by Penelope Sky
“That’s why option number one is better.”
“No. That’ll never be an option.”
“So you’d rather love her when she’ll never love you?” she asked.
I nodded. “So we’d better make option two work.”
She sighed before she looked at the cards again. “You have one sibling, right?”
“Yes.” I didn’t bother asking how she knew that.
“He was close with your father.”
Right again. “Correct.”
She moved some more cards around. “Earning forgiveness from your late father won’t be the problem. He deserved his punishment, and I’m certain he knows that. Your brother, on the other hand, is a different story. He carries the grief, carries the resentment to this day.” She lifted her chin and looked me in the eye. “Your best bet is to earn his forgiveness.”
She was right—option two was pointless.
“A father wants his sons to be close. If he sees you and your brother together again, he’ll absolve you of your crime.”
“He’ll never forgive me…” My brother was my father’s ally. He took over the business once my father was dead in the ground. We’d always be enemies, always hate each other for our crimes. I had a better chance of getting Sofia to love me by myself.
“Option one is always on the table if you change your mind.”
That wasn’t even a last resort. I’d rather love Sofia until my dying day than live an empty existence without her. Our passion gave me incredible nights. My devotion made me care about her, made me appreciate something besides money. Our friendship made me feel less alone. She gave me everything I’d been missing. “I need to know something.”
“I’m listening.”
“Would she have loved me if this curse had never happened?” It seemed like she was incapable of love, so maybe her indifference had nothing to do with me. Maybe she was just empty like a jar.
She moved her cards around again, gathering her readings. “Absolutely.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because she’s your soul mate.”
13
Sofia
Damien lay in bed while I sat in the armchair at his bedside. A movie was on, so we watched it together, sharing a bowl of popcorn.
I kept glancing at my phone, wondering when Hades would call.
If he said he would call, he would.
Unless something happened to him…
Damien must have noticed I’d checked my phone for the twentieth time because he said, “Don’t worry about him. He’s fine.”
“It’s getting late.”
“Late to you isn’t late to him.”
“After what happened to you, how could not be worried about him?”
He grabbed a handful of popcorn and stuffed it into his mouth. “Because he’s not there to do anything dangerous. Just a quick meeting. You’re stressing over nothing.”
“My husband is alone in a different country. Of course I’m stressed.”
“Well, don’t forget who your husband is.” He kept watching the TV. “He’s a powerful guy who can handle himself.”
“So are you,” I pointed out. “Now you’re stuck in bed.”
“That’s the difference between Hades and me. I’m stupid—he’s not.”
“Come on. That’s not true.”
“If I were smart, none of this would have happened. So, no, it is true.” He grabbed more popcorn.
I watched the movie and still felt anxious about Hades’s absence. He said if I ever called, he would answer. I was tempted to do that now, but I didn’t want to bother him. So I continued to withstand the torture and dread sleeping alone in that big bed tonight. “It’s gonna be weird sleeping alone tonight.”
“You slept alone before.”
“But not in his bed…and now I’m married. I’ve been sleeping with him for months, and I’ve gotten used to it.”
“I’d offer to let you sleep in here, but he’d murder me.”
I chuckled. “No offense, but you aren’t my husband. It wouldn’t work.”
“The guy is like my brother, so we’re pretty similar. And I’m obviously more handsome.”
I thought Damien was a good-looking man, but Hades was on a whole other level. I still remembered the first time I saw him…fucking gorgeous. I was just a teenager battling hormones, and he was the subject of most of my diary entries. “That means you know his real name.”
He shrugged.
“What is it?”
“Like I’m telling you that.”
“Come on, I’ve been taking care of you for a week.”
“So you only did it because you had an agenda?” he asked coldly.
“No…but a favor would be nice.”
“You know I can’t do that. That’s personal shit. When he wants you to know, he’ll tell you.”
“I don’t see why it needs to be a secret in the first place.”
“Because that’s not who he is anymore.” He handed me the bowl when he realized he was hogging it.
I pushed it away because I’d had enough. “What was he like when he was younger?”
“How much younger?”
“I don’t know…he said you went to university together.”
“He was what you’d expect him to be, an egotistical jackass that was addicted to pussy. He wanted to drop out first, said we were too smart to waste our time with textbooks. When he jumped ship, so did I. Not once have we looked back. He’s a brilliant guy who knows how to get shit done. Those qualities have only intensified over the years.”
And now that ambitious man was my husband. “Has he ever—” My phone started to ring, and his name appeared on the screen. “Hold on.” I took the call and walked out of the room. “Hey… Is everything okay?”
He was quiet over the line, like my question needed careful consideration. “Baby, I’m fine.” Those three words were so simple, but he said them with such emotion, like he’d run two marathons in a row. “You have nothing to worry about.”
“The later it got, the more stressed I became. I thought about calling you, but I didn’t want to bother you.”
