Chapter 16.
Maia
“Morning,” Penelope trailed a light finger along my spine, her touch warm and ticklish.
I turned to look at her, not bothering to cover up. Instead, my attention was taken up by the beautiful woman right next to me, a wonderful first thing to see in the morning. “You’re awake.”
“Hmm-hmm.” She leaned on her elbow, her hair messy and wild. “How did you sleep?”
“Barely,” I chuckled, unsure whether it was appropriate to kiss her or not. I felt like we decided something last night but there was a difference between agreeing to start a relationship and kissing in the morning.
I sat up against the headboard, taking in the room. It was elegant but impersonal without little touches or trinkets to reflect the owner of the Mansion. Empty.
“What time is it?” I asked, twisting out of the bed so I could reach my crumpled dress on the floor.
“Early.”
The sheets behind me rustled and I felt Penelope’s warmth before I her hands trailed up my back.
She pressed a kiss on my shoulder and I relaxed into her touch, allowing myself to indulge for one more moment before it was back to reality.
I turned and captured her in a lazy kiss, savouring the tenderness.
The movement of her lips brought back memories of the night and all the places on my body she kissed, teased, and pleased.
“I should go,” I told her, reluctantly pulling away. “Which way would you like me to leave? I imagine you probably don’t want your entire household to find out I spend the night.”
Penelope watched me, her eyes following me as I gathered my things through the room. “I don’t mind. You can have breakfast here or I can sneak you out. Whichever you’re most comfortable with.”
“Really? You want to have breakfast with me?”
She shrugged, letting the covers fall away. “Why not?”
I slipped my dress back on and turned, hoping she would do my zipper up. “And you wouldn’t care if you servants saw me?”
“No, this is my home.” She pressed her warm body into me, her arms wrapping around me. Her lips tickled the shell of my ear, her breath hot. “Inside these walls, I get to be me and do what I want.”
“And outside?” I asked, turning to examine her.
“Out there I play the part of Persephone. It’s still me but a curated version of me.”
“Ah.” I stepped back, trying to unravel my ball of feelings.
“Yeah, I understand. I like to keep certain things curated too. I should go.” I grabbed my heels and wrestled them on, almost falling over.
I wasn’t sure why I was frustrated, it wasn’t like she said anything unreasonable and yet, I was feeling the urge to storm out.
“Maia, Maia, Maia.” Penelope chased after me, grabbing me before I could leave her chambers. “Stop.”
“What?” I snapped, a little harsher than I intended.
“I’m not saying I want to keep this a secret. I just don’t want to do anything we’re not comfortable with. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been a making-out-in-public-person.”
“Me either.”
She drew me in for a kiss, holding me close. “But I also don’t want to hide. What other people say about me is none of my business. Okay?”
“Okay.” I relaxed in her arms, not sure why this was affecting me like this.
I didn’t want to broadcast this either, it was too new, too fresh, and there was too much at stake.
Still, I appreciated us being able to talk about this.
“I don’t think I’m quite ready for breakfast but I’ll leave through the front door. ”
Penelope nodded, kissing me again before she opened the door. “I’ll walk you out.”
I worried about someone giving us a weird look on our way back to the front door but nobody even batted an eye. Maybe it wasn’t all that weird to have the Hades and Persephone under the same roof or maybe they knew to mind their own business.
“I had a lovely night,” I said, smoothing out my hair in one of my many reflections.
“Me too.” She pecked my lips. “I’ll see you soon.”
It wasn’t a question and I liked her confidence on the matter. “I’ll see you soon,” I confirmed, stepping out of the mansion. I wasn’t sure why I expected bright sunlight, maybe it just felt right after being inside for so long, but the morning was only a shade lighter than the previous evening.
I took my carriage back to the castle, barely noticing the shaking and wobbling. I was too lost in thoughts of the memories of the night and the curiosity of how things were going to play out.
Stephan greeted me at the entrance, his suit crisp and his expression neutral. “Welcome back, Your Darkness. Breakfast in the Grey Hall?”
My stomach grumbled and I nodded, pleased there wasn’t an interrogation or search party waiting on this end. “Yes, thank you. Anything happen while I was gone?”
“No, everything is exactly as it should be.” He opened the doors of the Grey Hall for me. “Enjoy your morning, Your Darkness.”
I filled my plate with my favourite things while humming a little song to myself. Everything tasted just a little sweeter this morning but I was pretty sure that had nothing to do with the food.
