milk chocolate, and a jug containing a thinner liquid of a similar color.

My mouth watered. “That looks perfect.”

He waggled his brows. “I’ll be sure to keep you fed while I’m feasting on your chocolate-covered tits.”

I tapped my bottom lip, pretending to appear confused. “Wait a minute.”

“Problems?” he asked.

“Just a suggestion.” I wiggled out from beneath the cage of his arms, slid off the mattress, and turned to face him.

Hades lowered himself onto the bed and sat up. With a tight frown, he asked, “Having second thoughts?”

I shook my head. “Why don’t you lie flat?”

His eyes narrowed, and his features melted into a devilish smile. It looked like he was already a step ahead and didn’t mind the idea of me using his body as my plate. I placed both hands on his shoulders, pushed my weight down on them, and straddled his larger body. Hades lay flat on the mattress and stared up at me, his eyes burning.

“Why does this look like you’re taking charge?” he asked.

“Because I am.” I placed a kiss on his lips. “But don’t worry, I’ll keep you well fed.”

Hades’ lips tightened. “Waffles and fruit,” he said. “I’m not the biggest fan of chocolate.”

My lips parted to ask why he had ordered something he didn’t enjoy, but his wide grin told me everything. Warmth spread through my insides, and my stomach fluttered with a mass of butterflies. It had been his idea all along to be the plate. Now, I needed to work out how to make a satisfying naked breakfast.

“Would you like me to demonstrate on you?” he drawled.

“No thank you.” I reached for a jar of chocolate sauce. “I’ll work it out for myself.”

Hades rested his arms behind his head and stared up at me, his eyes dancing. “It’s customary to start with the cock. Take your time coating it with chocolate, so you can lick it all off. When it’s clean, keep sucking and swallow the salty surprise.”

Snickering, I dug out a fingerful and placed it between my lips, letting the rich flavors of chocolate and hazelnut spread across my tongue.

Hades’ eyes bulged. “It’s for spreading, not eating from your fingers.”

“Alright.” I scooped another large dollop and placed it on his left nipple.

“The cock,” he said from between clenched teeth. “If you keep dawdling like this, you’ll never get your mouthful of delicious jizz.”

“I’ve thought of something else.” I placed my fingers on his wrists and materialized a set of ropes that wound around his wrists like vines.

His mouth dropped open. “Are you restraining me?”

“I’d gag you, but we’re going to need your mouth to eat.”

Fire flared across his irises, accompanied by a low chuckle. “Underneath that sweet exterior is a very naughty young woman. I wonder if she’ll sit on my face again.”

The sensitive bundle between my legs twitched at the word. I lowered myself to his chest and swirled my tongue around his chocolate-covered nipple.

Hades hissed between his teeth. “You’re a natural, but you’re wielding that tongue several inches too high. Permit me to—”

I clamped down on his nipple with my teeth, making him arch his back off the mattress.

“Bloody hell,” he said with a pleasured moan. “What was that?”

“Was it okay?” My voice trembled. Had I gone too far?

“You wicked girl,” he said with a low chuckle. “I had no idea you were skilled with your teeth.”

I licked the first nipple clean, then spread chocolate on the other and lapped it off his skin. As I bent over him, his thick erection grazed my ass, making Hades throw his head back and groan.

“If you carry on like that, I’ll pop like a bottle of agitated champagne.”

“Then I’ll waste your salty surprise?” I asked.

He threw his head back and laughed. “You are a delight.”

A giggle bubbled up from my chest. “I’m glad you approve.”

I smeared more of the chocolate over his nipples and licked it off, making sure to rub myself against the thick erection pressing into my ass cheek. Hades lay as compliant as a lamb, groaning, moaning, and writhing under my touches.

Every few minutes, I broke off a bit of waffle or plucked a piece of fruit from the tray to press between Hades’ lips.

Eventually, the first jar ran out, and Hades directed me to the jug containing a dark syrup that smelled of cacao. I dipped my little finger into the warm fluid and placed it in my mouth.

“This is a thinner version of the one I had before.” I stared down at my clean finger.

“But it contains more of a natural lubricant,” he said, his voice breathy with excitement. “All the better for gliding over my cock.”

Raising myself onto my hands and knees, I crawled down the length of his body and settled at the middle of his muscular thighs. Hades’ thick erection lay on his abs, already drizzling fluid.

