Page 57 of Queen of Shadows and Roses
A knock on the door caused Tee to furrow her brows and walk to answer it. ‘That’ll be my escort,’ I muttered as I took deep, steadying breaths, then topped up my lip colour.
She stopped dead and turned around slowly. ‘What? What about me?’
‘You can be Hades’ escort.’ I shrugged in front of the full-length mirror.
As she opened the door, I heard her gasp, and I stifled my grin. ‘Hey, Simmy, come in,’ I called out.
‘You’ve invited a Satyr? What the…’ Tee gritted out.
‘Charming,’ Simmy grumbled as he stepped through the door, looking as cute as ever in a sleeveless, buttoned-up, fancy red waistcoat.
‘He’s my friend. I like him.’ I chuckled at Tee’s expression.
‘Your Highness.’ Simmy gave an exaggerated bow.
‘Don’t call me that, idiot. Come on, let’s go. Move your donkey butt.’
‘Hey! It’s a goat butt, thank you.’
Simmy shifted his focus to Tee, and his eyes sparkled. Tee, as always, looked like a runway model in her black silk, figure-hugging evening dress, with her midnight-black hair woven into long micro-braids that touched her shoulder blades.
‘Lady Hecate.’ Simmy winked and gave a polite bow to the goddess, who rolled her eyes hard enough to pull a muscle.
‘Let’s go,’ Tee snapped. So, with nerves cramping up my belly, Tee grabbed us both, and the next moment, we were flashing to Aphrodite’s Court of Pafos.
We arrived in what appeared to be a grand courtyard, standing on a raised terrace that overlooked the vast area. Behind us stood the most exquisite mansion, or maybe a palace, constructed from white marble veined with grey. The tall grey roof featured four conical towers, partially visible, capped with pointed roofs. It reminded me of a fairy-tale palace. The evening sky was serene, with the sunset painting the clouds in orange, pink, and purple hues, interspersed with thin lines of silver threading the horizon like melted platinum.
Hundreds of random poseur tables, laden with vases of blooms, filled the courtyard, and tiny lights and climbing jasmine covered the dozens of substantial Grecian pillars around the perimeter—the fragrance of the jasmine drifting to my nostrils on the gentle evening breeze.Torches with enormous pink flames atop each pillar illuminated the entire courtyard, and cleverly landscaped tall flowering trees punctuated the vastness of the area; it was truly exquisite. A string quartet played background music to the hum of chatter, and suddenly, the whole place fell silent.
Everywhere I looked, I saw faces turned towards me. So many beautiful people dressed elegantly, holding fancy-schmaltzy glassware, and gazing at me with expectation.At me!Oh, my gods, it was so silent you could hear a fly fart. And, of course, I froze on the spot.
‘Own it, Persephone,’ Simmy whispered.
‘He’s right. You’ve got this, girlfriend,’ Tee murmured close to my ear.
So, I inhaled deeply, kicked myself up the butt, straightened my spine, lifted my chin, and smiled widely. My confidence swelled as I gracefully descended the steps to the rhythm of the now-resumed music and moved further into the courtyard.
‘Drink?’ Simmy uttered softly, and I nodded. A passing Satyr offered him a tray, and he grabbed a drink for Tee and me. Isipped, and the pink liquid fizzled on my tongue, tasting of ripe berries and sunshine.
‘Mm,’ I murmured, taking another sip. As I walked, people stopped to introduce themselves. For the next hour, I outshone myself—my demeanour radiated grace, decorum, and a warm smile. I caught Hedone’s eye, and she beamed at me.
‘There’s my favourite girl,’ a voice I recognised said from behind as large hands spun me around.
‘Hermes!’ I laughed as I kissed the cheek of the mischievous messenger god.
‘My lady.’ He bowed, then grinned at me.
‘Hey, Dionysus.’ The god of wine and pleasure took my hand and kissed it.
‘I must say, you look gorgeous this evening,’ Dionysus said, making me blush. ‘More wine?’ I nodded as he handed me a glass of the fruity pink fizz.
‘So, how’s it going?’ Hermes whispered wickedly.
‘It’s actually fine. So far, everyone has been nice and friendly.’ I smiled warmly up at him.
‘Where’s your husband?’ At his words, my stomach flip-flopped.Husband. As soon as the words left Hermes’ mouth, tiny tingles spread across the nape of my neck, and I took an unsteady breath as the tug in my chest intensified. Hades was near.
When I caught sight of him, my thighs clenched, and I felt my cheeks heat. Even though he spoke to Charon, his eyes were fixed on me. Hades in a tuxedo was… well, everything that a man-parts-loving female or male’s wet dream is made of. Every naughty fantasy rolled into one. He maintained his distance, though, and despite his eyes boring into me, he didn’t acknowledge my presence, which pissed me off. He stood with Thanatos, Charon, Tee, and Erebus, who all waved in my direction but didn’t attempt to approach us.
