Page 69 of Touch of Death
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Hazel
Amoment passes before Persephone slowly steps into view. I’d almost swear her beauty seems to have doubled since last I saw her, further enhanced by the flowers and foliage of the garden.
She gives us a soft smile as she smooths down the silks of her dress, tiny flowers stitched into it with bright threads and intricate beadwork. I can’t help but notice how much she seems to belong here amidst the beauty of nature.
Again, my fingers itch to capture this moment on a canvas.
“Hello,” she greets us with another soft smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
Something seems off as she takes another step closer to us, and I try to pinpoint what it is. She holds herself stiffer than she did when we first met, her eyes harder as she takes us in. Persephone nods once to Death, but her eyes fail to meet his before returning to Eros.
“Might we have a word?”
He nods, “Of course.”
“In private, please.”
Eros stiffens slightly at this, tilting his head slightly as if he’s having a hard time trying to read her. Finally, he gives her a nod, excusing himself in a soft murmur that I barely catch before gesturing to Persephone to follow him away from the pool.
I watch after them as they disappear into the lush greenery around us.
Alone with Death, a heavy silence falls, and I sneak a tentative glance at him from the corner of my eye, unsure what to do. It feels as though there are suddenly too many unspoken things between us. Too many words and too much pain for me to know where to begin.
Though, I suppose in our case, perhaps some things are better left unsaid.
The silence stretches, growing heavier with each passing moment, until Death clears his throat, stepping closer as I feel his eyes slip to me.
“If it would help, you may practice what Eros has taught you on me, little one.”
My heart skips a beat in my chest before it sets off racing, threatening to kill me without a moment’s notice. I fight the flush I feel creeping over me, my mouth dry as I try to find my voice.
I try to remind myself that he’s only being friendly. That this is just his way of helping protect me. He does not feel the same way I do toward him.
Still, these thoughts are all but forgotten as he takes another step toward me.
His eyes search my face as I look up at him, and I struggle to remind myself that this is just part of his promise. He simply wants me to escape the Underworld, to ease his guilt over taking my soul … just as much as I wish my heart didn’t beat so hard for him.
“Yes,” I finally manage, my voice barely more than a whisper as he offers his hand out to me.
Pulling me to my feet, our eyes meet, and for a moment, I think I’ve lost the ability to breathe, much less think.
Accepting his offer was a mistake. I don’t know how I’ll manage with him staring down at me like this, but it almost gives me hope that there’s still a shred of feeling left between us.
Despite the growing evidence that there isn’t.
“Very well,” he says, clearing his throat again. “You may begin when you are ready.”
“Okay,” I breathe, forcing my eyes away from his.
Staring down at the strange pool, I try to refocus myself as I close my eyes. Prepared for another struggle, I’m surprised by how easily it comes to me this time.
There is no fight to find the right emotions; they’re already on the surface, desperate for me to return to them. Somehow, they feel stronger as I reach for them, more certain as I wrap them around myself like armor.
I know exactly what I want.
WhoI want.
