Chapter Two
At 6:55 PM, I stared into the gilded mirror over the little table near my apartment door. I had my hair down, and it hung in a straight line to my waist. A diamond clip held back a lock on the front left. I loved putting things in my hair. I've always thought the thick, shining locks were my best feature. Hermes disagreed. He liked my eyes better. When we first met, he said he had never seen eyes so lovely, not even in Olympus. It was the gold in them. He loved gold. And the glints of gold were made especially bright in my dark brown eyes. Rune had gold in his eyes too.
I cleared my throat and leaned closer to the mirror to inspect my make-up. I had gone heavy with the mascara to emphasize my eyes, probably because of Hermes's preference. His preferences were always in the back of my mind.
The thought caused me to grimace, and I almost turned around to go to the bathroom and wash my face. But my phone dinged then—an alert from my security camera. I drew the phone out of my purse, tapped the screen, and stared at Rune Demos, hands in the pockets of his suit jacket. I smiled to see that. He had dressed up for me. It made me feel better about my Valentino dress and the diamonds in my hair.
After tucking my phone back in my purse, I went out into the stairwell and locked my front door. At the bottom of the stairs, another door waited. It led me into the gallery storeroom. My heels clicked on the hardwood floor as I crossed the dark space full of crates and shelving made specifically to hold paintings. Another door and then I was crossing the gallery. The closer I drew to Rune Demos, the faster my heart raced. I put my palm over it in surprise. When was the last time I had been this excited?
Since I had a date coming, I'd left the security door open. So, I could see Rune through the glass panel in the gallery's main door. He straightened when he saw me, a soft smile coming to his face. I unlocked the door, and his scent came in with the night air. Aqua di Gio—one of my favorites. But beneath the Armani was the smell of something darker. Muskier. Primal man with a hint of beast. I breathed in deeply. It was even better than Aqua di Gio.
“Hey,” Rune said.
“You're right on time,” I said.
“I didn't want to be late for a chosen of Hermes.” He stepped back so I could come out.
“Let's not talk about Hermes tonight.” I pulled the steel security door out of its recessed spot, locked it, then shut and locked the gallery's main, glass-paneled door. When I turned around, I found him staring at me. At my eyes. Damn it. I looked away.
“All right,” he said. “I'd rather talk about you anyway. You look beautiful, by the way.”
I lifted my stare to his. “Thank you. You clean up nicely yourself. I was hoping I hadn't overdressed.”
“I figured a woman who owns an art gallery is going to be a bit posh.” Rune shrugged and gestured me down the sidewalk. “And I wanted you to know I could keep up.”
I chuckled. “I never doubted it.”
Rune led me to a deep red Alpha Romeo Giula. I hate to admit it, but the car impressed me more than his suit. It was a new model and had a quiet sex appeal. The grill alone was enough to make me want to fan myself. He opened the passenger door for me and a whiff of leather teased my nose. Lovely.
I sank into the plush seat, my body cradled perfectly, and posed my heels on the black floor. The door shut with a quiet click. As he came around the back, I glanced at the interior. Spotless. Nice. Then Rune was in the driver's seat, buckling up. Strange, but it felt intimate all of a sudden, being shut inside the vehicle with him. And I liked it.
I also liked that he didn't ask me where we should go. Rune just started driving. After seeing his suit and car, I shouldn't have been surprised when he pulled into a parking lot and the iconic angled glass end of the Canis restaurant came into view, stretching out over a cliff to provide its customers with an incredible view of Lake Union. But I was surprised. Rune didn't strike me as the kind of man who would enjoy tiny plates of pretentious (but amazing) food. Especially since you only got to choose three out of the many courses they served you. The rest was up to the chef. And it could get interesting.
“Impressed?” Rune grinned at me as he stopped before the valet.
“Surprised that you'd give up control,” I said.
“Give up control?” He lifted a brow at me.
“Have you eaten here before?”
Rune blinked. “Uh. No. It was recommended to me.”
I laughed.
His expression went hesitant.
Before Rune could ask, the valets were opening our doors. I kept laughing softly as I got out. When Rune came around the car, tucking the ticket in his pocket, he was grinning. Another surprise. I liked a man who could roll with the punches. He held out his hand, and I took it. At that innocent touch, a shiver raced through me, and that shiver heated when Rune wove his fingers with mine.
The door was opened for us, and we were greeted immediately. Rune gave his name for the reservation, and the hostess's eyes widened slightly, her demeanor becoming even more gracious.
“Right this way, Mr. Demos. We have a special table for you and your guest.”
That had my brow lifting. When I looked at Rune, he just smirked. Right. So, he had connections. I should have known. A reservation at Canlis usually had to be made months in advance. And yet, here we were, striding in the same day he had asked me out and getting treated like royalty.
