My Life From Hell (The Blooming Goddess #3)

Them's Fightin' Words (Part 3)

I placed my hands on my hips and cocked an eyebrow. "What's really bothering you?" I sneered. "Can't stand the fact that for once you're not the most fabulous girl in the room? That I'm not in your shadow anymore? Your stupider, uglier sidekick?"

I could feel Persephone cheering me on, even as Hannah's face got stonier and stonier. These horrible things were spewing out of my mouth and I kind of didn't mean them but, yeah, I did.

Part of me was screaming at myself to shut up, but that part didn't seem to be in control anymore. My mouth just kept going. "Are you feeling your human limits now that you're hanging around higher beings? Word of advice? Stick to being the girlfriend. Don't even try to understand what it's like being us."

I felt a perverse satisfaction at her sharp intake of breath.

Then she laughed bitterly. "Don't kid yourself. You're not that complex. You never have been." And with that parting shot, she strode toward Festos' bedroom.

I wanted so desperately to call her back. To undo this mess. But when I opened my mouth, my throat wouldn't work. When I tried to follow her, I stayed rigid in place.

She doesn't understand. I pressed my fingers to my temples, not wanting to bond with Persephone right now, but still in agreement with her. Show them what you're made of. She was louder now, more insistent in my head.

"No."

"Sorry?"

I whirled around at the sound of Pierce's voice.

"Bit of a spat?" he asked, watching me carefully.

I closed my eyes briefly against the absurdity of that understatement. "Is Cassie okay?"

"No more bleeding. Still asleep. Figure she had to break, now she can mend." Pierce sat down on one of the sofas and tilted his head to indicate that I should sit down beside him. "She's your best mate."

Ah. Topic switch. "And your girlfriend, so let's guess whose side you're going to take."

"No sides. You haven't been a goddess for very long, so I'll give you some advice, yeah?" He regarded me, his eyes more brilliantly green than usual. "Don't hold a grudge. Stick with love."

I crossed my arms. "What if I want to hold a grudge?"

He looked at me with pity and sadness. "Then you miss out. You end up hard."

I sighed and started worrying at the leather on the sofa. "She doesn't understand all the pressure I'm under, or how tough it is to deal with gods constantly undermining me. Never mind this basic struggle to survive. Why should I have to be the first one to apologize on top of all that?"

Pierce shrugged. "You shouldn't. But then it goes one of two ways. You end up as polite acquaintances who maybe spare a thought one day, wondering what ever happened to each other."

My chest tightened. That was a horrible thought. "And the other way?"

He waved a hand toward the bedroom, where everyone else was. "You find yourself knocking the stuffing out of each other because it's all been festering."

It took me a second to make the connection. I shot him a skeptical glance. "I don't know what the deal is between Kai and Festos, but they were never best friends."

Pierce gave me an enigmatic smile. "All I'm saying is that if you're going to be the savior of humanity, maybe you could start by saving a single friendship." He got up in one fluid movement and patted my head. "I'm going to collect Hannah and Cassie, and take them home. Think on it, yeah?"

I sat there for a few minutes after he exited, my head bowed and my elbows braced on my knees. I wanted to give Pierce time to leave with Hannah and Cassie because I couldn't face either one. I didn't have the guts to deal with my guilt and anxiety where Cassie was concerned. And I didn't have the heart to handle all the jagged, raw, tangled up emotions around Hannah. Maybe tomorrow. If she came to her senses, too.

As I headed toward Fee's bedroom, I wondered if Pierce was right. Had Kai and Festos been best friends at some point? Is that why they were so antagonistic now? Why Kai seemed to take a perverse delight in taunting Fee? I hesitated outside the bedroom door, then shook off my unease, and stepped inside.

Theo was perched on the large bed, one knee tucked under him, head bowed as if in defeat. Festos stood nearby, leaning heavily on his cane. In his other hand, he held the now-bloody washcloths, staring at them like he wasn't sure what to do next.

Kai held himself apart from the other two, resting against the top of the bamboo dresser and avoiding contact with the flat screen TV mounted on the wall behind him.

They all turned to face me at once, but no one spoke. The room felt loaded, though not because of the earlier tension. It was as if our encounter with Cassie had drained us profoundly, leaving behind a mix of sorrow and uncertainty and a kind of loss. My fight with Hannah coupled with the brawl between Kai and Festos, only worsened the vibe.