30. Presley
Presley
Hades comes back several minutes later. Alone.
I hurry toward him. “What happened?”
“I lost him.”
“Are you okay?”
His eyebrows pull together. “You're asking if I'm okay?”
“You chased a psychopath into an alley.”
His mouth twitches despite everything. “You called him a psychopath.”
“I've called him worse.”
His hands settle on my arms. “Are you okay?”
I nod. “Fine.”
He studies me intently, brows lowering. “You sure?”
I stare at him. “Yes, Dad.”
His eyes narrow. “Brat.”
Something about the word—about the normalcy of it—breaks through the adrenaline.
I laugh. It's shaky and probably a little hysterical. But it's a laugh.
Hades's expression softens. Then he lifts one hand and cups my cheek. “Hey.”
I stop laughing when my eyes meet his.
“You're safe.”
My chest tightens. “I know.”
I stare into his eyes. There’s no confusion. No suspicion. Hades was standing beside me when Masked Man appeared.
Hades chased him, then came back.
And now he’s here with me.
He did it to keep me safe.
That’s what he does.
I step forward and wrap my arms around him.
He freezes for a second. Then his arms close tightly around me.
I press my face against his chest.
His heart is pounding.
“You really chased him.”
“I wasn't going to let him scare you.”
I close my eyes. “I think I want to go home.”
“Okay.”
“I need to get Penny first.”
“I'll take you.”
I pull back. “You don't have to.”
“I know.”
His hand finds mine. “I'm taking you anyway.”
Penny loses her mind when she sees us.
She barrels across Gracie's living room in her orange bat sweater and launches herself at my legs.
I scoop her up. “Hi, baby.”
She attacks my chin with kisses, tail furiously wagging.
Walter watches from the couch with the exhausted expression of a man who's spent the evening babysitting.
Gracie takes one look at me. “What happened?”
“Nothing.”
Her eyes narrow. “You’re lying. I can tell.”
“How?”
She gives me a look. “I’m not giving away my secrets.”
Hades steps closer. “She got scared at the festival.”
Gracie's expression immediately changes. “By what?”
I hug Penny tighter. “I'll tell you tomorrow.”
She studies me. “Okay.”
I kiss her cheek. “Thank you for watching Penny.”
“Anytime.”
Penny tries to climb into Hades’s arms. He laughs and takes her from me. She immediately settles against his chest.
Gracie smiles.
“I don't like that smile.”
“Why?”
“It’s that knowing smile of yours.”
She laughs. “Goodnight, Presley. Goodnight, Hades.”
“Goodnight, Gracie.” Hades and I say in unison.
By the time we reach my house, I'm emotionally and physically exhausted.
Hades carries Penny to the porch because apparently she's forgotten she has legs.
I unlock the front door, but don’t open it. My stomach tightens. Darkness waits on the other side.
Hades notices. “Want me to check it?”
I hesitate, then nod.
He hands Penny to me. “Stay here.”
He disappears inside.
Lights come on one by one, first the downstairs, then the upstairs.
I stand on the porch holding Penny, feeling ridiculous.
A few minutes later, Hades returns. “Clear.”
“Thanks.”
I step inside, and he follows. I lock the door behind us.
For a moment, neither of us says anything.
“Do you want me to stay?”
I blow out a shaky breath and squeeze Penny against my chest.
“Yes, please.”
He nods. “Okay.”
I lower Penny to the floor.
When I straighten, I look at the window where I last saw Masked Man. “What if he comes back?”
Hades's gaze holds mine. “He won't hurt you.”
“You don't know that.”
His expression changes, but then it’s gone.
“No,” he says quietly. “I guess I don't.”
I wrap my arms around myself.
Hades steps closer. “I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere unless you ask me to.”
My chest aches.
I believe him.
And that’s the dangerous part.
His eyes darken. “I’m here for as long as you want me to be.”
Penny lets out a tiny bark.
I look down at her. “What?”