Once I was finished, I retreated to my study to prepare my upcoming meetings and go over the rest of my reports.
Even though Penelope and I were clearly getting on, that wasn’t going to be enough to get the Underworld running again.
It needed solid investment and time on my account with some drastic changes that had to be made very carefully.
Towards the evening, a knock sounded on the closed doors and Erebus entered with a bow. “I apologise for disturbing you but Persephone is requesting to see you.”
I looked up from my file. “Sorry? Penelope is here? Why?”
“She didn’t say, Your Darkness.”
“Let her in. I’ll receive her in my office,” I said, quickly checking my reflection in the paperknife.
I rose from my desk so I could meet her by the door only to change my mind and sit down in the little salon.
That felt too casual so I jumped back up to return to my desk where I’d look all powerful.
The doors opened again and Penelope strode in, exuding confidence in every step. Now that was power.
“Your Darkness,” she teased, her eyes flickering with amusement.
“Your Greatness,” I returned, waiting for Erebus to leave before I rose up. “What brings you here?”
She placed a file on my desk, her smirk never wavering. “I realised I forgot to hand you this file during our last meeting.”
“Ah, so this is work related?” I grinned, joy sparking in my chest. Even I could see through a thin ruse like that. I joined Penelope on the other side of my desk, leaving a respectable gap between us. “Couldn’t find a single messenger in that golden Mansion of yours?”
“No, this document is far too important, I had to deliver it personally. Building a good working relationship with you is a priority to me,” she remarked, reaching out to me. She trailed her fingers up my arm, her touch light but surprisingly intimate. “Unless you prefer a courier next time?”
Feeling brave, I closed the gap and kissed her mouth, lingering for only a fraction of the time I wanted to. “No, if it’s important it’s better if you come yourself.”
“I’m glad you see it that way because we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”
I smiled against her lips, a warm glow settling over me. I’d never expected to fall in love in the Underworld but I welcomed it with open arms. I wanted to make this work and we had eternity to figure it out. Together.
Chapter 16.
Maia
Waking up next to a sleeping Penelope was quickly becoming a familiar sight.
The beautiful woman stirred next to me, pulling the duvet to her side so I had nothing left.
With a sigh, I grabbed the spare blanket from the bottom of the bed.
After a few months, I’d gotten used to her hogging the covers.
Sleep eluded me and I slipped out of bed, tiptoeing to the large window of my bed chambers.
I pulled the dark curtains back, inviting the faint light into the room.
The green mist hanging over the Underworld was a familiar sight by now and it didn’t bother me, but I knew Penelope suffered from the lack of sunlight.
While I admired the view, the sheets behind me rustled and footsteps sounded on the cold floor. Two warm arms snaked around my waist and tightened around me. “Morning,” Penelope breathed, her chin resting on my shoulder.
“Hi,” I murmured, the butterflies rising now she was awake. I snuggled into her embrace, her touch familiar and comforting. “Did I wake you?”
“Yes, but it’s fine. I need to get back to the Mansion.” She sighed at the view. “Wow, it looks like it’s miserable weather again.”
“It always is.” I turned in her arms and pressed a soft kiss on her lips. “Are you sure you don’t want to have breakfast together?”
Penelope yawned and scratched the side of her face. “No, I’ve already slept over twice, I need to get back. I can’t get too distracted by this and forget to do my job.”
“This?” I repeated teasingly.
The usually confident woman averted her gaze, her cheeks flushing. “Our relationship.”
“You’re adorable.” I pressed another kiss on her lips and untangled myself from her, albeit reluctantly. She was right, we had a busy day ahead and while this was a great start, we couldn’t get lost in each other. Even if we wanted to.
“We should get dressed,” she said, reaching for her clothes from last night. Her blue dress rippled like water, the supple fabric cascading down her body. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t look away from the beautiful woman. Contentment glowed warm in my chest as I watched her get ready for the day.
“I can feel you looking at me,” Penelope quipped despite having her back turned to me.
I chuckled, resting on the bed. “Am I not allowed to look?”
She turned around and pressed a kiss on my lips. “You’re allowed. But you should get dressed too.”
“I was distracted watching you,” I admitted.
She laughed and gave me a gentle push towards my wardrobe. “Go on. Hurry. We have an Underworld to run. Don’t be late to our meeting.”