She wrapped her himation more closely around her shoulders, walking down to the stables where she’d left her horses. The groom nodded to her and helped hitch her chariot.

He seemed like a nice boy. Too nice for Demeter’s moods. “If you ever need a job, come to Epirus,” Persephone said.

He bowed his head. “Thank ye, mistress.”

Persephone left her mother’s estate for the last time, driving down the old, familiar roads. Tears stung her eyes, freezing on her cheeks. The ground was ready to thaw, but she wasn’t. Not yet.

The day was late by the time she returned to the underworld. She knocked on the door to Hades’ chamber and waited.

“Come in.”

Hades was seated at her dressing table, brushing out her hair. She glanced at Persephone’s reflection in her bronze mirror. “I take it Demeter gave you no satisfaction.”

Persephone closed the door behind her and shook her head. She couldn’t speak.

Hades rose and went to her, enfolding her in her arms. She was her sanctuary, her shield against the storm. Persephone clung to her and cried, digging her nails into Hades’ skin. Her wife did not seem to mind, stroking her hair until Persephone’s tears subsided.

“It’s over. I’ll never see her again,” Persephone said, sniffling.

“‘Never’ is a long time.”

“If she changes—but she won’t. It’s pointless to keep hoping she will.” Persephone wiped her eyes and gazed up at Hades. “Don’t be mad. I’ll leave again, in seven days. I just can’t bear to be on the same plane of existence as her right now.”

“You are welcome here, Persephone. Always.”

Persephone pressed her lips to Hades’ neck and buried her face against her skin, relishing the familiar scent of her. They both deserved a rest; why not.

Spring would simply have to come late this year.

DOWNLOAD YOUR BONUS SHORT STORY

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Breathless: An F/F Hades and Persephone short story

A few weeks into their marriage, Persephone is still learning how to please Hades, dreaded goddess of the underworld. As her fear wars with desire, Persephone must learn how to satisfy her captor and steel her own heart in order to survive.

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EXCERPT FROM THE WICKED AND THE WILLING

Keep reading to preview an excerpt from Lianyu Tan’s second novel, The Wicked and the Willing.

An orphan with a shameful secret must choose whom to love: her vampire mistress or the woman trying to save her life.

1927, colonial Singapore