Hades' Return Read Online Free PDF Page A

It had been three days since she and Mordecai kissed in the garden, and she could still taste him on her lips. She touched her fingers to her mouth and almost groaned when they tingled with remembered arousal.
    “You okay?”
    She opened her eyes and smiled at Sabrina. Her friend was now immortal, and how strange was that? But she still came to the Square several days a week to sell her paintings. She’d stopped reading tarot cards and working behind the counter at Café Ledet so she could be home with her handsome warrior every evening, but she still continued to paint and sell her art. Jessica was glad. It was selfish of her, but she’d miss Sabrina if she wasn’t here. The two of them had sat side-by-side for several years selling their wares.
    “I’m fine.” Jessica straightened her display even though nothing was out of place on her jewelry table. “It’s just warm today.” There was no way she was talking about the kiss to anyone. It was too personal, too private. Plus, it wasn’t likely to happen again. Not with Mordecai avoiding her like she had the plague.
    “How about I go buy us some lemonade or an iced coffee from Tilly’s place.” Their friend Mathilda Ledet—Tilly to her friends—owned and operated Café Ledet, which was conveniently nearby.
    “Lemonade would be great. I’ll watch your stuff for you.”
    “And maybe sell a painting or two,” Sabrina teased.
    Jessica only smiled. She often sold more of Sabrina’s work than the artist did herself. Jessica had a way with people. It was a gift. Too bad it didn’t seem to work on Mordecai. And she had to stop obsessing about the man.
    “I’ll do my best,” Jessica told her friend. Sabrina laughed and headed off toward Tilly’s place, leaving Jessica alone. Well, not alone. There were always plenty of people and other vendors around. But Jessica felt very much alone in the crowd.
    She sat on her folding stool and watched the people come and go, some of them hurrying, others meandering with no specific destination. She wondered what Mordecai was up to. She had no idea how he spent his days but knew he kept busy. He’d invested heavily over the years and oversaw a vast fortune. Just the idea of it boggled Jessica’s mind. She was busy enough just trying to run her small jewelry business. She couldn’t imagine the logistics involved in handling and investing billions of dollars.
    A tall, blonde woman in a business suit stopped by her table and perused the offerings. Jessica forced herself to forget about Mordecai and pay attention to her customer. Daydreaming didn’t pay the bills. “How are you today?” Jessica asked as she stood.
    The woman smiled. “How much for this necklace?” She pointed out one but made no move to pick it up.
    Okay, so the woman wasn’t chatty. No crime in that. Some folks liked to get right down to business, especially if they were in a hurry. “That one is sixty dollars.”
    “Hmm.” The woman looked at a few more. “Can I see it?”
    “Absolutely.” Jessica picked up the necklace and held it out to the woman.
    The blonde reached out but didn’t touch the jewelry. Instead, she ran her fingers over Jessica’s exposed wrist. Under her breath, the woman muttered some words in a language Jessica didn’t recognize.
    She jerked back her arm, but it was too late.
    A burning sensation engulfed her wrist. She dropped the necklace. It bounced off the table and landed on the pavement. She grabbed her injury with her other hand and held on. Tears filled her eyes as the pain worsened.
    The blonde smiled and it wasn’t a particularly pretty thing to see. No, it was sly and vicious. “Hades sends his regards.” With that, the woman turned on her four-inch heels and walked away, leaving Jessica in utter agony.
    The pain heightened, and Jessica was afraid she was going to pass out. She concentrated on breathing in and out, one slow breath at a time. She was in big trouble. Hades was supposed to be powerless and