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Dante murmured, “And I am very good in the kitchen.”
Achilles asked, “Will you stay with us? Please?”
She winced. “I want to. I have been in therapy for the last five years and still wake up screaming.”
Dante stroked her arm and then lifted her hand to kiss it. “We can’t protect you from your dreams, but we can make sure that you know you are safe when you wake.”
She rested her head on Achilles. “I still feel his hands on me when I dream.”
Achilles murmured softly, “I would tear him apart again if given the chance.”
“I know and appreciate it. Boy, was he surprised.” She smiled.
He held her with what she knew could be a crushing force.
Dan cleared his throat and said, “Dinner is ready.”
Achilles smiled and took a seat, setting her down between him and Dante. She looked over at Persephone and grinned at her sibling. She looked happy. It was nice to see.
Dinner was composed of nine large dishes. Two roasted meats and the item that had to be an emergency preparation.
Mateo smiled and said, “Help yourselves.”
Achilles grabbed the bowl she was looking at and served her a large portion of mac and cheese. Dante got some roast beef and then the gravy and a large scoop of vegetables.
Persephone blinked. “Wow. That’s impressive.”
Achilles smiled. “We have known her for over a decade. The only thing that would have gotten her to start clapping would have been tacos.”
Owen started to ask Persephone what she wanted, and then he made Mateo get it. Keres started to eat and grinned her way through the meal. Persephone was never going to finish all that food. Thanatos was talking to Achilles, and that is when Achilles dropped the bomb. “Oh, why she hasn’t had a child of her own?”
Keres jolted.
The table froze, and her mate answered, “She screams and thrashes nearly every night. You can’t hurt a child the way she was hurt and expect them to sleep through until dawn. She’s afraid she will hurt her child.”
Keres pushed her plate away. “Well, that’s that. Yeah. I can’t sleep in a house. I can’t sleep through the night.” She rubbed her forehead. “I am a cross between a raccoon and a potato.”
Her sister looked at her. “How long?”
“Eleven years. I can sleep; I just can’t wake up without drama and fists flying.”
Achilles stroked her cheek and said, “It started when we escaped. It never stopped.”
She used a napkin to blot her lips. “They used a recording from the hospital in the motion against the Elite when they demanded me back. I had to testify in front of local politicians and law enforcement, but I let them take photos of me from when I arrived, and I looked horrifying. It was a convincing motivator, and they quietly stopped allowing access to children with the marks of the Elite. Hair dye and contact lenses all around.”
Dante squeezed her hand. “What happened to your family should never have been ignored. And while I appreciate how many of us you freed, it wasn’t worth your pain.”
Keres was suddenly facing another forkful of her meal. Achilles looked at her. “Please.”
She opened and took the bite.
Armand said, “Am I right in saying that this isn’t what you actually look like?”
Keres covered her mouth as she laughed.
Achilles smiled. “It isn’t, but our normal appearance is a little startling, so this is the best presentation.”
Dante chuckled. “Correct. Even Keres isn’t quite herself.”
