“Don’t even think about it, you little thief.”
Elysia threw him a completely untrustworthy smile. A chime rang throughout the house, and she straightened to attention. “What in the realms was that?”
Aidan stood with a frown. “The doorbell.”
She jumped up, glad for the excuse to stop staring at the map. “I’ll get it!”
His frown deepened. “The only people who ring doorbells are ones I don’t care to see.”
He strode out of his office, still gripping his purple pen protectively. Elysia laughed, he’d put it down eventually.And she’d be there!Trailing after him, she stopped in the living room, peering into the foyer. He had a point about unwanted visitors. Better to take stock of things from here. Crusher trotted up beside her, letting out a whine of annoyance as she stared into the foyer. Well, that wasn’t promising, but she also hadn’t turned into a massive man-eating creature, so maybe it was fine.
Aidan shrugged on his suit coat, buttoning the front, and cracking his neck like he already knew this was going to take something out of him. Then he flicked his wrist, the door swinging open to reveal the front walkway congested with people she assumed were his siblings. The garrulous chatter cut off as they all craned their necks to look at Aidan before flooding in the door with obnoxiously loud remarks about how they always forgot howsmallandquainthis home was. Elysia glanced around.Small?She still wasn’t sure she’d seen all of the estate. It was like there were rooms for the rooms.
The woman she recognized from the grid as the goddess of pleasure spun around in a sleek, long leather trench coat. “Show us your magical wall then. Oren said your mortal mentioned there would be betting and games.”
Oren lumbered in last, ducking his head to fit through the doorway. “Francesca, that’s not how you greet someone.” He clapped a hand on Aidan’s shoulder, and Elysia bit back a grin as she watched Aidan grimace and shirk the touch. “Little brother, tell us of your troubles. Your mortal, whom you really should take better care of—you do remember how fragile they are, don’t you? She said your realm is crumbling by the day. You never did take me up on my offer to teach you the art of realm stewardship, and now see where you are.”
Elysia could practically hear Aidan’s jaw grind from the living room. She grinned. Today was going much better already.
Francesca frowned, giving Aidan the once-over. “What is wrong with his lover? Have you not been able to woo the one fated for you? Is she turned off by all the…dead? Does she not know how we are made?”
Oren tutted. “She was helping my boy blow up an old temple of mine and got busted up by a bone-breaker. Looked like her foot was hanging on by its skin. Didn’t look right at all.”
She waved him off. “No, no, nothing so boring as bones. Where is she? I want to see her. I’ll determine the cause of your bedroom problems, sweet brother. Nothing a little of my power won’t fix.”
A short angular woman with pin-straight brown hair, thick glasses, and chunky sensible shoes looked seriously between them all and interrupted. “I came here to see your invention. Can we get on with it, please? Oh, Loretta is going to make an entrance, so be prepared for that.”
Aidan made a gesture down by his side that Elysia could only interpret as him silently telling her to get the fuck out of there while she still could, and though she appreciated that given the obvious headache his family was going to be…this was the most fun she’d had in weeks.
Elysia strolled into the foyer with a bright smile and years of Crown training in hand. “I can take you to the grid. It’s a bit of a walk, but the weather really is warming up, and I think you’ll be quite intrigued with what you see.” Crusher cemented her butt toElysia’s foot and glared at the gods, but none of them seemed to notice as they looked Elysia up down, judging and weighing her with zero effort to hide it.
Francesca pinched the bridge of her nose. “I am embarrassed to be your sister right now, Aidan. The woman is starved and practically enraged with neglect.Lookat her sexual energy. She is young and ravenous, and you ignore her like an old maid.” Her voice heated. “You should be flogged. Flogged and left to consider your actions for a few centuries. This isnothow I taught you to please a woman. I would not love you either.”
Elysia blinked, stunned and unsure of whether to laugh, cry, or run.
“Franny.” Aidan’s voice chilled the room instantly. “I am well-aware of what I’m doing, and there will not beanyfurther comments on the state of my future queen’s sexual energy. Are we understood?” His final words could have cut glass.
She sniffed, the leather of her jacket squeaking as she readjusted herself. Ignoring Aidan, she wrapped an arm around Elysia’s shoulders, pulling her into her side as she glared at him. “He always has been so delicate. You just come to me and we’ll get you sorted.” She walked toward the door, tugging Elysia along with a tight grip on her shoulder. “Now show us this grid before Ramona loses it.”
Nothing like being called sexually ravenous and deprived in front of the man who had been acting like he hadn’t pinned her down with his sooty little shadows and made her come harder than she ever had in her life. So much for acting unbothered. Francesca had just sold them both out in five seconds flat.
Elysia shook it off with a practiced smile. “Right this way.” With a crew of gods on her heels, she guided them through the woods and into the village. Throwing open the entrance to the warehouse, she called back over her shoulder. “Now, once we’re up these stairs, you’ll be able to see the grid. Feel free to watch for a while, and then once you’re ready, Aidan, Maya, and Grim cananswer your questions.” She was going to get the heck out of here before anyone else took a look at hersexual energy.
She lingered by the top of the stairs as they all traipsed in, oodling at the massive wall that held the grid. Eyes on the gods, she made to take a single step backward to begin her escape when she found her feet stuck to the floor.
“What the f—” she mumbled, ripping at her legs, trying to get her feet off the ground. Suddenly, he was there behind her, hands in his pockets, ducking his face down so his words tickled the back of her neck.
“Got that potion from Maya. You’re not goinganywhere, Thorn.” He brushed his knuckles down the back of her neck and then he strode past her into the fray of his siblings, looking every bit like a god who had once run gambling rings.
Elysia tried to pick her foot up again to no avail. In the distance, Franny cooed at Aidan. “See? Was that so hard? She blooms for you, little brother, there is hope yet!”
“I am begging you to shut the fuck up, Franny.” Aidan gestured to Grim and Maya, who begrudgingly wandered over from where they had been skulking and likely hoping not to be needed. Aidan cleared his throat, about to explain the magical mechanics of the grid, when an old woman with short white curly hair stomped up the stairs and shoved her purse at Elysia.
“Be a dear and hold this.”
Elysia reflexively accepted the overly large carpet-style purse, looking over to the group in befuddlement.
Dressed in a smart skirt and lady-jacket, the older woman grouched as she approached the rest of the gods.