My mouth watered, and I licked my lips in anticipation for round two of my chocolate feast.

His eyes darkened with lust. “Why don’t you try it au naturel, so you can compare and contrast the flavors.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea.” I leaned down and ran the flat of my tongue over his thick shaft. It was hot and hard and covered in prominent veins that pulsed beneath me as I made a slow path up to his huge red tip.

Hades’ breaths quickened. “You’re drawing this out on purpose.”

“No.” I shook my head and tried to suppress a smile. “I just want to make sure I’m memorizing your natural flavor before I coat you in chocolate syrup.”

His deep groan tightened my nipples and made the muscles of my sex clamp with need. “You don’t know what you do to me,” he said in a voice strained with lust. “If you keep talking like that I’ll fill your mouth with spunk.”

I slid my tongue down toward his balls.

“Where are you going?” he practically shrieked.

“Preventing an eruption.” I wrapped my fingers around the base of his shaft.

Hades groaned. “Yes, that’s it. Squeeze me tight and stop me from cumming.”

I tightened my grip. “Does that really work?”

“To an extent,” he said. “Now, taste me like I’m your favorite lollipop and you’re longing to extract all the flavor.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at that description, but I slid my tongue back to the tip, enjoying how it glided over a thick, bulbous ridge.

Hades shivered beneath me and groaned. “Now stick your tongue in my slit.”

Sensation flooded my sex, which turned slick at his words. As far as teachers went, Hades was pretty creative, and he had a way of phrasing things that got me really excited. After lapping up the precum on his opening, and dipping my tongue inside for more, I slipped his thick cock-head between my lips, making his breath quicken.

“Am I doing it right?” I asked around my mouthful.

“Fuck, yes,” he hissed through his teeth. “Never stop sucking.”

“What about the chocolate?” I asked.

“We can save it for later.” His words were urgent, clipped, as though if I didn’t continue licking and sucking the tip of his penis, it might cause him physical pain.

As I swirled my tongue around his tip, I reached for the jar of chocolate syrup and brought it closer. Hades’ hips trembled as they made subtle back and forth movements, looking like he was trying to restrain himself from pounding into my mouth.

I dipped my fingers into the warm syrup and coated his shaft.

“What’s this?” He raised his head off the mattress.

“I want to try chocolate-coated Hades.” My fingers glided up and down his length as I sucked on the massive tip.

“Take it all in.”

I drew back. “You’re too bloody big for my mouth.”

“Did you just say it was the largest, most magnificent cock you’d ever see?” he asked with a grin.

I pumped my fist up and down his huge shaft. “If that’s the way you want to interpret it, sure.”

He snickered and lowered himself onto the mattress. “You say the sweetest things.”

After taking some more of the syrup with my fingers, I drew back, letting him out of my mouth, and stared down at his glorious erection. It had grown even bigger under my ministrations and its tip flushed a vibrant shade of red.

“Are you just going to admire it all night?” Hades growled.

“I never get tired of looking at it,” I murmured.

Hades exhaled a long breath. “Living under such restrictive circumstances had to be difficult. However did you cope with the frustration?”

I raised my head, meeting his curious gaze. “Picturing things like this while I touched myself under the covers helped.”

His brows rose. “How, exactly?”

My tongue darted out to lick my chocolate-covered lips, and Hades’ irises flared with firelight. I glided my fingers over his thick cock-head, loving how the texture of this part of his erection differed from the shaft.

“Sometimes there were shows on Netflix that showed a lot of male nudity.” I ran my finger up and down his slit, making him shiver. “Other times, I had to use my imagination.”

Hades moaned. “And you touched yourself, how?”

I reached between my legs, but he broke through one of his restraints and grabbed my arm. “Turn around and move further up the bed, so I can get a better look.”

My eyes widened. “The sixty-nine position?”

He bared his teeth in a wanton grin. “In my circles, we call it the soixante-neuf. While you’re sucking syrup off my cock, you can show me up close how you give yourself pleasure.”

A thrill of excitement rippled through my core, and I scrambled up the bed, letting Hades position me into place. Chocolate handprints stained the sheets, but I made a mental note to clean them afterward with my goddess magic.

“Fucking hell.” His hot breath tickled my inner thighs. “You’re so swollen and wet and aroused.”

