Oh.
Oh.
Of course. He’d reached for me because someone was coming. Cheeks flaming, I dropped my hand from his arm, though he was so focused on the corridor ahead of us that he didn’t seem to notice. But then he wasthere, sliding his hands around my waist. He gently backed me up against the wall, though his eyes were still locked on the distant corner of the corridor. The footsteps were growing louder.
I swallowed. “What are you doing?”
“Providing an excuse,” he murmured.
He shifted his gaze to my face, and his hands tensed around my waist. There was a heat in his eyes that I swore I wasn’t imagining, but I must have been. Because this was nothing more than a performance for whoever was about to round that corner.
Ares dipped his head closer to mine. Instinctively, I slid my hands up the length of his chest, feeling every ridge, recalling how they’d looked beneath the gleam of the fire. Heart thundering, I watched my finger curl across his neck, as if I were someone else in that other life. I could only watch afar while she gave in to her darkest desires.
Because as I stood here now, trapped between the wall and the chest of my greatest enemy, I realized what I’d tried so hard to ignore. I wanted to touch him, to feel him, to dig my teeth into his neck and taste his skin. I wanted to throw all caution aside and give in to wild and dangerous emotions I’d fought my entire life to hide.
I tugged him closer. The gold in his eyes flared. And then he leaned in, and he kissed me. His lips were softer than I’d imagined, and the gentle caress was almost more agonizing than not being touched by him at all. Because I neededmore. So much more.
One hand left my waist and found my neck. Fingers sliding across the curve of my throat, he released a delicious groan. My core tightened in response. And because my body was buzzing with more anticipation than I could bear, I pushed my hips against his.
A hardness met me.
My heart shook. I kissed him feverishly. Whatever this was, he wanted it as much as I did. And I didn’t care what he said—about enemies and fate. I didn’t see why that had to stop us from having just this one night. One night where we could have it all.
God, I wanted it.
A feminine laugh echoed down the corridor. I froze, clarity suddenly returning to my mind. With Ares’s mouth hot against mine, I’d momentarily forgotten someone was coming. Ares slowly pulled away. My lips felt hot and swollen, and I knew my hair was tangled. My gown was wrinkled and torn. He didn’t look much different. And now I understood why he’d gone for the kiss. Add that to how we looked, and well…
The pale, black-haired vampire smiled at us with her painted rep lips. “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. It will, however, anger the fuck out of Zeus.” Aphrodite cocked her head, still smiling. “On one hand, that sounds delightful.”
Ares took a step away from me, running his fingers through his hair as if to tidy it. “Maybe it’s best if we don’t tell him.”
I saw what he was doing. Pretending we didn’t want Zeus to know the ‘truth’ so it would be more readily accepted.
“Oh, I think it’s too late for that. He and the others aren’t far behind me. Probably best to own up to it.” Aphrodite shot me a strange look, arching her brow. “You and I need to have a talk.”
“It’s not what it looks like?” I said, my voice pitching higher on the last word.
“I can smell the lust on you both,” she said.
“The lust on who?” Zeus barked as he rounded the corner. He abruptly stopped as he caught sight of me and Ares. I went rigid, bracing myself for his wrath. Ares moved to my side and placed a hand on my waist, as if answering Zeus’s question.
“Is this some kind of joke?” Zeus asked flatly. “You two cannot be involved with each other. It’s unthinkable.”
“It’s not a joke, Zeus,” Ares said evenly. “Selene and I—”
Zeus held up a hand, cutting him off. “I don’t want to hear it. Go to the megaron. We’re having a meeting with everyone to discuss the utter disaster that is this year’s Nekros. We have failed, thanks to you. And if we don’t figure out a solution, I’ll make you wish you’d never even heard the name Selene.”
33
ARES
The others soon joined us in the corridor, and we all silently filed into the megaron. Tension pulsed through the room as everyone took a seat around the table. Just as with the first night, there was an obvious division between the monarchs.
At the opposite end of the table, the anti-Zeus contingent clustered together. I lowered myself into the chair beside the Archon’s throne, taking stock of the growing number of them. It seemed his recent actions—forcing Hera into a trial, no doubt—had turned more against him. Aphrodite and Dionysos were the first to sit, of course, but they were soon followed by Demeter, and surprisingly, Hephaestus.
Other than me, Zeus had Hermes, Poseidon, and Artemis with him. Athena and Apollo sat near the middle. And Selene…Selene took a seat beside me. To keep up our ruse, I assumed. Still, her position didn’t go unnoticed by the others. Dionysos and Aphrodite both stared at us, then dipped their heads together, whispering.
We were quite a sight to behold, with our muddy boots, our shredded clothing, and our wild, wind-swept hair. Despite all that, Selene’s beauty prevailed. Infuriatingly, this untamed bearing suited her. There was a feral edge to her now, reflected in the harsh glint in her eyes. I kept seeing flashes of that side of her, and I had to admit, I was drawn to it.
