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Elenora pauses, the tea-tray gripped in her fingers. Steam rises from the cup, and there’s a slice of tempting looking iced lemon-loaf on a china plate.
I don’t want it. In fact, if it weren’t illegal to walk around the city naked, I would be ripping off my clothes because I don’t want them either. I don’t want a single thing he’s given me.
“Not right now,” I say, waving her off, “but thank you.” Because it would kill me to be rude to her. Her eyes widen as I march past her. “Hadrion!” I yell his name, and the sound of my voice bounces off the walls.
“He’s--“ Elenora behind me is lost as I thunder down the stairs.
“HADES!” He’s got to be in here somewhere. He wouldn’t, the coward, slink away from the whole apartment after leaving me to wake up on my own, would he? I’m going to kill him.
His office is dark, but the sun is coming up outside, and the first rays of light are spilling into the room. It’s empty, even the desk, and I’m so mad that I can’t even bring myself to blush at the sight of it.
Where he fucked me last night. I thought it was love, but that was a lie. I’d believed it. Of course, all the gods lie. That’s their job, pretty much. They weren’t created to do anything else. I sag against the doorway, wondering where the hell he is, when I hear footsteps. I lift my head.
Elenora gives me a concerned look, and gestures towards the living room.
“Downstairs, Miss. He’s told the staff the club will be closed tonight. There’s... he has... well, they are talking.” The way she saystheymakes me think she’s not talking about him and the staff. I walk to the windows overlooking the club, and there they are, the foursome.
Falcon. Shay. Cyrus. And Hadrion.
My eyes narrow.
I spin on my heel and pound down the stairs to the office, bursting onto the floor of the club. I want to yell at him, even as all four of them turn to look at me. I don’t care we have an audience. All my life, I’ve made myself small, sacrificed so others could be happy, or at least not mad at me, and the one thing I’ve ever wanted for myself, he took from me.
He snatched his love right back to his own chest, away from me.
“What is your problem!?” The fury makes my voice crack, and instantly I see Cyrus tensing, casting a furtive look at Hadrion. “You left me to wake up alone. How could you!? How could you?!” I’m screaming now, the pain inside me making the sound burst out. I’m not even aware of what I’m saying anymore. It’s all just a mess of words. My eyes are wet, and Shay reaches out, grabbing Cyrus by the back of the neck.
“No,” she says sagely, nodding to Hadrion. “He deserves this.” Hadrion gives her a look like she’s betrayed him and she lifts her chin. “Have you learned nothing of humans?” She shakes her head, grip tightening on Cyrus when he doesn’t look like he’s going to listen. My cheeks flush. Dammit.
At least someone has my back.
“And what about last night, huh?” I demand, stalking toward him, my chest heaving, rage and anger and humiliation and sorrow swirling inside me until I can barely think. “Was that just some kind of, of--“ I don’t even know the word for it. Shay beckons to Falcon, who gives me a vaguely pitying look, before she ushers the two men into the VIP section. They disappear into the shadows and I point at them. “What was so important that you had to leave me like that?” Now tears are starting todrip down my cheeks, and I hate that I’m this hurt. I should be stronger, not care, cavalier about it.
Hadrion’s expression is dark, and he is silent for a long moment before he clears his throat.
“I hurt you,” he says, a softness in his eyes that threatens to cut the anger right out of me. “I’m so sorry, Katy.”
“Don’t apologize,” I say, wiping the back of my hand over my cheeks, the anger rushing right out of me. “Don’t.”
“Why not?” His words are soft, and so gentle that it nearly kills the last of the rage that was boiling in my chest. “I hurt you. Here--“ He pulls a handkerchief from his suit pocket, always him with the neatly tailored suits, and he reaches over. I look up at him, my mouth pulling down into a hurt frown as he dabs at the tears on my cheeks.
“Please--“ More tears follow and then I cover my face with my hands, shoulders shaking.
“Katy, Katy,” he murmurs my name, and his arms come around me. He holds me close as I cry, because I’m a stupid girl who’s so far gone past ‘emotionally compromised’ right into ‘utterly destroyed’ by the god of death.
I’m an idiot.
“I’m not a nice person, I’m not a good man, to leave you like that,” he whispers.
“Shut up,” I mumble into his chest.
“No, you deserve better. I should have stayed with you, woken you up, explained why I had to go. I wanted to have a conference with my friends--“
“Yeah, about that.” I’m also angry about that, and he hasn’t apologized for that bit yet. The irritation chases away my tears for a moment. “I should be in on these conversations, too. I’m the one who has the key, and even if you think it’s useless--“ A thought occurs to me and I go still.
He watches me, waiting for me to speak.
“D’you think...” No, it’s too stupid. I have to ask, though. “Do you think cause we had sex, I can give it to you now?”
