Page 85 of The Devil and His Goddess

Aiysha looked at me again. She patted her wet cheeks then sat up. “I’ll tell you about it in the kitchen. Perseus said you’ve been refusing to eat or drink. He didn’t want to force you after—” She sucked in a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling. After licking her lips, she looked back down at me. “Come on, Harp. You need to eat.”

I shook my head against the pillow. “I don’t want to eat. I—”

“Youhaveto eat!” Aiysha snapped, her lips thinning with her firm demand.

I pressed my lips together and stared sideways at the white sheets beneath me. I had no will to move, let alone to try to eat. Why give life to a body I now hated, one that had been made filthy and vile? It was better if it wasted away into nothing.

“You won’t get better if you don’t eat and drink something,” Aiysha stressed. “You know how important it is to fuel your body. I know it doesn’t seem important right now, but don’t you need to stay healthy for ballet? Huh? Do it for your dance career. Do it for all the people who need you at Silverlight. Do it for me, your mom, your dad, your brothers. Do it for Perseus and everyone else who loves to see you dance, okay?”

I twitched as a pang pierced my chest.

Ballet. Silverlight.

I’d missed a whole day of work, and that fact was only made worse by the memory of yesterday morning when I’d somehow convinced myself that I could fake being okay. I was sure I’d ruined that rehearsal for everyone, and Elijah had to be hurt from my confusing outburst. I wanted to sink further into myself and just fade into nothing.

Except memories surfaced in my mind that pushed me to fight.

My mom, dad, and little brothers smiling up at me from their seats in the theatre after I finished a ballet.

Aiysha and I jumping around with tears in our eyes as we earned another title in a dance competition together.

Perseus’s eyes glittering with awe, admiration, and affection as he watched me perform.

The people I cared about still needed me, and that gave me just enough sense to acknowledge Aiysha’s request. I pulled my face out of the sheets it was buried in to look at her. That one movement must’ve given her hope, because she smiled at me and stood from the bed.

“Come on,” she urged gently. She came to my side and coaxed me into a sitting position. “I’ll eat with you, okay? We’ll eat together.”

I had to blink many times upon sitting up. Even holding my head up took great effort, and I had to lean heavily on Aiysha, gripping her shoulder with one arm and holding onto her hand with the other to walk. We shuffled slowly across the room and out into the hall. Ayisha let me walk at my own pace, keeping me upright as my legs shook and threatened to give out as the world tilted this way and that.

Perseus stood at the kitchen island. His head was bowed as he stirred a pot on the stove, but the minute we walked through the archway of the living room, he looked up at me. The spoon, still spinning mindlessly in its current, became forgotten as he started to rush across the large space.

Only, he stopped, not even halfway, seeming to decide against coming closer. He nodded at Aiysha and went back around the island to grab a bowl and spoon. Aiysha helped me into a chair at the island while Perseus ladled out the soup.

His green eyes snagged mine as he carefully slid the bowl across the marble for me. “Here you go.”

“Thank you,” I mumbled, cupping the bowl in my hands.

Warmth seeped from the dish into my palms. My eyes closed as the heat caused goosebumps to rise on my arms. The rich and hearty smell of the chicken, vegetables, and broth made my empty stomach growl, but it was quickly followed by dozens of knots.

Swallowing hard, I stirred the soup while waiting for the disagreement in my stomach to settle.

“Aiysha,” Perseus offered, giving a bowl of the soup to her, too.

She smiled at him and accepted the food. “Thank you.”

Aiysha stirred her own soup and gave me a pointed look as she ate hers. I hesitantly sampled the broth, just enough to taste the warm flavor. It was definitely delicious, as all of Perseus’s cooking was, but I was slow to take another bite, thanks to the pit in my stomach.

“Eat what you can,” Perseus ordered me gently as he placed a bottle of water next to me. “Don’t force yourself to eat more than you can stomach.”

I nodded, dropping my gaze to the spinning broth under my spoon’s direction.

“Why are you so good at cooking when you don’t need human food to live?” Aiysha asked.

Thatsnagged my attention. My eyes widened as I looked between the two of them. My jaw fell in shock, but no words came out.

Laughing, Aiysha put her finger beneath my chin to shut it.

Perseus offered me a weak smile. “I told her what I am. She knows I’m a demon.”

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