My Life From Hell (The Blooming Goddess #3)

Free The Form (Part 1)

Prometheus stood in front of a wild spray of spring-blooming poppies, their delicate centers ringed with pearly white. Festos hovered nearby. Despite the beauty of the garden, he only had eyes for his boyfriend.

Even though Prometheus was Theo-height, back at about six feet, this was most definitely his god self. He oozed that same supreme confidence, rocked those same gorgeously eye-linered eyes. Although I missed the glasses. His dark hair still looked like he'd been shocked into tiny spikes, and while he still wore all black, his clothing rode his hard planes like a second skin.

"Prometheus," I began.

"I'll always be Theo for you." His eyes met mine.

That did it. I crossed the distance between us in three steps and hugged him as tight as I could.

"Let go." He squirmed but I held fast.

"No. You didn't tell me what Cassie's prophecy really meant. You made me watch you die. This is your punishment, you rat bastard." I buried my face in his chest and squeezed harder.

"You got me tortured," he said wryly. "I think that makes us even."

I didn't care if Felicia was going to show up with some horrible punishment for breaking the deal. It was worth it, seeing Theo alive and well and fidgeting in my arms.

"I couldn't tell you." He broke free. "You needed your head in the game. Knowing wouldn't have helped anything."

"How are you even here? There was nothing left of you when the fire went out. Not that I'm complaining."

He motioned for us to sit down on a small wrought iron bench. Theo took the middle with Fee and I pressing close on both sides. Massive invasion of his personal space, but I doubt either of us cared. I needed to feel the solid warmth of him beside me to convince me that this was real, and not some dream.

I think Theo knew that because he let us crowd him. "You heard Cassie. 'Free the form.' It didn't mean my death. Exactly. Although I did die. Well, my human self did." He fell silent.

I gave his leg a sympathetic squeeze. Just the thought of Persephone's death upset me, and the only time I'd ever been in her body was during Kiki's enchantment. Theo had lived and breathed his mortal form for seventeen years. It didn't matter that he was now restored to his true self. Not grieving his own death would mean he was insanely psychopathic.

Festos beamed. "But like a phoenix, my Thesi rose from his ashes better than ever."

"Too far," Theo and I told Festos together. But Theo clasped Fee's hand in his and didn't let go.

There were no words to describe my joy. My blood felt like it was made up of billions of bubbles, a fizzy warmth that promised to let me walk on air. But I'd be lying if I didn't admit to a bit of old resentment. "So when you made the deal with Felicia?" I twisted away from him, unable to make eye contact. "No big deal to agree, right? Since you were going to die."

Theo leaned into my line of sight. He waited for me to acknowledge him. "Regardless of ... my death, no, it wasn't easy to agree." He winced sheepishly. "It hurt me as much as it did you. I knew Felicia would demand a price. You know your mother. Better me than Kai." He held up a hand to stop my next question. "I needed you to believe it. If you didn't buy it, she wouldn't have either."

I pouted. "You make it very hard to hate you."

He smiled. "I told you. I believe in you, Magoo. And I was right to."

I basked in his approval, squirming happily in my seat. "I did good, didn't I?"

"She's going to be insufferable now," Festos groused, slipping an arm around Theo. "Good thing we don't have to put up with her anymore."

"Wh-what?" I stuttered. Were they kicking me out?

Festos pursed his lips in mock sympathy. "She's got that kicked puppy look."

"Felicia and I had a little chat," Theo explained. He leaned back against Fee. "She reinstated you at Hope Park. If you want to go."

I literally sagged backward at the news. I could go home? Because more than anywhere else, that's what Hope Park was. At least for now. I sighed in relief. But the warmth blossoming in my chest was tempered by the butterflies in my stomach at the thought of seeing Hannah.

"We still have visitation rights on holidays," Festos said cheerfully. But his eyes were sharp, watching me.

Ah. That meant that Felicia didn't want to see me.

I understood my mother in a new way now. I'd seen her pain and vulnerabilities. And I forgave her. For all her actions toward me, over our thousands of years as mother and daughter. Complicated didn't cover half of our relationship. Maybe one day we'd get to a place where we could finally put the past behind us and build something new. But if that day wasn't today, I was okay with that. Hannah, Fee, Theo, Kai—they were my family.

I may not have known what I was going to do with the rest of my life, but I knew it involved loving the ones most precious to me, and never taking them for granted—as much as I would never take myself for granted either.

Having Fee's place as my second home was fine by me. Hang on. That meant— "I get to see you?" I squealed. "Both of you? Felicia killed the deal?"

Theo shook his head and my happy bubble burst. He laughed at my obvious dismay. "No, Magoo. It was fulfilled. Think back. I said the deal was for the rest of my life. She thought I was being snarky." He grinned. "I wasn't."

My eyes lit up with respect. "You wonderful diabolical boy."

"Titan," he corrected. He shifted in his seat and his shirt rose up slightly. He tugged it down again, but not before my gaze dipped briefly down to those work of art abs.

"You are such a sad perv," he said.

"And you're a dummy who could have done more to mold your puny human form into this." I smacked his arm. "I could have been looking at that six-pack all these years."

Festos shot me a smug grin. "Why do you think I hung in there all this time? Despite his very bad attitude?

"I'll have you know I am more than my six-pack." Theo didn't sound particularly upset, though.

Fee and I exchanged dubious looks.

Theo elbowed his boyfriend. Then kissed him hard.

Fee looked a little woozy upon release. "Yeah, there's that going for you too."