Page 22 of Hades

Sage finally got up and walked over to Harley, plopping down on the love seat next to her. With her arm around Harley’s shoulders, Sage leaned into her. Wild, curly, honey-blonde hair poked Harley in the eye as she leaned into Sage, breathing her best friend in. Cocoa butter. She always smelled exactly the same, and it comforted Harley at that moment as she looked at the toffee-colored skin on Sage’s hand.

“Are you okay, Lady Bug?”

Harley shook her head. “I honestly don’t know. I didn’t really realize how much had happened until I spilled it all just now. Between Drew and Cati, I might have a mental breakdown.”

“And let’s not forget that big scary man that showed up here with you the other day when you picked up my God-dog,” Blair pointed out.

Harley pushed out a breath. She had been avoiding thinking about Hades because the feelings swirling around her concerning him were confusing. She was afraid of him but deeply attracted to him and also intrigued by him.

Absentmindedly, she rubbed the small burn on her finger just above where the obsidian ring sat, wincing slightly at the sting. She’d never been a fan of obsidian. It was too dark for her taste, but seeing it up close, she saw the beauty in it. Thedark blue swirls added a nice touch. As much as she liked it, she couldn’t lie and say as soon as she was out of Hades’s presence that she didn’t try to take it off, because she did. It was useless though. Whatever he had done to secure the ring on her worked like a damn charm. Unless she wanted to cut her finger off, she was stuck with the beautiful ring with the gold band.

“Forget about him for a minute,” Sage suggested.

Blair rolled her dark brown eyes while pushing her long, sleek, black ponytail over her shoulder before pointing a stiletto nail at her best friends. “You wouldn’t be saying that if you saw him. He was scary. I’m telling you.”

“He’s not that bad,” Harley muttered, feeling like she had to come to his defense.

“Both of you, hush,” Sage quipped, looking between the two and fully stepping into mama bear mode, something she did often. Her soft gaze landed on Harley again as she spoke. “How do you feel about meeting with Cati? I don’t think you should if you aren’t ready for it.”

Blair sat up, leaning forward with her black and perfectly arched brows pulling in, her long lashes fluttering. “Sage, what are you talking about? Of course she should talk to Cati. This could give her closure on the whole situation.”

Sage frowned and pulled her arms across her chest. “If she wanted to talk to Cati, she would have found her on her own, Blair. I don’t think she’s ready.”

“Okay, but the opportunity is here, so she should take it,” Blair argued.

“Guys.” Harley intervened, knowing a full-blown cat fight would arise if she didn’t cut in now. “I appreciate you both for being so protective of me, and I see both sides. I definitely don’t want to feel bullied into something so monumental, but something Hades said to me put it into a new perspective.”

“And what did the big ass bully say?” Blair asked in a dry tone.

“Cati has been asking to see me, and after I told him what happened in our childhood, he said it didn’t sound too fair to her to ignore her. I realized I’ve been making this about me, and it isn’t.”

Blair’s face softened, and she swiftly stood and made her way to her best friends on the other side of the room as she adjusted the black biker shorts and teal sports bra she wore. After crouching down in front of Harley, she grabbed her hands while Sage leaned into her again.

“Cati may have gotten the worst of that situation, Lady Bug, but your feelings are still very valid. Do you understand that?”

Harley nodded as a tear slipped out of her eye. Her feelings concerning her family dynamic felt so impossible to sort through. Guilt felt the easiest to set as a placeholder, but she felt the universe had decided it was time to face her past.

“Blair is right. If you’re going to go see Cati, make sure you don’t shadow your own feelings,” Sage encouraged.

Harley shook her head as she pulled one of her hands away from Blair and wiped her tears. “If she’s still the same Cati I knew all those years ago, she won’t let me hide my feelings for the sake of hers. Trust me, she was the best big sister. I’m the problem.”

“Cut it out,” Blair snapped. “You are not a problem. You’re traumatized, and you definitely need to sort through that, but only if you’re ready.”

“I think I’m ready,” Harley whispered.

“Do you want us to come with you?” Sage asked as she shifted on the love seat so she could see Harley’s face again.

“No, I think I need to do this alone.”

Blair grunted. “Is that devil nigga going to let you do it by yourself?”

Harley opened her mouth to defend him once again, but she clamped her mouth shut. The only reason he wasn’t here right now was because he said he had to make some runs. Otherwise, she was sure his big ass would be in here standing guard with a mug on his face and terrifying her friends.

Lucifer had been much easier to deal with than his brother. She convinced him to stand outside Blair’s front door to give them some privacy, which was why she didn’t feel right staying for too long. She didn’t want to keep him waiting and acting as a security guard for her.

Before she could answer, her phone vibrated in her hoodie pocket. She pulled it out and glanced at the screen, a frown taking over her face. It was Hades, and she hadn’t even put his number in her phone. Somehow, he had gotten into her phone and programmed it while also obtaining her number.Of course he did.

Hades:

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