me on a regular basis. More disturbing was the thought that Demeter had joined the House of Romanov right before us, just when we were forced into our unholy deal. Mere coincidence?
“After my first year I dropped out. It was just too much—between work and studying I had no time for myself. I knew working and going to school were going to be tough, but it really started to weigh me down. And when I told Mr. Romanov that I was going to have to cut back my hours because of school, he gave me more money—more than I thought I could ever make, even when I graduated. I thought I’d have part of my life back.” Jeremy laughed grimly. “God, that Elysian Fields concert you guys missed was the first thing I’d been to in months!”
The sun rose higher over the water and a misty light filtered through the bars and light bulbs of the Wonder Wheel. We’d walked to the base of it. It soared into the sky, dwarfing the little ticket booth that stood only a few paces away. I felt a pulse somewhere deep inside of me. I looked at Jeremy, whose gaze was directed at a densely packed area of buildings that lay beyond the beach.
“You know, I can see this from my apartment,” he said, changing the subject. “At nighttime. In the summer when it’s open.” Reaching up a long arm, he ran his hand over the brightly painted iron girders and rivets.
“The Wonder Wheel,” I whispered, half remembering that I’d just seen or heard about this. Had it been in the news recently? I thought I’d read somewhere that a big entity had bought Coney Island and was planning to tear some of it down. Whatever happened, the Wonder Wheel would stay; it was a National Landmark.
He chucked his finger under my chin and made me look up at him. I couldn’t turn away, and didn’t want to. The pulse I’d sensed before grew stronger; was it my heart racing? I’d waited for this moment. He bent down, his breath in my ear, his cheek brushing mine, moving across my face. I felt very warm despite the sharp wind that blew in from the ocean, slipping through the hodgepodge of stalls and buildings and motionless rides. His finger was still under my chin, but his other hand moved quickly to the back of my head, drawing me closer. My head swam. Somewhere far away, a dog barked.
Suddenly I heard a muffled buzzing. It made me start, but I pulled back to look into Jeremy’s eyes, not caring what it was.
“I’ve been thinking about doing this for a while,” he whispered.
Really? I wanted to hold on to this instant for just one more second. The moment before—the exquisite anticipation. I felt the vibration again, and, coming out of my daydream, I realized something was vibrating in my bag. The iPhone. It was my turn to carry it. Ignoring it, I twined my arms around Jeremy’s neck and started to pull him into a kiss.
But something wasn’t right. There was no response. I unhooked my arms from his neck and backed up. He was frozen, staring down at the spot where I’d stood, his body bent slightly in.
“Did I interrupt?”
I whirled around. Standing in the back door to the Wonder Wheel ticket booth was Hades, tall, sinewy, well dressed in total white, and as chillingly perfect as ever. The area behind him was pitch black and a wind blew out of it, making his auburn locks flutter like tiny silken flags. The barking was louder now.
I dug in my purse, pulled out the iPhone, and held it aloft. “Nothing in the rules says you have control over my life yet, Hades. Why are you here, to annoy me?”
“Do you think I like coming here?” he asked, looking around in disgust. “Next time, answer when I call you.”
“What do you want?”
“I’m making sure that you’re focused. Since you lost your kitty charm, I figured I might help you out with a little motivation.”
“Have you forgotten? I tried to get Arkady tonight. I need a break!” I snapped.
“Ah yes, you’re with the Rave Romeo. I must say though, Margaret, that I’m glad this development has shown Sharisse the error of her ways. I was hoping that it wouldn’t take her long to get over her little infatuation.”
“Wha—?”
“Oh please, you were both drooling over this specimen. He’s okay for a human, but he’s human nonetheless. Since he’s snubbed