Chapter 43

Persephone

“You look like you’re having a bad day,” Joey remarked as he perched himself on the edge of my desk. My boss, Julia, had described Joey’s build as that of a competitive swimmer, and I had to agree. His extremely broad shoulders tapered down to a narrow waist. With black hair, tanned skin, and amber eyes, Joey had a bad boy quality that women seemed to like.

He owned a security firm with some other werewolves from a pack up north. They’d helped out when someone was trying to kill Julia, Gryph’s mate. Since Gryph liked the wolves, he often contracted with them when his own security firm needed extra help.

“It’s hard to be in a good mood when I’m tripping over werewolves,” I snapped.

Joey’s eyes widened, and he waited for me to say more before responding. “Now, this is a big change.”

“What?” I asked.

“You didn’t apologize for snapping at me,” he explained. “I’m not asking you to apologize. Although, I should point out that I’m only doing my job.”

“You’re right,” I agreed with a sigh. “You’re only doing your job, and I shouldn’t take my frustration out on you.”

“It’s okay to snap at people, or even tell them to leave you alone, when you’re in a bad mood,” Joey told me.

Since Gryph had just stepped out of the elevator as Joey made that statement, he joined in the conversation. “I do it all the time.”

“Hades is turning me into a nasty witch,” I muttered.

Joey and Gryph both laughed at my statement, but it was Joey who responded. “You’re still one of the most polite people I’ve ever met. So, Hades is the reason you’re in such a bad mood?”

“He hasn’t claimed her as his mate yet,” Gryph answered for me.

“How would you know that?” I demanded.

“His scent on you isn’t very strong,” Gryph explained.

Joey decided to add more to the explanation. “I can definitely smell the fallen angel on you, but not like you’ve fucked.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Joey flashed me a sheepish smile. “Sorry. I shouldn’t be that crude.”

I waved off his apology. “I’ve spent enough time around werewolves to know you aren’t trying to be offensive. While I’d rather not think about what you’re smelling when you smell Hades on me, I understand that you’re not saying it to be offensive.”

Julia emerged from the back and joined in the conversation. She’d been working in one of the prop rooms, so her blonde hair was secured in a ponytail to keep it out of her face. “I hate it when the werewolves talk about that. Granted, it is kind of nice when Gryph tells me how much he likes my scent. I still don’t want him to go into specifics. He’s been known to go too far with his explanations.”

Gryph grinned. “I love the way you smell, Sass.”

“And that is all you need to say,” Julia told him before asking me, “So, you slept with Hades? I assumed your bad mood was because you hadn’t yet.”

In most offices, our conversation would be considered far too personal, but I worked for a company that planned kinky fantasies for couples, and sometimes groups. That morning, I’d helped unload a box of vibrators and checked to make sure they were charged before we put them in one of the prop rooms. The boundaries were different at Bliss.

“They haven’t fucked,” Joey answered for me. “He’s definitely been spending a lot of time with her. His scent is all over her skin, but he hasn’t claimed her.”

“And that is too much information,” Julia told him. “No one wants to hear that.”

“It doesn’t bother me,” Gryph said with a shrug.

“Because you’re a werewolf,” I pointed out.

“What’s it like being involved with a fallen angel?” Joey asked.

“Confusing,” I admitted. “Maybe being with Hades is what’s confusing. Although, Beatrice seemed confused when she was first involved with Lucifer.”

“At least, Hades didn’t lie to you or send you running to my house asking for a place to hide,” Gryph added.

“There is that,” I agreed. “Hades has been very honest with me. I’m sure I confuse him as much as he confuses me.”

“Do you love him?” Julia asked, her pale blue eyes watching my reaction. “I’ve seen you with him. You obviously like him and find him attractive, but do you love him?”

“Yes,” I replied without hesitation.

“You’re much easier than, Sass,” Gryph remarked. He grinned when Julia walked over and punched his belly. She was more likely to hurt her hand on all that muscle than she was to hurt Gryph. They were a striking couple. Julia was a couple inches shy of six feet tall, but Gryph was several inches taller and seemed to dwarf her with his large frame. “You got a problem with me, Sass?”

“Yes,” she replied with her arms crossed in front of her chest. “I was cautious with you, not difficult.”

“I’m not the most cautious witch.” My thoughtful comment brought Julia’s attention back to me.

“You’re cautious when you need to be,” Julia assured me. “You don’t have the same fears about being hurt or rejected most people do.”

“Hades has enough fears for both of us,” was my response. “He’s nothing like the man I always pictured myself falling in love with, but it’s as if we were always meant to be together.” I laughed when I heard my own words. “That sounded ridiculous. Of course, we were meant to be together. I’m destined to break his curse.”

“Why does loving him put you in such a bad mood?” Joey asked.

I decided to answer the question in terms the werewolves could definitely understand. “I’m in a bad mood for the same reason you know he hasn’t claimed me.”

They all laughed at my response. As Joey walked off, I heard him say, “Horny witches are bitchy. Good to know.”