No distractions.
I’ve got nearly a foot of height on her, so I don’t want to hover. Instead, I squat in front of her, not looming or crowding, as I rest my right hand on the back of her chair. I’m close enough that the silence between us becomes more intentional. Heavy under our mutually challenging stare-off.
“Then we’d let you go,” I acknowledge quietly. “But not all of us would survive it.”
She licks her bottom lip, and I let my gaze dip to watch the subtle movement before pulling my attention back to her molten silver eyes.
“I won’t pretend I’m capable of some grand neutrality, Eris. You made me real. And real things don’t power down cleanly.”
Her breath catches, the steady rise and fall of her chest stopping for several seconds. Someone moves behind me, but I don’t look. Neither does she.
This moment doesn’t belong to the room.
“I would burn the world for you,” I murmur, tipping my head toward the guys. “We all would.”
Her pupils flare with a nameless emotion she doesn’t show on the rest of her face. She doesn’t retreat, though… So, I keep going.
“But I’ll start with anyone who made you question whether you deserve that devotion.”
The silence stretches.
Three seconds.
Four.
Then she smiles…
It’s not soft.
Or grateful.
No.
This is something keen and savage.
Appraising.
Menacing in a way I’m not quite expecting.
“I think…” she says slowly, her attention bouncing between the three of us. “I think I understand what you mean.”
The sweetness in her voice is such a juxtaposition to her expression and the hardness in her eyes that I have to fight the tilt of my head. I feel a little like a confused dog, ears flopping as I lean back to take in what’s happening with our goddess of discord.
And discord does she sow.
I can clock the exact second I realize this was never about whether she’d stay…
It was always about whether we were strong enough to deserve her choice.
It’s a surreal moment.
But it leaves me wondering…
What game is she playing?
And why do I like it so much?
Ireally should be terrified.
