We drop Bella in at the fancy house who had given us directions. As the kind couple take her inside, she's distracted by the warmth of the home and the smells of the kitchen to bother to say goodbye.

Next, Hadrian returns to the hospital and releases Yohan's soul. Once more, I'm swamped by the power that explodes from him, and do not notice the young boy greeting his mother.

I can hardly face saying goodbye to my father.

He's returning for the morning shift as I wait for him by the door. Hadrian is giving us space— he's lurking on a rooftop somewhere, sunning himself in the wintery dawn. Not that Minoa is warm. My breath fogs the air as my father approaches.

He still doesn't look rested. He's washed and shaved, but there's shadows still there beneath his eyes, a weariness that only vanishes when he spots me.

He pulls me into an embrace.

'Did you do it?' he murmurs, pulling back to look at me. When I nod, he pulls me back into another hug.

'Fantastic,' he says. 'And now it's time for you to leave?'

I smile as he stands back, still holding my hands the same way he did when I was a child.

'I'll be back soon,' I assure him. 'I have plenty to learn.'

'Learn?' his eyes betray his confusion. 'Your...husband is teaching you?'

I shake my head. 'He's not my husband...not yet. But he will be,' I add, and to my dismay, I blush. My father looks amazed, then stern.

'Is he here?' he demands, and I notice there's a hint of fatherly protectiveness that I haven't heard before.

'He was giving us privacy...'

'Well, make sure he bloody well introduces himself! I'm going to be his father-in-law!'

'Dad...' I laugh. 'He's the King of the Dead. Aren't you afraid?'

My father stares at me, and for the first time in years, I see a twinkle of humour there. My father— happy.

'Afraid? It's him who should be afraid of me! After all, he wants to marry my daughter.'

I fold my arms, smirking. 'All this possessiveness.'

'The men in your life have to feel like they have some degree of control.' A voice, from behind me, materialises. Soft and deep, Hadrian steps up and stands behind me. I feel his breath tickling my neck as he wraps an arm around me.

'Hadrian, sir. Pleased to meet you at last.'

My fiancé holds out a hand to greet my father. After a moment, my father takes it, assessing every inch of impressive man Hadrian is. I see him nod his affirmation: he can't fault Hadrian at all, and that's my dad's job: to hate the man "taking me away".

'Nicely done, Ness,' my father says to me. 'He's nearly a match for you.'

I stifle a laugh. Hadrian's hands are on his hips, looking at me. 'Only nearly?'

'Only nearly,' my father says, and I see his iron stare and his pretend animosity. Hadrian probably can't tell that my father is never serious, and he's fighting back a snort. 'All this black and leather, are you two supposed to be in matching clothes?'

'He thinks by matching me, it will make him my equal,' I say, staring at my nails.

My father catches on. Pretending as though Hadrian isn't there, he rolls his eyes. 'But he will never be your equal.'

'I know, Father, but humour him.'

'He even eavesdrops on our conversations, and appears out of nowhere,' Father adds. 'How rude.'

Hadrian makes a choking noise, trying not to pick a fight. I turn away so he can't see my laughter, but it's null as my shoulders shake with it.

Perhaps coming to his rescue, my father turns traitor on me. 'I suppose I will forgive him, if that's what you want, Ness...'

Father fixes me with a look I can't escape. He wants the truth. 'As long as you love him.'

Hadrian turns to me, waiting. I avoid his gaze as my cheeks, recently cooled, fire up anew. Gods, this is awkward. Why did I ever think talking to my father with Hadrian a good idea?

I give the barest of nods, but it's not enough. Father only raises his eyebrows.

'The Ness I knew wasn't a coward,' he accuses.

My reply is almost a growl. 'I'm no coward...you think I'd be here introducing you if I didn't love him? If I didn't want to marry him? You think I'd give him the time of day?'

My father roars with laughter. Happy, simple laughter.

I carry it with me all the way back to the Underworld.

-----------------

Hadrian transports us back to my rooms in his palace, my head still filled with meeting my father. I wouldn't call it a goodbye: I promised to return, and besides, I hadn't told him about finding Nate. Somehow, knowing his two children awaited him in Death did not seem the best way to encourage him to live.

As the spell stops and the room ceases to spin, I stumble, unsteady with the change of scenery, and Hadrian moves to support me, his arms encircling my back.

'Whoa, there,' he murmurs, his eyes blue flames. I stare up at them, eyes wide. "Dark" Hadrian is still here, and I can see his exhaustion setting in.

The Ness I knew was no coward.

The Ness that jumped off a cliff knew what she wanted. The Ness that threw herself over a waterfall didn't let anything get in her way. So, I take Hadrian's hand and pull him towards my bed, and sit him down on it.

'Rest,' I murmur, and his eyes are even wider than my own. When I kiss his forehead, he reaches up to touch the spot where I'd kissed.

I kneel to take off his boots. When he tries to help, I swat his hand away.

I laugh quietly. 'Why did you do that? Touch your forehead.'

Hadrian says, 'It's warm. It's still warm. And...tingly.'

I finish with one boot and start on the other.

He makes a choking noise.

'Shhh,' I say. 'I'm not trying to sleep with you. I'd just like you to stay. I've never seen you sleep. I'm exhausted.'

'But...the wedding...your training...'

'The wedding is in...two days,' I calculate. My stomach drops a little at that. Two? 'I need to sleep. We have time.'

As I peel back the sheets and tuck him inside, his eyes stare at my face intently. 'You're planning something. What are you planning?'

I don't know.

I can feel something in my bones. My gut is telling me, but I can't hear it.

'I have to go to the Spring Court,' I say. I shut the curtains, blocking out the early morning light. 'I haven't told Hadrian yet. You...don't seem to remember when I talk to you, so I thought it safe to tell you.'

