Theo supplied and greeted the other God with a nod of his head.
“Maelis, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Your arrival in Aetheria has stirred up quite a bit of gossip,” Veridus said smoothly and leaned over to kiss me on the cheek.
Theo’s face stayed impassive, although I could see him straightening his spine as if he was trying to look even more majestic than he already was. Veridus was shorter than Theo and handsome, but it wasn’t his physical appearance that made him interesting to look at. He had an air of unpredictability and mystery about him that was only accentuated by his gray hair and striking green eyes. His hands were also covered in golden paint, but the paint was already smeared. He followed the line of my vision to his hands and lifted an eyebrow. “Interesting,” he murmured and winked at me ominously.
Before I could ask what he meant by that, the conversation moved on and Lythandra and Veridus were back todiscussing the news and gossip from the God realm. A few other Gods and Goddesses approached us, each greeting Auretheos warmly while keeping a safe distance from him.
Theo introduced me by name, and I could see the questions flickering across their faces. None dared ask, and I was grateful—the last thing I needed was more scrutiny. After a few polite exchanges, the line of gods waiting to speak with Theo finally thinned.
Blowing out a breath I turned to him and said “Considering that you don’t go out much, you certainly are the focal point of this party.”
Theo looked down at me and smiled. “Maelis, none of them are here to speak tome. They are all drawn to you,” and he pointedly looked me up and down then.
Heat pooled between my legs.
“And I thought you hadn’t even noticed that I’m not wearing my usual slacks tonight,” I teased, letting my gaze linger on him.
“I am the God born of purity, I’m not supposed to notice… that kind of thing,” he said earnestly, but humor was flickering behind his eyes.
“And yet… you did,” I murmured, tilting my head slightly, letting my eyes meet his as I sipped my drink.
He studied me for a long moment. Then, low and slow, his voice dropping into something velvet-dark, he said, “Damn right I did.”
I would have to go for a long, long run in the morning after this exchange.
Chapter 25
The evening dragged on without any incident and actually turned out to be quite fun. It was way after midnight when I said my goodbyes to the group and headed back to my room. Taking off my heels was a relief and although I loved the dress, I was quite happy to take it off and jump back into my comfortable shorts and shirt for the night.
I decided to do only what was absolutely necessary tonight because I was exhausted. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and put my hair up in a bun all in record time. Soon enough I was laying in bed, cuddled up under the softest blanket.
I grabbed my stationary and a quill and started writing a letter to my mother, telling her about everything I had seen on this trip. I was just about to close up the envelope, when a little piece of paper appeared on my lap. I smiled, already knowing who it was from.
“Did you get up into your room safely? Theo”
I scribbledback.
“I almost got lost in this maze,
but I am all safe and tucked up in bed.
And you? Still at the party? M”
It took only a few seconds for an answer to appear
“Yep, but I’d rather go to sleep as well. T”
I sank into the pillows and pictured him among the other gods, probably debating some weighty matters while sneaking mental notes to me. The thought made my chest flutter. Here he was, surrounded by brilliance and beauty and power, and still, he wanted to talk tome.
“Do you want me to run into the hallway
and scream ‘fire, fire!’ or something like that?
Give you a way out?”
It took a little while longer for him to respond.
“Oh Fates, please do. Just barely escaped
