Page 82 of The Queen & the King

I sigh. “I miss her. How is she?”

Helios groans, leaning his head back. “Hot as fuck. Insane. Perfect.” Helios lifts his shirt, showing several healing stab wounds.

I blink, trying to find the words but coming up short.

“Told you. So fucking hot,” Helios says, pushing his shirt down.

I just blink again. “Well, whatever works for you.”

“Don’t hate.”

I hold my hands up, shrugging. “No hate. Whatever you guys are into.”

I think of Hades, and my chest aches. I must not have hidden the pain well because Helios tilts his head and searches my face. “What’s wrong?”

“Just missing Hades.” I shrug, and Helios squeezes me.

“I know, Petal.” Helios smirks. “Remember when I caught you two fucking in the club?”

“And you took a photo like a pervert,” I growl, but the memory makes me smile. “And we were not fucking.”

Helios lifts a brow. “Uh -huh.”

I glare at him. “We weren’t.”

“I mean, it sure looked like it. His pants were suspiciously loose in the photo.” Helios says, his voice stupidly smug. I glare more. “ What? I mean, you guys are married now. Who cares if you were fucking in a club alcove like a pair of horny teenagers?”

I flip him off and finish the noodles he brought for me.

“I have absolutely no regrets since it got my Mellie’s number from you,” Helios reminisces.

I roll my eyes. “Damn, you got it so bad.”

Helios sighs dreamily. “So bad. It’s like Herpes. Permanent.”

I blink. “You’re comparing your feelings for Mellie to an… STD?” It strikes me at this moment just how similar Helios and Mellie are.

“She’s… really fucking something,” Helios says, obviously not listening to me at all.

“Is she?”

Helios centers his gaze on me again, looking more serious but still dreamy. “She said she loves me.”

“Fuck, she did?!”

Helios nods proudly. “And I didn’t even have to blackmail her!”

I laugh with him, just enjoying spending time with my friend.

“I have to head out. You’ll be all right?”

I nod, handing him the empty takeout box. “You’ll need to take this. Mother monitors the trash.”

“She’s so fucking unhinged,” Helios says, shaking his head as if he has not just shown me multiple stab wounds that his girlfriend gave him during sex.

Helios looks at me more seriously than he ever has. “P? What will happen if you…” He hesitates, looking away, thinking how to word what he wants to say. “If you have to kill her?”

“What do you mean?”

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