Page 160 of House of Pain
Alecto leaned over the windowsill and reached a hand to help Val in. Instead of taking her hand, Val pricked Alecto’s finger with something, drawing blood. Alecto hissed, but Val ignored her, smearing Alecto’s blood over the middle of her forehead.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Alecto asked when Val let go of her hand. She glanced behind her to check if Norse was coming back. “Get inside.Now.”
Val murmured something under her breath, then climbed through the window. When she was inside, she closed it and righted her outfit.
“Norse adjusted the wards to let you inside,” Val explained in a low voice. “I’m not allowed, so I needed your blood so that the wards would recognize me as you. It won’t work for long, so I have to work fast.”
Alecto returned to her seat, glaring at Val inspecting the library.
“Well?” she urged. Norse could come back anytime.
“Relax, Black.”
She checked a few more shelves and then came over to Alecto. At the same moment, the door swung open, and Norse returned with a tray in his hands.
Alecto turned to where Val stood before, but she had vanished, probably wearing an invisibility spell. Norse walked over to Alecto and set the tray on the coffee table. Then he returned to close the door and walked over to the bar to pour himself a drink.
There was a box of different, probably handmade, chocolates on the tray and a cup of steaming hot chocolate next to it.
“I wasn’t sure which form of chocolate you’d prefer,” Norse explained when he returned to his seat. “So I opted to go with both.”
Alecto couldn’t hide the surprised smile as she leaned in to grab one candy out of the box. She almost moaned when she popped it into her mouth and the chocolate melted on her tongue, subtle hints of mint spreading over her taste buds.
“Chocolate isbetterin Inathis,” Alecto observed.
“Better than in the mortal realm? Isn’t everything?”
Alecto brought the cup to her lips, shaking her head. When she took a sip, the hot liquid was thick and smooth over her tongue.
“Not everything,” she answered.
“What isn’t?”
For a moment, Alecto let herself go over everything she’d tried in both realms, comparing the tastes and sensations.
“Champagne,” she said finally. Norse cocked a brow in surprise. “Yeah. The shit we have here can’t compare to champagne in mortal world.”
“What else?”
“Well, chips and gummy bears,” Alecto said, nodding to herself. “It’s all artificial, and it feels like you’re eating pure chemicals, but man, does it taste divine.”
That made Norse smirk. “I might need to visit the mortal realm one day just to see if you’re right.”
“There is really not much to see.”
It was a lie because there was plenty to see, and Alecto wished she had seen it more before her mother passed away.
Yes, she could return anytime she wanted. Any of them could. But Alecto didn’t like coming back alone as it was one of many things she used to do exclusively with her mother when she was still around.
Crossing the door to the mortal realm always would be a reminder Alecto didn’t need.
“So,” Alecto said and cleared her throat. “What is it specifically you would like to talk about, Norse? Are you here for a confession?”
“Confession from you or me?”
“Both, perhaps.”
At that, Norse smirked, letting his fingers run through his messy hair.