The hostess took us to a table set against the glass wall. With the glass wrapping around most of the dining room, nearly every table had an incredible view, but our table had the best. And it was a table for six, not two. So not only had they opened their best table for Rune, but they had also given up seats for him. Seats that could have earned them a couple hundred dollars apiece. Their tasting menu was not cheap.
The hostess stood back so Rune could pull out my chair. When I was seated, she handed me the leather menu. I thanked her, but I was distracted by the view. I found myself once again thinking about how much things had changed in Seattle. Instead of feeling nostalgic, it made me proud and excited for the future. I had been a part of Seattle's growth, and I hoped to see it become even greater.
“Your waiter will be right with you,” the hostess said, then left.
“Ah, I see,” Rune muttered seconds later as he perused the menu.
I laughed again. “Shall we go somewhere else?”
“Absolutely not,” he said. “I'm up for trying something new.”
“Well, at least you can choose three things.”
He sighed deeply and pressed his lips together.
I laughed again.
Rune looked up, grinned, and said, “It's worth it, just to hear you laugh.”
I inclined my head. “Nicely done.”
“I'm a smooth talker.” He winked at me. “Best be on guard.”
“Oh, I knew to be on guard as soon as I agreed to go out with a hound.”
Rune's grin turned wicked.
But then our waiter arrived. He went through the spiel of how the courses worked and explained the dishes offered for us to choose from. He also asked if we had any dietary restrictions—something that had Rune looking worried. The waiter took our drink orders and left us to decide. There were two savory courses to select and one dessert.
“I recommend the lamb and the wagyu,” I said. “The sablefish is also very good if you like seafood.”
“For fuck's sake,” Rune muttered. “How many times have you been here?”
“A few,” I said with a grin.
“This is one of those places with tiny food, isn't it?”
“Yes, but they give you a lot of tiny food.”
“We may be going for burgers after this.”
“I'd rather go for ice cream.”
“I like ice cream.”
“Of course, you like ice cream. Who doesn't like ice cream? It's the ambrosia of Earth.”
Rune chuckled and set his menu aside. “Seventh Day Adventists. I don't think they like ice cream.”
“Oh, they like it. They just think they shouldn't.”
Rune burst out laughing. It was a good laugh—from the belly and heart. And it had every woman in the room staring at him with longing. Even the eighty-something lady two tables over. And a few men too. His laugh certainly got my attention.
I set my menu on top of Rune's and sat back in my seat to enjoy the view. And this time, it wasn't the one of the lake.
The waiter returned with our drinks and took our orders, promising many other courses that would “delight and thrill our tastebuds.” Then he was off. Waiters at Canlis were attentive without hovering. It was perfection. As was the first course—one of the chef's choices. Little pieces of asparagus had been sauteed and set atop a perfect circle of buttery sauce, with a fried quail's egg leaning to one side.
Rune made a happy sound as he ate it. In two bites. Then he leaned back as if he expected the next course to arrive immediately. When it didn't, he frowned.
“It will be here soon,” I assured him.
He cocked his head at me. “You have a look to you that I haven't seen before. Native American, yes?”
“Yes.”
“How native?”
“Very.”
“Ah. From this area?”
“From what is now called Salem.”
“I assume you mean the Salem in Oregon.”
“That's the one.” I took a sip of my wine, then said, “And you are from Hell.”
He snorted. “Not exactly.”
“Oh, excuse me. I mean, the Underworld.”
Rune shrugged. “Sort of.”
“Sort of? Go on then. I've heard the Cerberus teams were created by Hades to protect the Underworld and Earth. You retrieve lost souls.”
“Lost and escaped souls. Then there are hauntings and other things.”
“And where are you from, if not the Underworld?”
“Here,” he said.
“Seattle?”
“Well, not here, here. Here as in Earth. I was human once. Like you.”
“I thought Hades made you.” I leaned forward, suddenly even more interested in this man.
“He made this body, but he can't make souls. I was a warrior once. Honorable enough to be chosen to serve.”
I made a scoffing sound.
Rune scowled. “What's wrong with that?”
“Sorry. You make it sound as if you traded your afterlife for eternal servitude.”
“I did, in a way. But it's not a terrible service. We work hard, but we have a lot of free time.” He motioned at the restaurant as if it were proof. “And there are benefits.”
“Like turning into a dog?”
“Hey, don't knock it. Being a hound is fun. Eternal life isn't so bad either, is it?”
“It's wonderful to see humanity evolve,” I agreed. “But I often wonder what I'm missing by remaining here. There must be a reason for the cycle. Life, death, and rebirth. Maybe I'm missing something important.”
