CHAPTER 89: GODS HELP ME

When the carriage came to a stop, Lilith forced her eyes open. Her eyelids were so heavy that she struggled to keep them from closing. The cold air sent goosebumps across her skin, prompting her to adjust her scarf with one hand while the other clung to Eldric’s arm as he helped her down from the carriage and into the castle.

The sun was beginning to set, casting golden hues across the corridors. Most of the servants were either attending to the nobles in the dining hall or having their own dinner, leaving the hallways mostly empty.

When they reached the top of the stairs, Eldric released her arm. "You should be fine from here. I can’t go any farther than this. Do you understand, Lilith?"

She nodded, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "Thank you. You’re too kind. We should probably do this again sometime."

"Definitely not. We are never going to a tavern again," Eldric said, making Lilith giggle softly.

"I can hardly think straight... I need to lie down." She gave him a little wave before wobbling down the hallway. Behind her, she heard the soft retreating steps as Eldric walked away.

Lilith sighed in relief when she reached the door. She pushed it open and stepped inside, closing it behind her. She leaned her forehead against the wood, exhaling deeply. Tugging the scarf from her neck, she tossed it to the floor and staggered toward the bed, her fingers working to undo her braids.

"What are you doing here?"

Lilith nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned sharply toward the voice and saw the prince standing by the window in his fur robe, his hands tucked into the pockets of his trousers.

"You startled me! What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be somewhere else?" she asked, turning back to her hair.

"I’m supposed to be here. You are not," Hades replied, watching her closely.

"What do you even mean by that?" she snapped, narrowing her eyes before letting out a heavy sigh. "Go away. I don’t want to speak to you, or even look at you." Lilith sat on the edge of the bed and removed her shoes.

"This is my chamber, Lilith. I can’t go away."

She looked around the room, and within seconds, her eyes widened in realization. "Oh no... Forgive me, Your Highness. I didn’t realize, I will return to my chamber immediately." She grabbed her shoes with one hand and her scarf with the other, heading for the door.

Before she could open it, Hades was already beside her, placing his palm flat against the door to stop her. At first, she didn’t notice his hand and tried several times to open it, confused by the resistance.

When she finally realized what was stopping the door, her eyes trailed along his arm up to his face. "What are you doing? Remove your hand from the door," Lilith said, frowning up at him. But Hades only stared down at her, unmoving.

She reached for his hand to push it away, but he didn’t budge. Instead, a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips, one that irritated and angered her even more. Without thinking, Lilith leaned forward and bit down on his arm, sinking her teeth into his flesh. But the prince didn’t flinch. His smile only widened.

Then she felt his fingers in her hair, gently tucking a strand behind her ear. "You are beautiful," he murmured.

Her heart skipped a beat. She immediately pulled away, her gaze dropping to the faint teeth marks on his arm. Regret surged through her. Dear heavens, she had just behaved like an animal. "Does it hurt?" she whispered, feeling bad for biting him.

"No, it doesn’t. You could drive a dagger into my heart and it still wouldn’t hurt," he replied softly, still toying with a strand of her hair.

Lilith swallowed hard. "Let go of the door, I don’t want to speak to you anymore. I just want to return to my chamber and go to sleep."

"You shouldn’t be drinking," Hades said, withdrawing his hand and slipping both into the pockets of his trousers. "It’s not healthy. You could hurt yourself badly."

"Why? It’s not like you truly care about me. As long as I can do what you brought me here to do, that’s all that matters." Her eyes stayed fixed on her hands.

"So that’s why you went out drinking? Because you think I don’t care about you? That’s incredibly irresponsible," Hades said.

"Well, you’re not denying it. And I went out because I wanted to spend time with Eldric. He’s a wonderful man, hardworking, kind, and good-looking too. Exactly the kind of man any woman would want."

Hades reached out, slipping his fingers beneath her jaw and tilting her face up to meet his gaze. The moment their eyes locked, Lilith felt her knees weaken, her breath caught in her throat. His eyes were dark and intense, piercing into her as though he intended to consume her.

"But he’s not what you need," Hades said.

Her voice was barely a whisper. "And what do you think I need?"

"You need to be reminded who you belong to. You need to be reminded that I am the only one you will ever need."

He leaned in, his breath brushing against her lips.

Lilith swallowed hard again. "You lie," she said through clenched teeth. "I don’t belong to you, and I certainly don’t need a man who doesn’t want me, one who takes pleasure in other women."

She had expected those words to anger him, but instead, his pupils dilated, and something unreadable flickered in his eyes.

"So that’s why you went drinking?" Hades’ voice held a dark, amused edge. "You were jealous of me taking another woman to my bed."

Lilith’s jaw tightened. She wanted to walk away, to leave him standing there with his maddening smirk, but he caught her arm, holding her in place. She stared at him, fury clashing with the ache in her chest. "If you have already had your time with her, then why are you still playing games with me?"

"Playing games?" His eyes darkened more as he stepped closer. "Oh, darling... I wish I were playing games. I wish I had taken her to bed, spent hours beneath the sheets maybe then I could’ve stopped thinking about you."

His face was now inches from hers, breath hot and heavy between them. "But I couldn’t. Do you want to know why?" His voice dropped, rough and laced with desire. "Because I couldn’t fucking get you out of my head. You consume my thoughts and tempt me in ways I didn’t even know I could be tempted—and I can’t fucking give in."

Lilith’s breath hitched. The fire in his eyes mirrored the storm unraveling inside her. Her heart pounded so violently, it hurt. The air around them was charged.

"You have no idea," he continued, voice thick, "all the things I want to do to you." His thumb brushed along her bottom lip, slow and reverent. "I want to touch you so badly." His lips grazed the corner of her mouth, barely a kiss—but enough to make her legs tremble.

She clung to him, hands fisting in the fabric of his robe, nails digging into his skin. A low growl rumbled from his throat.

"The gods help me," he whispered, voice strained, "because I don’t know how long I can keep fighting this."

Lilith pulled back just enough to meet his gaze. Her voice was shaky, but her eyes burned with longing. "I want to touch you too. I want you to—"

But Hades pressed his palm firmly over her mouth, silencing her.

"Don’t," he said, almost desperately. "You need to go to bed—before I do something neither of us can take back. You’re intoxicated, and I won’t take advantage of you. If I’m going to touch you..." His eyes bore into hers. "You’ll be sober. You’ll remember it—for the rest of your life."

Lilith’s brows furrowed in frustration, her body still humming with desire. He knew she wouldn’t completely understand his words. Her thoughts were too fogged, her judgment too fragile.

"You can stay here," he said quietly, lowering his hand from her mouth. "I’ll check on you in the morning."

He guided her to the bed, gently, then stepped away, running a trembling hand through his hair as he turned and walked toward the door.

Once outside the room, Hades leaned against the wall, head tilted back, chest rising and falling. His jaw clenched as he looked down at the undeniable evidence of his burning desire, the bulge straining against his pants, demanding release.

"Fuck," he growled, running his fingers roughly through his hair. The pressure in him was unbearable, like fire under his skin. He stormed to the other side of the hallway and into his study, collapsed into the chair as he looked up at the ceiling, exhaling harshly.

"Gods help me..."