Her tail wags, and then she launches herself at Hades’s leg.
I narrow my eyes. “You like him entirely too much.”
Hades reaches over and scratches beneath her chin. Penny immediately licks his hand.
They exchange a look.
I look from my dog to Hades. “Why do I feel like you two have a secret relationship?”
Hades goes still. Then his mouth curves. “Maybe I'm just good with dogs.”
Penny's tail thumps against my arm.
I sigh. “Little traitor.”
Hades laughs.
Penny’s nails click against the hardwood floor as she follows him into the living room like she belongs to him instead of me.
I follow both of them. “Do you want something to drink?”
“I'm good.”
“Coffee?”
He glances at the clock. “It’s almost eleven.”
“And?”
His mouth curves. “Nothing.”
“That's what I thought.”
I head toward the kitchen. “Presley.”
I turn. Hades is watching me.
“You don't have to entertain me.”
“I know.”
“You said you wanted me to stay.”
“I do.”
“Then come sit down.”
I stare at him. There's something strangely intimate about the request. Maybe because I've never had a man here before.
This house has been mine for weeks, but sometimes it still feels like hers. Like I'm temporarily occupying the space she left behind while I figure out what the hell I'm supposed to do with the rest of my life.
And now Hades is standing in the middle of it.
I look toward the fireplace. “Want a fire?”
“Sure.”
“I'll do it.”
His eyebrow rises. “I know how to start a fire.”
“So do I.”
“I wasn't questioning your survival skills.”
“Good.”
I crouch in front of the fireplace. Hades appears beside me.
“I said I can do it.”
“I heard you.”
“Then why are you down here?”
“Supervising.”
A smile curves my lips. “You're annoying.”
“So I've been told.”
“By a lot of people?”
“Mostly Wilder.”
“Your brother, right?”
Hades smiles. “You remembered.”
“What's he like?”
Hades considers the question. “A pain in my ass.”
“That wasn't what I asked.”
“It accurately summarizes twenty-some years.” He reaches past me for a piece of wood. Our arms brush. That stupid little electrical current shoots through me again.
His gaze catches mine. Neither of us moves.
Then Penny shoves her head between us.
I burst out laughing.
Hades looks down. “Seriously?”
Her tail wags.
“Cockblock.”
“Hades!”
“What?”
“You can't call my dog a cockblock.”
“I just did.”
Penny licks his chin. He closes his eyes.
I laugh harder.
Ten minutes later, the fire is roaring, heating the room.
I settle beside Hades, staring at the flames.
Penny jumps up on the couch, then sprawls across Hades's lap.
I stare at her. “This is bullshit.”
He scratches her back. “She has good taste.”
“She barely knows you.”
His fingers stop for the briefest second. Then he resumes scratching her.
“Dogs are good judges of character.”
I snort. “You look like a serial killer.”
“So you've mentioned.”
“And you're claiming my dog thinks you're trustworthy?”
He gestures at her. “Obviously.”
Penny rolls onto her back, showing him her belly. Hades immediately begins rubbing it.
I shake my head. “You're embarrassing yourself, Penny.”
She doesn't care.
I grab the blanket and pull it over my legs.
The fire crackles across from us, filling the room with the smell of woodsmoke.
For a while, neither of us speaks. And strangely, it isn't uncomfortable. For once, I don't feel like I need to fill the silence.
With Hades, I can just... be.
My eyes drift around the room.
Grandma is everywhere. Her books. The ridiculous ceramic pumpkin she bought at a craft fair and refused to admit was ugly. The throw blanket she always kept folded over the chair.
Hades follows my gaze. “Was that your grandmother’s?”
“Yeah.” My gaze moves around the room. “I really miss her.”
“You talk about her differently.”
My chest tightens. “Differently how?”
“Like she's still part of everything.”
For a moment, I can't answer. Because that's exactly what it feels like.
“She is.”
He doesn't say anything.
“She and my grandfather raised me. My mother was too self-centered to do it. And my father… well, he was basically a sperm donor.” I look at Hades. “I never met him.”
