“If I get it wrong, it just means more ice cream,” he whispered when he pulled away.
“Five: bright side kind of guy.”
Straightening, he smiled. “No one calls me a bright-side guy. That’s all you.”
“I trust you,” I said, meeting his gaze. I meant more than when it came to ice cream, but he didn’t need to know that yet.
He took a couple steps backwards, watching me with this grin that made a squeal bubble from between my boobs to the back of my throat. This guy. This guy was going to wreck me for all other men.
I ran my fingers under my eyes again when he turned around to read the menu above the cash register. My phone vibrated in my back pocket and I pulled it out.
Mom: Where are you?
Uh-oh. She’d probably heard about the grease fire and was freaking out. It would be easier if I just called her to tell her I was okay. Hitting the button to connect the call, I waited for her to answer.
“Korey? Where are you? Are you okay?” She spoke a mile a minute.
“I’m fine,” I replied. “It was just a grease fire. Bill gave us all the day off. I’m in town.” I lowered my voice. “On a date.”
“With who?” she asked, which was a fair question. I hadn’t gone out on a date in over a year, and that one, like every single other date before it, just bored me out of my skull. Or felt wrong. A guy would pick me up and we’d only get two minutes down the road when I wanted the date to be over.
There was a good two or three years before that last date where I’d said no to everyone who asked me.
“His name is Hayden, and he came into the diner.”
“I don’t know any Haydens.” She was about to lay into me. I could tell. Mom used this tone when she was winding up to something. “He’s not a local guy.”
“No,” I answered. “I don’t think so. We haven’t gotten to that part yet. I’ll let you know though.” Hayden was paying and I wanted to get off the phone.
“What’s his last name?”
“What’s with the third degree?” Sometimes the woman was a pill. “Mom. I’m fine. He’s nice. He took me for ice cream and I drove myself. I’ll see you Friday night for dinner.”
There was a quick intake of breath on the other end before silence.
“I love you,” I said to her.
No answer.
“I’ll text you when I’m home.”
Nothing.
“Bye, Mom.”
Hayden turned around, two huge ice cream cones in his hands.
“He’s bringing back ice cream. Gotta go. Love you.” I kissed into the phone. “Don’t be mad!”
I slipped the phone into my pocket as he held out the cone for me. “You okay?” he asked.
“Just my mom,” I replied. “She’s not used to me going on dates. I think I threw her off.”
He opened his mouth as if he has more questions, but then shook his head. I took a lick of the ice cream and groaned. “Cherry chocolate jubilee.”
“It was that or black raspberry.” He licked his ice cream.
“Either one would have worked. What did you get?”
He held it out to me, lifting his eyebrows questioningly. I wasn’t afraid of germs. Leaning forward, I swiped my tongue over it and groaned. “That’s good. What is it?”
“Vanilla and pomegranate.”
“Yum. I’ll try that next time.”
“So, did I get it right?” He gestured to my ice cream.
“Do you want to try?” I asked.
He nodded and I held it out to him. Eyes on mine, he took a long slow lick around the outside of my cones, and now I needed new underwear.
“It’s good.” He had a little spot of chocolate on his lower lip. Without thinking, I reached to wipe it away, but he stopped me. He drew my thumb into his mouth, swirled his tongue over it, and then pulled it out, sucking gently. “But that was delicious.”
My brain went offline. I blinked at him, hoping it would reboot before my ice cream melted into the puddle with my underwear.
When it became clear that such a hope was pointless, he cleared his throat. “So what did you mean about feeling stupid?”
Geezo. He went right for the big issues, didn’t he? “I think it’s pretty obvious I’m not a smart girl.”
“Why in the world would you think that?” Eyebrows drawn together, he studied me.
I waved my hand and took another bite to give me time to answer. “It’s no big deal,” I said. “I know where my strengths are. I’ve known since I was little, thanks to every teacher I’ve ever had, and my parents, who would agree with them. I’m good at growing things. At driving the tractor. I make change like a pro, and can remember orders without writing them down—which I still do, but more for the customer than me. I have mastered witchcraft as you can tell from my liquid liner.” I waved my hand over my eyes. “And I have a pretty face.”
“You’re smart.” He said it like it wasn’t up for discussion.
“You don’t know me well enough yet,” I replied. “You’ll see. By the end of this date, you’ll probably be all, ‘Korey’s pretty, but we talked about nothing.’ “
“I won’t be like that at all. I don’t give a rat’s ass about pretty. I like who you are, Korey. That’s why I’ve…” He sighed. “I’ll be right back.” He took his ice cream to the trash and tossed it in. As he returned, his gaze went to the window and I turned in my seat.
Small balls of hail pelted the window and covered the sidewalk. Outside, people ran into their cars and shops to get out of the way. A particularly large ball hit my car, shattering the windshield. “What the shit?” Great.
It was coming down faster now, and heavier as the sky darkened. I leaned forward, but Hayden stopped me. “Look at the sky.”
What I thought was gray, was starting to look more green. In the distance, an air siren suddenly went off and I whirled toward him. “Tornado.”
