Page 48 of Queen of Tempests and Sin

The door opened with impeccable timing. In walked a vision—a woman who could make statues weep. A striking beauty with vivid green eyes, wavy, long blonde hair, and plump lips—she had the type of face that would give Cupid a boner. Her skin was luminescent, almost glowing, as if a subtle golden aura had wrapped itself around her.

Persephone’s sleek curves and ample bust were displayed to perfection in leather pants and a matching halter neck crop top, while a knife holster graced her toned thigh like it was jewellery. She was small—think Thumbelina meets Jessica Rabbit—but something about her was intimidating, and I had an inclination she’d be happy to dole out fat lips. She was quite possibly the sexiest scary woman I’d ever seen. I’m not into girls, but I stared at her like a goober and tried not to drool.

‘I think I have lady-wood,’ I muttered to Guinn.

‘Me too,’ she whispered. ‘Plus, I want some of whatever godly lotion she uses. Her skin is legit glowing.’

‘Hi, Perseus,’ Persephone crooned with a flirtatious grin.

The demigod beamed and bowed. ‘My lady.’

‘Hey, favourite brother-in-law.’ She grinned at Si, and the line of his jaw turned rigid.

‘Persephone. Thank you for letting us stay for a short while.’ His voice was composed, but I felt it—an undercurrent of irritation humming in my solar plexus. I blinked. That wasn’t my irritation. It was his. I could feel him. What the…

‘Hello, my favourite shadow daddy,’ Persephone teased, sauntering over to Hades and rising on her toes to kiss him. Her lips brushed his, soft and slow.

The shift in Hades was instant. His hard edges melted as his hands slid to her hips, returning the kiss with reverence. ‘Agapi mou,’ he whispered, his face softening as he regarded her.

I felt Si stiffen next to me, his face blank, but radiating an emotion I couldn’t quite grasp. Jealousy? Longing? Or maybe it was just the feeling of being on the outside, watching someone else have what you didn’t dare admit you wanted.

Sigh. A love like that would be… devastating. The kind you ache for, the kind you bleed for. I felt it for half a heartbeat before shoving it back down.

Nope. Not me. I don’t do love—I do sarcasm and bad decisions.

She turned to Guinn and me, her smile wide and warm. ‘And you two must be Guinn and Cordelia. Welcome to the House of Hades.’

‘Cordie,’ I offered, holding out my hand. She laughed and instead wrapped her arms around me. I stiffened momentarily—physical affection wasn’t exactly my default setting; the only person I ever hugged was Guinn. But I felt myself relaxing into her warm embrace. Si released a small growl, and Persephone turned to him, tutting and wagging a finger.

‘Down, sea boy. Maybe I’ll get to ride that hippocampus sooner than I thought?’ Si’s eyes rolled with a brewing stormfront, his lips tight, expression pinched, but she laughed, shaking her head, completely unperturbed by the grouchy god. I snuck a glance at Hades and Perseus, who both appeared mildly amused by the whole exchange.

‘Wow, woman, you’re like a walking armoury; a veritable red-headed Lara Croft,’ Persephone said as she looked me over, now holding me at arm’s length. ‘And clearly, the rumours are true, huh? My brother-in-law is definitely sweet on you.’ My eyes flicked to Si, who looked ready to break a molar, his teeth were so tightly clenched. She snickered when he glared at her.

‘And Guinn.’ Persephone embraced my sister, who seemed a tad starstruck. ‘You’re going to love it here. Come on, I’ll show you to your suite. Then we’ll go meet Cerberus.’

‘The hellhound?’ Guinn squeaked her worried gaze flitting to me.

‘He’s a softie,’ Persephone assured her. ‘A total sweetheart. We’ll get you settled first, then after we’ve had a walk, we’ll have drinks, food, and chocolate cupcakes.’ Persephone winked at her and blew a kiss to Hades, who smiled, then turned back to the cooker.

‘I’ll bring your bags,’ Si said, hefting our luggage like it weighed nothing. ‘Hades and I need to leave soon. We’ve got a meeting with Zeus.’

Guinn’s whole face lit up. ‘The king of the gods.’ She clasped her hands against her chest. ‘Wicked.’

‘He’s a complete twatwaffle,’ Persephone said over her shoulder as she strode down the hallway, making Guinn giggle.

‘She’s not wrong,’ Si grumbled from behind me.

We followed Persephone through a maze of broad, high-ceilinged hallways. Eventually, she stopped at a tall set of ornate double doors and gestured for us to enter.

‘This will be your temporary residence. Cordie and Guinn, you have adjoining suites. The other suite is through there, Guinn.’ She motioned towards huge double doors as she stepped into the space, and Guinn fled past, charging through the wide doors with a squeal of delight.

‘This place is awesome!’ her voice echoed back.

I stepped into the suite and blinked. It was stunning. The cream-coloured walls glowed with a soft, magical light, while plush sofas framed a fireplace that looked straight out of a dream. A dark wood dining table was topped with a vase of bright yellow narcissi, and the furniture throughout was rich but warm—cozy rather than ostentatious.

Drawn by the view, I wandered to the large window. A beautiful meadow stretched as far as the eye could see; it was simply stunning. But what made my breath hitch was the sky.

‘The sky…’ I murmured.