A tic formed in his jaw.
“King Astaroth!”
“No,” Star whispered. “No, I don't want all ofthis.” He waved an elegant hand at us disdainfully and sauntered past. “It repels me.”
I watched him go, an ache in my chest transforming from something almost sweet to something bitter. Like a fruit rotting.
“Smart,” Kill muttered.
“What I was trying to say,” I hurried on before that rot entered my heart, “is that the pull Star feels is probably from Anu. Danu says that her brother doesn't have a call, as she does, or wouldn't call it that. But he does like to nudge people together. She implied that they both believe Star would be . . . good for me.”
My husbands cursed in unison.
I took their hands. “I'm done letting the Gods determine who I love. Yes, I'm grateful and happy with the love I have. But I don't want or need more. I'm a grown woman. I can ignore desire.”
“So youdodesire him,” Sever whispered.
“Ugh!” I tossed up my hands. “Yes, all right? He's hot. He's a damn good-looking man, and I have eyes that work. But so what? I'm surrounded by beautiful men every day. I don't go jumping their bones.”
“But you share a connection with this good-looking man,” Killian said. “You have a piece of his soul.”
“It's mine now. I've made it mine. That connection we shared, the one that showed us everything about each other, has transformed into something far less intense. And thank the Gods for that. I don't want that kind of brutal honesty with anyone.”
“You don't?” Sever scowled. “But it must have been sublime.”
“Sure. For about a minute. Is it fun to learn so much about another person?” I asked. “Yes. But there's no privacy. No comfort.” Even as I spoke the words, I remembered the bliss of being connected to Star on such a deep level that we could barely tell where one of us ended and the other began. It was not uncomfortable. Not in the least. Still, I couldn't imagine living like that. Even bliss becomes too much if it never ends.
“I see,” Sever said.
“Astaroth has been getting more and more antsy around you,” Killian said. “This is his second outburst. And they've both been aimed at Sever. Do you think they're Anu's doing?”
“I do,” Star said as he returned. He looked calmer, his expression carefully blank. “My apologies to you all. I'm not the kind of man to let my emotions take control. Even as I raged, I was horrified at my behavior. I'm going to excuse myself from this mission and return to Hell.” He inclined his head to us and turned around.
I widened my eyes at my husbands.
Sever looked away.
I glared at Killian.
Kill sighed, then said, “Wait.”
The click of Star's polished loafers stopped, but he didn't turn around.
“Ignoring this may not be the way to go,” Killian said.
“I'm perfectly content to ignore it,” Sever said.
“And let it fester?” I asked him. “Wouldn't it be better to just face it? We acknowledge that Anu is interfering, and we move on. If Star starts to have another of his fits—”
“Fits?” Star spun around with a horrified look.
“It's better than calling them tantrums,” I said. “Which was my first inclination.”
The King of Hell rolled his eyes.
“When he has another fit, we can point it out and reason him down,” I finished. “That's how you deal with insanity. And this is a type of insanity.”
“Now, I have fits of insanity?” Star shook his head. “Fine. I don't care what you call them. To be honest, I've been having them even when you're not around, Seren.”
