Page 249

I like it.

“Already cheating on Hades?”

Nora.

I look over my shoulder.

She's walking towards me, smiling. She's changed into a yellow summer dress, and the evening sun catches in her dark hair.

“He doesn't have to know.”

Her smile gets bigger.

For the first time since we got off that ferry this morning, my head feels quiet.

Horse breath against my hand.

Warm evening air.

Nothing I need to understand.

Nothing I need to say.

This I know.

Then someone yells from behind the house.

Another voice answers. A kid runs past us laughing, and music drifts around the side of the building.

Nora looks at me.

“Ready?”

I give the horse one last scratch between his ears.

“Yeah.”

We walk around the house together and find a long terrace overlooking the countryside.

Someone put a lot of work into this.

Tables have been pushed together beneath strings of lights, covered with white tablecloths and more food than I've seen since we left Damiano's grandmother's house a few hours ago. Candles flicker between plates and glasses. There are flowers in little jars along the centre of the table, bottles of wine waiting to be opened, and chairs squeezed together wherever they'll fit.

Beyond the terrace, the land stretches out beneath the evening sky, olive trees and fields turning gold as the sun starts sinking lower.

It's beautiful, even with all the noise. Kids run between the chairs, conversations overlap, and when someone calls Nora's name, two women immediately come towards her with their arms already open.

I watch her smile as they pull her into another round of hugs.

They did all of this for her. For us. People who didn't know we existed until Damiano told them about us have opened their homes, cooked enough food for a small army, and made room at their table because we mattered to him.

I get it, and I like them for it.

I take a slow breath and let it out. It's been a long day, but I can handle a few more hours, especially when I look over and see Nora laughing at something one of Damiano's aunts says.

Worth it.

I roll up my sleeves and walk towards the table.