Seduction (Curse of the Gods #3)

“I came to reinstate the soul-link. I did not touch her.” Cyrus’s voice was low and rumbly as the walls shook around us. “I should have expected her to be naked … and I should have waited, so I will not … pursue this challenge right now. But if you touch me again …” His eyes were the coldest, soul-sucking pits of hell I had ever seen. I was chilled to my bones just looking at him. “I will not be so lenient,” he finished.

Some of the tension in the room eased again, and I blinked a few times as a thick, cream-coloured towel was handed to me. It looked as though my relaxing bather-time was up. I wrapped the huge length of material around myself, securing it tightly before Aros helped me out of the large bowl.

“Are you okay?” he asked, leaning down close to me before reaching out and rubbing his thumb over my lips. He pulled his hand back so I could see. There was a light smear of red across his thumb.

That bastard made me bleed?

Sure, technically Rome was the one who had punched him, but I loved Rome so it was easier to blame Cyrus.

“I’m fine,” I said, shooting my best glare at the Neutral God. “He hits like a dweller who’s in their fiftieth life-cycle.”

Cyrus’s lips twitched just slightly, and then he turned that frightening gaze on me. He moved then, his strides eating up the distance between us in no time at all. “You need me, doll. Don’t push me too far.”

Those low words were hypnotic as they filled the air around me. He lifted his arm, and Siret was suddenly between us.

“I need to touch her,” Cyrus growled. “You’re making my life much harder than it needs to be.”

He seemed frustrated, pulling his hand back to run it through his still wet hair. “My life was perfect, and then one favour for that Chaos asshole, and now …” He trailed off, and from my protected position between Siret and Aros, I saw the Abcurses exchange a look.

“You must have some kind of vested interest in this.” Yael crossed his arms over his chest, propping one shoulder against the pole he was standing near. “You’re getting all emotional. Who would have thought: Neutral has emotions?” He turned to Siret. “You owe me something D.O.D. wouldn’t want you to steal. I choose the pantera stone.”

“Alright.” Siret gave his brother a nod, but then lowered his head and cursed.

Those two had problems. Everything was a competition … especially with Yael. Rome was staring right at me—some of his rage had faded away, but his eyes were filled with turmoil.

I’m okay, I mouthed, knowing that he was kicking himself for sending Cyrus into me. His fists clenched, and I would have crossed to him, but I needed to remain where I was to make sure that Cyrus and the guys didn’t try to hurt each other. I also needed to get rid of Cyrus now: he stirred up too much trouble.

“Thank you for helping us.” I turned to him, trying to be diplomatic. “I’m ready for the link to be reinstated now.”

“Good.” He glanced from me to the others, and then seemed to change his mind, striding for the door. “Get dressed and meet me in the next cube. Alone. This doesn’t need to be a fucking group affair. It’s a simple enchantment, and I’d like to keep it that way—simple, I mean. The last time I needed seven people to do an enchantment, it was to fix the illusion that someone created to convince all the gods that they had woken up with the wrong set of genitals.”

“You can’t prove it was me!” Siret shouted after him, as Cyrus passed through into the hallways, slamming the door behind him.

The rest of the tension in the room drained almost immediately.

“Cube?” I questioned aloud, choosing to ignore the mention of genitals. Talking about them always seemed to get me into trouble.

“That’s what they call the marble residences,” Coen informed me, almost in an off-hand manner. He seemed to be distracted as he moved to the door, grabbing Rome’s arm as he passed. “Siret, put some clothes on her before it’s too late and she gets called to the arena without the soul-link intact. We’ve done enough fucking around.” He opened the door, motioned Rome to go ahead of him, and then turned to glance at me over his shoulder. “We’re going to have a quick meeting in Trickery’s cube—we’ll see you out on the platform after you’re done with Neutral.”

I felt like questioning his suddenly brisk and almost sterile attitude, but closed my mouth and nodded instead. I thought I understood already: we had an unprecedented arena match to prepare for, but instead, we were fighting like we were in the thirteenth life-cycle. Well, the rest of us were fighting. Coen was apparently being responsible and acting his age—whatever that was.

Yael and Aros followed him out, leaving me with Siret, who placed his hands on my shoulders and shook his head at me.

“Your Chaos is a force to be feared, Soldier. Only you would end up in a bather with a Neutral god completely by accident.”

“Now that I know about the Chaos … it’s almost unbelievable that I didn’t suspect it earlier,” I told him, watching his face for a reaction. “I really should have just stopped one sun-cycle—probably after setting something on fire through almost impossible means—and thought to myself: you know what, there really is only one possible explanation to this. I must be a race-less hybrid with the power of a god. Because why not? Right?”

He cracked a smile, and I felt the trickle of his magic over my skin as he loosened the towel I’d wrapped around myself. I felt the material drop at my feet, but he kept his eyes firmly on my face, which had me breaking out into a matching smile.

“I think that’s a very logical explanation to come up with.” He pulled back and looked me over with a nod as I felt the fresh wrap of cloth settle against me. “And with the way you’re dressed right now, I would totally have believed it. Now get our damn soul-link restored properly so that we can hear your disastrous thoughts a little more clearly. They’ve been coming and going ever since Cyrus messed with the link in the first place.”

I quickly glanced down at myself—taking in the boots that were definitely the ass-kicking type, and the soft leather pants and tight black top that he had woven onto me like a second skin.

“You’re brilliant at this.” I could feel my smile widening as I turned to walk backwards toward the door—an admittedly dangerous endeavour, but it was hard to drag my eyes away from his tousled hair and the bright focus in his eyes. “Thanks, Five.”

“Don’t let him touch you,” Siret warned me, becoming serious again. “Not any more than necessary.”

“He’s not exactly a horrible pervert who preys on rogue dwellers.” I reached for the handle and pulled open the door with a flourish, because the ass-kicking boots were giving me some serious confidence. “I think he just likes to tease me. And I don’t think he’s interested in me—I think he’s interested in what I represent.”

“Rogue dweller?” Siret was grinning again. “Is that what you represent?”

“No.” I pulled my head up a little in defence of my title. “I represent a flaw in the drive for perfection.”

Both of Siret’s brows shot up, and he took a few long strides to the doorway, until he was looking down on me from a height again. He compensated by lifting my chin and bringing my eyes to his.