Bound to You, a Paranormal Romance (Book 3 of the Spellbound Series) (12 page)

I pushed up and rolled Hades over onto his back. I grabbed either side of his robe, and then pulled the towel from my own body. “I don’t need to be the queen of the underworld; I just need to be the queen of your life.” I dipped down and kissed his waiting lips then moved from his lips to his neck.

“I chose to spend my life with you.” He tucked a tangled hair behind my ear.

“You are the ruler of my heart.”

Love is supposed to feel like this. Anything I felt before was just an imitation. I was in love with a god and I could be his, forever.

I lay on his chest and took in the moment. We didn’t need sex to have the passion and fire that fueled our love.

“I wish my father was here so that he could see my happiness,” I said unconsciously.

“Anything.” I heard the vibration of his voice as I lay on him. A white dress formed on my body as he sat up and lifted me up to sit next to him.

“Papa.” I leaped to my feet when my father appeared and wrapped my arms around him.

“My baby.” We embraced each other and he began sobbing. “Have you chosen?” We pulled back and I gazed at him, smiling.

“Yes, I have waited all of these years to be with Hades. You had a spell put on me to keep me from him, but you ultimately learned that he loved me. Now I just want to live my life with him and have you in it, too.”

He pulled me back closer to him.

“Yes, I want that, too.” I felt his tears on my bare shoulder and I knew they were tears of happiness.

My life felt perfect. I had my father and the man that loved me endlessly. All I needed in this world to be happy.

Epilogue

I awoke to the sunlight burning into my flesh. I lifted my head to see where I was, but was blinded by the bright light. I used my hand to deflect the sun from my fluttering eyes. I tried pushing myself up on my arms, but my limbs were weak.

My next logical thought was to yell for help; but the parchedness in my throat burned through my body like a wildfire. I lacked the hydration needed to move or speak. I lay my head back on the ground, squinting at the sun.

“You have roused you, I see,” a sweet, heavenly voice said from a direction I couldn’t determine.

I tried to get up from the position my limp body lay in, but my fragile extremities lost the battle of gravity.

“Who—” I fought to get that word out, but it was barely audible. My throat felt like sandpaper scratching the floor.

A beautiful face with golden haired appeared over me. At first sight, I thought it was Circe; but after an adjustment of my eyes, I saw that she was more beautiful than the goddess. In fact, more beautiful than any being I had ever seen. Her long, wavy hair flowed down, hardly covering her naked body.
She must be an angel and I must be in heaven.

The sun peeked through the pieces of her hair, shimmering like the facets of a diamond. I was still blinded by the beams, but I knew that she made it a point for me to see her face.

“You are greatly loved, Benjamin.” She squatted down, close enough for me to feel her warm breath on my face.

I ran my tongue across my dry chapped lips, hoping it would help me talk. I tried to think of the most concise words to say to get my point across.

“By whom?” I struggled to get out. Her eyes locked on mine and my brain went to mush. I was under whatever spell she had cooked. Then she touched me. Chills went down every inch of my body and I felt life slowly begin to nourish my body. My legs felt like I could move them and even my arms began to bend.

She held my face as I stood to my feet and I began taking in my surroundings. Ruins of some sort.

“By a god or goddess if you are here in my temple.” She released her touch as I stood to my feet.

I looked down at my hands, not recognizing them as my own and realized my nakedness. My eyes met her eyes, which shone like a rays of sunlight, dazzled in a façade of browns, yellows, and orange. I towered over her petite frame as I regarded her from head to toe. Her hair cascaded over her shoulder like a waterfall, and her pouty lips were just the right amount of kissable.

My eyes descended at her nakedness and her nipples peeked out from under her hair. I caught myself from looking any further. My mouth turned up in the corners as I tilted my head back up.

“I am not loved by any of the gods.” My voice sounded off but I blamed my thirst.

“You would not be here if you were not loved by a god, or goddess, perhaps. Love spared your life from death.” My thoughts went to Dawn; she was the only semi-goddess that would love me enough to save me, even if it was platonic. The only person I knew that loved me that much was Toni and she’s only a vampire; so it couldn’t be her.

“And if it was a demi-god?” I rebutted.

“A demi-god wouldn’t have the power to revert a life.” She circled around me slowly. “What type of clothing do mortals wear now days, Benjamin?” She stopped in front of me, waiting for my answer. I was still trying to figure out who had saved me and she was asking about fashion trends. And what’s with the talk of mortals? I have been a vampire for over a century.

