Page 22
Story: Till Death and Daisies Bloom
Not this time. Stop it.
Just a friendly visit...a check-in.
Forty-one thousand, two hundred and sixteen.
I hesitated, my hand hovering over the door.
“Enter.”
Show off.
Pushing the door open, it creaked loudly as it opened into a darkened room, the only light coming from a merrily crackling fire in the hearth. Two overlarge, plush lounge chairs sat in front of it.
I allowed the heavy door to slam shut behind me.
BAM.
“A bit overdramatic, don’t you think?” I asked.
A hand appeared, curling around the armrest of the chair. My brother’s face appeared, bald head gleaming as he leaned over the armrest to glare at me. His eyes were a deep amethyst today instead of their normal cornflower blue, the reddish hue of his vampiric nature beginning to cloud the irises.
That meant he was busy. And bothered. And likely in no mood for my dumbass.
His eyes flicked to the door which I had just purposefully slammed. He said nothing, but the intent was clear.
“Right. I am checking in,” I began diplomatically, slumping down into the second chair to the right of the fireplace.
Gluttony’s eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong?”
There never was any beating around the bush with Gluttony—or G, as he liked to be called. He once nearly took out my kneecaps with a cane for calling him his full name when I was sixteen.
"Every time a major god or goddess goes away, everything goes to shit, and who has to pick up the pieces?" Gluttony asked me, practically hissing with anger. "Us. The lessers. The sins, the muses, the demigods and fucking random deities down the street." He paced, agitation visible in every line of his body. "And lately, the earth itself feels...restless. You've felt it too, haven't you?”
I hadn't, but I wasn't about to admit it.
“Humans, global warming, the usual,” I responded flatly, not seeing cause for alarm.
G huffed at me.
"Hades finding his little family might seem like divine romance, but power shifts like that have consequences,” G muttered, eyes darkening as he glanced toward the window. Storm clouds gathered.
A great fucking mood, indeed. Dare I add to his plate? Guilt seeped into my chest.
G continued, “And don’t think for a goddamn second that doesn’t mean I don’t have time for you. I simply wish to be efficient, so out with it.”
I wasn’t sure how to begin. I wasn’t eager to admit I’d done my first proper reanimation. There were protocols to follow after all, and I hadn’t. Not one little bit. But Hades couldn’t approve something he wasn’t here for, could he?
“I...have you ever had a mate?” I blanched. That wasn’t what I’d wanted to ask at all.
G went still–very still.
“Mates aren’t real,” he grumbled.
Indignation rose in my chest, but I fought it. G was older than all of us by a lot—he’d seen so much, and to ignore that wisdom or not allow him a chance to explain was foolish. I had the scars to prove it.
“You’re angry. You think you’ve found her then?” His voice was soft, but so, so dangerous. I tensed, unsure why he was angry. My mouth opened, but he silenced me with one hand.
“I will say my piece, then you are free to do what you want. You will not learn unless you fall flat on your face and smash all your teeth out.”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22 (Reading here)
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150