'I can keep things from him, yes. He'll remember bits, but the details will be hazy.'

Good enough.

Finally, I slip off my own shoes and dirty clothes, throwing on an oversized shirt that must be one of Hadrian's to sleep in. I pull my hair from its ties, letting it fall free to my hips.

I hear Hadrian's intake of breath. I stalk back across the dimly lit room.

He murmurs something.

I slide into bed next to him, suddenly feeling inexplicably nervous. Heart thumping, I lie down.

After a second to acclimatise, I ask, 'What did you say?'

'Come closer,' Hadrian says, his voice low, 'And I'll tell you.'

When I turn my head, he's propped on his side, wide awake, eyes aglow with blue and...lust.

I feel my lower muscles clench.

I dare myself to lean in.

Nose to nose, he inhales, his eyes shutting in pleasure. When he opens them again, our eyes meet, level and only inches away.

'I said...' he extends a hand and tucks a loose stray brown lock behind my ear, 'That you look beautiful, and you took every breath in my body away.'

I try and fail to swallow the heart that's crept into my throat.

'In...in two days' time, we'll be getting married,' I whisper. His hand still hovers, caressing where he'd tucked the strand of hair away.

He growls in his throat, a sort of moan of want and need...

I touch his lips.

The feel of his soft skin makes my fingertips feel on fire. I stroke his full, bottom lip, and I see even Dark Hadrian has been rooted to the spot, entranced by my boldness.

'In that time, I must find out what Spring are planning,' I tell him. His eyes look at me in betrayal, as though talking battle plans are the last thing on his mind. Honestly, they're the last on mine. But I know how this should end, and it's not with us naked.

I force that thought to stay in the forefront of my disapproving brain.

'Do you agree?' I ask, more urgently, until he nods.

'It's a good idea. Even more so if you have a way to get there.' There's a question in his voice.

Then he nips my finger, and sucks on it.

I let out a gasp— which sounds suspiciously like a moan.

In between sucking, he inches closer to my body, until he's pressed against me, and my hand is the only barrier between us. Then he tosses it away and lunges for my mouth with his own.

My body turns on me. Instead of avoiding his kiss, I lunge towards it, so our mouths collide.

Warmth rushes through me. His lips move over mine, sending waves of need racing down my nerves— to my skin, my breasts, my hips. I attack back, my lips pressing deeper against his, and his arms wrap around me and hold me there, at the small of my back. I can't tell whose moans are who's— we both groan and growl at one another as we push and pull with our lips.

Then with our tongues. Suddenly, the room is hot, and I have the desire to shed all our clothes. The motion of his tongue flicking over mine—

I gasp as I pull apart from him. 'Hades! I was trying to tell you—'

His mouth covers my protests.

'—I have a way—'

'—Quill gave me—'

The mention of Quill makes him draw back, wary. 'Don't mention another man's name whilst I'm kissing you,' he says, angry.

'Then don't kiss me when I'm asking you to listen to me!'

His hurt glare bounces off me. I stare at him, half wanting him to disregard my argument and kiss me anyway. What kind of person does that make me?

He lies back on his back with a harrumph, turning his head to look at me. We're still close, but a few inches of air now separate us.

'I'm listening,' he says.

I swallow. 'I don't want our first time to be this.'

That's my real problem.

He looks incredulously at me.

'I want it to be Hadrian,' I say. 'Actually Hadrian. A well-rested one, not...not half of him.'

'Ah,' comes his reply. Understanding fills his face. 'I guess that's a sound argument. Damn it. I can't promise I won't make an appearance when he gets extremely horny for you, though. That's kind of my area of expertise.'

I laugh, wiggling closer to him. The blue light in his eyes has settled, a little, so I can almost imagine that it's fully Hadrian— not one decreased with inhibitions because he's used so much magic. I lace my hand into his.

'Will you still stay?' I ask him.

He smiles. 'I'd do anything you asked.'

We fall asleep with the tips of our noses touching.

We sleep for a few hours. It's getting dark by the time I wake, Hadrian still asleep beside me. His arms have encircled me, and I wake in a shell of warmth and protection. In his resting state, his face is at peace, and I notice his long eyelashes, the way his hair curls up at the ends. And as I lie there, just taking in him being around, I realise that I want this.

Every morning to awake by his side. His queen, literally and figuratively.

And bury my head into his chest, inhale his scent, and steel myself for the meeting that's about to happen. Because to stay with him, to protect him, and marry him— I need to know what my family is planning.

I whisper my apologies.

'I'm going to have to tell lies about you,' I say to his sleeping form. 'I'm going to have to pretend I don't love you with all my soul, pretend I never want to see you again, that I want nothing but be one of the Spring Court. And that way, they might confide in me.'

I have to know if we're going to be fighting a war on two sides.

I ease from our bed, silent as the night falling around us. I dress quietly in the brightest clothes I find— a velvet dress in the closet of pink. With my hair down and unruly I look like a ghost.

I take one last look at the sleeping king, and make up my mind. I strike a match, and light a candle on the bedside table. The light flickers and bobs as I find the leaf Quill gave me.

I can do this.

I can meet them.

I demand what I want.

And I'm doing this for him. For Nate. For Char and Sybella and all the Underworld citizens. We can't lose to Hecate. She will bring chaos down upon us.

So, with that in mind, I hold the leaf over the candle flame and watch as the green withers to black and dust.

---------------------------

A/N: Okay so I might have lied, we haven't quite made it to the SC yet. But I hope you'll find sleeping Hadrian a good alternative?? 

*Dark Hadrian begging eyes*

What do you think Spring will be like? Did you like the scene with Ness and Hades? What about her father meeting Hadrian? 

Please let me know your comments and thoughts! 

Larissa 

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