“What’s in here? Rocks?” He asked, hiking my bag up over his shoulder. He’d refused to let me carry it, and now he was complaining.
“Presents.” I explained.
“For who?”
“All of you.”
“We don’t celebrate Christmas in the Underworld, Nyx.”
“I don’t care. I wanted to get you all something. There’s also more cookies in there and some of the things Iris and Callie got me.”
“Nobody will be prepared to give you anything back at the manor.”
“I don’t need anything. Coming back is enough.”
He didn’t say anything to that and the two of us fell into a comfortable silence.
We rounded the corner where the two double doors stood, fixed into a wall of murals. I’d come back here after he’d dropped me off to see if they’d always been there, but they’d been gone.
I said as much as we walked through and he smirked, “I can’t leave the doors to the Underworld open, Nyx.”
“I figured.” I said, as Fitz began to move up my arm, brought out of his metal state with the crossover. “I was just curious.”
“As always.”
Chapter 9
Jane was sitting on the steps at the front of the house when we walked up the drive and when she saw us she ran and just about tackled me with the force of her hug. Salem’s free hand went to my back to steady me as I returned Jane’s hug.
“I missed you, Nyx.” Jane said, her voice muffled with her face in my shirt.
“It was a longer wait for me, Jane.”
“That’s what Salem said. It’s been a few days for us.”
“A month for me.”
She pulled her face from my stomach but kept her hands wrapped around my hips. “That’s like for-evvv-er.” She stated, exaggerating the word as she scrunched up her nose, “I couldn’t wait that long for anything.”
I snickered, “It felt like for-evvv-er. I didn’t like it.”
“Does that mean you’re going to live here now?”
Her question tugged at something inside me and my smile faltered a bit.
Salem didn’t have the same reaction. “She has to go back, Jane. It’s her home. We’ve talked about it.”
“Here could be her home.” She pointed out.
“Jane.” Salem said her name as a warning and she hung her head.
Eager to change the subject I said, “I’ve brought you a present.”
“You did?” Her head shot back up and her eyes were alight. She was back to her bouncy self immediately, my living arrangements forgotten momentarily.
Jane didn’t let me go as we walked up the stairs and I noticed that Salem’s hand hadn’t left my back either.
“Let Nyx get settled and then you can open it.” Salem said, and Jane ran up and opened the door for us. I wasted no time in pulling my bag from Salem’s grip and he let me.
“There.” I said, setting the bag down in the foyer. “All settled.”
Jane burst into giggles and Salem shook his head but he was smirking.
“I’ll go get the others.” He said, and headed towards the library.
Jane helped me pull all the presents out of the bags and then made herself useful by handing them out as everyone arrived.
Jane wasted no time as she ripped the wrapping off of hers.
“More books!” She squealed, “Thank you, thank you!”
She pulled each one out and looked over the covers like she was unboxing long-lost treasures. I was so enraptured with her response that I didn’t realize the rest of them had started unwrapping theirs until Tasha had gasped.
Her eyes didn’t leave the robe as she ran her fingers over the pale pink silk, inspecting the markings sewn with gold thread.
Charon chuckled, pulling my attention to him next as he said, “You remembered. Thank you, miss.”
“You’re in there, but don’t be offended.”
“Not me, miss. It would have been my twenty-second great grandfather. He was the first to hold the post.” He said as he started to sift through the pages of the Greek mythology book.
Joshua let out a whoop and I saw him sifting through the couple of games I had set on his new console.
“This is freaking awesome, Nyx! Thank you!”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Salem groaned. “Do you know how long we heard about it when his last one broke? If that happens again, I’m shutting the two of you in a room so you can listen to him complain about it being the end of the world.”
I couldn’t help the laugh as Joshua shot a glare at Salem.
Each of them thanked me and then started to gravitate towards each other, talking excitedly as they showed off their gifts. I zipped up my bag as the four of them started for the library, leaving Salem and I in the foyer.
I looked up and saw the box still in Salem’s hands, “You didn’t open yours.”
“I thought I’d wait.”
“It’s not much. It took me forever to figure out what to get you. I asked Iris what she would get the King of the Underworld as a hypothetical, but I couldn’t think of a way to gift wrap a dog and her other suggestion was…” I trailed off. Not even I had the balls to tell him what she’d suggested. “Well I couldn’t get you that either.” I finished quickly, leaning down to start picking up Jane’s wrapping paper on the ground.
“What was the other suggestion?”
My neck felt hot and I focused on cleaning up, not thinking before I opened my mouth.
“I don’t remember.” I lied, remembering too late he would hear it.
I glanced over at him and saw the shock on his face. “You just lied to me.”
“I did.”
“Why?”
“Just open your presents, Salem.”
“No. I want to know what you’re lying about and why your cheeks are pink.”
“I don’t want to tell you.”
“Then I don’t want to open your gift.” He replied stubbornly.
“Are there forensics in the Underworld? Fingerprinting? DNA?” I snapped, picking up my bag and heading for the stairs. He followed me as I contemplated my success rate in killing him if he wouldn’t let this go.