My breaths turned shallow. It wasn’t like this was the first time he’d looked at me up close or even the second, but something about this position felt so exposed. Maybe because it also reminded me about the time before the Devil’s Ball, when he got me to sit on his face.

Only this time, he wasn’t feasting on me, he was observing.

A ripple of delicious apprehension tightened my skin, but when he gripped my ass and pulled it down toward his face, the anticipation of what he would do next turned my mind into mush.

“Show me,” he rasped.

I slipped my hand between my legs and placed my index finger on my clit. “When I touch myself, I usually start there.”

“How?” His hot breath warmed my fingers and spread across my sex.

Ignoring the flush racing across my cheeks, I rubbed a tight circle around my engorged clit.

“You should see yourself,” he said, his voice strangled. “It’s so fucking erotic, I could just cum from watching that finger tease your pretty clit.”

A whimper caught in the back of my throat. At this rate, it wouldn’t take long before I climaxed.

“Put me in your mouth,” he said, his voice a deep command.

“Yes.” Balancing myself with one hand, I laid the other on the mattress to steady myself, and ran my tongue up his shaft. When I reached the top, I engulfed his tip into my mouth.

“Fuck,” he hissed through his teeth. “Watching you play with yourself while you suck my cock is the most decadent of pleasures.”

I slid his erection down my tongue, letting it hit the back of my throat and eliciting the most erotic groan. The finger over my clit quickened its pace, making Hades moan even louder.

At this rate, I would probably climax before I’d even given Hades half the satisfaction he had given me before the ball. I pulled my head back and bobbed up and down around his shaft.

When my movements faltered, Hades pumped his hips back and forth, gliding himself in and out of my mouth.

“Mmmmm.” I hummed around my mouthful.

“Fuck,” he moaned. “Do that again.”

This time, I made a sound at the back of my throat that made him arch off the bed.

“You’re really quick with those fingers,” he said. “Now I know how rough you like it.”

A protest formed in the back of my throat, but one thrust from Hades pushed it away. How would I know whether I liked it rough or not? Nothing mattered until we tried.

Now that he had taken control of the blowjob, I could concentrate on my clit. I switched from circular movements to up-and-down strokes that set my core aflame. Hades pulled me further down to his head and penetrated me with his tongue.

I moaned around the thick length in my mouth, my inner muscles clenching and unclenching around his tongue as he slid it in and out of me with deep strokes. My eyes fluttered shut, and I could feel the taste buds, the textures, the twist and turn. Pleasant shudders ran down my spine, making me ache for more.

Hades quickened his pace, and I sped up my finger with a flurry of hard strokes that brought me closer to a precipice. The pleasure built up until every limb shook except for the one with the hand that pleasured my clit. That one kept steady, focused only on the mounting ecstasy.

The next few thrusts of his tongue sent increasingly powerful ripples through my insides until all my muscles clamped. Blood roared between my ears, punctuated by a booming pulse.

I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything but take the pleasure he was pouring into me and swallow around his huge erection. Somehow, the only part of me that seemed to work was the fingers busying themselves at my clit.

Tingling warmth pulsed behind the sensitive bundle of nerves, building, stretching, growing in intensity as Hades continued thrusting in and out of me. His moans and groans reverberated across my sex, adding to the sensations.

My head spun, and I was glad to be on a bed, even if I was balancing my weight on just three limbs, which wouldn’t stop trembling. As his thrusts quickened, and his moans escalated, all the pleasure he’d given me exploded in a climax that made my eyes roll to the back of my head.

The entire room fell away, leaving me with the sensation of floating on air with only Hades’ tongue and thick length keeping me from tumbling through the clouds. I clenched and spasmed around him, feeling like the rapture would never end.

With a roar, Hades erupted, filling my throat with thick and creamy liquid. I drew back, desperate for a taste, only for the bitter fluid to set off another climax.

As my climax faded, he withdrew his tongue, and pressed a soft kiss on my folds.

“You delight me,” he said in a deep voice that pulled me into a blissful state of relaxation. He rolled me onto the mattress and ran his hands up and down my thighs. “Sleep, Kora. I will take care of the rest.”

All thoughts of dryads, parasitical seeds, and murderous goddesses faded into the ether, leaving me wondering what manner of pleasures tomorrow would bring.