My Date From Hell (27 page)

Knowing I was in the same category as his father? My eyes pooled with tears. I reached out for him.

He avoided any contact, stepping back with his hands up. Like I was the plague. “You wouldn’t say it before.” His voice cracked with pain. “And the kiss didn’t work.”

I’d been stupid. But not in the way I’d previously thought. I should have said I loved him back. Maybe the damn kiss would have worked. Maybe he would have believed me now.

Maybe he wouldn’t be looking at me like I was a stranger.

Frantic, I grabbed his hand, desperate to make him stay. Make him see reason. “Not because I don’t love you. You have to believe me. I love you and I’d never betray you.”

Kai sent me a look of pure anguish. “You already have.” He shook me off and walked away, his head bowed.

I’d lost him.

I tried to go after him but Felicia kept me in place with a tut. “Time to go home, darling.”

There were so many times I’d thought I’d hit rock bottom. But the total heartbreak I felt right now? I couldn’t imagine feeling worse than this. I hoped shock would kick in soon and numb me out because I wasn’t sure how long I could bear the sharp pain knifing through me and stay sane.

I turned on her. “Why now? You could have killed me as a baby. Since you hate me so much.”

Felicia slapped me across the face. “Don’t ever say that. I love you.” She smoothed down her coat which was slipping off my shoulders. “You made a mistake, that’s true. But you can show you’re sorry. We can still carry out our plan. Kyrillos will come around. You can be with him and I can have the power. We both get what we want.”

Felicia had just cost me my heart’s desire. Both Kai and Demeter. “I would rather die than help you.”

Felicia thought this was hilarious. “Always with the melodrama, Sophie.” Her amusement turned to annoyance. “Fine. I thought I’d missed my chance at revenge when Prometheus saved you.”

She leaned in with a cruel smile. “This is even better. I’m going to enjoy watching all those humans you love die. And the best part is, it’s all your fault. You were always so proud, Persephone. So much better than everyone. Then came Sophie. Poor little Sophie. The world’s victim. What a joke. But now you’re going to pay.”

I didn’t answer, rooted to the spot, staring devastated at Kai’s retreating figure.

“Come along, Sophie.” She sighed as I ignored her. Then her tone hardened. “You can either get into this car with me right this moment and be kept safe from the Photokia and Pyrosim after you,” she nodded as I startled. “Yes. I know all about it. Or you can be a brat and find your own way home. Since I’ve just pulled the plug on your little stay here behind Theo’s wards.”

I met her eyes. “I’m. Not. Going.”

She patted my cheek and got into her car. “Good luck, darling.” With a laugh, she slammed the door shut, pulled out of the spot, and drove off without another look back.

I had been so wrong. Had lost so much.

Bitterly, I remembered how badly I’d wanted to get Persephone’s memories so I’d know what it had felt like to be loved.

And now I did.

I also knew what it felt like to hurt so many people.

To betray that love.

Everything I’d accused the gods of, and I’d been the worst offender.

My head bowed under the weight of my wrongdoing. Sophie, Persephone
—
Kai was right. I was both. My blithe sense of self was shattered. I didn’t like a single part of me.

I felt gutted.

I wrapped my arms around myself, burrowing deeper into Felicia’s coat, as if that could somehow stop the ice hardening in my veins.

I wanted to die.

“Sophie?”

I glanced over at the quiet voice and my eyes widened. Bethany stood there, a shadow of her former self. She looked pale and unkempt, her puffy coat thrown on over the same gold dress, now irreparably stained, that she’d been wearing at the dance. Her hair was messy and there were shadows under her eyes.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

She shook her head. “The tattoo. I need it back.” She rocked back and forth slightly, as if cold. Or jonsing for her fix.

Crap. Bethany had become addicted to Delphyne’s magic.

Another casualty. Take a number.

“It’s gone,” I said, in too much pain of my own to be much comfort for hers.

She flinched.

And it hit me that here was another person I’d never bothered to consider. Bethany may have been horrible at times, but all she ultimately wanted was to be loved. It really came down to everyone wanting the same thing, didn’t it? Be loved without being hurt.

And for a fleeting but very real moment, I felt empathy for my lifelong tormentor. “I’m sorry. But there’s nothing I can do.”

“You can get it back, though. You can do something. Find someone …”

I shook my head, turned and walked off, headed for the nearest tree. I still had my pendant and I figured that Festos wouldn’t turn me away.

