Page 394 of The First Taste

I tilt my head. “Someone came and cleaned.”

“Yes.” Hades nods as he escorts me across the chamber. “The same family has been taking care of this place for a hundred years. Even in our absence, they come and clean once in a while.”

“Ah.” I scrunch my face up as we make it to the foyer again. “It must have been pretty great to grow up here.”

“What?” A startled look crosses his face. “I dinnae ken what would give ye that impression, lass.”

Hades shoulders the massive front door open. I step outside into the bright morning sun and shade my eyes as I look at him. I’m trying to read his expression, but he just seems a little disgruntled to me.

No different from any other time, really.

“It just seems…” I wave a hand to indicate the massive manor house. “Ye grew up with all of this, right?”

Hades closes the door, a deep frown on his face. “I did, yes. But?— “

He stops himself mid-sentence, poking out his cheek with his tongue. He doesn’t say anything for a moment, so I walk the couple of steps closer, taking his arm. The gesture feels cozy, intimate. My ribs are aching at this point, but I stifle a sigh.

Hades darts a glance at me, licking his lower lip. “My father was a very violent man.”

My eyes widen. I can’t think of anything cleverer to say than, “oh?”

His body language has gone rather stiff. He nods and looks away, off toward the wall. He doesn’t add anything, so after a few seconds I suck in a breath.

“Where are we walking?” I ask.

“Ach.” Hades starts walking down the circular driveway, toward the wall. “If ye feel up to it, we should walk around the house’s walls.”

“Okay,” I agree. I give him a quick smile. “But you may end up carrying me back up this hill.”

He glances at me, a flicker of warmth in his eyes. “It’s a deal.”

We head down the steep embankment and pass through the arched gateway. It’s beautiful out here, coastal and windy, sunny yet cool. There are long grasses and heather everywhere I look, the gray-green color blending in with the oatmeal color of the distant beach. Past that is the stark near-black stripe of the ocean, white peaks here and there, penned in by the endless gray blue sky. It makes quite a beautiful landscape.

I turn my face up to Hades, about to remark on it. But his expression is heavy, bleak. His eyes have a faraway look, like he’s remembering unpleasant things.

“Hades,” I say, tugging at his arm.

“Hm?” He looks at me, his eyes refocusing. “I was just…” He pauses, sighing. “I was thinking of my mother.”

I squeeze his arm gently. “Tell me about her.”

“She was… complicated.” He sighs again, a forlorn sound. “My father was in politics. He inherited most of this island from his father and ran every single business with an eye to the profit margins. He didn’t care about people. He was only interested in amassing more power.” He licks his bottom lip and looks off into the distance. “He was known for being… intense, I guess.”

“You said he was violent,” I push, being as gentle as I know how to be. “Did he… did he have something to do with the scars on your back?”

A bleat of unexpected laughter bursts from his lips. “Every single day that I lived under this roof, my father found something to be angry about. First, he’d go for my mother. Then when he’d beaten her into submission, he’d come after me.” A tiny wince puckers his face. “My mother could never stand up to him when he got angry.”

I run my fingers down his arm and pick up his hand. Hades looks at me, a brow arching.

“I’m sorry,” I say, pinning him with my gaze. “That must have been scary for all of you.”

“It was a long time ago.” He shrugs as if he doesn’t care, but I can see the misery in his eyes.

“Has your mom… passed away?” I guess.

“I wouldn’t know.” He snorts and starts walking again. “She left when I was young. My father found out that she planned to go. She had been putting money aside, I guess, and had us pack bags.” His expression blanks into a mask. “As ye can imagine, my father absolutely lost his mind. He couldn’t let people know that he beat his wife and children so badly that they ran away! So…” He stops, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. “He gave her a choice. She could leave without us… or stay with us. Obviously, she chose to leave.”

“Oh, Hades.” I tug at his hand, pulling him to a stop. I look up at him for a long moment, biting my lower lip. Then I slip my arms around his shoulders, bringing my head to his chest. My ribs ache as I lift my arms, but I ignore it.