Persephone's Orchard (The Chrysomelia Stories) (29 page)

“You have to trade blood somehow? Like you and Rhea in the sacrifice, or pricking your fingers and pressing them together?”

“Or share blood with someone as a parent. Or of course…sleeping with someone.”

“And you can sense Demeter’s soul?”

“Yes.”

“So did you two…”

“The blood trick,” he promised. “That’s all.”

“Well, that’s a relief.” She picked up her fork again and stabbed a leaf of salad. “Now I’m wondering what he would do, if we brought him to the other realm, got him to eat the pomegranate. I honestly don’t know if he’d like the whole deal.”

“I don’t
plan
to approach him.” Adrian peeled the plastic wrap from the brownie, broke it in half, and handed the larger section to her. “I don’t think anyone else will, either. Rhea doesn’t think anyone new should be made. That’s why she was brassed off at me when I brought you there.”

Sophie smiled, remembering Rhea lecturing Adrian. “Has she forgiven you?”

“Yeah.” He bit into his half of the brownie. “She comes and sees me once or twice a week. We’ve given her a mobile phone, but she hasn’t quite got the hang of using it. She did tell me she’d enjoy visiting you, if you’re willing.”

“Oh. Of course.” Sophie took a bite of the chewy brownie, pondering how Rhea looked the same now as she had in Persephone’s time. Could it really be…? As the truth dawned on her, she looked suddenly at Adrian. “She’s been in the same body this whole time?”

Nodding, Adrian pulled a walnut out of the brownie and popped it into his mouth. “The only one who has. As far as we know.”

“But how long was she alone like that? How many years—centuries—”

“Longer than anyone can imagine.” He ate the last corner of his brownie. “She slept for most of it, mind you. Only awakened recently. We spoke to her, as Grete and Karl, you know.”

Sophie gasped as the memory burst back into her mind with clarity. “We did! We were still down there when she woke up. I’d skipped over so many of those recent memories, I didn’t even know till now…”

“I was about ready to leave, and be reborn, and you soon did the same. But we made her promise to come find us, once we were grown up, and once she was able to navigate the modern world.” He smiled. “So it was predestined, really, you and me being introduced in this life.”

Sophie shook her head in wonder, ruminating upon that while she finished her portion of brownie.

Wiping crumbs off his fingers, Adrian lifted his chin toward the windows of the cafe, where the sun was brightening the street. “Looks like it’s warming up. Shall we walk?”

They packed up their computers and went out onto the street. Adrian insisted on taking all her heavy books into his pack, promising he wouldn’t notice the weight. People strolled past, some in comfortable dark coats and others in bright colors, drinking from paper coffee cups or tapping the screens of their cell phones. Skyscrapers peeked between the Victorian buildings.

Adrian looked around in interest. “I miss cities. Lately I’m always in the wilderness.”

She turned into a side street full of tiny shops. “Then let’s explore.”

They spent the afternoon browsing the neighborhood—clothing, antiques, music, books, kitchenware, imported gifts with Chinese or Japanese script on their labels, anything that took their fancy.

They talked all the while. Sophie told him more about Tab, and he shared stories of his friend Zoe—who, she learned, was blind. “It was something to bond over,” he said, “both of us disabled in our way. I still feel protective of her, and I want her to become immortal, because—well, she deserves it, and then surely she’d be able to see. But she’s highly stubborn and won’t even eat the pomegranate. If only she’d eat it, she’d at least be able to see in her dreams.”

“Do you know who she was in Persephone’s lifetime?”

“Yeah, I do.” He glanced apologetically at her. “Shouldn’t tell you yet, but before long you’ll know.”

“Fine, no spoilers. Feel like dinner?”

They found a pizza place on one of the side streets adjoining Castro, and each devoured three slices of a thick pie topped with pepperoni, artichoke hearts, and olives.

The sun sank, and the air was cold again when they came out. Sophie and Adrian retrieved their warm hats from their backpacks and put them on.

As they walked to Buena Vista Park to find their starting point, Sophie asked, “So. Aphrodite. Is she one of the people you can sense?”

He chuckled in a manner that suggested he’d been awaiting and dreading this question. “Yes. I can.”

“And? Have you met her? In this life, I mean.”

“Yeah. She came and found me. She was just curious.”

“So if she came and found you, she must be immortal too. Only immortals can do the sensing-tracking thing.”

He admitted this with a nod.

“So what’s she like?” Sophie prodded.

He gazed at the sidewalk. “She’s quite beautiful. It’d be silly to pretend otherwise. But we’re not…involved. She’s about thirty years older than me.”

“But I bet she looks twenty-three,” Sophie pointed out. “And you’ll both live forever.”

“Well…yeah. But no one ties down Aphrodite.”

“Plenty
want
to.”

Adrian gave her another glance, his face in shadow as they entered the park in the twilight. “Look, you may remember, when I was Hades…there
was
a time or two, mostly before I knew you—Persephone, I mean. But Aphrodite gave such times to a lot of people.”

“Gosh. How generous.” Sophie sounded icier than she meant to.

Adrian bowed his head. His boots kicked up leaves as he walked. “I’ll also admit,” he finally added, “that even in this life, when Freya—that’s her name now—came and found me last year…well, for old times’ sake, being friends and all, just this one time…” He let the sentence die off, allowing her intuition to fill in the blanks.

Sophie wasn’t prepared for the arrow of jealousy that penetrated her stomach. She narrowed her eyes at the city lights. “Lucky you.”

“You have to understand.” Adrian sounded hesitant, maybe even miserable. “Before, being disabled and all, I hadn’t…been with anyone. I wasn’t really
able
to. I knew that in other lives she was always a friend, someone I could trust, and I didn’t know how long it might be, how many years, before I could meet
you
properly, if I ever would, so…I need to shut up now, don’t I.”

