“Gods, Alex,” he said between kisses. “You’ll never know what you do to me, how you make me feel.”
I had a pretty good idea. I brought his mouth back to mine, and I don’t know how he could obliterate my senses with his kisses and still manage to walk, but he did. He stalked toward the bedroom, his hands tight on my hips. My back parted the gossamer canopy over the bed, and then he laid me down, his mouth trailing off my lips and gliding down my heated skin, followed by his hands.
Sitting up, I tugged his shirt off, and he laughed when I tossed it outside of the bed, outside of our little world. The sound brought a smile to my lips, and he froze over me, his knees planted into the bed on either side of my thighs.
“I love seeing you smile,” he said, cupping my cheek. “And I miss it when it’s gone.”
A knot formed in my throat as my fingers traced the hard lines and rises of his chiseled stomach.
“I missed this.”
He smiled as he lowered himself, putting most of his weight on the elbow next to my head. When he kissed me again, it was much slower but no less intense or soulful than the ones before. He kissed me until my body burned under his, and then he moved south, slipping the straps of my bra down my shoulder and then getting rid of it completely. Those lips sought out every scar, and there are many, and I never felt more beautiful than I did in that moment.
Or when he flicked open the button on my pants, and then hooked his fingers under the band, slipping them plus another very important article of clothing down my legs. The air was cool, but not for long. Aiden returned to me, and I got the top button of his pants undone before he starting moving down.
It wasn’t like the first time, when Aiden had stopped to ask permission. He didn’t hesitate. He dropped a sweet kiss against the inside of my thigh, and then there was lightning in my body. Even tapping into akasha couldn’t compare to the feeling. I broke apart into a million, dazzling pieces.
When he lifted away from me and leaned out of the canopy, I whimpered.
“Condoms,” he said, reaching into the drawer of the nightstand. I heard clothing hit the floor, and I rose halfway up. “Found them earlier.”
I laughed, relieved that we were playing this safe since it was doubtful the shot was still working. “Nice how they keep those stocked.”
“You should’ve seen the rest of the stuff in here.” He came back to me, and my breath caught as my gaze dropped. He was absolutely beautiful. “Maybe later I’ll show you.”
My curiosity was piqued, but then Aiden kissed me again, and I wasn’t thinking about what could be in that drawer. He nipped at my lip, and I opened to him. His tongue slipped inside, curling my toes as he settled between my legs. His mouth left mine, traveling down my throat and between my breasts. He hovered there, my body arching against his until he traveled back to my mouth.
“Agapi mou,” he murmured, capturing my lips in a searing kiss as he thrust his hips.
There were no more words, not with our bodies moving together, our tongues twisting and our hearts pounding. I rolled him onto his back. His muscles tensed and rippled under my hands.
The sweetest fire burned through me as I leaned down, whispering against his lips. “I love you.”
Aiden shifted me so I was on my back once more, his body shaking as he moved over me, inside me. A powerful tension curled inside me, and I coiled my body around his. My chest swelled so much, warring with the other intense feelings inside of me so that when I cried out, it was almost too much.
Sometime later, our breathing still rapid and heavy, Aiden pressed kisses to the lids of my eyes, to my cheeks, and then to my parted lips. He threaded his fingers through mine, holding them down beside my head, kissing me softly. “I love you.”
And then he started all over again.
CHAPTER 17
Something crashing to the floor jarred me awake. I shot up in bed, clutching for the sheet as my eyes adapted to the darkness. The canopy was still, but my heart was racing and I felt…I felt ridiculously happy. Like everything in the world was right.
What Aiden and I had done into the late hours of the night had been earth-shattering, but this was different.
Aiden stirred, rising halfway up on his elbows. “What is it?”
Before I could utter a word, what sounded like a heavy body hitting the floor broke the silence.
“What the hell?” Aiden swung his legs off the bed.
I stood, finding his shirt in the darkness. It fell to my knees when I slipped it on. I grabbed the dagger off the nightstand, and by the time I made it to the bedroom door, Aiden already had his pants on and gun in hand.
