Marked by Hades Read Online Free PDF Page A

saw hair so black it held a subtle hint of blue. Reaching out for him, needing to caress his smooth skin, her hand went right through.
    How could she feel him on her yet not touch him?
    She lay back and opened herself to him, needing his touch almost as much as her next breath.
    He tugged the zipper of her black leather pants down and burrowed his hand around to her butt. She didn’t fight the moan. Anticipation tingled through her blood, edging her toward bliss at his tender touch.
    Soft but firm lips sucked and tugged at her lip ring. His free hand traced the curve of her hip and lifted, cupping the back of her thigh, opening her to him.
    “Oh, God.” She thought she’d spoken it but wasn’t sure. Her mind swam, and she desperately wanted to embrace the imaginary man but couldn’t.
    His movements picked up momentum as his kisses intensified. Though his face was still a blur, she caught a glimpse of his eyes. They might have been blue with amber wisps swirling, but as quickly as she’d seen them, they faded again.
    Oh how she wanted to see them…to see him.
    White lights blinked in her vision as she neared the edge. She arched her back, needing more contact. If only their skin were bare. What she wouldn’t give to touch him. “Yes. Please.”
    As if knowing exactly what she needed, he shifted, hitting precisely the right spot, and the lights blinking in her vision exploded. He kept her there for who knew how long, but finally, her body floated down from bliss. Her breath caught in her throat.
    The man leaned back. She wanted to see his face clearly, to touch him, but then he vaporized into white sand.
    A pure soul had given her such pleasure, but, of course, it ended in his death.
    The hum of her sated body lulled her into darkness. She wasn’t sure it was sleep, but she let it take her. Finally, even if in a dream, she’d been touched, felt warm skin.
    It was okay if she never woke up again.

Chapter Seven
    Two days had passed since Justin had felt the Ahavah Mark brand his Mate’s flesh. He sensed she was nearby, but he couldn’t zero in on her.
    Unwilling to bear the I-told-you-so remark, he refused to call Theo for advice. And if Theo had read Justin’s mind, he’d kept his mouth shut. Sometimes it sucked being the Companion to a Gatekeeper to Hades. The telepathic connection didn’t allow much privacy.
    “Damn it.” Justin stepped into his room and slapped the door shut.
    Pacing the already-worn-thin carpet in front of the TV stand, he shoved his hands in his hair and gave it a tug. A little sting wouldn’t hurt.
    Be calm .
    The sound of The Great One’s voice in his ears sent him to a grinding halt. Holding his breath, he listened. Only muffled voices through the walls to his left greeted him. Had he seriously heard The Great One?
    Be calm? For what? “Tell me, Great One.”
    Justin’s stomach roared with hunger, breaking through the thick silence that had settled along his brain. So like The Great One to drop a word, then vanish.
    Shaking his head, he went to the door and stomped outside. Eating something would get his mind off things. Maybe even fuel him enough to think straight. If he were lucky, while he was out, he’d run into a demon. A battle would take off the edge.
    His phone rang, and he dug it out from his pocket as he made his way down the sidewalk to the convenience store. Theo’s name scrolled across the screen.
    Great. He was going to rub it in.
    “Hello?”
    “How’s the Mate hunting going?” Theo laughed.
    “Where’s your man card?” Justin turned at the corner, and the lit-up convenience store came into sight.
    “Halena says bonjour .” Theo snickered. “We got our hands on a map.”
    “You’re a treasure hunter now?”
    “No, we are. I’m coming to get you.”
    “Where’s this treasure, anyway? France?”
    “Still working on interpreting the map.”
    “Just have your red-eyed, multilinguist Mate read it.”
    “She is, that’s what I meant by we’re working