He shrugged. “As someone who's seen the Underworld, I can tell you that unless you're one of those rare, pure souls, the afterlife isn't all it's cracked up to be. I'd rather miss out.”
“You don't think there could be a benefit to reincarnation?”
“What benefit? You don't get to remember your past lives. All the Underworld does is balance your soul and give you another shot at becoming pure enough to make it to the Blessed Isles.”
“So, you remember your past life?”
Rune's expression twitched. For a second, it threatened to become grim, but then he revived his mood and turned grim into a grin. “No. I don't remember it. I only know I was a warrior because Hades told us.”
“I see.” I didn't want to get into a conversation about things neither of us could have, so I moved on. “Is it true that you're bound to your brothers?”
“They're not really my brothers.” Rune paused as the waiter brought us another tiny plate. He nodded at the guy after the morsel was explained, then stabbed it with his fork. As the waiter withdrew, Run happily ate his bite.
My plate lasted four bites. I was still chewing when Rune finished what he'd begun to say.
“We're as close as brothers. Even closer thanks to the Cerberus magic. And I guess since Hades made our bodies at the same time, as a team, our blood is probably similar. I mean, our DNA. If someone did one of those tests on us, we might indeed appear to be brothers. But we weren't born to the same parents.”
“Just the same father.”
“Huh.” He snorted. “I've always thought of him as the creator of my body and the god I'm bound to. Never as my father. But he did add his blood to our bodies when he made them. That kinda makes him our father. Shit. Maybe we are brothers. I don't know. It feels odd to think of them like that. We're a team. Brothers in arms, not . . .”
“Blood?” I smirked.
Rune snorted.
“Do you look alike?”
“A bit.” Rune nodded. “Same coloring. Similar features. As I said, we were made together.”
“I believe that makes you brothers, Rune.”
“Fine. Whatever.”
“Why does that upset you?”
“It doesn't, it's just . . .” He shook his head and looked away.
“Come on. Tell me your dark secrets. I promise not to share them with the one god I know.”
Rune chuckled. “First, tell me what you've got going on with Hermes.”
“We weren't supposed to talk about him.”
“You brought him up. Plus, I'm liking you more and more. I don't want to do that if I've got serious competition.”
“You can't handle competition?”
“Not if there's no chance of me winning.”
I sighed. “Well, at least I can be honest with you about him. I don't know how many relationships I've ended because Hermes came around and . . .”
“And what? What does he demand from you for immortality?”
I smirked. “At this point, it's similar to your situation. It's become a type of service.” Then I grimaced. “Damn, that makes me sound like a whore.”
“So, you're still intimate with him?”
“Yes, though it's a little more than that,” I said without hesitation. If this was going to be a relationship and not just a one-time thing, Rune needed to know what he was getting into. And just as I'd said, I was glad to be able to tell him. “Hermes comes around every few months or so whenever he misses me, and we spend a few days together. Sometimes longer. He was just here a month ago, so he shouldn't be back for a while.”
“Do you enjoy his visits?”
“Interesting question,” I murmured. “I suppose I do. I may not love Hermes anymore, but I do like him. The sex is consensual.”
“All right, let me ask you this; would you end things with him for the right guy?”
I bit my bottom lip. Here was the one problem in my life. I was stuck in a limbo with a god I wasn't technically with so I couldn't technically part from. Could I end what did have? No. Hermes didn't hold my heart, but he did hold my loyalty.
“It's complicated,” I said. “I told you this was my life to do with as I please, but that's not entirely accurate. I can do as I please for the most part. I can live how I wish and take whomever I want as my lover.”
“But?”
“But I will always feel indebted to Hermes.” I lifted a hand to stop whatever he was going to say to that. “He has never said so. But he didn't just give me immortality. He also gave me the world. He took me with him in his wandering, he showed me things no mortal had seen at that time, and he took care of me. He saved me from a mortal death, then saved me from many attacks over the years. He deserves my loyalty.”
“But surely he wants you to be happy?”
I frowned and thought of how Hermes might react to a request to end our sexual relationship. A shiver raced down my spine. I had never feared Hermes, but I'd never had reason to.
“Lora?”
I cleared my throat. “He does want me to be happy, but he's also a god.”
“But—”
“This is my choice, Rune. I won't end things with him. I owe him too much.”
Rune's lips tightened. He loosened them but only to take a gulp of his drink.
“Look, this can just be dinner and maybe a nice night together,” I said. “It doesn't have to be anything more than that.”
He nodded. “All right. We'll just take tonight how it comes.”
I was a little disappointed that he didn't want more, that Hermes had ruined yet another relationship for me. This time it was before it had even begun. But I wouldn't let it ruin my night too. I was going to enjoy the Hades out of Rune Demos. And in the morning, I would have some lovely memories to add to my collection.