“No, but you can’t kill me.”
“Why?”
“You’d be stuck here. I’m the only one that can open the doors.”
“You’re saying that like it’s a bad thing.” I quipped. “You’d be amazed how much the manor would open up without your know-it-all attitude stuffing up the place.”
I picked up my pace but so did he.
“You have built an entire reputation around telling the truth here, why lie now?”
“Because Iris and me are two different people and honestly, I don’t think I can look you in the eye and say it.”
“Don’t look me in the eye then.”
We’d gotten to my door and I opened it, setting my bag down on the bed. Fitz immediately slithered onto the bed and then to the nightstand. I turned the light on as he curled around it and then turned back to Salem.
“Please, I don’t want to argue with you. Open your presents.”
“Tell me why you were blushing.”
I sucked in a big breath and then let it out slowly. I could bite down my pride and tell him, right?
“How about you open your presents and then I tell you?” I opted, hoping the gifts would distract him.
“How about you tell me while I open my presents.”
“Ugh, fine.”
He flipped the box over and inserted a finger between the wrapping paper, but paused to look at me.
“Iris’ idea for a hot King of the Underworld in a hypothetical situation,” I started, watching him rip the paper off the box, “was to give you myself wrapped in a red bow.”
My face was probably as red as my hair, but I kept going since he’d paused with his hands at the lid, his body going completely still.
“But since her mind built the gutter that dirty mind
s like to play in, I opted not to listen to that advice. Now finish with that box or I will take it and beat you to death with it.” I finished, turning back to my bag and unzipping it.
I grabbed a handful of clothes and walked towards the closet. Wanting time for my face to cool down before I walked back out, I took extra time putting my clothes away. I shut the drawer and turned to see him standing in the doorway. He was cycling through the half dozen movies I’d purchased. He’d like most of them, but some of them I’d picked up in the hopes of expanding his singular genre collection. Shaun of the Dead, Without A Paddle, and one of my personal favorites, Pitch Black. The last one in the stack was one I’d seen as I was headed for the checkout, but I couldn’t resist.
It was also the one that had one of his brows rising as he turned it towards me after my second trip to the closet, “A cartoon?”
“Hercules. You’re in that one.”
“Not me.”
“Yeah, I know. Your forty fifth great uncle’s cousin, three times removed was the original and whatever. We’re watching it and when you’re done with it, give it to Jane. She’ll probably like it.”
He grimaced, “Unfortunately, Jane doesn’t watch cartoons. She likes romances.”
Dropping my mouth open in mock horror I teased, “Oh, how horrible.” I moved to go by him but he straightened, filling the doorway and I looked up at him and watched as he grinned at me.
“About as horrible as telling me what you were considering of getting me as a gift.”
I felt my cheeks heat again and tried to get by a second time, but he still didn’t move. Flustered and frustrated made me narrow my eyes and snap, “I never said I considered it.”
His grin turned wicked and he let me pass, but I knew why when he spoke again.
“Did you consider it?”
A direct question. Perfect. I could tell the truth and be absolutely mortified or I could lie and be absolutely mortified. So, I did neither.
In response I chucked my now empty duffle at him and said, “We’re watching the cartoon first now.”
✽✽✽
“The Underworld isn’t anything like that.” Salem griped as the credits rolled. “Besides, no Hades has ever been that whiny and none of them ever owned a Cerberus.”
I’d been snickering over his commentary throughout the movie and his outbursts when Hades did something Salem found ridiculous, but this comment had the smile dropping from my face as I shifted to sit up a little straighter. It was hard to do since Jane had joined us and had fallen asleep on my lap, but I managed.
“Woah, Cerberus exist?”
“Of course.”
“Why don’t you have one?”
“They live in caves mostly. They can’t be tamed, hunt in packs and would eat you as soon as look at you.”
“Thus, the basis of appeal for one as a guard dog.”
“Sure, if you have a death wish.” He scoffed grabbing the last cookie out of the box and splitting it, handing me half. “Anyway, ignoring all of that, we don’t have a way to communicate with Heaven, the Mount, Aaru or Valhalla. It’s all segregated.”
“But they exist too?”
He shrugged, “If the histories are to be believed.”
I chewed slowly as I pondered the information.
“Flaming hair and blue skin.” He scoffed, finishing off his cookie as he shook his head.
“Yes, because that is much less believable than knowing a human lie detector that can summon doors and command souls.” I pointed out, “Though you have to admit, it would be cool to throw fire like he does.”
“Fire is nothing compared to what a vitality orb can do.”
“Vitality what now?”
He looked over at me and then extended his hand palm up. A violet ball the size of a softball formed above his hand. It crackled with energy and turned ever so slightly in the air. I reached forward to touch it but he closed his hand into a fist before I got close, extinguishing it.
“That would kill you.” He stated, dropping his arm and leaning back into his chair. “It’s a defensive power that I don’t like to use.”
“Why not?”
