Page 2 of Winning Back Persephone (Jinx Paranormal Dating Agency #9)

PERSEPHONE

I'd been to a couple of parties hosted by the Jinx Dating Agency before, but I was surprisingly nervous about tonight. Maybe it was because I still had my mother's insistence in my ears about trying to date more. And if there was somewhere that I would try that, it would be with Jinx. But not the dating app. I didn't want people choosing to date me just because of who I was.

There was a part of me that wanted to turn around to go home, but the thought of the empty flat waiting for me was too much to take. I turned the corner and let out a sigh of relief when I saw Hel waiting for me outside the hotel. At least I didn't have to enter alone. I waved at the Norse goddess.

She smiled as she saw me approach. "No Demeter tonight?"

"Definitely not," I responded. "I will do anything I can to keep my personal life away from my mother. You know that."

"Mmm, she does tend towards the meddlesome."

"Speaking of meddlesome parents. What about Loki? Is he here tonight?"

"I think so." An affectionate smile crossed her face, making me briefly jealous over her good relationship with her father. "You know what my father is like whenever he thinks he has a chance to do karaoke."

I grimaced. "Please tell me that's not going to happen tonight."

She shrugged. "From what I've heard, there's always an office memo that goes out before events reminding everyone to keep him away from it."

I shook my head in amusement and the two of us made our way into the hotel that was hosting tonight's party.

"So, are you thinking about signing up for Jinx?" Hel asked.

"I've no idea," I admitted. "My mother is encouraging me to date, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that."

"Could that be because you always manage to turn any conversation around so we're talking about..."

"Hades," I said.

"Well, yes. I was getting there," the Norse goddess said.

"No, I mean, Hades. He's here." I looked past her to where the crowd parted, and I spotted my former husband in a well-fitting suit and his dark hair in general disarray. A weird feeling passed through me as I looked at him. I hadn't expected to find him at any Jinx event, never mind one I was attending.

Hel sighed. "Should I make him leave?"

"You can't do that," I protested. "He's a guest."

"And you're not going to have a good time if he's here."

"It's fine. I'll just go say hello and get it over with."

The expression she gave me said it all. I knew how my friends felt about my break-up with Hades. It wasn't that they disliked him, far from it, actually. They were just fed up with me talking about him. They had no idea just how much time I spent thinking about Hades and the way things ended between us. It hadn't even been dramatic, maybe it would have been easier if it had been, then I could have been hurt and then moved on.

Instead, all I was left with was an aching deep within me that never seemed to fade, one that wanted a return to the life I'd had a couple of years ago and the comfort that came from knowing that I was settled.

And happy.

I pushed the thoughts aside as I arrived by Hades and cleared my throat.

He turned to face me, surprise registering on his face before he looked me up and down, making me feel appreciated in a way only he could. "You look good, Sephie," he said in his low and inviting voice.

My traitorous heart fluttered in response. "So do you. The suit even looks like it was bought this century."

He chuckled. "It was. Poseidon insisted I get a new one if I was going to start using Jinx's services."

This time, my heart constricted, but I didn't let myself dwell on the idea of him dating. I'd renounced my right to complain about that when I'd walked out of the door. "I'm surprised you let him take you shopping."

"I hired a personal shopper instead," he admitted. "He came to the club with options."

"Ah."

"Do you want a drink?" he asked, nodding towards my empty hand.

"Oh, I'm here with Hel," I said, looking over to where the blue-haired goddess was already talking to someone else. "I just thought I should get the awkwardness out of the way so we didn't run into one another by accident."

"I see." He studied me with a thoughtful expression on his face, like he was having thoughts he wanted to share. If we'd still been together, I'd have asked him what they were. But despite the fact I wanted to know, I'd given up the right to ask.

"So, erm, yes." I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "It's good to see you. You're looking well."

"Yes." He met my gaze, and I was transfixed, barely able to think as it felt like he was staring straight into my soul and seeing all of the things that made me the person I was. He'd assured me many times that it was nothing to do with any magic he held and that it was all in my imagination, but it was hard to reconcile that with the way he made me feel when he looked at me. There was magic in his gaze, even if he didn't realise it.

