Embers

Chapter 2

  "You look like Hel." I plopped down next to the man that seemed on the brink of death.

  "Well, she's my wife." He said harshly over his whisky.

  "What?"

  "Hel. She's my wife."

  "Oh, shit." I shook my head. "You married Hel? What kind of idiot are you?"

  "Long story." Ty had been glaring at the wall straight in front of him before rolling his eyes. "What do you want?"

  "Nothing. Just curious as to why you look like you've been fucking with Death. Now I know that you actually have." I tilted my head while taking a sip from my mead. It had a sweet taste to it- most other bars didn't carry it even though it was rather good, though knowing who owned the place it made sense for it to be here.

  "Funny." He said dryly. "Where's your- What was she again? Sister?"

  "Late shift." I simply replied. There was a moment of silence as we drank, but when I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, I saw him looking at me in return. "....You feel it, too?"

  "It's strange." He mumbled.

  "Wanna test it?"

  "....How?"

  "Give me your hand." I twisted in my seat to face him. Ty was hesitant but faced me in return while holding up his hand. Glancing between his face and his open palm, I raised my own. Holding my hand close to his, I felt a slight chill and a shock of excitement.

  Putting my palm flat against his, I felt my lips quirk up.

  "It's cold...." I chuckled. "I haven't felt cold since...."

  "Neither have I....but I haven't felt warmth either...." His voice went low as he looked at our hands. His brows then furrowed after a second. "You're not freezing?"

  "Is that a common occurrence?"

  "It is when they touch me this long."

  "Oh." I dropped my gaze and cleared my throat before I spoke again. "What about Hel? I mean, how does that work if you're married?"

  "Things are different when you rule the underworld, I guess." Looking back at his face, I saw a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. "I can actually feel the heat of your skin." He softly laughed, but then made a face while looking at me. "That sounded less weird in my head, please don't think I'm some creep."

  "No, I understand." Chuckling, I gently took his hand into both of mine, looking it over and running my fingers over his cool skin. "I tend to burn after a while, too. Honestly, the only time I can touch someone is if they're visiting from the tropics, but even then it's only for a short period of time."

  "The tropics?"

  "They're used to warmer temperatures." I explained. "Gods, this is so wild." I smiled while forgetting about my drink and truly experiencing the slight cold touch of his skin. It had been around seven or eight years now since I had felt something other than the constant warmth of Glod. "Would Hel approve of me touching your hand like this?" I joked.

  "....No, actually." He awkwardly shifted in his seat, making me pause and really look at him again.

  "....So she's that kind of wife. I'm sorry to hear that."

  "Your name is Harper, isn't it?"

  "Yeah." I answered Ty, but he paused again.

  "I'd like to talk to you again."