But the pants were unbuttoned and hung low, and well, with his sleep-tousled hair and his cut abs all on display, I got a teeny tiny bit distracted for a second.
Aiden caught my stare and his lips tipped up. I forced my gaze away before I said screw it and jumped him.
Outside the bedroom, we headed for the door to the living room. He unlocked it and entered first, which was stupid considering I was the Apollyon, but he was a guy.
Flipping on the light, he drew to an abrupt halt and laughed—laughed deeply and loudly. Tension eased out of my muscles. Whatever was going on couldn’t be bad if he was laughing.
I peeked around him and my mouth dropped open.
Perses was sprawled on the floor, missing his jacket. There were red marks on his white slacks, some a dark crimson. Others were a deep red and more like smudges along the zipper.
A basket of meatballs was on his chest—half were in the carton, and half had rolled down his twenty-pack abs.
The Titan reached down, picked up a meatball from somewhere near his belly button, and popped it into his mouth. “These things are so damn good.”
There were no words.
Seth leaned against the couch. No shoes. No shirt. His amber eyes were glassy and unfocused. Now the half-stupid happiness I felt upon waking made sense.
“You two are completely trashed,” I said, eyes wide.
Seth raised a hand, busted knuckles bruised and raw. “We are…not drunk.”
“Really,” Aiden drew out the word.
Fighting the smile on my face, I loosened my grip on the blade. “What happened to your hands?”
“Nooothing,” Seth replied, chuckling.
Perses chewed loudly on another meatball.
I glanced at Aiden. “Is that blood on your pants, Perses?”
“Among other bloodily fluids,” he replied, and then he snorted.
“Gross.”
Aiden shoved the gun in the back of his pants and folded his arms. “I’m assuming it’s not your blood?”
The Titan laughed.
Okay. I was starting to get a little worried. “It’s not a mortal’s blood, is it?”
Seth pushed to his feet and swayed to the side. He sat—er, fell back—onto the couch. “No. We ran into some daimons.”
I stared at him. “And you decided to get into a hand-to-hand bitch fight with them? You could’ve just used one of the elements or akasha.”
“Your buddy has a lot of pent-up aggression,” Perses said, picking up a meatball. He sat halfway up and tossed the meatball. “I like him.”
Even drunk, Seth had ninja reflexes. He caught the meatball with a laugh. I had no idea what to say.
“All right, as entertaining as this is, make sure you two are sober enough by noon.” Aiden turned, catching my free hand. “Have fun.”
At the door to our room, I glanced over my shoulder. Seth was leaning way to the side, eyes drifting shut, expression slack. It was then when I noticed that, like Aiden, his pants were unbuttoned. Between him and Perses, I wondered how they’d even made it back to the hotel room.
Back inside the bedroom with the door locked, Aiden pulled the gun out and placed it on the nightstand.
“Wow,” I said, grinning.
He laughed. “Wasn’t expecting that.”
“Me neither.”
After relievi
ng me of the dagger, he stepped back and eyed me. Even in the darkness, I could feel his intense stare. “I know I’ve said this before, but I like seeing you in my clothes.”
Warmth spread over my cheeks, and heat flooded my veins. “Good. I like wearing them.”
“But you know what I like better?”
I didn’t get a chance to say anything before he hooked his fingers under the hem of the borrowed shirt and tugged it over my head. The material fluttered to the floor as he clasped my hips, lifting me up.
Aiden’s lips brushed mine as he spoke, eliciting a series of shivers. “I like taking them off.”
* * *
Hades appeared exactly at noon, not a second early or late, and didn’t ask any questions. He popped us back to the middle of the University, and while I was a little woozy on my feet from the method of travel, Seth looked like he was going to hurl up everything he’d drunk the night before. That explained the way my stomach was churning. Bastard.
Which was confirmed a second later when Seth said, “I think I’m going to vomit.”
Aiden cast him an amused look. “Lightweight.”
