Betrothed To Death

Chapter 6

My mother and I didn't talk about how my life really went again. I had a few visitors while I was there, all of whom I lied to, of course. My sister took me out shopping, we had a bon fire in the back yard, and my grandparents came out and had me tell them all about Paris. I gossiped with my girlfriends about Umona's stand-offish brother and giggled when I got hit on.

The third night I packed my bags and bid everyone goodbye. Momma drove me up the street and out of sight, then dropped me off. I didn't have to wait long. Momma had just driven off when I felt the familiar chill in the air and it grew dark around me. Orcus moved next to me and took my hand, pulling me forward. He didn't say anything to me. we arrived at the front door just as we had the last time and once we were inside the door he dropped my hand.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" he asked.

"I did," I said. "It was nice."

"Your mother hates me," he said.

"She has no love for you, but she doesn't hate you," I said. "She just doesn't understand."

"She is selfish," he said.

"She just wishes things were different," I explained. "She wishes things were normal and she didn't have to lie. She wishes she could call me up and talk to me and see me whenever she wanted. She wishes I had a normal vanilla life."

"I gave you time," he said. "It is only because of me that you live, that she has what she does."

"I know," I said, stepping forward and laying my hand on his shoulder. "But she just wishes things could have gone differently. In a perfect world I would really be going off to explore the world and it wouldn't have to just be a cover story."

"In a perfect world little girls who are loved don't die at eight years old," he snapped. "In a perfect world she wouldn't have to sit by and watch as her child suffered in ways that drive most adults to insanity!"

"Why are you so angry?" I asked.

"I just do not appreciate being depicted as the villain," he said.

"I know you're not the bad guy," I said, cupping his cheek. "I know you saved my life and that what you do, for better or worse, is a necessary part of life." He looked at me, his eyes gentle and grabbed me hand. He bent down and kissed me, gently brushing his lips with mine.

"I missed you," he said. "The house seemed rather empty and Umona annoyed me since you were not around."

"Are those the only reasons you missed me?" I asked him in a mock incredulous tone. The corners of his lips tilted up in a tiny smirk.

"No," he said, wrapping his arm around my waist. "I missed your warm body, then smell of your skin, the sounds of your screams when I..." I slapped my hand over his mouth and gave him a half-hearted glare.

"Ha ha, very funny," I deadpanned. "Who thought Death would have a sense of humor."

His smirk got a bit bigger, then his expression became serious again.

"Are you ready for children, yet?" he asked.

"Can't we wait a little longer?" I pleaded.

"How much longer?" he asked.

"A year?" I replied, somewhat meekly.

"And what will change in a year?" he questioned. "We will still be as we are now, why not now?"

"We might love each other in a year," I muttered.

"Astoria," he sighed. "I will never love you. Should you love me you would only be hurting yourself."