I’d be safe there while I … what? Nursed my broken heart? Failed humanity?

One step at a time, Soph
.

I’d only taken a handful of steps when I felt Bethany yank me back by my hair.

“You ruined everything!” she screeched.

I elbowed her hard and freed myself. “You want a fight? Right here. Right now.”

I guess she realized that taking me on was probably suicidal, because she put up her hands. “Sophie,” she soothed, stepping in toward me, one hand on my shoulder. “I don’t want to fight you.”

I gasped as a sharp slice of pain tore through me. I glanced down to see a knife sticking out of my stomach.

“I want to kill you,” she said and watched me fall back to the ground between two parked cars.

Eyes glittering, she pivoted and walked away.

As I laid there on the ground, blood pooling around me, the world seemed to stretch and warp. All I could hear was a rushing in my ears as the sky outside the wards filled with Photokia and Pyrosim.

I laughed. Well, I
had
wanted to die. More irony. Theo would be so mad. All his work and it was a human who got me.

What a horror show. I coughed, blood bubbling out of my wound and over the hand I’d put there to try and staunch the bleeding.

I shivered, cold, but not enough to stem the sharply burning pain in my gut.

I wanted to set everything right. Accept what I had done and fix it. Because to deserve love meant earning it as well. Yeah, bleeding out on cold concrete made me pretty insightful.

Betrayed. Betrayer. Pawn and puppet. Now it was time to clearly decide how I wanted to live my life and what kind of person I wanted to be.

Girl met boy. Girl lost boy. Girl lost life. Girl lost world.

Didn’t matter if it was due to prophecy, parents, or a psycho, this was not how my story was destined to end.

Somehow, this girl was going to get it all back. That was
my
choice.

I fumbled around until I found the hilt of the knife and, gritting my teeth, pulled it out with a yell that should have damaged my vocal chords.

I panted, fading in and out of consciousness, bleeding my life force on to the pavement. Praying that my accelerated healing abilities were enough to fix this.

Although, I’d have a better chance if I got somewhere warm and safe.

I could see trees. And if I could get to them, I could get to help.

I rolled over and began crawling toward them.

“Sophie!” Theo and Hannah had found me.

I gazed up at my best friends and said “Irony is a bitch.”

Then I blacked out.

End of Book Two

Acknowledgments

The YA blogging community is phenomenal. From the publication of my very first book, the love, friendship, and support that I’ve received has truly blown me away. Giant hugs (and many more Twitter chats) to you all!

I want to acknowledge four bloggers in particular: Jaime & Erin from
Fic Fare
, Emily from
Book Jems
, and Dianne from
Oops! I Read a Book Again
. These goddesses have been my mentors, my readers, and my cheerleaders. And I am so happy to be able to call them my friends. So check out their blogs and show them the love.

Many thanks to my beta readers: Dawn, Corey, Elissa, and Ashley for helping turn the chaos of my first draft around.

To Lynn, thank you for your story edits which go above and beyond, and for making me sound like a better writer.

To Barbara Pulling, editor extraordinaire, your suggestions were invaluable. I look forward to future collaborations.

Siobhan, much love for my gorgeous cover and our years of friendship. And just for generally getting me.

To my funny, sexy, husband and best friend Loreto - you make everything possible and I love you so much.

Finally, I dedicate this book to my daughter, for being an awesome girl who reads.

Spring equinox is coming …

Will Sophie defeat Hades and Zeus and save humanity?

Will she get her happily-ever-after with Kai?

Or will her mouthy attitude just get her killed? (Like that’s not a possibility.)

Stay tuned for the (hopefully) cheerful conclusion to The Blooming Goddess Trilogy.

About the Author

Tellulah Darling

noun

1) YA romantic comedy author because her first kiss sucked and she’s compensating.

2) Alter ego of former screenwriter.

3) Sassy minx.

Geeks out over: cool tech.

Squees for: great storytelling.

Delights in: fabulous conversation.

Writes about: where love meets comedy, flavored with pop culture. Awkwardness ensues.

Check out her other titles:
www.tellulahdarling.com

Sam Cruz’s Infallible Guide to Getting Girls

My Ex From Hell (The Blooming Goddess Trilogy Book One)

**If you’ve enjoyed these books and want exclusive extras like blog buttons, short stories, and tons more to come, including advance notice of new novels, then let Tellulah
anoint you with gifts
.

Sassy girls. Swoony boys. What could go wrong?