Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 65210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
He led me up the staircase and showed me to my bedroom, told me to put my things away, and said lunch would be served in my room as he had “shit to do”.
But because the world clearly revolved around Hades, I needed to be ready to eat dinner with him at six sharp.
And that’s where I was now, standing in the center of the room for the last five minutes after he’d left without so much as another word.
I traced the large, multi-paned latticework and casement window in front of me with my gaze. The stained glass had heraldic and ecclesiastical motifs; something I’d learned when my father had them installed in our home.
Rich oak paneling framed the room, and tapestries and embroideries of velvet in colors of golds and rich blues adorned the walls.
I looked at the bed, a large, four-poster canopy style that was covered in a bright gold with a blue trim damask comforter.
Everything was foreign and aged to fit the style of the home, right down to the trestle tables and tufted benches off to the side.
“This isn’t me,” I hissed as I dropped my bag to the floor, not even realizing I’d been holding it in a death grip the entire time.
It may not have been you… but it is you now.
For the rest of the day, I just familiarized myself with the room, put my clothes away, and set up a few things I’d brought with me on the dresser and bedside table.
And then I just gazed out the window as I watched some of the staff work around the yard. The property was gorgeous, with open land for as far as the eye could see. This had to have cost a fortune, seeing as there wasn’t this kind of real estate typical within city limits.
They covered the pool for the season, and a stone patio wrapped around it. There was also a gazebo closer to the tree line of the forest.
Around lunchtime, a member of the staff—an older woman with white hair coiled into a tight bun at her nape, heavy creases around her pale blue eyes, and a scowl on her face that matched Hades’—brought a meal to my room.
She didn’t make eye contact or say a word.
I wondered if that was at Hades’ command. Maybe he thought this would make me realize he held all the power, that even his staff wouldn’t acknowledge me in a friendly manner unless he deemed it.
I couldn’t wait until I started my senior year of high school. I didn’t even care that the academy wasn’t the one I’d gone to for the last three years. Although I would have obviously preferred to stay where I knew everyone.
An hour before dinner, another staff member came to my room with a box in hand. He set it down on my bed, made brief eye contact with me, and then scurried away as if he were afraid to be in the same vicinity as me. I pursed my lips and narrowed my eyes as annoyance filled me.
If this was how everyone was going to be around me for the next three years, I was pretty sure I was going to rip my hair out and scream.
Within the box was what I assumed was the dress Hades wanted me to wear for dinner tonight. It was modest in black, with a Peter Pan collar and the hem falling to my knees. It looked like something I’d wear to school, not to eat a meal in my home.
I tossed that shit right in the closet and picked out my outfit. In fact, I put on the most unappealing clothes I could find, ones that would be sure to piss Hades off.
Oversized sweats and a holey crop top it was, an outfit I wore when I’d paint on the back porch in the summers.
I knotted my hair into a messy bun at the crown of my head, went shoeless, and headed downstairs.
It was easy enough to find the dining room despite the large estate, and I told myself I’d have to find someone to show me around so I didn’t get lost in this behemoth of a house.
I spied Hades right away. He sat at a long oak table that was positioned parallel to the monstrous fireplace. The sound of the wood crackling as it burned seemed overly loud.
He wasn’t wearing his typical three-piece suit and tie. Instead, he had on a crisp, white, button-down shirt. The collar was opened, and a tan swatch of hard male flesh was on display.
I hated he was so gorgeous as he sat like a king of the underworld. He had one forearm slung over the side of the chair, and the other one stretched out on the table.
With a curl of his fingers, he motioned me farther in. I stopped when I was a few feet from the table, staring at him because I wanted Hades to know he didn’t intimidate me. Even if that was a boldfaced lie.