He grabbed my hand, yanking me out of the chair so fast I dropped my ice cream, which was the real tragedy.
“Come on!” The guy behind the counter waved his arms at us. “Get in the freezer!”
Hayden and I ran toward him just as something hit the window. Hand on my back, Hayden pushed me forward, through the swinging door and into the back where the guy held the freezer door open.
“Will it lock us in?” I didn’t want to be stuck in some dark, cold room.
Glass shattered behind us and a roar like a freight train filled the store. “No time,” he said, pushing me, and the guy, through before slamming the door shut.
The lights went out and I sucked in a breath.
“It’s okay.” Two warm arms enfolded me and pulled me against a hard chest. It was impossible to ignore the scream of the wind and the way the whole building shook, but Hayden’s heart beat steady under his chest, like he wasn’t worried at all.
“It’s okay,” he whispered. “I promise.”
My teeth chattered from the icy air and he tightened his grip. I shut my eyes. I should have been nicer to my mom. I should have kissed Hayden longer.
If I survive this…
“You’re going to be fine,” he said again. “It’s going to pass right by us.”
I realized that Hayden’s body shook. Was he frightened, too? I held him closer and kissed the spot right over his heart. “We’ve had tornadoes before. They’re not as big in Montana as they are in other places. We should be okay.”
He froze and took a breath to speak, but the roaring reached a fever pitch. My ears suddenly popped, and then it was over.
“I think it’s passed,” the ice cream guy said. “We’re alive!” He started to laugh and wiped his arm over his forehead. “Holy shit. We’re alive.”
“Are you okay?” I asked, tilting my head back to study him.
He was watching the door as the other guy opened it, a deep frown on his face.
“Hayden?”
“Yeah.
” He glanced down at me. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
I took his hands in mine and tugged him toward the door. “Where are you staying? Do you want to go there and make sure you didn’t lose your stuff?” Once we were out, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed home. No one answered. “I have to go to my parents’. I want to make sure they’re all right.”
We stepped outside into a bright, sunny day, blinking to get used to the light. A swath of destruction cut right through Main Street. The ice cream shop was fine, but the hardware store two doors down was leveled.
Anxiety built in my chest as I thought about my family. “I’m sorry, Hayden. I need to go.”
“Wait!” He stopped me when I started for my car. “I’ll drive you. You can’t see out your windshield.”
That was true. I’d have to hang my head out the window like a Golden Retriever in order to see where I was going.
He jogged to his car and opened the door for me, but as I approached, he stared at the ground.
“You’re sure you’re okay?” We had had a near death experience.
“Yes.”
One word. And it wasn’t at all reassuring. He might as well have said, “Fine.” Or texted back with, “K.”
But I got in, and we started off. A dozen times I opened my mouth to speak, but each time I did, his frown was so deep and eyes so dark, I shut it again. It wasn’t until we were turning down the road toward my farm that I realized I hadn’t given him directions. “How do you know where I live?”
He slammed on the brakes. The back end of his truck skidded and the smell of rubber filled the cab. He turned his head toward me, lips twisted in a grimace as he realized what he’d given away.
Shit. Stupid, stupid. Getting in the car had been a mistake.
Hades
Stupid. I was so stupid. My head was so full of what I was going to do when I came face-to-face with Korey’s mother, that I’d forgotten what I wasn’t supposed to know.
Like where she lived.
And now she was staring at me, fear making those beautiful green eyes wide. She placed her hand on the latch as if she was ready to jump out.
It was time to come clean.
“I haven’t been completely honest.”
“About what?” her voice shook and I wanted to reach around and kick my own ass. Clearing her throat, she went on. “What were you not honest about, Hayden?”
Well, my name for starters.
There was blue sky as far as we could see and the sun made the wheat fields bright gold. The tornado hadn’t touched down here, I was certain of that, but in the distance there was something waiting.
Someone.
I could feel the goddess’s power. It traveled under the earth, reaching toward us through every root and speck of dirt.
“I know more about you then I let on,” I spoke quickly, because I wasn’t sure how much time I had before Demeter, her mother, got here. While I was more than certain in my ability to withstand any attack she might advance, I wasn’t going to fight back. She was Korey’s mother—and hurting her would hurt Korey.
Which I would never do.
Demeter wasn’t as considerate, however, if the anger pulsing toward me was any indication.
In the distance, dirt kicked up and an old blue truck came into sight.
“That’s my mom.” Korey opened the door after giving me one more long look. She walked around to the front of the car, and waited.
“Here we go,” I muttered as I opened my door.
By the time I took a spot next to her, the truck had slammed to a stop and the passenger door opened. A tall man who resembled Korey exited the truck and approached us. Interestingly, there wasn’t one iota of power humming around this man.
No. The power was coming off of the tall, blonde, angry goddess sliding from the driver’s seat. She took one look at me, and her golden face paled.
“Leave.” Her voice reverberated in my head, infused with her anger and power. This was just a warning.
“You know I can’t.”
