Page 29 of Blue Embers
“I should go home,” she said, her fatigue coming through her slurred words.
“Nonsense,” I refused. “It’s still storming. You’re falling asleep, even after that cup of coffee. Stay the night.”
“Those professional boundaries are--”
“If it helps, I can fire you now and rehire you tomorrow,” I cut her off, eager to get her compliance.
Persephone looked at me with heavy eyes, letting out a defeated sigh before she slowly nodded her head.
“Fine,” she said.
I escorted her down the hall across the sitting area to a bedroom on the end. One I hadn’t used for sex. Somehow it didn’t seem right putting her in a room where numerous other women had been before her. Instead, I put her in one of the two rooms that were reserved for real guests.
Persephone was dragging her feet. I suspected that as soon as she touched the mattress she’d fall to sleep, despite how much she was trying not to. I smirked internally at the thought of her stubbornness as I opened the door to the bedroom. She walked in, scanning the room with vague attention before she stood herself by the bed and let out another sigh like she was frustrated about staying over.
“We’re friends,” I explained. “Think of it as a sleepover.”
“Where’s the chocolate and the movies?”
I laughed a bit at the thought, hand still on the door knob so I wouldn’t be tempted to walk into the room and stay with her.
“Get some rest,” I said. “There should be toothbrushes in the bathroom drawer. If you need anything, I’m upstairs. First door on the left.”
I surprised myself with how easy it was to open an invitation for her to come to my room. With Persephone, she was quickly becoming much more than any woman I’d met in decades. Something about her was beautifully vulnerable and yet intriguingly confident at times. I found myself being drawn to her much more than I’d intended. Especially now. Clearing my throat, I started to back out of the room, trying not to dwell too long on my growing attraction toward her.
“Goodnight, Persephone,” I said softly, slowly closing the door as I stepped into the hall.
I wasn’t quite tired yet and something in me was itching to continue examining the pendant from Persephone’s sister. I made my way to the basement to look into the situation further. After spending a couple hours in my solitude, I found myself distracted with thoughts of Persephone again and decided work wasn’t going to yield any results at the moment.
Eventually, I walked back out and made my way across the house toward the stairs, briefly glimpsing down the hall as I passed and wondering how she was doing. I wanted to check in, but thought it inappropriate. Instead, I continued on, climbing the stairs to my bedroom. It was quiet, save for the rain that was still falling outside, pattering on the rooftop. I stepped toward the glass doors at the balcony and swung them open, letting the cool air and the scent of rain waft through the room.
Taking a deep breath of the fresh, stormy aromas, I pulled off my shirt and turned to climb into bed. It would do me well to get a good night’s sleep, especially after adding more complicated thoughts of Persephone to the mix.
Lying atop the covers, I stared up at the ceiling trying to clear my head, letting the rain and the night breeze lull me to sleep. At least I tried. Something in the house wasn’t right and I was certain the discomforts were coming from Persephone. Her suffering was resonating through the halls and they were reaching me. Even after a few hundred years, I still hadn’t learned to turn that part of my brain off. Not with people I cared about.
There it was. I cared about her. I cared enough to open myself up to her emotions and they were keeping me awake. I was almost bitter about it, but only because I didn’t like where my head was going. I couldn’t have affections for a human, especially one I’d known for so little time. It was inconvenient and could potentially slow me down.
I closed my eyes, trying to dismiss the thought, when I heard the careful sound of the bedroom door opening. I raised my head to see Persephone’s slender silhouette standing in the doorway.
“Persephone?” I muttered.
She padded softly into the room and made her way toward the bed.
“You said if I needed anything to come up here,” she said in a near whisper.
I sat up on my elbows, eager to know what it was she was seeking. She sat herself down on the edge of the mattress, her face sparsely lit by the sharpness of my inhuman vision. I focused my eyes to see her shrouded in a blue hue. She was as beautiful as ever in her defenseless state and I couldn’t understand that logic.
“What is it?” I asked her, finding myself to be genuinely concerned.
“Nothing,” she shook her head. “I just can’t sleep. I…” she hesitated for a moment. “I was wondering if I could sleep here with you.”
I couldn’t answer right away. I left her hanging for a moment, but only because I was having a hard time admitting to myself that I wanted her to stay in my bed that night.
“Of course,” I finally said.
Persephone brushed her hair back and rolled over into the bed, pulling the covers over herself and facing the open balcony doors. The bed was big enough for both of us to have space even if we thrashed in our sleep, but something told me that wasn’t what she wanted.
I relaxed once more on my back, letting my thoughts spiral for a bit. I could hear her breath among the patter of rain. I could hear her pulse through the mattress. It wasn’t peaceful. It was nervous and unhinged. I looked over at her, but all she gave me was the back of her head. What did she want? I wanted to know because, against all my instincts, I wanted to give it to her.
