Chapter 4 #2
We enter the house, and as I am about to go to Aric’s office, Nisa takes off to her room.
I walk past a couple of rooms, then I finally reach Ares’s door. I knock and wait for him to tell me to enter.
“Come in.”
I open the door slowly and poke my head in. “Hi.”
He has his head bent over a stack of papers; the light from the laptop highlights his hair and face.
“I could have sworn I said come in.” He grunts.
I step into the room and close the door behind me.
“I just came to say we’re back. And ask about Nisa and schooling?” I place my hands behind my back, my fingers digging into each other.
He looks up; his blue eye meets mine. The other is covered by a black leather eyepatch. “I wouldn’t bite unless you ask me to. Please, come closer.”
Was he flirting with me? No way. I step deeper into his office.
“Thank you for today. I wanted to find out about Nisa and school.”
Ares nods. “Yes, Hecate is taking care of that. She will be going to a new private school.”
I nod. “I have to get some more supplies for school. I can do that tomorrow.”
Ares scratches his beard with the back of his hand. “I will take you tomorrow. It’s my day off.”
“No, I can do it.”
Ares taps the side of his scar. “I wasn’t asking your permission, Ms. Maude.”
“Oh, okay. I—”
Then a scream sounds throughout the house.
“It’s Nisa.”
Both Ares and I race to her room. As we open the doors, we see Phobos and Deimos also rushing to the room.
Without thinking, Phobos kicks the door open, and all four of us stand at the door looking at Nisa.
“What’s wrong?” Ares asks.
Nisa turns with ugly little dolls in her arms. “Labubu! Someone got me Labubus. A hundred Labubus.”
Phobos, Deimos, and I turn to Ares. “Labubus. You got her one hundred?” I ask.
Ares looks cornered. “She said she wanted it, and I didn’t know which one I should buy—”
He cuts off when Nisa runs to his thigh and hugs it. “Thank you, Mr. Monster.”
His entire body goes rigid, his hand hovering in the air as if he is forbidden to touch her.
“It’s the best gift ever.”
Slowly his as if she were a glass doll, he brings his hand down and pats her shoulder softly .
“Enjoy.” Ares mutters.
“Mr. Monster?” Deimos blocks his laugh with his fist. Phobos smirks.
Ares looks at them, and the laughing stops.
“Go play, little one.”
Nisa runs off and dives into her Labubus.
“I am going back to the office. Are you two staying for dinner?” He stuffs his hands in his pockets.
“Who’s cooking?” Phobos asks.
Before Ares answers, I raise my hand. “Um, I can cook.”
The three men look at me like I grew an extra head.
“Did I say something wrong?” I ask.
Phobos and Deimos look at Ares.
“No. If you want to cook, you can do that,” he replies softly, then turns and leaves.
Phobos sighs. “Follow me. We can go into the kitchen to see what there is. If not, we can run to the store.”
We leave Nisa playing in her room and head to the kitchen.
ARES
The last time a woman cooked for me, she died some weeks later.
Phobos and Deimos both knew that. I don’t have people cooking for me other than Mrs. Grady.
I don’t have women in my home sleeping under my roof.
Now I have two. What the hell am I doing?
I close the door of my office and move to the large windows.
My eyes rest on the maze that Demeter created for me.
The emerald-green hedges are perfectly symmetrical.
The maze is alive with beauty. There are clusters of crimson red roses spilling over the edges, and red oleander blooms in red blossoms. Maybe I should take Soraya for a walk there after dinner.
She may like the gold marigolds or the fountain.
Maybe we can sit and talk. My mind shifts to an image of her on my lap, with a skirt bunched around her waist. I hold on to her ass tightly as I spear into her.
Her nails dig into my shirt. Her head is thrown back.
Fuck. I can feel myself hardening.
“It smells amazing in here. By the fates, is that rosemary?” Hecate appears sitting on my office chair.
“There goes our erection.”
I scoff. “Why are you here again, Hecate?”
Hecate sinks down deeper into my chair. “This is so comfy. Speaking of comfy. I guess you’re getting comfortable with your guests.”
“I couldn’t just throw them out in the street, now, could I?” I look back at the garden.
The chair creaks. “Of course you could have thrown them out. You have free will.”
I roll my eyes. “Hecate?”
“I brought a gift for the girls.” She raises a small black bag.
Before I could answer, the door knocks.
“Come in.”
The scent of baby powder and vanilla surrounds me. Nisa enters the room.
“Oh, Aunty Hecate!” She shouts and runs up to Hecate.
I raise my eyebrow, looking at Hecate. If you know Hecate, ‘Aunty’ was never a word associated with her…until now.
“Look at my Labubu.” Nisa shows Hecate the ugly-ass doll.
