Page 20 of Taking Orders in the Underworld

He caught her eye.

‘Can you hear what they’re saying?’ he mouthed at her, then pointed to his ear and lips.

She shook her head. When Tomas continued to look at her, she deliberately leaned her head towards Garth and whispered to him to break the tension.

“Since when have Tomas and Savvas been so close? They aren’t …you know, together now, are they?”

“Nah,” Garth leaned down and whispered back. “A few night’s back, Tomas stood up to a couple of rude patrons that Savvas was tired of dealing with. After that, they proceeded to get very,verydrunk on Savvas’ wine together. I think yourprotégémight have been stolen out from under you, but I don’t think Savvas is interested like that.”

Nika scoffed quietly but something uncomfortable stirred inside of her once again. Tomas had cared enough to come after her. He had literally walked into the pit of hell to find her. And though she found him infuriating and puppy-like in his naivety, he had managed to stand up to her a few times in a way that surprised her. Perhaps she would be okay losing him as a protégé if it meant …

The song ended and Nika snapped back to the sound of clapping all around her.

It had just been the song. She sighed in relief.

“Thank you. Thank you,” Orpheus chuckled, still casting loving glances at his wife. “I must admit, I said to my love on the way over here that I wasn’t sure I could still play this thing,” he held up the lyre for all to behold, “but she still sings true.”

Another round of applause broke out until Orpheus held up a hand to quiet the crowd.

“Now, I would like to offer you all something I have never shared with the living or the dead worlds before.”

Feverish whispers broke out.

Orpheus chuckled again. “Fear not, I shall put you out of your misery. You see, it is not I who is truly the maestro of music, but my wife. Who can sing and dance in a way that will entrance all the male Souls – and a few of the women, I should imagine – like no other. And, she has agreed to sing and dance for us tonight. So, if you wouldn’t mind obliging an old gentleman?”

The crowd whooped, some rising from their chairs to clap insistently.

Eurydice smiled in that demure way of hers at them, as if both grateful for the attention and unneeding of it. It was an alluring sort of star quality. Of course, she only had eyes for her husband as she went to stand at the microphone and began to sing.

Not wanting to be caught up in the music again – or alone with her intrusive thoughts – Nika began sweeping the tables. She moved swiftly and deftly between them, clearing as she went, refilling glasses where she could, taking whispered orders with no need for a notepad and accompanying pencil, and delivering the food from a kitchen doing their best not to crash about. Even the pots were trying their best to be silent.

By the time Eurydice was done with her song, all the sections had been taken care of again. Yes, Nika was very good at her job.

Happy that everything was dealt with, Nika stepped out the back of the staff entrance to take a breather in the cool, night air where twilight had descended.

Her mother appeared beside her a moment later.

“You run this place.”

It was a statement, not a question.

“Well, Garth owns it.”

“Yes, but you run it.”

“I do.”

“You’re good at it.”

Another statement.

“I am.”

Nyx looked down, gave Nika a prudent look, and then turned to face the purple sky in front of them.

“I shall speak to Zeus and Hades regarding your little place here.”

“About what?”

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