Page 62 of Hell On Earth
“Man, I wish I could have gotten a secondhand hit from that,” Megan complained.
“I miss Eugene,” Zotera said.
Their conversation wrapped around me, soothing away the rest of my tension until the elevator doors opened and we left the lobby.
“Have fun, kids,” Megan said, taking Zotera’s hand.
Hades glanced at them as they walked away, and something shifted over his expression. Longing.
“You okay?” I asked.
“I never thought I would see this.”
“What’s that?”
“Our daughters together. Speaking. Friendly with one another.”
I threaded my fingers through his.
“Zotera is great, and I love having her with me. But she’s not my daughter, Hades.”
He nodded and stroked his thumb over my hand.
“Of course. Forgive me.”
“Mom arranged for a car,” Eliana said. “It’s over here.”
The “car” wasn’t a simple car. It had six doors but wasn’t a limo. Fenris opened the middle door for Eliana, and Hades, ever observant, opened the rear car door for me. I was surprised to see a bottle of champagne waiting in the center console between our two seats as the guys walked around to get in.
I leaned forward and whispered, “Are we supposed to drink this?” to Eliana.
She flashed me a quick grin. “It’s not required. I think Mom just wanted to ensure we were comfortable.”
“Are there snacks?” Fenris asked.
“I have an assortment up here,” the driver said before pulling away from the curb.
Hades watched out the car’s window with less wonder than Zotera had as we made our way to the first boutique on Eliana’s list. I knew from shopping with her the last time that she didn’t shop at department stores. The high-end places she chose catered to the very wealthy.
However, when I walked into the first one, dressed in my jeans, t-shirt, and standard winter coat, I didn’t draw any looks. Not on Hades’ arm. He drew them all. The first saleswoman turned toward him with a welcoming smile and an I’ll-give-you-whatever-you-need look in her eyes.
“How can I help you?” she asked.
“You can help us, not him,” I said.
Hades made a husky humming sound and stepped behind me to wrap his arms around my torso and nuzzle my neck.
Eliana cleared her throat.
“We’re looking for cocktail dresses and something to wear to a meeting that says power but doesn’t scream middle-aged businesswoman,” she said.
The saleswoman, who was in her early twenties, nodded and led us to some chairs. She was smart enough to direct all her comments and questions to Eliana and me after that. While the four of us sat and sipped some sparkling water, which had Hades frowning, the saleswoman collected a few dress options.
The pieces she brought back for each of us had Eliana smiling.
She slipped into one of the little curtained areas in front of the chairs. I went to mine, but before I closed the curtain, I glanced at Hades, who looked completely relaxed, sitting a chair away from Fenris.
He didn’t like it when I was out of his sight, and I really didn’t want the curtain to disappear.
