Page 55 of A Touch of Chaos

Persephone tried not to smile, because Lexa was taking this so seriously. She wanted to tell her that it was likely she and Thanatos were suffering from sexual frustration, and being in each other’s presence just exasperated it.

“And what did he do?”

“He kissed me too.”

Persephone paused and then leaned forward a little. “How?”

“How?”

“How did he kiss you? Did he use his tongue?”

“Persephone!”

“It’s a valid question!” She couldn’t help it; she was grinning. Before her death, Lexa would have demanded the same details from Persephone. That Lexa no longer existed. This one was new to these feelings. “You can tell me.”

“He did,” Lexa finally said, bowing her head so her hair curtained her face.

“Did you like it?”

“Yes, of course,” she said, straightening her legs and then lying back in the grass. “But he must not have.”

Persephone twisted her body so she could hold Lexa’s gaze. “I highly doubt that,” she said. “He is just afraid.”

“That’s ridiculous. Why would he be afraid?”

“I don’t know. Knowing Thanatos, he probably made up some rule that says he can’t fall in love with a soul.” Persephone rolled her eyes at the thought.

“If he believes that, then he won’t fall in love with me,” said Lexa.

“That is not true,” Persephone said. “I know he cares for you.”

He was probably already in love.

Lexa frowned and then looked up at the sky. “What do I do?”

“Do you like him?”

“Yes,” she said. “Very much.”

“Then tell him,” Persephone said. “And he will likely tell you that you cannot be together, and when he does, ask why.”

“And what do I do when he tells me why?”

“I think you have two options depending on what he says,” she said. “You can kiss him, or you can leave him.”

“Leave him?”

“Yes, leave him.Especiallyif he tells you that you cannot be together.”

Lexa frowned. “Then what do I do?”

“You live,” she said. “You live as if he’d told you yes.”

Before Persephone left Elysium, she cast a quick glance across the landscape in search of her mother. When Lexa died, she had visited almost every day, even when she had not been allowed to approach her. She felt no such urge with Demeter. She wasn’t even sure why she was looking for her now, save that she was curious.

She caught sight of her in the distance, recognizing the golden hue of her hair and her tall and graceful silhouette as she stared off into the gray horizon.

She was alone, which was typical of the souls who resided within the Isle of the Blessed. They came here with no memories of their former lives to heal. Eventually, most would move into Asphodel. Some would reincarnate.

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