Page 92 of Seph

“I’ve missed you so much. This ache in my heart... And I now have the name for it. Such a relief,” she sobbed afresh, collapsing into Hades’ embrace.

“Um. Mom. Dad? We should probably go?” Milly suggested.

“Or at least let you two get someplace without an audience?” Zag added tactfully as his parents’ embrace intensified, leading into a passionate kiss.

“There’s a spiffy little hotel in Pine Ridge that’s fae run. It morphs into whatever you need. You know. Privacy. Pomegranates. A soundtrack of Zeus being disemboweled with a blunt stick. Anything you like,” Simeon suggested.

Hades broke off the kiss but didn’t take his hands off of Seph. “Vampire, you have my car keys. Summon it.”

“Um. That’s a two-seater, your deathliness,” Simeon said hesitantly.

“Oh, it’ll be a minivan this time,” Milly said. “Death rides a pale horse, family size!”

“And I’m going to destroy this building anyway, so a hole in the wall won’t matter much,” Hades said with a careless wave.

“If you say so.”

Emily winced as Simeon touched the button on the remote and the sound of crunching plaster and collapsing walls filled the hotel.

“Pine Ridge?” Hades asked his wife.

Seph nodded. “Anywhere with you, my love. Let the vampire and his bride drive so that we can all be together in the back.”

“Bride?” Emily stammered in surprise. “Oh! No, we’re just... We’ve only been dating for about a week.”

“Well, we’ve been hanging out casually for longer.”

“I knew I had found my soul’s one true love after only days in his company,” Seph said, running a possessive hand over Hades’ lean jaw. “I can see it is the same for the vampire.”

“He doesn’t even have his soul!” Emily blurted, panicked and blushing.

Seph gave Hades a reproachful glare. “Darling, give the helpful vampire back his soul!”

“At once, my queen.”

Emily blinked in surprise as Hades flexed his fingers and something wispy and white plunged out of nowhere and down Simeon’s throat. His entire body glowed for a moment, and then he coughed, pounding his chest.

“Thanks, your... Your Highness?” He bowed to Seph.

“No trouble. Thank you for all you’ve done. I hope Hades promised you both something for your trouble?”

“Of course I did, my love. We’ll discuss it once we leave this accursed place.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

“You should stay for Halloween if you’re feeling up to it. It’s a big deal here. Paranormal sorts welcome,” Simeon leaned on the supersized Mustang “minivan” as Hades and Seph finished another prolonged liplock.

“We’ll go home and run things for you two,” Milly quickly volunteered. “Zag and I can handle the basic incoming list, Dad.”

“I want to go home. I want to see home!” Seph opened her eyes and looked around. “Where are we?”

“Country Pines Motel. So you can have a bit of bonding time before you go home and everyone wants to celebrate your return, ma’am,” Simeon bowed and cursed himself internally. He’d slipped back into his old Victorian speech patterns in the presence of a queen—and Emily was probably laughing at him.

“Well... Maybe for a night, my love? The children will be fine. We can all have dinner together first. OR they can get an adjoining room! A family vacation, love, we haven’t had—”

“No! No, no.” Zag held up a hand. “I mean, yes, we want to be with Mom, and we want a vacation. We just want you to have a little alone time first. Not even the walls of Tartarus are thick enough to—”

“Zagreus!” Milly hissed, stomping on her brother’s foot.

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