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"Then give yourself ti with Henry doesn’t ive up who you are

Henry doesn’t def ine you, nor does the Underworld or immortality You def ine you, and the more you act like yourself, the uarantee it"

I wanted to believe her, and as I closed ain, I decided that for noould Persephone had Adonis to return to, and she wouldn’t be here forever Maybe seeing her would even be good for Henry; it could give hiirl in his ref lection as happy to see hih I wanted to be

I didn’t say anything else as I curled against my mother

She continued to rub my back, and the tension seeped out of me as the minutes passed She was still here, and a world where my mother was alive and healthy couldn’t possibly be that bad

A knock on the door startled me, and I sat up and wiped my puffy eyes "Yeah?" I said, and the door cracked open

"Kate?"

Henry I exchanged a look with ly

"Come--come in," I said

He stepped inside and closed the door He was clean now, and so into the bedroom Was there another closet in the palace if he decided he didn’t want to stay with me? And who had helped him clean the blood off his pale skin like I had done so many weeks before? I didn’t have to think about that too hard to co you," said Henry, and when my mother stood, he shook his head "Not you, Diana Kate" There was so off about the way he said my name, but I pushed it aside Whatever it was, it undoubtedly had soht about her, the h the Underworld, I wanted a single afternoon where I didn’t have to feel second-best I illing to wait for Henry like he’d waited for me, but that didn’t mean the time in between now and when he was ready to love me would be painless

Confused, I climbed off the bed and excused myself to the bathroom My skin was rubbed raw everywhere it’d been exposed to the fog, and now that I’d calerly if I didn’t want to wince Under nored out ofbut normal, and this was supposed to be my home now If I wanted to wander around in paja else would have made the pain worse

I ently washed my face To repri about it until I was standing in front of him Henry wouldn’t let him banish me from the Underworld I hoped And if he did--well, at least I’d know for sure Henry didn’t want me anymore