Page 5 of Queen of Shadows and Roses
I’d known Tee for about a year. She and I had bonded—largely over wine and food—and we had become best friends.Making friends in London was almost impossible for someone like me—a demon hunter and a witch. And Matt, well, he was so laid-back he was practically horizontal. He was kind of an ex, but someone I still cared for deeply.
In my humble opinion, when the kiss doesn’t burn you to the core, there’s no point in going the whole way; there had always beensomethingmissing… because no kiss had ever come close. I refused to succumb until it was right. Old-fashioned, I guess.
Or perhaps I was just frigid? I tried not to dwell on that one.
Walking into the kitchen, I spotted Matt slurping coffee, sitting with his latest squeeze, Elissa. She was friendly, albeit dippy.
‘Morning, Sephy.’ Matt gave me one of his trademark smiles, dimples and all. He was a good-looking guy, just not my guy.
‘Morning. Where’s Tee?’
‘Dunno?’ Matt shrugged. ‘I’ve made coffee.’ He pointed to the pot.
I lowered my brows as I poured my coffee. Tee worked as a PA for some influential person; she was always evasive about her job, but her hours were pretty sketchy for such a well-paid position.
‘No work today?’ I turned to Matt, grasping my coffee as if it were the answer to life. I took a sip and sighed contentedly. Matt came from a wealthy family, and his jobs typically revolved around bar work. He’d recently been hired at some nightclub.
‘I’m on tonight, yeah,’ he answered as his gaze met Elissa’s.
‘Where are you working now, then?’ I asked, taking a seat.
Matt hesitated before speaking, and I pinned him with a glare. What was his problem?
‘Well,’ he muttered, ‘I’ve been working at The Underworld for the last few weeks.’ His eyes met mine, and his cheeks bloomed pink.
I almost choked as I spat out my coffee and yelled, ‘What the fuck?’
‘Sephy, we all know you hate the gods, but I couldn’t pass it up. It’s great pay and a cracking place to work.’
‘The gods are dicks! They killed thousands of humans.’And witches, I added mentally. They had banned witchcraft, murdered countless of my brethren, forced us to hide away like a filthy little secret, and still left us vulnerable to death should we be discovered.
‘Sephy, it’s in the past. They rule now, and there’s fuck-all we can do about it.’ Matt raised his voice, then sighed. ‘Look, I’ve got VIP tickets for tonight. Come and see me at work. Let your hair down for once.’
‘Not a chance. I’m not lining the god of the Underworld’s pockets with my hard-earned cash. I hate them. Hate them all!’ I shrieked as I jumped up. I grabbed my helmet and bag, and as I stormed out, I gave the door a dramatic slam. Anger burned deep in my gut, but I wouldn’t allow its darkness to consume me like before. I hopped onto my Kawasaki Ninja 300 and started her up. The vibrations of her throaty growl reverberated through me, easing my temper. I blew out a long breath, then pressed down on the throttle.
I loved plants, and they loved me right back, so in addition to demon hunting—which paid very well—I also worked at Boma Garden Centre a couple of half days a week. It felt like heaven on earth—a little oasis of petals and foliage, which, right at that moment, was exactly what I needed. Ten minutes later, I was at work.
‘Hi, Sephy,’ Colette called as I walked in.
‘Hey.’ I attempted to smile, but it didn’t quite happen.
‘What’s up?’
I shrugged. ‘Nothing. Don’t worry.’
Colette puckered her brow. ‘Okay, well, Kim wants you in the nurseries again.’
‘No problem.’ I stashed my bag in my locker, then made my way to the perspex tunnels, feeling the cool breeze on my face, laden with the scent of primroses, while taking in the vast array of various flowering plants as I passed. This was my favourite time of year—spring. The feel of spring whispered to me on the breeze and lightness filled me; men were jerks, but plants made up for it.
I lost myself in the joy of creating new life and hummed happily as I worked. I had the ability to make plants grow—any plant… Grandma said it was my flora magic. The tiniest burst of magic infused each seedling, invigorating their roots and turning wilted foliage green, ensuring they grew into the most incredible array of blooms. Everyone just assumed I had green fingers.
After spending four hours with my plant babies, I decided to visit Kew Gardens, one of my favourite places—a botanical garden housing the world's largest and most diverse mycological collections. It spans three hundred and thirty glorious acres, and since I only had a couple of hours, I headed for the Waterlily House, a spot brimming with an array of sprawling climbers and tropical plants.
Kew was quiet, and I needed that. I craved the fresh air, the scent of flowers, the greenery, and the water. I wandered towards the Waterlily House, lost in thought.
Once they had retaken control of our world, many of the gods remained reclusive, however, several of them relished the attention and had become icons—bigger than movie stars.
Stupid humans.