Sympathy washed away most of the jealousy. Sophie despised herself for not even considering how limited his experience might have been when he was confined to a wheelchair. “Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to be a bitch. It’s none of my business. Of course you’re free to…I mean…I had a boyfriend till, like, Wednesday, so it’s okay.”

Oh, my God
, she thought.
We’re talking like we have claims on each other
. Frightening, sort of, but mostly exhilarating.

He glanced at her as they waded through a layer of sweet-smelling pine needles. “You doing all right about that? Jacob, I mean.”

She nodded. “The first day or two was a little shaky. But today I’ve felt mostly good.”

The fading evening light wrapped him in shadows, but the shine of his eyes reached her vision clearly. “Good,” he echoed.

Reaching the same tree where they’d startled the jogger earlier, Adrian slipped his arm into hers to draw her near. She laid her hands on his shoulders, looking away, suddenly feeling shy. He transferred them into the spirit realm, where darkness cascaded around them—no city lights, and a multitude of trees to block the sky. The brightest thing around was the gentle glow of the ghost horses.

Adrian reached into a coat pocket and lit up the darkness with his cell phone. “Let’s see if I can drive us out of here without hitting a tree.”

They climbed into the bus, and he navigated them out of the forest, only letting the horses pick up serious speed once they got over the treetops. The sunset silhouetted the hills in a crisp line. Frigid wind made Sophie’s eyes water. She slid close to Adrian.

He settled an arm around her, and they rode in silence a few minutes. Then he said, “You know, even though it was Aphrodite, and it was lovely…well, this time around, I kind of wish I hadn’t.”

Sophie smiled. He didn’t have to say such things, but she appreciated the gesture. “Seriously, it’s all right.”

“Just would have liked it to—I don’t know, mean more.” He adjusted the reins, tilting the bus leftward. The faint gleam of a river swept past; the smell of wet earth surrounded the bus, then vanished. “You absolutely don’t have to answer, but have you…well, I suppose you’ve had more experience?”

“In some ways. But, as it happens, not that
one
thing.”

“Ah. Probably smart.”

In a silence cozy and shy, huddled together, they descended to the meadow in Oregon.

Using their cell phones as flashlights, they picked their way through the damp grass. When they reached the newest stake with the orange flagging, Sophie shut off her phone’s screen and tipped her head back to gaze at the night sky. “Wow. I haven’t seen so many stars in years.”

“Yeah.” Adrian looked up. “That’s one benefit of hiding out in this realm.”

A soul streaked by, a mile distant, like a pale green meteor, and they fell quiet in respect.

“Well.” He set his hands on her waist. “Suppose I should take you back. You have classes tomorrow.”

She reached up and twined her arms around his neck. His face was warm against her temple. He didn’t switch realms at once; they lingered in the embrace. She turned and lifted her head. She could barely see a thing in the darkness, but finding his lips by touch would be easy enough, especially as he wasn’t turning his head away. In fact, he was lowering it, and then she was kissing him.

He transferred one hand to the back of her head, holding her there. She sank into the warmth of his lips, and breathed the scent of his hair and the fresh outdoors. The kiss stretched a handful of seconds, long enough to set her tingling from head to feet.

As the kiss ended, he hugged her close, resting his chin on top of her head. “Ah, Sophie Darrow.” He tipped up her head and kissed her again. “You’re magnificent.”

She burrowed happily into his arms, and the world swung and wobbled around them. Lights glared into existence. The statue loomed up beside them. Cars and voices murmured from all around. Sophie peeked out from the front of his coat to find the spot near the hedge, where they’d started.

With reluctance, she let go of him. “I’ll text you. Maybe we can hang out tomorrow.”

“I’d like that.”

“And I’ll keep you updated on the dreams. Those seem to be getting interesting.”

“Oh, they are. Enjoy.” He smiled even wider—truly he’d been smiling ever since the kisses. As had she.

But as she remembered that first taste of Persephone’s memories, both of them ghosts, walking grief-stricken in the Underworld, her smile faded. “I guess it has to get grim eventually, though.”

He granted that with a nod, but assured her, “Not just yet. You should have a while of mostly good stuff first.”

“Cool.” She sauntered backward, managing not to run into the statue. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Sophie strode across the lawn, glancing back over her shoulder a few times to see if she could catch one more glimpse of him, but he was wisely staying hidden. Regret stole across her happiness—but then, she did want him to be careful, for both their sakes.

The grin spread across her face again, and her feet moved faster and faster until she was jogging so swiftly and easily it felt like flying.

P
UMPING BOTH FISTS
up toward the millions of stars in the spirit realm, Adrian laughed out loud. Then he sprinted across the field, in the dark, and was met halfway by Kiri, who barked and wagged her tail. He scooped her up, all forty kilograms of her, and held her in the air above his head, where she wriggled in protest. Setting her down, he rewarded her with the pizza crusts wrapped in a napkin that he’d carried home in his pack.

He knelt and stroked her head as she gobbled them. “You’re going to see a lot more of Sophie. You like her, don’t you?”

Kiri lifted her muzzle to bestow a pizza-crumb lick upon his cheek.

“Yeah,” he answered. “I like her too.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

J
ACOB TEXTED
S
OPHIE THAT EVENING:
I feel like crap. How about you?
Will you please just tell me I might get a second chance?

Sophie didn’t flinch at doling out a refusal. A woman who’d been kissing the lord of the Underworld could handle anybody.

I don’t see us getting back together
.
I’m sorry, but it’s best if I don’t lead you on. You’ll get over me and find a better match. Really you will. I want you to be happy. Take care.