“Baby.” His commanding voice echoed over the line. “You can call me whenever you want. No one in the world has that luxury but you. Use it.”
I sat at the edge of the bed, comforted by the sound of his deep voice. “How was your day?”
He sighed. “Bullshit.”
“Why was it bullshit?”
“It just was,” he said vaguely. “What are you doing?”
“Damien and I were eating popcorn and watching a movie.”
“The two of you are getting close, huh?”
“He’s pretty much my brother-in-law. I should probably get to know him, right?”
“Yeah, but you don’t need to torture yourself,” he teased.
“No, we’re fine. He tells me things about you…”
“Must be a mixture of bad and good.”
“Only good, actually. Other than the fact that you were an egotistical jackass that was addicted to pussy in your early twenties…”
There was a long pause before his playfulness returned. “I’m still addicted to pussy—yours.”
That shouldn’t sound romantic to me, but it did. “I can’t wait for you to be home. I don’t like it when you aren’t here.”
“Nothing could ever happen to you.”
“That’s not the only reason I want you home…” I just missed him, even when we were angry with each other. It was comfortable…it was safe.
“Baby, I’ll be there in the morning.” Now, he called me baby all the time, and it just fit, like a new pair of shoes that were already broken in. He only seemed to call me by my first name when he was angry with me.
“Alright…then I’ll let you go.”
“Send me some pictures.” He abruptly changed the subject, his voice deeper and full of command.
“What kinds of pictures?”
“Baby
, you know.”
“Right now?” I asked incredulously.
“What else am I going to jerk off to?”
“Didn’t you bring your tablet?”
“I don’t want to look at that. I want to look at you. The sound of your voice…that’s all it takes.”
“I’ve never done that before…”
“Well, learn. Because I want a million pictures of you.”
It was late afternoon when his car pulled onto the property.
“I think he’s home.” I went into Damien’s room. “The gate just opened.”
He stepped out of the bathroom, just a towel wrapped around his waist. “I’ll see him in a little bit. I’m sure he wants to see you first.”
I headed downstairs to the main entryway, and by the time I got there, Hades was already speaking to Helena with his bag on the floor beside him. One of the servants took it away, probably to wash his dirty clothes and return the possessions he brought with him.
I was grateful to see him in one piece, without a scratch or a single bruise. I walked up to him and waited for him to finish giving his orders to Helena.
He finally turned and looked at me, and for whatever reason, he took nearly thirty seconds to really examine me. It was like he’d never seen me before, never took the time to study all the features of my face. His black wedding ring was on his left hand, and he walked toward me slowly with his gaze glued to mine.
Sometimes I hated this man, but most of the time, I didn’t know what to do without him. He’d become the most important person in my life, my closest friend. He was the man I confided in, the man who protected me, the man who always knew all the answers. The only family I had left was my mother, but now he was family too. “I’m glad you’re home.” I released the breath I’d been holding, feeling my entire body relax now that I knew he was home safe. After what happened to Damien, I never assumed he was untouchable.
“I can tell.” His hands gripped my hips, and he pulled us close together, his forehead resting against mine as he enveloped me with warm affection. His arm wrapped around my waist, and he pulled me in for a hug, making me feel delicate in his strong embrace. His lips moved to my forehead, and he kissed me gently.
I closed my eyes because the touch felt sincere. “Are you staying home the rest of the day?”
“No. I have stuff to do. Just wanted to see you before I left again.”
I couldn’t hide my disappointment. My fingers slackened on his body. “Do you have time to come upstairs for a second?” I hadn’t slept well with him gone. The bed felt like a hard ice cube, and I could never get comfortable. All the endorphins from sex lured me right to sleep, and without that usual hit, I couldn’t drift off.
A slight smile moved onto his lips. “I always have time for that.”
We passed Damien’s room and went to our bedroom. The door shut and the clothes came off quickly, dropping onto the floor like raindrops on the windowsill. He scooped me into his arms then laid me on the bed, his body rolling with mine until we were tangled around each other, two bodies made to slide together.
His hand slid into my hair, and he looked me in the eye as he sank inside me, his hard cock stretching my channel as he went deeper and deeper.
When I felt him nice and deep, I dragged my nails down his back and moaned. “I really missed you…”
He propped himself on top of me and held my gaze for a long time. There was no movement from his hips, a steady rigidness he was keeping on purpose. He stared into my eyes for a long time, his thoughts on something besides sex. His fingers touched my hair lightly, and he sighed. “I missed you too.”
“I should get out of your hair. I’ve been here for over a week.” Damien grabbed his bag off the floor and stood upright, but sometimes he cringed because his body was still sore. His ribs were still healing, so he couldn’t do much on his right side.
“You know you can stay as long as you want.”
