Page 67 of Shadows and Vines

“His power was a bit out of hand, but as we all remember when we first rose from the dead, our emotional baggage did its own damage.” Hera smirked, “Though, he seemed a bit territorial.”

“Hera, let it go,” Amphitrite warned as her attention moved to Hera. “Not here.”

Hera only waved Amphitrite off.

“It seemed like he wasn’t even aware of why. Like a dog pissing to show ownership, but

unaware of why he hiked his leg.”

“Enough.” Persephone only used that one word but put full force behind it.

Hera pushed off the column and moved gracefully to stand in front of Persephone.

“Is there more to your relationship with him than we thought?” This time Hera’s voice held

none of the teasing tone. Her face completely serious.

Persephone closed her eyes as she shook her head, but she felt hollow inside at her answer.

As she opened her eyes again, she caught Hera’s gaze assessing her.

“Perhaps he needs some stress relief.” Hera smirked, but Persephone was not going to be baited. She knew what Hera was doing, something she always did to manipulate Persephone into admitting her feelings. Hera seemed callous, but her actions had proven in the past to have a rhyme and reason.

She wanted the truth so she could wield her sword in any battle that helped to protect her sisters, and she’d get the truth however she needed to.

“Perhaps a quick tumble with that saucy thing will help take the edge off of his uncontrollable powers…”

Persephone stopped herself before she bit out a scathing retort. That was what Hera wanted.

Ever since their youth, Hera knew how to make Persephone think and admit to feelings she would otherwise push deep down. Hera always using herself as the bad guy in these situations.

Persephone stepped past them but stopped to look over her shoulder at her sisters. She

caught concern in Hera’s eyes before she let her face slip back into a devious mask.

Persephone simply whispered, “Perhaps,” before she walked away.

Chapter 23

Devon lowered the hand he had put out to stop Persephone as he watched her vanish into the crowd.

A creeping numbness came over him.

Something deep inside him rebelled and told him to follow her. To finish that moment. To kiss and claim her as his.

Instead, he turned to Sasha.

One problem at a time.

It stunned him that his entire past was coming down on his head in one night with West and now her.

On top of Sasha’s surprise disruption, he noticed a sea green haze around her. Sasha was not

all she seemed to be.

He could feel power, though not as strong as his and Persephone’s, radiating from her. He realized the colors he saw around the people were physical manifestations of their power.

“You’re not human.” He stared at her aura, tilting his head at the flash of shock in her eyes.

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