“You mean you won’t.” Wind rustled the tall stalks of grain, a clear sign of her agitation.
“You’re right. I won’t.”
“Is everything okay?” Korey’s voice interrupted us. “Was anyone hurt?”
Demeter blinked slowly before turning her attention back to her daughter. “No. No one was hurt. The farm is fine.”
“What are you doing out here, then?” she asked.
“Coming to find you.”
Korey tilted her head, studying her mother. “Hayden. This is my mom, Demi. And my dad, Jared.”
I stuck my hand out to her father who lifted his, but Demeter pushed his hand down. “Don’t touch him.”
“Mom. What the hell is going on?” Korey’s voice rose, as did the wind. “Why are you being so weird?”
“Did you tell her?” she asked me.
“No,” I said aloud. “I haven’t told her anything.”
“What the fuck is going on?” Whirling toward me, Korey glared. “You’re talking like I’m not standing right next to you.”
I honestly didn’t know what to do. I had hoped the right thing would occur to me while we drove, but it hadn’t. All I could think about was how revealing everything to Korey would sound.
She’d think I was crazy.
Or maybe she wouldn’t.
By driving out here, Demeter was unintentionally giving more credence to everything I’d say.
“Demi…” Korey’s father said quietly. “Tell her.”
Demeter stepped so close to Korey, she stared down at her. Korey was tall, but she was still inches shorter than her mother.
She reached toward Korey to take her face in her hands and the soles of my feet tingled the second before I realized what the goddess was about to do.
A surge of electricity and power exploded out of her, and I was barely able to counter it with my own. Korey and her father were left in a bubble, protected by my power, as the blast from her mother leveled and burned everything around her.
Wrenching herself away from Demeter, she stumbled. “Did—Did you just try to kill me?”
“Demi!” Jared hurried to his daughter. “What were you thinking?”
I stared, half in shock by what I’d just seen. It all suddenly became clear to me, what Demeter had done to hide her daughter for so long.
I thought she’d stolen her, but that wasn’t it at all. She’d killed her.
She’d killed her, and then every time I got close, killed her again.
That tornado wasn’t a warning to me. It was a fucking attempt to murder her daughter.
Years of bitterness and rage boiled up inside of me. Beneath my feet, the ground trembled. I had to get ahold of myself.
“Korey. Can I drive you home?” I asked. And by home—I meant my home with a brief stop at hers—but mostly I just wanted to get her away from here.
“Go with him,” Jared said. He stared at Demeter like he’d never seen her before. “He’ll keep you safe.”
“I can keep myself safe.” Her gaze never left her mother. “Who are you? What is wrong with you?”
“Persephone…” Tears gathered in Demeter’s eyes and then when she realized what she’d called her, they widened. “I can explain everything.”
Korey shook her head. “That’s not my name. I don’t understand what’s happening right now.” She gestured to the fields. “Look at what you did.”
“Korey. Go with Hayden. He’ll explain and we’ll talk later.” Jared’s voice took on a he-who-must-be-obeyed tone, and I studied him a little closer, searching for any sign of power. But there was none. He was mortal, through-and-through.
I reached for her hand, but she didn’t take it. “I can get my own door,” she snapped and headed to the passenger’s side.
Demeter was doing her best impression of a Greek statue, but Korey’s dad nodded at me. “Go on.”
I didn’t turn my back on Demeter as I got into my truck. Once inside, I put a shield around us strong enough to block one of Zeus’s lightning bolts.
I could feel Korey watching me. “Just drive,” she said.
Tires spinning, I got us out of there as fast as I could. Every so often, I hazarded a glance at the girl next to me. Knees tucked to her chin, arms wrapped around herself, she was lost in her own thoughts.
I drove a little faster, and then, because what was the point of hiding it anymore, I used my power to create a safe little haven for us and pulled my truck over.
“Where are we?” She leaned forward, studying the field next to which I parked.
I hadn’t expected her to recognize Nysa, but it still hurt that she didn’t. “This is where you told me you loved me.”
She turned from the window to face me. “I’m pretty fucking done with the cagey comments. Why don’t you spell it out for me?”
Explaining was one thing, but there was one surefire way I could make sure she learned everything.
Reaching forward, I touched my thumb to the center of her forehead and whispered one word, “Remember.”
Korey
I was old enough to know that facts I thought were immutable—I had blonde hair, I loved Hershey kisses—were not, actually, facts. My hair darkened to light brown in the winter, and after I stuffed my face full of Hershey’s on a dare, I had no desire to ever eat one again.
But I had always thought I was me.
I thought I was born like everyone else, and would live and die like them. What came after was a mystery, but I was an in-the-moment girl. I didn’t worry about what happened after I died.
Be kind now and hope for the best, that was my motto I just made up.
So, seeing who I’d been, and who I still was, through Hades’s eyes was a bit of a shock, to put it mildly.
Thousands of memories swamped my brain and threatened to drag me under.
Me and my mother, arguing in huge room, surrounded by marble pillars. Our voices echoed through the hall.
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