“Wow, how did you get this?” Hecate takes the doll out of her hands and examines it.
“Oh, Mr. Monster got me a hundred of them.”
Hecate passes the doll back to Nisa. “You don’t say.”
“Uh, huh. He got me limited edition ones too.” Nisa beams up at Hecate. She steps back and reads her black T-shirt.
“If karma does hit you, I gladly will.” Nisa reads.
Hecate looks down at her T-shirt. “It’s my current mood.”
“What did you want, Nisa?” I ask to try to stop her from fangirling over Hecate.
“Oh, Soraya said wash up; dinner will be ready in ten.” Nisa spins back to Hecate. “Are you staying for dinner?”
Hecate pushes her hair behind her ear. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Nisa smiles up at Hecate. “I have to go wash up. See you at the table?”
Hecate stretches her hand out to Nisa. “If I’m staying, it’s best I do the same.”
Nisa watches her hand and slowly takes it into hers.
Both Aric and I look at Nisa, and we feel…at ease knowing that the child is beginning to feel safe. Nisa and Hecate leave the room, their chatter fading down the hallway.
“Should we go to dinner, Aric?” I ask out loud. I look across the windowpane. Something I hardly see is the back of Aric’s head. His arms are behind his back as he looks out into the garden.
“I think if she made an effort to cook for us…”
I push the air hard through my nostrils. “We should dine.”
Walking to the door, I hear a tutting sound.
“What?”
“Are you really going to dinner dressed like that?”
I look down at myself. Oxfords, slacks, black silk shirt. “What’s the problem?”
Aric turns to me in disgust. “You killed a man in these clothes. The least you can do is change your shirt.”
He was right. “Fine.”
I didn’t have any shirts at the office. Closing my eyes, I materialize and allow my body to float through the walls until I reach up the stairs and then my room.
I walk into my closet and realize something for the first time. I wear only four colors. Red, dark blue, black, and white. I search through my closet, remembering that I have a dark purple shirt. It does take me long to find it. I dress and spritz some cologne on and look into the mirror.
I touch my scar. The doubts invade my mind. Suppose I can’t make her fall for me? I have a scar; maybe she thinks I am a monster.
“We may be scarred, but we are handsome. Stop hiding and go.”
“I am not hiding,” I grumble under my breath. Slowly, I walk out of my bedroom, across the hall, and down the stairs. Could I have been in the kitchen in the blink of an eye? Yes, but I do have humans in my house.
“Silly excuse if you ask me.”
“No one is asking you, Aric,” I respond.
A rare sound bounces off my wall. Phobos was laughing.
“Two words, one finger,” Deimos shouts.
I walk into the dining room. The table is a long monolithic slab of black marble veined with gold, and it’s the first thing that stands out.
The high-backed chairs were created by one of Hephaestus’s interns. Upholstered in oxblood leather and brushed with copper, each one is comfortable and intimidating.
The laughing stops, and all eyes are on me.
“Well, don’t just stand there like a cypress tree. Sit. By the Fates.” Hecate shakes her head in disgust.
Just as I was about to sit, Soraya sails into the room with a tray of what looks like pita and tzatziki.
I grip the top of the chair, looking at her. I can see hints of Talia in her. The goodness, the way she moves and smiles.
Before I can stop myself, I ask, “Do you need help?”
Again, the table stops and looks at me like I grew an extra head.
Soraya places the tray on the table and smiles. “Yes, please; the lamb is sort of heavy to carry.”
Hecate raises an eyebrow at me. “You’re so helpful, Ares.”
Soraya disappears into the kitchen again.
As I go to the kitchen, I stop to whisper in Hecate’s ear. “You bring me such joy when you stop talking.”
Hecate pulls back and looks at me. “Ah-deh gha-mee-soo.”
I was about to tell her to go fuck herself back, but then I remembered there was a child at the table.
“Same to you, Hecate. Same to you.”
SORAYA
Nisa and Hecate had already set the table.
I just needed to get all the food out. I wasn’t nervous until Ares volunteered to help me.
That was unexpected. Hell, everything that has happened since I drank from the chalice has been unexpected.
While I was cooking, I hurried to my room to use the bathroom.
When I entered, I saw a stocked closet. Everything I touched and didn’t get at the mall was now in my room.
At first, I thought I was crazy until I saw the music box on the bed.
He was there, following us. I should feel upset about it. But I feel secure…safe.
I feel his presence before I see him. I lift the bowl of charred vegetables and pass it to him.
“I can carry more, trust me.”
Cat got my tongue. I almost shouted, “Well, carry me.” Instead, I passed him the rack of lamb.
“I will carry the potatoes.” I haven’t looked at him since he entered the kitchen. I should stop being a silly woman and just say thank you.