“Because it doesn’t just kill someone. It strips their soul and damns it to the River forever. They never have a chance at redemption or moving on.”
“That’s a good reason not to use it.”
“I think so too. Now, I’ll take her to her room and you need to get to the kitchens.”
“Why?”
“You’ve started something. Charon would like to put in a Christmas dinner order for your last night and the others are going shopping for gifts to return. It would seem the Underworld now celebrates Christmas.”
I spent the rest of the afternoon with Charon while Salem worked and Tasha and Joshua went shopping. I tried to protest the shopping trip, but they’d insisted.
Charon had written down everything I’d told him regarding dinner and we’d spent the rest of the time talking and finishing a pitcher of strawberry lime juice. I’d had my doubts that the two fruits could work together, but the sweet and tart worked to complement each other.
I talked while Charon doodled on a blank piece of paper.
The staff worked around us, and while they hadn’t let their guard down around me as much as Charon, I caught a couple grinning or holding back laughter as I told Charon about some of my past Christmases at Ms. Ivy’s.
I was headed up to retrieve Fitz for dinner when I heard Jane and she didn’t sound happy. The sound led me towards Salem’s study and as I got closer I was able to make out her words.
“P-please.” She sobbed, “You can make her st-st-stay!”
“I can’t.” Salem said, trying and failing to keep a harshness from entering his voice.
“You can!”
“Nyx has a home, Jane, and it isn’t here. She doesn’t want to stay indefinitely.”
“But I want her to stay and so do you. She’s nice and she likes it here. I want her here!” The door was opened wide enough for a small body to fit through and I stopped as I took in the scene. Jane was curled up on the floor, her back against one of Salem’s chairs. Salem was facing the fireplace, his forearm on the mantle and his head resting against his hand.
“Enough, Jane. It’s almost dinner time. Why don’t you—”
“Just give them to her! Then she’ll stay!”
My heart melted a little at the thought Jane wanted me to stay so badly she was trying to get Salem to give me gifts, but Salem’s reaction pushed those feelings to the side. His entire body stiffened at the mention of it and the one word he spoke was done with such finality Jane started to cry harder.
“No.”
“You gave them us!”
“Those were special circumstances and you know it.”
“What if Nyx is being hurt?” Jane wailed and even though I was pretty lost, I could tell she was grasping at straws.
“She isn’t.”
“But—”
“That’s enough, Jane. I’m done talking about this. You’re excused.”
I backtracked to my room before I got caught, contemplating what I could do to ease her pain. As much as I liked it here, I couldn’t stay forever. I couldn’t disappear from Callie and Iris’ lives.
Chapter 10
Joshua and Tasha made it back in time for dinner and as we all sat down everyone seemed in a good mood. Everyone except Salem.
When Charon joined us for desert, Salem hadn’t spoken a single word and had barely looked up from his plate.
“Is Charon your name or is it a title?”
“A title, miss, but I prefer it’s use. It’s proper.”
“Charon would be much happier if Salem went by Hades instead of his name.” Tasha added, smiling at Charon who nodded.
“Propriety is nothing to be ashamed of.” He retorted.
“And what about you, Salem? Do you prefer Hades or Salem?” I asked, trying to get him out of his mood by including him in the discussion.
Trying to bait him into a full sentence, I did something I knew would get his attention. I lied.
“I think I like Hades better.”
His eyes snapped up to mine and he arched a brow in my direction but said nothing. Fine, I’d just have to work harder then.
“Did you like the meal?”
“Yes.”
“What about dessert?”
“Excellent.”
“And my gift?”
He set down his fork and sat back in his chair, giving me his full focus as he crossed his arms over his chest, “Gracious.”
He knew what I was trying to do and was going out of his way to beat me at my game. That was fine. I knew how to play to win.
“Would the other ideas have gone over better?” I asked nonchalantly as I picked up my water glass and sipped it, my eyes never leaving his.
I saw it.
A twitch of his lips so quick I’d have missed it if I’d blinked.
“Are you offering?”
Ha! A full sentence. My smile grew until his words fully registered and it faded as fast as it had come, my victory bitter-sweet.
“What other ideas?” Joshua asked, his mouth full.
His eyes flashed with amusement and before he could say anything I blurted, “I was going to get him a puppy.”
“A puppy?” Jane asked excitedly.
Salem nodded, “A Cerberus.”
Jane scrunched up her features, “You can’t get one of those, Nyx. They’re mean.”
“Yes, Salem informed me.”
The conversation was on its way out of dangerous territory until Tasha veered right back into it.
“Wait, you said gifts plural. What was—”
“I am excusing myself. I think I’ll take a walk before bed to work off dinner. It was amazing Charon, thank you.”
“Of course,” Charon said, “Tomorrow we’ll celebrate Christmas dinner.”
“Sounds good.”
I dropped Fitz off in my room, knowing he wouldn’t appreciate the chilly air like I would and had just made it back to the front door when my name was called. I turned to see Salem walking out of the dining room.
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