“How are you girls settling in? Oh, I see Edna has already made her famous stew. Well, we brought these for you just in case that happened. You’d think after three hundred years she would get the recipe right.” Hecate reveals a box full of sandwiches, luring Graham from the table over. He snatches one and mumbles his thanks around the bread stuffed into his mouth, which makes Nyx laugh.
“Thank god.” Salem says digging in as well. I take one to be polite and set it in front of me. Hecate waves her hand and the noise from around us goes silent, although I can still see everyone moving about and talking like before.
“Now, I’ve placed a little barrier spell around us so us girls can talk freely. We’ve been gleaning information from the townspeople and were able to ascertain that Persephone and Chaos are not wasting any time with Hades’ trip to the mortal realm. We can afford to protect you all here for one night. We’ll need to leave at first light. The Seven have been spotted on horseback and should be here by mid-day tomorrow if they do not stop.”
“What if I wish to stay?” I manage to ask.
Hecate blinks in surprise, before her eyes soften. She grabs my hands in hers. “You’re wondering if the mother you knew is still locked away inside of her?” I nod my head and feel Salem shift beside me. “That is something I do not have an answer to. I too, wish that the friend I knew her to be could still be reached. It’s hard when we think of our loved ones in one way and then are heartbroken when their actions don’t line up with the person, we thought we knew. I know you both do not know us, but what we say is the truth. We care about our land and the people who live here. If you desire to stay and face her, that is your choice and I wish you well, but if you choose to come with us, we can offer you our protection and help you understand your powers.”
“Now, enjoy your night ladies. And try not to be too tired tomorrow morning. The trip is a long and grueling one to where the box is kept.”
They exit the booth, and the sound of the restaurant comes flooding back in an instant. Waving at a few people on their way out, it’s clear they are a cherished pair in this town.
“Do you want to talk?” Salem asks, her eyes brimming with concern. I never noticed before how they hold the same shape as mine.
“I guess we should, I’m just… having a hard time processing all this.”
“Same.”
“You seem to be doing a much better job than me, because I’m about two seconds away from a complete meltdown.”
“Don’t let the brave face fool you. I’ve been on a mental spiral since we got to Kildale. I just mask it with humor and a flash of my dazzling smile.” She flutters her dark eyelashes and grins manically, her lips pulled tight against her teeth. She looks absolutely ridiculous, and it manages to crack me. I laugh and push her in the shoulder.
“We’re sisters, Salem.”
She nods her head. “We’re sisters.”
“I confess, I’ve always wanted one when I was growing up. I used to pretend I had a twin like in theParent Trap, and my mom wasn’t really dead she was just divorced from my dad. She had to take my twin to London, and we would meet by chance at an art camp, where we would concoct an elaborate plan to get our parents back together. God. I guess I wasn’t too far off in my imagination, I just missed the part where my mom left to be Queen of the Underworld. What was she like when you met her.”
Salem winces, and I know her well enough to know that means she doesn’t want to tell me something. “I know she’s your mom, Skye. And you have all these beautiful memories of her, but when I met her, I felt like something was off. Like… I was a problem she needed to take care of. I got the sense that she would happily see me dead if our father were to turn his back, and that’s what I’m scared of. She had a gleam in her eye that my intuition was screaming at me to get away from.”
I let Salem’s words settle. “It’s hard for me to picture her that way. I’ve only known her as loving and happy. She was so full of life before the cancer snatched her away from us, but now I don’t even know what’s real. Why was she with my dad for all those years if she’s a goddess married to Hades? And how is he my real father?”
“I don’t know. If you want to stay and face her, I won’t be mad at you. I just hope if you do, that you’ll be able to find that mother you remember and not the one set on bringing destruction to the world.”
I swallow hard, taking a sip of my now warm beer. I need to clear my head. I down the foamy alcohol and stand up to find Graham and Lukas dancing together. “Got room for one more?” They grin at me, Graham pulling me into the middle of them. We move in an easy rhythm keeping up with the tempo. I don’t know the song, but dancing to it is helping me to forget, I focus on Lukas’s hands roaming down my body as my ass digs into Graham’s front. This is just what I need to help me push away all the thoughts that claw at my reality. I lean into my boys and let them chase away the sadness that’s beginning to consume me.
CHAPTER39
Chapter Thirty-Nine
PIERCE
SONG: DANCE ME TO THE END OF LOVE BY THE CIVIL WARS
With Salem here in my arms again, I never want to let go. She sways her hips, pressing her body into mine right where she belongs. She fits so fucking perfectly against me. As we dance it feels like our souls entwine, filling me with a need to possess her and remind her of who she belongs to.
Lukas and Graham spin Skye between the both of them, while Sloan looks on in amusement drinking a pint from the bar. He’s never been one for joining in with dancing. Walker, Garrison and Emmet had opted to catch some sleep, but I’m far too wired. Too elated with being free. I want to soak up every moment.
Salem’s fingernails scrape up my neck and into my hair as we move together, her grinding on my length with only our clothes to separate us. We look like we’re basically fucking right here, but I don’t care that the room is full of people watching us. It’s been too long since I’ve been able to touch her, hold her, and claim her as mine.
“Please, take me upstairs.” Her eyelashes flutter closed as she rocks her hips against mine making me groan. She doesn’t have to ask me twice. I lean down and kiss her full lips, then pull her by the wrist. Following my lead, she grabs her discarded drink as we pass the table and takes a swig on the way up.
She laughs as her foot misses one of the steps, catching herself on the railing and using my hand to steady herself. Her eyes are bright with mischief and her smile is full of a happiness I’d rarely seen bestowed on her beautiful face.
“What’s with the serious face?” She asks, climbing up to share the same step as me. I swallow hard, looking deep into her eyes.
“I’ve never seen you look at me with so much happiness.” I tuck a stray hair behind her ear. She blinks, eyebrows raised in surprised. Grabbing my hand she places it on her chest, letting me feel her heart beating fast.
