designed it,” said Ava as we approached the intimidating doors. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from a rude retort. I’d never considered how much being in the Underworld would remind Henry of Persephone, and after they’d spent millennia together, there was no way I could combat every piece of her that lingered in his life. But I hadn’t been prepared to face it this soon.
I took a deep breath. Everything would be fine. I was jet-lagged, that’s all, and as soon as I got some rest and saw Henry, everything would go back to normal. Getting angry about every little thing wasn’t going to help.
The entranceway was nothing like I’d expected. Unlike the darkness of the world outside the palace, it was cheerful inside, with red walls and mirrors much like the ones that hung in Eden Manor. This room was smaller though, homier somehow. From the gold accents around the mirrors to the brown leather furniture scattered throughout the corridor, everything was warm. The palace was huge, but inside, it didn’t seem the least bit impressed with itself.
I liked it.
“This is where I’ll be living during the winter?” I said, and my mother nodded.
“This is the private wing of the palace, meant for you, Henry and your guests.”
“There are guests?”
Ava skipped beside me, almost wrenching my arm out of its socket. “Like us, silly. The entire council’s here right now to see your coronation.”
“They are?” My mouth went dry. “I thought it was just going to be me and Henry. And you guys.”
“Of course the entire council is here. Henry will be crowning a new Queen of the Underworld tonight,” said my mother, setting her hand on my back to lead me down another hallway. “That doesn’t happen very often.”
She seemed to know exactly where she was going, and trepidation bubbled inside of me. She must’ve spent time here with Persephone, who had been her daughter—my sister—and her familiarity with the palace was one more reminder of how deeply entrenched Persephone had been in Henry’s life. How deeply entrenched her memory still was.
“Your bedroom,” said Ava, pointing toward an elaborately decorated door at the end of the hallway. I wanted to ask her how she’d known that, but as we drew closer and I recognized the intricate wooden carvings, I nearly choked.
It was the exact same door as the one in Eden that led into Persephone’s bedroom. On the top half was a beautiful meadow, and somehow the artist had managed to create sunlight in the wood. Below it stood the Underworld with its pillars of stone and gardens of jewels, and it was all I could do to speak. “Do you think Henry would mind if I did some redecorating?”
Ava and my mother exchanged a confused glance, but James, who had been quiet up until then, stepped forward. I didn’t want his sympathy though. Or his understanding. Henry was busy, not ignoring me, and he couldn’t have possibly known how a simple door would feel like a punch to the gut to me. I didn’t want him to choose between me and his dead wife; I only wanted to be a more important part of his life now. Maybe it would take some time, but that was time I was willing to put in if Henry was, as well.
I shook my head. Of course Henry would want this. He’d been the one to approach me beside the river to begin with. He’d been the one to protect me during my time in Eden. He was the one who’d helped bring me back from the dead. He was the one who’d stayed by my bedside nearly every waking hour after. He cared. He had to.
That was all before I’d been granted immortality by the council though, said a small voice that sounded suspiciously like James’s in the back of my mind. My mother was Henry’s favorite sister. Maybe he was only trying to protect me for her sake.
I forced the thought aside. I was panicking over nothing. Henry would show up soon, and he couldn’t avoid me all winter. Even if he did have some apprehension about this whole thing, we’d be able to talk about it. It wasn’t like I wasn’t nervous, too.
“This is your home too now, and you should do what makes you comfortable,” said James. “If Henry really loves you, he’ll understand.”
“How could you say something like that?” said Ava, appalled. “Of course he loves her. I should know.”
“Yes,” he said curtly. “You should. If you’ll all excuse me, I have things to do before the ceremony.”
He kissed me on the cheek before breezing past Ava and my mother, and the three of us watched him go. I tried not to let it get under my skin, but the thought of going six months without seeing James after spending all summer with him was hard to swallow. No matter what his feelings for me may or may not have been, he was still my friend.
“I’ll go see what’s the matter with him,” said my mother once James was out of sight.
“Thanks,” I said. “He wasn’t like this while we were in Greece.”
She sighed. “No, I’d imagine he wasn’t.” Giving me a hug, she added, “I’ll check in on you before the ceremony. Ava, stay with her until Henry returns.”
“Planned on it,” said Ava, and once my mother had hurried after James, Ava turned toward me with a sly grin. “So, want to see where the magic happens?”
The look on my face sent her into a fit of laughter, and it was only when I threatened to follow my mother that she sobered up.
“I’m sorry, it’s just—you’re such a prude.”
I didn’t dignify that with an answer. The only time I’d slept with Henry had been after being dosed with an aphrodisiac, thanks to Calliope. While the thought of me failing a test had enraged Henry, part of me held out hope that he’d enjoyed it as much as I had. We hadn’t slept together since, but now that we were married, it might be something he was expecting.
I wasn’t sure which was worse: the thought of Henry expecting me to sleep with him, or the thought of Henry not wanting to sleep with me at all.
Ava finally pushed the door open, revealing a large bedroom suite on the other side. The carpet was soft and the color of cream, and the walls were painted the same rich red as the entrance hall. In the center stood a massive bed on a raised platform, and the sheets were gold. It was perfect, and I hated myself for liking it so much.
“Please tell me someone’s changed the sheets since Persephone lived here,” I muttered, and Ava laughed.
“Of course. I even talked Henry into letting me redecorate for you. I didn’t think the door would bother you, else I’d have changed that, too.”
The knot in my stomach unraveled. “Next time, open with that,” I said, wandering around the room to inspect it. Furniture was scattered throughout, including two love seats, a desk and a vanity, and a great bay window overlooking the courtyard and the garden of jewels. I pulled the gold curtains shut.
A high-pitched yip caught my attention, and I whirled around in time to see Pogo, the puppy Henry had given me last winter, come barreling toward me. His little legs could hardly keep him steady, and his tail wagged so enthusiastically I was afraid he would break it against something.
“Pogo,” I cooed, scooping him up and cradling him to my chest. “You haven’t grown a bit, have you? Where’s Cerberus?” He licked my cheek, and I grinned. Finally something was going right.
“Cerberus has his own job down here,” said Ava from across the room. “I took care of Pogo for you—taught him a few new tricks and everything.”
My grin faded. “I thought Henry was going to take care of him.” He’d gotten Pogo for me because he wanted to show me that he intended for our relationship to last, and instead of taking care of him like he’d promised, he’d handed him off to Ava for the summer? I hugged Pogo tighter.
“He gets busy sometimes,” said Ava, and I crossed the room to join her. “Now, this is your closet. I even talked Henry into letting me choose your outfits for you this time