"I should go," I murmured, finally managing to pull myself away. I gave him a strange half-wave that could definitely have been better. I wasn't used to feeling this awkward around people, but then again, it wasn't every day that I found out my former husband had decided to start dating again. I wasn't ready for that. And I supposed I'd assumed he wouldn't be ready for that either.

I sighed and made my way back over to where Hel was, resisting the urge to look back over my shoulder to where Hades was. I doubted I was going to be able to focus on anything other than his presence now that I knew he was here.

Hel turned when she saw me coming. "So? What's he doing here?"

"Using Jinx's services, apparently." I looked over to where my former husband was now in conversation with another woman. My insides tightened and it took everything I had not to let any hint of my jealousy out. It wasn't fair for me to act on it.

"Unexpected."

"Maybe my mother is right. I should be dating myself. But I don't want to be on the app."

"There's the matchmaking service?" Hel suggested. "It's a bit more of a personal touch. And there are some events and parties you can go to. I think Qetesh organises lock and key parties, they might be your thing."

I raised an eyebrow. "Where you're expected to date someone based on something as arbitrary as randomly assigned keys unlocking randomly assigned locks?"

"You don't have to date anyone at them," she responded. "The keys and locks are just to get people talking."

"Hmm."

"You might have fun," she prompted. "I did when I went."

"I thought you weren't looking to date anyone?"

She shrugged. "I'm not, but that doesn't mean I can't have fun looking around. I don't always buy a new outfit when I go shopping either."

"I can't really say I relate," I admitted.

"That's because you were married to the same man for over two thousand years."

"We broke up for a bit."

"Ah, I forgot about that, it was before my time."

"It was a long time ago," I admitted. "I'm over it."

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you, though?"

I considered it for a moment. It had been two millennia ago, it wasn't something I should still have strong feelings about. "It made me feel better that the humans believed I turned her into a mint plant because I was jealous. But I am over it. Neither Hades or Minthe did anything wrong, we weren't together at the time. I think it had been five or six years between us calling an end to things and the two of them starting their affair."

Hel gave me a strange look.

"What?"

"If you're calling it an affair, then it's probably not something you're over."

"Well, no. I guess not. Would you like it if your husband fell in love with someone else?"

"I've never been married. But as you said, you were broken up."

"I know, I know. But I've never stopped loving him." I looked over to where the god in question seemed to be laughing at whatever the beautiful redhead in front of him was saying.

I curled my hand into a fist and tried to ignore the intensity of the jealousy rising within me. I had no right to feel this way. I had ended things, he could do what he wanted.

"If you feel so strongly, why did you break up?" Hel asked. "Or is he the one who ended it?"

"No, it was me." I tore my gaze away. "Hades just likes things the way they are, he never wants to go for the next big thing, and I just felt like I needed someone who would go for that with me." But I was also starting to think that I was wrong.

"Mmm, you are always busy with your businesses. What's your latest one again?"

"Handbags. The launch is next month," I responded, happy to be off the subject of Hades, even if I was sure my mind would be back there almost immediately. "I've been having a lot of fun designing them." I lifted up the one under my arm.

"All right, give it to me." She held out her hands for the bag.

I gave it over, watching her intently as she investigated it. From the outside, it was sleek and black, with a chain woven through the handle, but within, it was bright, with the lining decorated in flowers.

Hel laughed. "This couldn't be more you."

"Mysterious and dark on the outside, but full of spring florals on the inside," I acknowledged.

"Not all of us make the stories about us our personality," she said, handing my bag back.

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow, looking pointedly at her light-blue hair. She could pretend it was her natural colour all she wanted, but I knew better.

She ignored me and summoned one of the servers with a tray of drinks, picking up a glass of champagne. I got one for myself, trying not to get too side-tracked when I spotted Hades across the room again.

I couldn't let him distract me. I was at a Jinx Dating Agency party, and I was going to make the most of it. And tomorrow, I'd look at one of their packages and start the process of actually moving on from my former husband.