“The contract still stands. My soul is yours.”
“I never wanted your soul.” I smiled into his lips, my eyes meeting his. “I’ve only ever wanted your heart. Now that I have it, I have a secret to tell you. I didn’t believe in souls, either, before.”
“Before?”
“Before I met you.”
“We are not Hades and Persephone, Flower Girl. Never were. I didn’t drag you down a dark path. You pulled me into the light. Helpless, I followed. Blindly, I got burned. I am Icarus. I love you as he loved the sun. Too close. Too hard. Too fast.”
Cillian tugged me, jerking me into his firm body. My breath caught in the back of my throat as he crushed his lips over mine with devastating warmth, bringing our hands to his chest and lacing our fingers together. His lips were possessive, demanding.
“What’s alarming is this baby is still inside me.” I pointed at my belly.
“Lucky kid.” My husband strolled into our room, sauntering in my direction to press a kiss to my forehead.
“How’re you doing, Flower Girl?”
“Tired. Sleepy.”
He rubbed my stomach, “And the little guy?”
I’d never told any other living soul about the time I’d spent in the bridal suite with her.
The day I couldn’t stop thinking about for years afterward.
I watched as Flower Girl pranced around a room full of kids. Her hair—honey highlights tangled in bright yellow—was gathered into a Dutch braid, and she wore an ankle-length white dress and flat shoes.
“You’re not hurt,” he said steely. “I checked.”
“But 𝘺𝘰𝘶 are.” My tears kept rolling.
“I’ll survive.” He brushed my flyaways, wiping my face before resting his bloodied cheek on my head. “Shhh. It was just a little scare. You’re fine.”
“That’s not the point! You’re not fine!”
“Did you call me?” He frowned.
I suppressed a smile. “No.”
“I thought I heard your voice.”
All I did was shake my head.
“I came for… I don’t know what the hell I came for.”
“Yes, you do. Say it.”
“I came here to make out with you middle school style. Happy?”
“Very.”
“Tell me to stop.”
“Go harder.” I pushed myself against him.
We were endless together. One searing entity without a beginning or end.
He brushed a curtain of hair plastered to the side of my neck, pressing his lips to it as he rode me hard and deep.
“You please me, Persephone.”
She was still smiling.
“What are you looking at?” I glowered.
“You held my hand in yours the entire length of the drive.”
Dropping my gaze, I immediately withdrew from her.
“Haven’t noticed.”
“You’re handsome when flustered.”
I drove back home, parked, then spotted Persephone’s Tesla at the front gate.
Killing the engine, I got out of the car, something weird and warm rattling in my stomach.
Food poisoning. Fucking raw fish.
She was perfect. Too perfect. So perfect I had to look away whenever we were in the same room, opting to observe her sister. Focusing on her was less dangerous than watching Persephone.
And watching Persephone was something I did discreetly, but often, when no one was looking.
Cillian: Spoke to your aunt (if you tell anyone I conversed with a cloud, I will flat out deny it). She said I should take you on a honeymoon. I bought tickets.
My desire to protect my child burned so fiercely in me, I was pretty sure I could destroy the entire building with my two hands if something happened to him.