“Shut up,” Seth moaned, clutching his stomach.
The air in front of us shimmered, and then Apollo appeared in front of us, startling me enough that I took a step back. My eyes narrowed on him. Couldn’t any of the gods just walk somewhere?
Okay. If I could pop in and out and avoid stairs, I’d do it, too.
And I’d probably get the same amount of sick pleasure Apollo got out of doing it.
Hades stepped forward, eyeing Perses before he turned to Apollo. “I hope you’re right and this idea works.” He tossed a sneer at the Titan, who scoffed loudly. “The son of a bitch doesn’t deserve a chance, and you know it.”
The sun seemed to soak through Apollo’s skin as he leveled a stare on the other god. “As I recall, you had no other suggestions.”
Hades smirked. “I did. Shut down the Underworld and let you guys battle it out.” He shrugged. “You didn’t like that idea.” With that, the god disappeared.
“I have never been a fan of Hades. Over-pompous asshole,” Apollo muttered.
I arched a brow. That was something coming from him.
The Titan’s lips curled up. “You’re still a glowing bundle of fun, Apollo.”
Apollo narrowed a gaze on Perses. “Do not start with me. You know what has to be done. And I promise you, if you cause us any problems, you’ll end up on Prometheus’ rock, except it won’t be an eagle pecking away at you.”
“What would it be, then?” Curiosity marked Seth’s tone.
Apollo’s smile was chilling. “I’ll do it. Personally. Strip by strip with a dull blade dipped in cobra venom. And then, when I’m done at the end of the day, I will sew you back together to just start all over the following day.”
“Wow,” I murmured. “Inventive.”
Perses didn’t look impressed. “I’ve heard worse threats.”
My eyes widened. Beside me, Aiden hid his smile while scrubbing at his chin with his palm. Seth had a far-off look on his face, as if picturing what Apollo had said. Didn’t think it was possible, but he turned even more pasty.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
Seth waved one hand. “Yeah, perfect.”
“So where is the army I’m to train?” Impatience filled Perses’ tone. “All I see are buildings and a few children of demigods peeking around corners. I hope they aren’t your warriors.”
I snorted. “No, they’re not. They’re students. Our army is trained. They’re—”
“Trained as Guards and hunters, right?” Perses chuckled mockingly, and I sort of wanted to see Apollo break out the dull blade. “They may be skilled when comes to hunting daimons, but are they skilled enough to fight?”
“They won’t be fighting Ares,” Aiden explained, earning an interested look from the Titan. “Ares is heavily guarded by mortal soldiers, daimons, and automatons.”
Perses’ brows knitted. “Your army should be able to defend themselves against two of them. The automatons would be a problem, but they’ll just have to be quicker. I do not see what you need me for.”
“As Sentinel and Guards, we’ve never tried to work together in groups larger than three or four. We were never trained on war tactics. And I need you,” I said, hating myself for having to say that. “I need you to prepare me for facing Ares. You have already seen how that went the first time.”
Seth’s eyes tightened. “You also have to prepare me to fight Ares.”
The likelihood of me letting Seth near Ares was right up there with me actually cooking myself a dinner that was edible. I opened my mouth, but Aiden jumped in.
“And I need to be trained on how to fight him as well.”
“Guys, the last time I checked, I was becoming the God Killer, which would make me pretty badass as it is. And with Perses’ training, I’m going to also be kickass.”
“That doesn’t mean you don’t need back-up,” Seth retorted.
I wished he’d just go puke somewhere. I swallowed hard against the sick feeling leaking through the bond.
“And you’re not facing Ares alone,” Aiden added.
And I wished Aiden would go hold his hair for him.
Apollo rolled his eyes. “Children, really, Alexandria is a big girl and doesn’t need two boys rushing to defend her.”
I smiled broadly. “Exactly.”
Neither Aiden or Seth looked like they agreed, and the look Aiden sent me promised that we’d talk about this later. Oh, we would. He wouldn’t like the outcome. There was no way in holy Hades Aiden was getting within a city block of Ares.
