Page 82 of Flowers Near Me

Hades released a chuckle and patted Cerberus’ head before rising back to his full height. He turned to Sephy, and his pulse spiked. Her wet hair trailed over her silk robe, soaking her shoulders.

His eyes snapped to hers. “Sephy, he’s an immortal watchdog. He’s fine.”

“He’s a shepherd, Hades! We need to get him to the vet. Portal him!” she yelled.

He restrained his laugh. “Listen to me. He might look like a normal dog, but this isn’t his true form.” Hades whistled with a trill and Cerberus barked in reply. The fluffy, merle canine grew to Hades’ height and two more heads shot forth from its shoulders. Cerberus’ unique, splotchy pattern remained but was in all dark grey hues now. Wisps of smoke leaked from each breath.

Looking back at a gawking Sephy, Hades said, “See? He’s fine. If he wasn’t, then he wouldn’t be able to morph into this.”

Sephy turned towards him, then closed her eyes. Her fingers flew to her temples. She muttered, “Fates kill me,” before asking, “Why doesn’t he look like this all the time?”

Hades cocked a brow at her and smirked. “He’s a bit lazy to be honest. It takes a lot out of him to transform and remain in this shape all day, so he sticks to his smaller form. Can’t say I blame him.” Hades whistled again and Cerberus sunk back into the size of a regular dog.

Sephy held out a hand towards Cerberus and used the other to clutch the top of her robe. Bending at the waist, she rubbed Cerberus behind his ears. “I’m so sorry, buddy, but you can’t eat those.”

Swiping his hands over the flowers, Hades disintegrated them into a fine dust, which he scooped up. Out of curiosity, he smelled the remnants, expecting it to be a mix of his power’s cedar scent and Sephy’s floral one. Instead, it smelled like vetiver—grassy and bright. He was going to offer Sephy the powder but went rigid when he saw her staring back at him, blushing and holding her robe tight.

“I’ll let you get back to it.” He made a weak gesture with his fist, then portaled himself and Cerberus into the kitchen.

Looking down at his dog, he asked, “Why did you eat the flowers, Cer?”

Cerberus twisted his head back and forth and kept his big, unblinking eyes on Hades’ face. Hades added, “I was looking for you earlier, you know.”

Back at the stove, hot coffee in his cup, he pictured Sephy in her silk bathrobe in his main suite. It was much larger than the one she was using, and he cursed himself for not putting her in the primary suite by herself to start. It would’ve been thegracious hostthing to do, but would it have pushed her over the edge? Wasn’t it enough to show up on her sister’s doorstep and whisk her away without the added stress of putting her in the bed he’d been sleeping in for eons?

She’d sleep there soon enough.He clung to the hope.

A little while later, Sephy emerged from her room, wearing a pressed linen dress and her hair undone in waves. Fighting the urge to grab her by the arms and kiss her, he said, “You look beautiful, love. Where are you meeting Laura?”

Sephy thanked him as he handed her a cup of coffee and replied, “At her place. Helena has a day off from school and wanted to make loukoumades.”

Hades’ mouth watered at the mention of the mini fried donuts. They’d pair well with the coffee he was drinking. “Sounds delicious. Please tell them all I say hello.”

Slipping her feet into her flats, Sephy replied, “I will. Are you sure you can’t make it?”

The night before, she’d asked him if he wanted to tag along. He did, but it had been months since Sephy had seen Laura without him around. Between their demanding press tour and Laura’s tight schedule, Sephy barely saw Laura and she deserved to have some time with her sister. Besides, he needed her distracted while he sorted out a few remaining things for their upcoming getaway trip. They’d have time together soon enough.

“Next time, I’d love to. I’ve never tried making them before. We could bake them here.” Fussing with the cuff of his jacket, he shot her a smile.

Coat and bag in hand, Sephy smiled back. “Alright. Next time.”

Hades tried to temper his grin. “Are you ready?”

Persephone nodded, then took his offered hand before he portaled both of them to Laura’s front door.

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

MORE THAN FLOWERY WORDS

PERSEPHONE

After rolling her thirtieth fried donut, Helena traded her apron for a tablet, leaving Persephone dusted with honeyed pistachios as she sprinkled them onto the crispy dough. Beside her, Laura fished the loukoumades from sizzling oil, setting them on paper towels.

“I’m so hungry I might risk burning my mouth,” Persephone joked.

Laura laughed. “Same. I had a decent breakfast, but there’s always room for sweets.” She tossed more dough into the pot, the oil crackling.

Laura’s eyes flicked to Helena, who sat entranced by her screen. With a careful glance back at Persephone, she asked, “So… what’s going on with Hades?”

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