Page 37 of Flowers Near Me

“Yes, I’ve met Laura a few times. She’s brilliant. Great sense of humor.” Hecate brought the teacup to her mouth.

Mirroring Hecate, Persephone took a sip. A burst of lemony rosemary and honey swept over her tongue, sending a soothing warmth through Persephone’s chest as she swallowed.

“What kind of tea is this?”

“Green tea that I doctored just a little.” Hecate winked and took a long sip.

Magic, of course.

“It’s perfect. I like to think I can make a good cup, but this is special.”

“I’ll show you. It’s not hard.”

Persephone gestured her cup at Hecate. “For you, I’m sure it’s second nature, but I don’t have powers like you or my mom.”

Hecate shook her head. “Yours haven’t fully emerged yet. This will be easy once it does.”

“Why haven’t they already?” It wasn’t as if she hadn’t tried many times before. If she could portal instantaneously from one place to another, she’d have no reason to take transportation or walk everywhere.

“It might be waiting for a certain event.”

What Hecate said sounded reasonable. If anyone would understand the quirks of magic, it was her. “Like what? I’m well past puberty and young adulthood. I’ve tried to conjure things but stopped because it never works.”

Hecate shrugged. “Magic is fickle. Have you been reaching for it recently?”

“Not really. I tried it a few nights ago, but it was weak.”

With a delicate movement, Hecate set her tea on the table, then interlaced her fingers on her lap. “You know… I’ve known of your origin since the beginning.”

Persephone stared at Hecate. Of course she had known she was Demeter’s daughter when most of Olympus only knew of Laura, but the ominous way she saidyour originraised the hairs on the back of her neck.

“I didn’t just help your mom find the field of poppies you were made from, you know. I enchanted them myself.” Hecate wiggled her fingers.

With a hand pressed to her lips, Persephone regarded her with a new interest. “Why didn’t my mom tell me you helped create me?”

Hecate’s lined eyes softened. “I don’t think Demeter likes the idea of sharing you with anyone.”

How true.

Hecate ran her fingers through her hair. “You were nevermineand your mother needed you. Laura was so much like her father even as a small child. Demeter was desperate for a daughter that was all her own.”

She wasn’t sure what to make of that. Her mom’s love was fierce and more isolating than she’d realized. Perhaps her mom’s recent avoidance was simply an attempt to give Persephone space to grow. Learning Hecate’s involvement was a welcome revelation, but she really wished her mom was here with her and Hecate. “So, if you enchanted the poppies…”

“Then you absolutely have power.Mymagic.”

Butterflies in her stomach, Persephone sat straighter in her seat. Maybe she didn’t need to be a goddess to be powerful.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

THE KING’S GAMBIT

HADES

Over two weeks had passed since Persephone had moved into his apartment. Seeing her in the office every day confirmed just how right everything was now that she was here. Even when she wasn’t trying to be helpful, she had a way of naturally improving his employees’ moods by lending a hand wherever it was needed. A few days before, he’d caught her negotiating with a marketing vendor who’d given one of his event planners a hard time. Persephone had the vendor eating out of the palm of her hand by the end of the meeting.

His chest still fluttered every night, knowing she was just in the next room. He’d started adding more plants to his space after seeing how they thrived under her care. Even cut flowers seemed to bloom in her presence, as if rooted in a sunlit field.

Lying in bed with a book in his lap and thoughts of her consuming his mind, Hades watched the flames dance along the wick of a jasmine candle. He’d moved enough belongings into the guest room closest to hers to make it look like his own—clothes, shoes, books, and toiletries. If the captivating goddess ever wandered in, there’d be no reason for her to suspect the room was anything but a proper bedroom, furnished with heated stone floors, rich woven rugs, and the dark velvet furniture Charon had chosen.

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