Perses exhaled roughly. “I can spend the mornings training your army and the afternoons working with one or three of you. I really don’t care how many, but I can tell you this. Ares would’ve sensed my presence the moment I stepped into the mortal realm. He knows I’m here. He will be unnerved by it, but the longer we take, the more time he will have to rebuild his confidence or bring in more reinforcements. We attack immediately, within the week, or we lose our advantage. Because if you have spies, so does he.”
I glanced at Apollo. Perses had a point. We couldn’t string this out. We would need to move fast, but would we be ready? Would I be ready?
Apollo’s jaw tensed, and then he nodded curtly. “A week from now, on Monday, we move on the Catskills. We take on Ares.”
* * *
Training with Perses was like running into a brick wall, getting back up, and face-planting into it again just for the fun of it.
We’d started immediately with our training. Of course, Aiden and Seth took part. It was a waste of breath to try to convince them otherwise.
Just like when Seth and I used to train, we drew an audience of Sentinels, students, and staff. Word got out quickly that there was a Titan on campus, something that most people never thought they’d see. I couldn’t blame them for gawking. Among those crowded around the largest training room in the athletics building were my friends.
Which was great, because there was nothing like having friends and strangers around to watch you get your ass kicked.
And we were getting our asses kicked.
I’d hit the padded floor more times than I could count, taking turns with Seth and Aiden, who were doing no better than me.
It was Seth’s turn, and I eased myself down, biting my lip when my tailbone hit the mat. “I think I broke my butt,” I moaned.
Sitting beside me, Aiden reached over, rubbing his hand along my lower back. The touch ached at first, but the steady burn started to ease my muscles. “Yeah, that was a pretty nasty landing you took.”
It had started out so perfect. I’d gotten behind Perses, who, by the way, was weaponless, and had sprung up and spun out, about to land a beauteous spin kick when he whipped around and caught my leg, throwing me down like a rag doll.
My butt had broken my fall.
Seth was currently backed into a corner by Perses, dodging
the Titan’s vicious strikes. In theory, we had a week to train before leaving for the Catskills. It was a twenty-three hour drive, and Marcus was currently rounding up a billion vehicles for the trip.
The army mostly needed standard tactical training, but us? We had to actually knock Perses down and gain the upper hand before our training would be complete. Sounded easy until I realized that Perses was like Ares on steroids. Either way, by Monday morning, we were leaving, prepared or not.
I glanced over toward the door. Deacon spotted my gaze and winked. I grinned at him, and my gaze moved on. Several pures were staring at Aiden and me. Apparently, a pure-blood touching my back was more shocking than a Titan kicking an Apollyon’s ass.
I rolled my eyes and turned back to the match in front of us.
Dipping under Perses’ outstretched arm, Seth came up behind the Titan, and just like I had, he prepared to deliver a vicious kick. Perses turned and dipped, catching Seth’s foot. Unable to keep his balance, Seth hit the mat on his side.
Perses tipped his head back and laughed. “Next.”
When one of us went down, it was the next one’s turn. Aiden dropped his hand and pushed himself up. Passing Seth on the mats, the two idiots exchanged smirks.
Seth dropped down beside me. I glanced at him. “I don’t know why you two are giving each other that ‘I’m superior’ look. Both of you are getting your asses kicked.”
He shrugged one shoulder. “Doesn’t mean we have to hug it out.”
Turning my attention back to Aiden, I watched him beautifully execute an uppercut that did absolutely nothing to detour Perses’ brutal punch to the stomach. “You know this is pointless, right? Neither of you needs to be subjecting yourself to this. I’m going to become the God Killer. You won’t be fighting—”
“We will be fighting with you,” Seth argued, his voice low. He too watched Aiden and Perses. “Just because you’re the God Killer doesn’t mean you can go in there alone.”
“I won’t be.” I winced as Perses’ kick caught Aiden in the thigh. “I’ll be with Perses.”
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