Page 38 of Flowers Near Me

They had settled into a routine of morning coffee and shared dinners, but it wasn’t enough. Soon, once the marketing proposal was approved, she’d spend all day on the video set, and he’d lose those precious, fleeting moments with her. He’d even asked Charon to align as many of his commitments with Persephone’s studio sessions as possible, but it barely freed up any extra time.

Every morning, he rushed back to the apartment after checking in with Charon, lingering in the hallway by Persephone’s open door while she was at the gym. The guest room smelled of vanilla and jasmine—like her.

Earlier that day in his home office, Hecate asked, “You’ve already burned through the candle?” She quirked her brow with a sly smirk.

“It was barely a tea light.”

“And enchanted. I gave it a seventy-two-hour burn time. Did you burn it for three days straight?”

“No.”

Hecate crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame, her brow quirking even higher than Hades thought possible.

Hades said, “I had to extinguish the flame when I moved it back and forth from here to the cookie cave.”

“Cookiecave?”

“Helena’s name for my apartment. We had cookies the first time she visited and every time since. You’ve met Persephone’s niece, yes?”

Hecate cocked her head to the side. “Does Demeter know her granddaughter visits you?”

Hades’ chair creaked as he rested his back on it. Demeter would have future grandchildrenlivingat his apartment if he got what he wanted.

“Of course. I told her as we gabbed over cocktails.”

Hecate rolled her eyes, then sunk onto the settee by the glass wall displaying an underground waterfall trickling over layers of rock. “Have you heard from her since the acquisition?”

Thank the Fates, he hadn’t, but it wasn’t cause for celebration. Demeter might not have the same power he did in Olympus, but that didn’t mean she was any less formidable. Up until recently, she employed the one person he’d ever wanted by his side.

“Not yet. She fought hard in our negotiations and now she’s licking her wounds.” He traced two fingers along the mouse pad of his computer and scrolled through his email.

Hecate clucked her tongue. “Don’t be careless. Demeter loves Persephone more than you and I could ever imagine.”

Hades frowned. The admonishment sat like rotten food in his gut. He didn’t have a mother’s love for Persephone but the unrelenting need to be with her felt primal.

Turning to look at Hecate, he quipped, “You’re friends with her. Put in a good word for me.”

Shaking her head, making her long hair swish, she said, “No, I have my own worries. You stole her daughter, Hades. There’s no coming back from that. Even if you two were amicable before, it’d be a serious problem.”

Hades released a long sigh. Of course, Hecate disliked his method of getting Persephone to spend time with him. BuyingFlowers Near Meright out from under Persephone in order to get her into a contract with him wasn’t a traditional way of dating, but he had to be creative. Besides, Demeter and he had been adversaries in the distribution space for decades, and it wasn’t like he could approach Persephone in the open with her guard dog looming.

Strangely, he suspected Demeter’s anger stemmed from disappointment in Persephone. When he’d met with Demeter and her team, he learned she knew little about Persephone’s true interest inFlowers Near Me. Demeter grew quieter as negotiations carried on and that was unlike the formidable goddess of the harvest he knew.

“Haveyouheard from her recently?” Hades asked.

“No, and I think that ought to give you pause.” Hecate’s dark brow quirked again.

Hades’ eyes narrowed. The worst scenario bubbled to the surface in a rolling boil. “You think she’s working with my brothers?”

One shoulder shrugged. “Or something worse.”

He grimaced but remained silent.

Hecate left shortly after their conversation, but the shadow she cast lingered.

He fired off a message to Charon.

Hades

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