Seduction (Curse of the Gods #3)

Leden nudged against me, as if to say I told you so.

“But you do need a lot of looking after.” Cyrus was back to being an asshole, though for some reason it didn’t seem as mean as usual. “Which is why I have been trying to help you through the soul-link.”

It’s true, Leden said. When we gave him the stone, we made him promise that you were the only being to have it, and that he would protect you.

Cyrus nodded, which told me he had heard her words also. “I’m not great at Chaos either.” I could tell that not being good at something was unusual, and he looked mighty pissed about it, his ethereally beautiful face going hard. “But you were alive, so I didn’t complain too much.”

I shook my head, much of my fury at him fading away. “You just used a little too much anger and oomph, I think.”

He was very close to me now, and despite the lighting being only provided from the tiny bugs, I could still see every facet of blue in his very pale eyes. “That sol, Dru … he needed to die. I tried to ensure that he would not have a chance to follow up on whatever he was planning.”

I gasped, having forgotten about Dru and his side-bitch. “You knew? How did you know? I mean it was weird how he was always around, always showing up, flirting. Never even caring that the Abcurses could break him like a twig. Despite his mountainous size.” My words tumbled over each other, punctuated by the rage I was still holding onto.

Cyrus just shook his head. “You’re trying to tell me something, I just know it.”

I smacked him in the shoulder, before shaking my head. “You understood me.”

His expression turned lethal, iciness pouring from him as he looked at his shoulder. I quickly withdrew my hand. Scary Cyrus was back.

His next words were clipped. “Whoever you’ve been soul-linked to will always have a connection with you. An eternal bond.”

I wasn’t sure exactly what he was saying, but his closeness was confusing me. Along with his hot and cold behaviour. When I just continued staring unblinkingly at him, he shook his head and took a step back. I finally felt like I could breathe again.

It’s time for you to return to your gods. Leden’s distraction was a welcome relief. As her words registered, I couldn’t stop from throwing my arms around her.

“Will I see you again?” I felt a little bereft at leaving.

She nodded, large dark eyes blinking a few times. We will meet again very soon. When the water calls, you listen.

Then with that, she turned and walked out of the cave. The lights were fading around us now, so with a ragged breath I turned to Cyrus. “I believe you weren’t trying to use me to cause Chaos.” Another deep breath as I struggled with the next words. “Thank you.” It sounded a little grudging, but I got there in the end.

He just shook his head before reaching out to me, he paused before touching me, his gaze seemed to be asking for permission. I waited a few beats, before finally nodding.

I was scooped up against his chest, my legs dangling from the ground as though I was a child. “Do you ever wear clothes, doll?”

I shrugged. “Siret always makes them so tight that it’s much more comfortable this way.”

“Clever Siret.” I heard him murmur, but before I could say anything else, he did his flashing thing and everything went dark.





Ten





I knew where I was the moment my bare feet hit the cold marble, because the arm around my back slipped away and the god who had been holding me lurched back with a thud and a grunt that hinted at possible injury. I opened my eyes to find myself surrounded by Siret, Yael, Aros, and Coen. Rome must have been behind me, because I could hear the sound of him trying not to use his crusher ability on Cyrus. It sounded like an excessive amount of heavy breathing.

“Give. Me. One. Good. Reason.” He seemed to be forcing the angry words out through clenched teeth.

“I could give you one good reason.” Cyrus spoke normally, apparently unfazed. “Or Willa could give you several. If you attack me, I might have to tell Staviti about all the other rules you and your brothers have broken, and then you’ll definitely have your powers stripped away.”

“Well?” Yael asked me, his eyes drilling into mine with a scary amount of force. “Do you have several good reasons?”

Aros and Siret were pressing in, moving until their body heat warmed along both of my sides—but they weren’t touching me. They weren’t dragging me into their arms in relief. They were waiting for my reply; waiting to find out whether they needed to attack Cyrus or not. Someone really needed to teach them that attacking every person who wronged them wasn’t the best way to deal with conflict. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in a position to teach them anything, because I seemed to be adopting a similar approach. Hard surfaces wronged me all the time, and I still attacked them at least once every sun-cycle.

“As tempting as it is to have everyone fight over me for a few clicks,” I started sarcastically—interrupted by Siret’s soft snort beside me. “He helped to get me here. And tried to help keep me alive.”

“Harder than it sounds,” Cyrus muttered from behind me.

“Don’t talk like you know her,” Coen snapped, his eyes growing cold and flicking over my shoulder.

“I know she’s a pain in the ass,” Cyrus snapped back, his tone growing impatient. “And now I’ve delivered her safe and sound. Mostly dressed. I would say that I have fulfilled my end of the deal.”

I knew that he had disappeared again because Rome stopped his heavy-breathing exercises and started swearing instead, while Yael and Coen exchanged suspicious glances.

“What deal?” Aros asked me, his arm snaking around my middle.

He pulled me into his chest just as Siret reached over, his hand grabbing onto my other side, forming a cross over my stomach as he started to pull me away from Aros. Yael stepped in closer, and I felt the air brush across the back of my neck. Rome.

They were all starting to close in, but there was only one of me, and the fingers gripping either side of my waist were already starting to dig in stubbornly. I would be a mess of bruises if I managed to survive the mess of a hug that was threatening to happen. I twisted my body to the right, dislodging the hold that Siret had of me, before ducking out of Aros’s arms and quickly skipping off to the side.

“One at a time?” I suggested lamely, holding my hands out as though I could caution them all to stay back with the force of my bare palms. “It took a lot of effort to get here in one piece. I’d like to stay in one piece.”

Coen rolled his eyes up to the sky, and Siret laughed. The others wore blank expressions, though there was a twitch in Rome’s—a twitch that bordered on frustration.