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Chapter 12
Hades reclined by the fire, listening to the melodic sound of Eloise’s reading. He enjoyed her voice, but most of all, he enjoyed just basking in the light of her presence.
Truth be told, he’d barely listened to the stories she’d read. Just being next to her was enough to heal his bleeding soul. He knew this wouldn’t last. A few more nights and the thief-taker would take her back. He was making progress in finding Ava’s killer. Hades could feel it.
Ford Gunning was exceptionally good at his job, and that was one of the reasons Hades had chosen him. He was relentless, determined, and sedulous.
Hades’ men watched Gunning’s every step, and the thief-taker knew it. He let them follow his every move and let them report to Hades on his progress. He was always in motion, talking to the aristocrats, bandits, checking all his contacts. At the same time, his associate, Hunter Jamison, sat in Hades’ club collecting all the rumors about Eloise, making sure she was indeed still alive.
Hades was making his own inquiries about Ava’s murder, too. He wanted the man to pay; he craved revenge. But it was not his sole desire anymore. The more time he spent with Eloise, the more he doubted he would be able to let her go easily. He wished the thief-taker would just leave the girl behind after all of it was done.
A fanciful thought. A dangerous thought.
Because Grace was right. Nothing good ever came from Hades’ attachments. He had too many enemies. He’d already lost Ava, and it’d be better if Gunning claimed his sister before Hades got too used to her. More used to her than he already was.
Eloise closed the book and raised her face to his. Was she done?
“The end,” she said with a smile.
The end.
But Hades wasn’t ready for the night to end yet. She’d just read him a story about Hades and Persephone. A story that he’d heard variations of this myth too many times to count. Eloise found it amusing reading a tale about the god whose name he had chosen for himself.
Hades did not care for the words. That’s not what he was listening to when he listened to her read. All he needed was the sound of her melodic voice.
And he was ready to listen to the same story a thousand times if that meant she wouldn’t leave this room. If that meant he didn’t have to leave this room, either. Just the thought of going to his empty, cold chamber sent a shiver through his body.
“Hmm… That’s the end? But it doesn’t explain why the simple act of eating pomegranate seeds tied Persephone to Hades?” he asked, just to have her talking.
“In Greek mythos, pomegranate seeds represent life, regeneration, and marriage,” Eloise explained eagerly. “They were a symbol of the indissolubility of a union between a man and a woman.”
“Ah, but if that is true, then Persephone would have known it. And yet she ate the seeds knowing they’d tie her to Hades forever.”
“Yes, there are a few interpretations of this. This book portrays it as though she didn’t know. She ate them because she was hungry, and she’d given up hope of ever being freed. But as you say, she wasn’t foolish. I think she knew. I think the truth was she liked being there. She had a chance to become the queen of the underworld, and she took it. There’s another interpretation of this story that I like better.”
“What is it?”
Eloise settled comfortably and leaned closer to him as if imparting a secret. “She made a deal with him. She told him she’d stay and be his wife if she could rule by his side as an equal.”
Hades leaned closer still. “Ah, clever. And he was so in love with her that he couldn’t refuse.”
Eloise shrugged. “By the time she was freed, she wanted the best of both worlds. So she accepted Hades’ proposal by eating a few of the seeds.”
“She was very cunning.”
“Yes, indeed.” Eloise smiled.
“The real world doesn’t work that way, though.”
“Doesn’t it?” She cocked her head to the side.
Hades took a deep breath. “No.” He had to say this more for his own benefit than hers. He needed to remind himself that they were from different worlds, Eloise and he. “You cannot be the queen of spring, harvest, and rejuvenation, as well as the queen of the underworld at the same time. They are the opposites. You have to choose.”
Eloise looked away. “You mean I can’t be the sister of a thief-taker and the guest of a criminal at the same time?”
Hades stood slowly but fluidly and helped her up. “You can. You are. But you haven’t chosen it.”
“Yes, I never chose to be here,” she said, smoothing her skirts.