“I don’t know; jeans maybe a t-shirt?” I shrugged, not understanding why she was asking me about mortals’ clothes. I needed to get back to Toni. That was my only concern.

“Gone are the days of waist coats, top hats, and trousers. Ah, the Victorian era was divine.” She swirled her finger in front of my body as jeans materialized up my leg and a t-shirt formed across my chest.”

“Thank you for the clothes, but I need to get back to my girlfriend.” I braced my hands gently on her shoulders, so she would focus on my words.

Her rosy cheeks darkened a shade and a shy smile tickled her lips. She batted her eyelashes before she spoke, “Benjamin you are my mortal possession, now. You will do my bidding, spreading love throughout the world. For you are the mortal issue of Aphrodite.” She touched my chin with only the tip of her fingernail. This woman was delusional to think I was some kind of cupid. And what did she mean issue?

“But what about Toni—” Her finger shhh’d me, covering my lips.

“Your past loves are just that, the past. Love, desire, and passion no longer rule your mortal life. I do.” She took my hand and I foolishly followed, as she guided me to sit on a marble bench. “You won’t remember those that you love and you will fade from their memory.” I sat shaking my head, not wanting to believe a word that she said.

“But what if I say no? I’d rather die,” I said, knowing that I couldn’t live in a world without Toni. I’d be miserable.

“It doesn’t matter. For you do not have a choice.” Her words stung worse than a bee sting.

“Trust me, dear Benjamin, you will find a love of your own.”

What happens when a Southern Belle becomes a witch?

Find out in
Witch Bound
, the next book in the Spellbound Series.

Character Connection

Toni/Antonia
– Vampire and Daughter of Bion

Dawn
– Demi-goddess and daughter of Circe

Ben/Benjamin
– Vampire

Kevin/Markos
– Spellbound mortal

Bion/Mattathias
– Father of Antonia

Amy
– Half-sister of Dawn

Greek gods of Olympus (council)
:

Zeus
– god of the sky and ruler of the gods. Brother to Zeus and Poseidon.

Poseidon
– god of the sea, protector of all waters. Brother to Zeus and Poseidon.

Hades
– god of the dead and riches and King of the Underworld. Brother to Zeus and Poseidon.

Hestia
– goddess of the Hearth. Zeus' sister.

Hera
– supreme goddess, goddess of marriage and childbirth. Zeus' wife and sister.

Aris
– god of war. The son of Zeus and Hera.

Athena
– virgin goddess of reason, intelligent activity, arts and literature. Daughter of Zeus.

Apollo
– god of music, playing a golden lyre. Son of Zeus and Leto. Twin sister is Artemis.

Aphrodite
– goddess of love, desire and beauty. Daughter of Zeus and Dione.

Hermes
– messenger of the gods. Son of Maia and Zeus.

Artemis
– goddess of chastity, virginity, the hunt, and the moon. Daughter of Zeus and Leto. Twin brother is Apollo.

Hephaestus
– god of fire and the forge. Husband to Aphrodite.

Other gods mentioned
:

Circe
– minor goddess of Magic from the Island of Aeaea.

Demeter
– minor goddess of the Earth, Agriculture, Harvest, and Forests. Mother of Persephone.

Persephone
– minor goddess of spring and Queen of the Underworld. Daughter of Demeter and Zeus. Wife of Hades.

Eris
– goddess of strife and discord.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to everyone that continues to help me on this journey, including:

my friends, family, and fans.

Thanks to all the people behind the scenes:

My editors, cover artists, formatters, critique partner, betas, bloggers, book clubbers,

promoters and my awesome online street team.

A special thank you and acknowledgment to Amy McCool;

Thank you for letting write you into my world.

Cheers to you in this book and many more to come.

You all hold a special place in my heart!

Lots of love and tons of Smooches

Lola

About the author

Lola lives in Southern California with her two beautiful children. In her spare time she reads, travels, and bakes!

Discover other titles by Lola James:

Bound to Remember
, Spellbound Series Book One

Unbound
, Spellbound Series Book Two

A Villain’s Fate
, Fate Series Short

Fate’s Design
, Fate Series Book One

Once Upon a Midnight Dreary
, Anthology

If you are interested in learning more about Lola:

Email
:
[email protected]

Website
:
http://www.lolajames.com

Twitter
:
http://www.twitter.com/1lola_james

My Blog
:
http://lolajames-author.blogspot.com

Facebook
:
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLolaJames

Table of Contents

Dedication

Prologue

One

Two

Three