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I hold myself back from telling her that I really do need her, that I always will. Instead, I look away from her face and give her a weak smile.
JeAnne, and now Debra too, are my only family. Even Otis will get married one day, and then we won’t be able to see each other so often anymore.
I haven’t told him about the scorpion incident, and I need to, even though he’s already arranged to meet me in New York in a few weeks.
“Will you let me know when you arrive?” she asks.
I nod and let her hug me.
I couldn’t say how the rest of the farewell went. I vaguely remember Ares guiding me to the car, and then we got on a private plane.
I choose a seat away from him and Hades. I need to be alone for a while to think.
Serenity
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“You should have called me,”Otis says over the phone.
“What for? Anyway, it all happened so quickly.”
“It has nothing to do with this dating I, Serenity, but with our friendship. I care about you.”
“I’m fine, Otis. And as for our dating . . . I think it’s best we stop here.” I feel like a secret agent, talking in code. I don’t want the Kostanidou to hear me.
“Are you serious? You want to break up with me over the phone?”
Despite everything, I can still smile. “Don’t be an idiot. I have a reputation to maintain. I’m tired of getting cheated on.”
“I never did”—he pauses and laughs—"in public.”
“I didn’t expect you to be celibate, but I’m releasing you now.”
I notice a shadow hovering over me, and when I open my eyes, I realize it’s Ares. He doesn’t even pretend he’s not listening to the conversation, and I pray he only caught the endof it. Him finding out that the dating was fake would be too embarrassing.
Looking back, I wonder why I proposed such a thing. I was really childish to think that Ares would care whether or not I had someone. He has already made it very clear that he sees me as a child.
I purposely keep talking to Otis for another minute, and he tells me he’s no longer sure if he’ll come to the United States. I wonder if it’s because I said I wanted to stop the fake relationship, but I quickly dismiss the idea. He is handsome and rich. If he adds “single” to the label, he will become irresistible.
I finally end the call, and without ceremony, Ares sits in front of me.
“Trouble in paradise?” he asks.
“Were you listening to my conversation?”
“Just the part where you said you didn’t expect him to be celibate but now you were kicking him out of your bed.”
“Good God, do you think this is an appropriate conversation to have with your ward?” I try to sound angry, but the truth is he has the power to bring me back to life. I left New Orleans super depressed. Ares makes my blood boil.
“Should I treat you like a little girl? Make up your mind, Serenity: are you a girl or a woman?”
“What do you think?”
“I haven’t been able to come to a conclusion yet.”
“Wrong. You see me as a girl, otherwise you wouldn’t have spanked my ass in the hospital.”
I hear a snort of laughter, and I think he does too, because then he says, “Put on your headphones, Hades, or I’ll teach you how to fly without a parachute.”