Good question. Who in all the damned souls was she? The dance between the women came to an end.
“Is she part of the entertainment?” a god said, voicing Cerberus’s thoughts.
Cerberus walked slowly around the undying, ignoring their questions, keeping his attention on Cyane. Tantalus approached her first and offered a cup of nectar, which she refused after a lingering look. Melinoe tried to engage with the gods around them, but like always, was ignored. Hermes bowed deeply, his winged shoes arching him off the floor, startling the weak female creature that currently took up all of Cerberus’s thoughts.
As he drew nearer, he noticed her eyes were wide with fear, her skin ashen, and her hands moved nervously at her sides.
She gives herself away so easily.
Her gaze fell first to Hermes’s winged sandals, flicked to Hades across the room, and returned to the winged god before her.
So painfully easily.
Cerberus could glimpse her mind breaking with each subsequent reaction.
It allowed him to travel the ballroom in peace. Every immortal was focused on her, sizing her up, reading her like he did, determining if she was a threat or just meat. Deliciously weak meat in an alluring form.
The mortal didn’t notice when he reached her side.Hergaze was now only for Hermes. Cerberus’s jaw clenched.
“Beautiful Cyane, it’s delightful to meet you.” Hermes bowed his head, the god’s attention flickering towards Cerberus before returning to Cyane. “I swear we’ve met before, long ago.” Hermes’s smile deepened with frustrating warmth and admiration upon the intriguing mortal. His eyes strayed to her breasts and lingered there. “I’m certain we’ve met.”
Cerberus’s jaw clamped further.Distasteful.Regardless, Hermes’s charm was infectious, especially to women.
Cerberus wasn’t about to let another god fuck and break the mortal his lord had his sights on.
“I wish to speak with you,” Cerberus interrupted with a scowl, facing Cyane.
A chilling,familiar male voice broke Cyane out of her transfixion.
Cerberus.
Hermes’s flying and his winged shoes faded from her mind. Each microsecond as her eyes slowly moved towards Cerberus was dread incarnate.
“You do?” she said lamely, still breathless from the dance. He wasn’t the amalgamation or creature of teeth, snake heads, and rabid snouts that her imagination filled the blanks in with. He was back to being a Greek warrior, helmet and all.
Thankgod.
Heh.Her temple still pounded.
She didn’t think she could take another shock so soon. Or ever.
Cerberus cocked his head to the side as if her question was nothing more than confusion on her part.
Melinoe squealed with excitement, saving Cyane. She found it hard enough with one god-like man staring holes through her flesh, let alone two. And she could feel them looking at her—it wasn’t a sixth sense, it was physical and disorientating. Her flesh crawled from it.
Cyane collected herself as Melinoe stole the gods’ attention. Dancing with Melinoe had been spellbinding and torturous. She’d been a ragdoll in the smaller woman’s arms, unable to stop, unable to shy away for fear of seeing screaming phantoms descending upon her, eager to rend her flesh and pull her into the dark.
She was beginning to fear what would happen to her if she offended Melinoe. If she offendedanyonehere, even if it was by accident.
They were fairly alone in this central area of the ballroom. Others had moved away when she wasn’t paying attention, although some of their whispers still reached her ears. They eyed her, gathering around the edges like her fear and confusion was the most delicious entertainment to be had.
Cyane shivered and rubbed her arms and met Cerberus’s eyes where he towered over Melinoe.
“Sweet Cerberus,” Melinoe cooed softly. “Our delightful guest wishes to leave.”
“Is that so?” he said. “It appears we seek each other then.”
“Yes.” Cyane swallowed.
