mean.”
In the split second before she answered, I didn’t dare breathe. Anyone but James.
“Nicholas,” she said, as if it were obvious, and I released the breath I’d been holding. Out of all the members of the council, Nicholas would’ve been my last pick.
“That’s crazy,” I said faintly, refusing to look at James. I loved Henry. No matter how tough things got, James wasn’t a choice anymore. Maybe he’d been before I took my vows, but…
…but what if Henry took one look at Persephone and wanted her back?
I shoved the thought aside. I couldn’t think like that.
“I know, right?” Ava beamed. “He’s a good guy. He really knows how to handle his swords, too.”
As images of Henry embracing Persephone floated in front of me, I struggled to keep up with Ava. “What?”
“He’s a blacksmith,” she said, her eyes widening innocently. “He makes weapons—anything in the world, you name it, he can make it. And he creates things for me, of course.”
“He also puts up with you,” said James, sitting down on a tree stump on the other side of the fire. “And he’s faithful.”
Ava huffed. “I wouldn’t be able to do my job if I was only ever with him. Besides, you weren’t complaining when—”
James glared, and she stopped. Instead of grilling her more about her relationships, I looked down at my hands. Nicholas presumably loved her, or at least he felt loyal enough not to cheat, unlike Ava. Maybe she had an excuse, but it reminded me strongly of Persephone, and bitterness curled through me, wrapping around my insides and making me still as stone. For a moment, I hated Ava for doing that to her husband whether he was okay with it or not.
“You’re not married, are you?” I said to James.
He shook his head. “Not yet, not officially. There’ve been some mortals, of course, but we’ve all had a few mortals on the side.”
“More than a few,” said Ava with a snort.
“Then why get married in the first place if you’re not going to stay faithful?” I said.
Ava shrugged. “I think Daddy believed that getting married would force me to settle down, but that didn’t work out too well.” She paused. “Nicholas understands, you know. He knew what he was signing up for in the beginning, and he doesn’t mind. At the end of the day, he knows he’s the love of my life.”
“We get married for the same reasons that mortals do,” said James. “To create a family, a home, to have that sense of security. To have a partner. And in Walter, Henry and Phillip’s cases, to have a queen to help them rule.”
“Didn’t turn out too well for Henry,” I muttered, and James sighed.
“No, it didn’t.”
A strong breeze made the leaves on the trees above us rustle, and I forced myself to relax. I couldn’t change what had already happened. I could, however, control what I did, and I already knew I would never hurt Henry like that. No matter how bad things got.
However, a tendril of resentment lingered inside of me, and I couldn’t resist muttering to Ava, “If you can stay with Nicholas, then why couldn’t Persephone stay with Henry?”
She said nothing. The fire crackled, and off in the distance I heard a woman singing, but I didn’t pay attention. Many of the mortals we’d passed had been singing. While some of the songs I’d recognized, others were so old that they’d been lost to time, except to the dead who sang them.
“Persephone fell in love with a mortal,” said James after a long moment. “She wasn’t any different from the rest of us—she wasn’t faithful to Henry before she’d met Adonis, either.”
“You can’t say you’re all like that when Nicholas doesn’t cheat on Ava,” I said sharply. So it hadn’t been once, then. Henry had had to endure knowing Persephone had been with other people over and over again—presumably other members of the council he had to face afterward. Yet he’d still loved her.
“Calliope didn’t cheat on Daddy,
In the split second before she answered, I didn’t dare breathe. Anyone but James.
“Nicholas,” she said, as if it were obvious, and I released the breath I’d been holding. Out of all the members of the council, Nicholas would’ve been my last pick.
“That’s crazy,” I said faintly, refusing to look at James. I loved Henry. No matter how tough things got, James wasn’t a choice anymore. Maybe he’d been before I took my vows, but…
…but what if Henry took one look at Persephone and wanted her back?
I shoved the thought aside. I couldn’t think like that.
“I know, right?” Ava beamed. “He’s a good guy. He really knows how to handle his swords, too.”
As images of Henry embracing Persephone floated in front of me, I struggled to keep up with Ava. “What?”
“He’s a blacksmith,” she said, her eyes widening innocently. “He makes weapons—anything in the world, you name it, he can make it. And he creates things for me, of course.”
“He also puts up with you,” said James, sitting down on a tree stump on the other side of the fire. “And he’s faithful.”
Ava huffed. “I wouldn’t be able to do my job if I was only ever with him. Besides, you weren’t complaining when—”
James glared, and she stopped. Instead of grilling her more about her relationships, I looked down at my hands. Nicholas presumably loved her, or at least he felt loyal enough not to cheat, unlike Ava. Maybe she had an excuse, but it reminded me strongly of Persephone, and bitterness curled through me, wrapping around my insides and making me still as stone. For a moment, I hated Ava for doing that to her husband whether he was okay with it or not.
“You’re not married, are you?” I said to James.
He shook his head. “Not yet, not officially. There’ve been some mortals, of course, but we’ve all had a few mortals on the side.”
“More than a few,” said Ava with a snort.
“Then why get married in the first place if you’re not going to stay faithful?” I said.
Ava shrugged. “I think Daddy believed that getting married would force me to settle down, but that didn’t work out too well.” She paused. “Nicholas understands, you know. He knew what he was signing up for in the beginning, and he doesn’t mind. At the end of the day, he knows he’s the love of my life.”
“We get married for the same reasons that mortals do,” said James. “To create a family, a home, to have that sense of security. To have a partner. And in Walter, Henry and Phillip’s cases, to have a queen to help them rule.”
“Didn’t turn out too well for Henry,” I muttered, and James sighed.
“No, it didn’t.”
A strong breeze made the leaves on the trees above us rustle, and I forced myself to relax. I couldn’t change what had already happened. I could, however, control what I did, and I already knew I would never hurt Henry like that. No matter how bad things got.
However, a tendril of resentment lingered inside of me, and I couldn’t resist muttering to Ava, “If you can stay with Nicholas, then why couldn’t Persephone stay with Henry?”
She said nothing. The fire crackled, and off in the distance I heard a woman singing, but I didn’t pay attention. Many of the mortals we’d passed had been singing. While some of the songs I’d recognized, others were so old that they’d been lost to time, except to the dead who sang them.
“Persephone fell in love with a mortal,” said James after a long moment. “She wasn’t any different from the rest of us—she wasn’t faithful to Henry before she’d met Adonis, either.”
“You can’t say you’re all like that when Nicholas doesn’t cheat on Ava,” I said sharply. So it hadn’t been once, then. Henry had had to endure knowing Persephone had been with other people over and over again—presumably other members of the council he had to face afterward. Yet he’d still loved her.
“Calliope didn’t cheat on Daddy,
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