Page 62 of Queen of Shadows and Roses
‘Whoa… back up there, Edward Cullen.’ I took a step away and held up my hands as he frowned at me. ‘I—I need to go.’ I turned around, tears blurring my vision as I rushed away, when Simmy’s hand caught my wrist.
‘Persephone?’
‘I don’t like him,’ I breathed, swiping tears from my eyes and probably ruining my makeup.
‘Good,’ Simmy said with a smile as he handed me another pink fizz. I sat there, stewing in silence, Adonis’s words echoing in my head, gnawing at me. Guilt twisted my stomach into knots. Gods, what kind of person cheats on her husband? The thought alone made me feel sick—it was the ultimate betrayal.Oh, fuck… I felt like I needed to scrub myself clean with bleach or something.
The music had shifted to slow dance songs, and the dance floor was crowded with boozed-up people, some in rather compromising situations. Many were coming and going, and I pondered on Hedone’s words, wondering if they were using Aphrodite’s ‘private’ rooms to get it on. I turned away and exhaled softly.
‘Oh, you lucky, lucky girl,’ Simmy exclaimed as I saw yet another freaking deity approaching. ‘Apollo,’ Simmy whispered. ‘He’s a charmer. He’ll cheer you up.’ He winked at me and squeezed my hand. Then I turned to face the god of the sun.
Simmy was right—Apollo was like a breath of fresh air. All golden curls, boyish good looks, and that megawatt smile, he seemed to carry the sun with him wherever he went. Just being near him lightened my mood, thawing the heaviness in my chest.
He was easy, effortless—conversation with him flowed like warm honey, and before I realised it, we’d been talking for what felt like forever, laughter and sunlight threading through every word.
‘I’ve researched the gods, you know.’ I gave him a wicked smile as he placed a hand over his heart.
‘Lady Persephone, whatever do you mean?’ He looked at me with fire in his eyes, and a tight, hot shiver curled in my stomach.
‘Well…’ I took a drink. ‘Daphne. If I spurn you, I don’t want to turn into a laurel tree.’
Apollo looked appalled. ‘That myth is absolutely not true. I assure you. Don’t believe everything you read.’ He pushed out his bottom lip, and I laughed. ‘Lady Persephone, are you teasing me?’ His smile lit up his lovely face, and my cheeks flushed, which, of course, he noticed.
‘And apparently, you like both men and women?’ The question slipped out before I could stop it. It really was none of my business.
He offered a faint smile. ‘Yes, I am bisexual, but if you were to be my consort, I would remain faithful.’ My breath snagged, and I simply nodded. ‘I look forward to your visit to my court.’ He leaned close to my ear, his voice soft and low. A flutter in my stomach made me inhale sharply.
I cleared my throat and smiled at him. Gods, he had such beautiful eyes. ‘Where, um, is your court?’
‘The Court of Cylades. It’s an archipelago, a group of large islands; a part of Olympus.’
‘Oh,’ I muttered, thinking I needed to learn more about the courts of the gods.
‘It’s lush, green, with lakes and forests, and most importantly, year-round sunshine.’ He winked at me as he studied my face.
‘Sounds’—I swallowed at the intensity of his gaze—‘sounds lovely.’
‘It is. And youwouldmake a wonderful consort.’ He took my hand and kissed my pulse point, causing my breath to hitch.
After chatting for a bit longer, he conjured a guitar out of thin air and serenaded me with Bruno Mars’ ‘Marry You’.
He was brilliant; his voice so enchanting that I threw my head back and laughed as he gave me a cheeky grin. Apollo officially became one of my favourite gods.
That intense tingling spread across my entire body, and the pulse in my chest went haywire. Hades was near. Very near. I turned to see him approaching, and Apollo’s guitar fell silent. Zeus’s words about the dream made my temper simmer… Was it true? If it were, I wanted to body-slam Hades against the wall… or attempt to, but that mountain of muscle would be pretty hardto move, I guess. I stared at the massive, muscular chest before me, unwilling to meet his eyes.
‘Persephone.’
His voice broke my musings, and I raised my gaze to his. When I looked into those blue eyes swirling with curls of golden aether, I was doomed. The fight drained from me.
‘Hades.’ Apollo offered a slight bow of his head.
‘I’m taking Persephone for a while,’ Hades declared in a dangerously low tone that left no room for refusal. Apollo opened his mouth to speak but swiftly closed it again.
‘Catch you later, Lady Persephone,’ the god of sun and light said as he looked deeply into my eyes, his azure blue orbs twinkling. He then took my hand, placing a lingering kiss on my palm. I sensed Hades stiffen beside me, and his lips tightened in anger. With a cautious glance at Hades and a slight bow, Apollo strode off, leaving me with the god of the Underworld.
Fury poured out of every cell of Hades’ tightly coiled body, and I took a wary step away. He exhaled slowly and closed his eyes briefly, but his jaw was hard. ‘Would you care to dance? Or perhaps go somewhere more private,’ he said in a gravelly voice.
Hedone’s words popped into my mind again, and I gulped. My lips pressed together, then opened back up, probably making me look like a goldfish.Dance, Sephy. Go and dance.