He doesn’t tell me he’s sorry like most people do. He just patiently waits.
“My grandparents were so amazing, it didn’t matter that I didn’t have a mom and dad like most kids.”
He grabs my hand and squeezes it gently. He doesn’t look uncomfortable like a lot of people do when I bring up my family. Doesn't give me some empty line about how they’re in a better place.
He just waits for me to speak.
“They raised me here.”
His eyes move around the room. “In this house?”
I nod. “I spent most of my childhood here. Even when I wasn't technically living here, this was home.”
“Sounds like you were close.”
“We were. Especially my grandma and me. She was my person.” The words come out quieter than I intend.
Penny lifts her head. I reach over and rub her ear.
“When she got sick, everything changed so fast. I’d moved away to chase my dreams, but I came back to care for her.” I pause, picking at a thread on the blanket. “And then she was gone, and suddenly I had this house and all these plans I'd made before…” I trail off.
“What plans?”
I sigh. “I wanted to teach.”
“Elementary school?”
I shake my head. “No. College.”
His eyebrows rise. “Professor Presley.”
“Actually, it would be Professor Bailey.”
“I like it.”
“You do?”
He nods, sincerity in his eyes. “Yes.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“I've been talking for about ten minutes. Tell me something.”
“You know things about me.”
“I know your name is Hades, you have questionable taste in books until I intervene, and apparently every dog in Vermont thinks you're Disney princess material.”
He chuckles.
“Your turn to tell me something I don’t know.”
He stares into the fire for a moment before his raspy voice says, “Wilder and I didn't have the best childhood.”
My smile fades. “I'm sorry.”
He shrugs. “We survived.”
Something about the way he says it makes me think survived wasn't a casual word choice.
“Are you close?”
“He's my brother.”
“That's not what I asked.”
Hades looks into the fire. “I'd do anything for him.”
The tone of his voice reveals far more than his words do.
He’s loyal to a fault. And he loves his brother.
“Is he your only family?”
Hades hesitates before saying, “Yes.”
It’s short. Clipped. Indicating he doesn’t want to talk about it.
“Why don’t you go upstairs and change out of your costume?” he says.
I look at his pinstriped suit. “What about you?”
“I have a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt in the truck.”
I stare at him.
“What?”
“You keep clothing in your truck?”
He grins. “I like to be prepared.”
I glance out the front window where I saw the Masked Man. A shiver rolls over me.
Hades grabs my hand. “What is it?”
“Can I come to your truck with you?”
His expression softens. “Of course.”
He stands with Penny against his chest, then offers me his hand. I take it, toss the blanket aside, and stand.
He intertwines our fingers, and we head out to his truck. He hands me Penny while he grabs a duffel bag from beneath his seat.
“Quite the Boy Scout,” I tease as he shuts and locks the door.
He snorts. “No one’s ever called me that before.”
Once we're back inside, I set Penny down and show Hades to the bathroom so he can change. Then I head upstairs, Penny right at my heels.
The closer I get to my bedroom, the more nervous I become.
I flick my bedroom light on and look around. Everything’s the same. And no masked man lurks in the corner.
Even so, I quickly change into my pajamas, then practically run back downstairs to Hades. To safety.
I curl up beside Hades on the couch. Penny climbs onto me, settling with her head on my lap and the rest of her stretched across Hades. He grabs the remote, and I blow out a relieved sigh when he puts on Hocus Pocus instead of a slasher film.
My eyes grow heavy, but I fight it.
Somehow, when I wake later, my head is on his chest. His fingers slowly move through my hair.
Penny is curled against his leg.
The fire has burned low, leaving the room wrapped in soft orange light.
For the first time since I saw that mask outside my window, I'm not listening for noises. I'm not wondering whether someone's outside. I'm not checking the locks.
Hades is here.
Somehow, that's enough.
I close my eyes.
For the first time in days, I fall asleep feeling completely safe.