“Yeah…but I can move again, so I’ll manage. Besides, I need to get laid. I’m losing my mind.”
“You’re in no shape to have sex.”
“Not if she’s on top and doing all the work.” He carried his bag as he walked down the hallway with me.
“And what stranger is going to be willing to do that?”
“Someone who gets paid a lot.” He took the stairs slower than usual, holding the banister as a crutch to reach the bottom.
I rolled my eyes as I walked him to the front door. “You don’t want to stay until Hades comes home?”
“No. He’s seen enough of my ugly face.”
“I thought you said you were handsome.”
“I am—just not right now.” He stopped at the front door to say goodbye. “Well, thanks for everything…and for encouraging Hades to forgive me.”
“You know he would have done it anyway.”
“But taken a much longer time.” He wrapped one arm around my shoulders and gave me a gentle hug. “Let me know if you need anything. If you ever need a place to crash because he’s driving you nuts, call me.”
“I might take you up on that offer, so don’t be surprised if I call.”
He gave me a thumbs-up. “You know I’ll always answer.” He waved then walked out.
I watched him go, unsure what to do now until Hades came home.
14
Hades
“It’s surprising she doesn’t love you because she seems a bit obsessed.” Damien relaxed in the chair, shirtless with the gauze wrapped around his midsection. He let me refill his glass of booze so he wouldn’t have to exert himself by picking up the bottle.
“Yeah?”
“She couldn’t wait for you to come home.”
She had the foundation to feel something for me, but supernatural forces had placed a cap on her emotional endurance. That was the most she would ever feel for me, nothing more. My meeting with the gypsy made the situation easier to accept. “Good.”
“So, what happened down there? I could talk about your wife all day, but if I say any more, I’ll probably piss you off.”
“Knowing you slept down the hall from her already pisses me off.”
“Ooh…someone’s jealous.”
“No. Just territorial. You want to know what happened or not?”
He raised his glass.
“The gypsy said I had to earn my family’s forgiveness if I want to break the curse. I need to atone for my greatest sin so the punishment will stop. Sofia won’t be bound to her indifference, and then she’ll have the ability to love me…if she wants to.”
Damien shook his head slightly, like this was all a joke. “This whole thing sounds ludicrous.”
“I know.”
“I know it’s true, but it’s crazy. Who the hell would believe us?”
“No one.”
He shook his head. “So why would your family need to forgive you? What did you do? I know you don’t get along with your brother, but he’s an asshole. I love money and breaking the law as much as anyone else, but he’s crossing the line.”
I’d never told Damien what I did. “The gypsy said I had two options. The first one was making me fall out of love with Sofia, but I said no.”
“You could have made all this go away on the spot, and you said no?” he asked incredulously.
“Yeah.” Now I stood by that decision more than ever.
“You want this torture to continue?”
“I want her to love me back…no matter what it takes.”
“So getting your family’s forgiveness is the second option?”
“Yeah. It’s the only chance I’ve got to break this curse.”
“But what exactly do you need forgiveness for?” he repeated. “I don’t get it.”
I couldn’t keep this secret forever, not if I were going to accomplish anything. “About five years ago, my father was running the operation my brother now handles. We had words…tensions rose…one of his girls was a prostitute I knew…so I killed him.” I couldn’t look Da
mien in the eye as I said it, still full of shame for what I’d done. It didn’t matter how much my father deserved it, it made me sick to my stomach. It didn’t matter if he raped women and sold them…my actions destroyed my soul. I’d never been the same since.
In shock, all Damien could do was stare.
“My brother was close with my father, so naturally, we became enemies. We haven’t spoken since the day…and it’s been five years.”
Damien’s eyes were still wide. “Jesus…that’s heavy.”
“Now I need to make peace with my brother if I ever want to vindicate myself.”
“What are the odds of that happening?”
“Pretty much none.”
He drank his entire glass of scotch, as if he needed the booze in his blood to digest what I’d said. “Have you ever considered just telling Sofia about all of this? Maybe if she knew, it would be a much more convenient shortcut.”
I gave him an incredulous look. “You literally just talked about how crazy we sound. What the hell is she going to think?”
He shrugged. “She trusts you.”
“Even if she did believe me, what’s that going to accomplish?”
“I don’t know… Maybe she’d been more open-minded about giving you a chance.”
“No. That’s not how I want it to be. It’d be a much more romantic story if I won her over and then told her everything.”
“Don’t want to rain on your parade or anything, but you have no idea if that’s going to happen. You just said you have to get your psychotic brother to forgive you for murdering your father…and that’s not going to be easy.”
“Telling her now won’t help, so that’s out.”
Damien stopped arguing with me. “I’m surprised you aren’t home with her now. She seemed anxious to see you.”
If I had it my way, I would put my entire life on hold so I could stay in bed with her forever. “I’ve got shit to do. And I have to figure this out soon.”
