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“When ye were young, ye would fight just like that with Eros and Ares. Knock down, drag out, fight until someone cries uncle. What I saw today was no different.”
I snort, glancing toward the direction where Penny went.
“It was life or death. Ares fucking crossed a line when he abducted the woman carrying my baby. And Eros hid you and Diana from me. I don’t see how the situation could have been handled better.”
Magda tsks. “Yesterday, it was fighting over your favorite truck. Today, it was over yer girlfriend.”
Gritting my teeth, I push myself to my feet.
“I don’t need this.” I swat her hand away. “I am not interested in being talked down to and made to feel insignificant.”
“Sit down,” Magda says, her tone strict. “I’m certainly not trying to make ye feel less than what ye are. I’m trying to put things into perspective for ye. Ye grew up, graduated to higher stakes, with bigger potential wins and losses. But what I am driving at is that yer brothers are just trying to compete with ye. Ye seem to have entered the next stage of yer life — one where ye find a life partner and build a family. It seems to me that this whole chain of events was just yer brothers reacting to ye meeting and falling in love with Persephone.”
I stiffen. “Who says I’m in love?”
She eyes me to see if I’m serious and then bleats a laugh.
“Absolutely anyone with even a single lick of common sense.”
“Based on what, exactly?”
“I’ve seen how ye act around her. Possessive, growly, protective. She’s carrying yer child. And most importantly, she seems to love ye in return. Even though yer… probably not the easiest man to have those feelings about.”
I glare at Magda. “Ye seem to think ye know an awful lot about us after knowing us for just a handful of days.”
“That’s because it’s obvious to everyone around ye. Especially yer brothers.”
“All right. That’s enough.”
“I don’t know if it is enough. Because yer response makes me think that ye’ve not told her how ye feel.”
I click my tongue. “Act, there you go, tell me how I feel again. See, that’s not really working for me.”
She waves a finger at me, fixing me with her gaze. “I’m going to tell ye some hard truths, son. First, ye will have to forgive yer brothers eventually. They were just reacting to ye, following yer lead.”
“Did Eros put ye up to this?” I ask, my hackles rising.
My mother is unfazed. “Two, ye need to tell Persephone how ye feel. Do it today. Ye don’t realize it yet, but life is short and brutal. When ye have a person to share yer burdens and triumphs with, ye cling to that person and keep them as close as ye can for as long as ye can.”
Her eyes unexpectedly fill with tears as she wags her finger at me. “Tell her ye love her tonight.”
I frown at her, uncomfortable with her sincerity.
“Stop giving me advice.”
“Fine.” Magda shakes her head. “I’ll grab Diana and ask her to finish cleaning and suturing yer wounds. I have to go find Ares and convince him to come in and let me look at his wounds. But in the meantime, I hope ye’ll think about what I’ve told ye.”
I sit back down, staring at her stonily. She rolls her eyes at me as she heads out of the exam room.
But her words still ring clearly in my head.
Chapter16
Persephone
Hades holds my hand as we wander lazily along the shore close to our cabin. It’s been a couple days since the fight and as I predicted, he is splashed with black and blue bruises over nearly every inch of his body. He moves with extreme caution, keeping most of his grumbling to himself. From his stiff movements though, I know that he’s hurting badly.
“Ow!” Pulling him to a stop, I put my hand over my stomach where my daughter just kicked me.
