The War of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 3)

by Con Template

  “We’re still friends,” he crooned seductively. “Best friends.”

  He slowly lowered her onto the snowy bench hidden in the corner of her apartment building. She hadn’t realized he walked such a long distance while they were making out.

  “Wait!” Yoori gasped, staring owl-eyed at him when he was about to lean down and shower her with kisses on her neck. “What are you doing?”

  Her bout of horror momentarily lapsed when the sexy God smiled suggestively at her.

  Oh no.

  She had heard about this, stories about couples getting into big fights and forgiving one another with passionate make-up sex.

  “Tae Hyun, we’re too young!” Yoori whispered, genuinely panicked about the possibility of them having sex—even though physically, her body was more than ready.

  A frown veiled his face. He was affronted. “What the fuck, Yoori? How disturbed do you think I am? We’re outside in the snow . . . and in public no less. I’m not going to have sex with you out here. I’ll be damned if anyone else sees you naked.”

  She blinked at him awkwardly. “Then why are we here like this?”

  “I just want to be with you outside,” he said simply, pulling her up into a standing position. He laid himself across the bench.

  Yoori stood beside the bench, scowling down at him. “There’s no room for me.”

  “You can sleep on top of me.”

  “What?”

  “You’re my girlfriend,” he noted with a sinfully seductive voice. He accompanied that beautiful voice with a playful smile. “You can sleep on me. It’s not against the rules.”

  “I’m not your girlfriend anymore,” she reminded him.

  “You’re still my ex.”

  “Um . . .”

  “Stop being such a baby,” he provoked impatiently. “We haven’t seen each other in three weeks. We should be having steamy hot sex right now instead of hanging outside in the cold. Since we’re out here, we should make the most of it.”

  Now that he mentioned the cold, Yoori realized that she was freezing. Teeth chattering, she said, "We're not staying out here long, are we?"

  "No, just for a couple more minutes and then we'll go back inside. Having said that, hurry and get on me. I’m cold and I need body heat.”

  Yoori grinned bashfully. Even though she wanted to appear demure and shy (since she was no longer his girlfriend and all), she was inwardly excited to be close to him physically. With a blush firmly cloaked on her cheeks, Yoori carefully laid herself across Tae Hyun.

  They were no longer a couple, but they were still friends.

  It couldn’t hurt for friends to do this, right?

  She was instantly rolled onto the side of the bench, laying on him slightly while also hanging off the edge. She should’ve felt uncomfortable, but leaning on Tae Hyun made everything feel safe. His arms were wrapped tight around her, his body heat protecting her from the snow frosting over them. In that moment, everything was perfect in her little world again.

  “This is the part where we start over and promise to tell each other everything, right?” Yoori asked, staring at him as snow continued to fall steadily around them.

  Tae Hyun nodded, a look of conviction present in his eyes. “Yes. I’m not keeping anything from you. Whatever you want to know, ask. I’ll tell you everything.”

  Yoori nodded at his words. Although their reunion was the highlight of her night, Yoori hadn’t forgotten the burning question she had in the club. “Can you tell me who the Hwangs are?”

  “If you’re really ready to talk about this, then yes.” He stared into her eyes. “Are you sure you want to know?”

  She understood his hesitancy in telling her. It could trigger something that would break her again. Yoori knew it was probably best to keep herself in the dark. However, she was ready for this, especially now that she had Tae Hyun with her again.

  “I have to know who I killed that night.” She chewed her lips, fighting past the nervousness. This was the moment of truth. A very scary but much anticipated moment. “Who are they and who is Hwang Hee Jun?”

  From there, the road to her enlightenment began.

  “Hwang Hee Jun was the King of the Siberian Tigers,” Tae Hyun answered. “It was his family in the club that night.”

  Puzzlement claimed her features. “I’ve never heard of the Siberian Tigers.”

  “Yes, you have,” he assured her. “You haven’t heard their name, but you know of them.” As the beginnings of exacerbated confusion morphed over her face, Tae Hyun promptly added, “The Siberian Tigers were the fourth most powerful gang in the Underworld five years ago. I told you about them when I was giving you a history lesson on the Underworld. They were the ones who were—”

  “—exterminated by An Young Jae before he took over the Scorpions’ throne,” Yoori finished for him when she recalled the history lesson he gave her months ago. Something else struck her. “Wait. But you told me that Young Jae killed the entire lineage five years ago.”

  Tae Hyun nodded, encouraging her train of thought.

  “But that family was with Soo Jin three years ago . . .”

  He nodded again, confirming that she was on the right path.

  “The entire lineage wasn’t killed,” Yoori concluded. She felt something still inside her at her own words. This was becoming unsettling. The wheels in her mind spun faster. “Was this information fabricated by the Scorpions so Young Jae could get his throne?”

  “Young Jae only needed to kill Hwang Hee Jun to take over the Scorpions’ throne and he did that,” said Tae Hyun. “However, it was said that the entire lineage was killed when the Scorpions attacked the Siberian Tigers’ estate.”

  Like a new day, knowledge dawned in Yoori’s eyes. “Could it be possible that an extended family of the Siberian Tigers went into hiding after the attack and the Scorpions kept quiet about it while they tried to find the rest of the family and finish them off?”

  “You would only go after someone like that—especially an entire lineage—if they had information you’d kill to have,” Tae Hyun answered, conjecturing what may have happened that night in the club.

  Yoori followed his lead as another realization seized her. “Your assassins said that thirty-four people were killed. It wouldn’t be possible for Soo Jin to restrain thirty-four people by herself, right?”

  Tae Hyun nodded in confirmation.

  Uneasiness struck her. “Soo Jin couldn’t have been in that club by herself. She had to have been with others. She had to have been with her brother.”

  Tae Hyun nodded once more before asking her a dead-end question that they both had no answers to.

  “The question is . . . what broke Soo Jin to the point where she tried to commit suicide, and what caused An Young Jae to escape from the Korean Underworld and disappear for the years after?”

  Hopefulness lit her eyes. “Do you have a hypothesis for that?”

  “Not a very good one.”

  Yoori looked at him eagerly. Tae Hyun was one of the smartest people she knew. She trusted that whatever his reasoning was, it would be a great one. “Share with me anyway.”

  “Soo Jin was a powerful figure in the Scorpions gang, but she was under Young Jae’s rule nonetheless,” Tae Hyun provided shrewdly. While he spoke, snow started falling more fiercely around them. “For something of that magnitude, which involved a Royal family that Young Jae supposedly exterminated when he assumed the Scorpions’ throne, Soo Jin had to have been under Young Jae’s supervision. If I were the King in question, I would only go after an entire lineage like that if they had a secret I’d kill to have, or a secret I’d kill to bury with them.” He glanced at Yoori intently. “I can’t begin to guess what happened that night, but the only thing I know is that An Soo Jin and An Young Jae were very close siblings. Their loyalty to one another was unrivaled. Whatever threat the Siberian Tigers held, it was catastrophic enough to destroy one and break the other. And unfortunately, unless one of them returns to the
Underworld and enlightens us about what took place, it is unlikely we’ll guess anything concrete.”

  Yoori paused before asking, “Do you think he’s still alive?”

  Tae Hyun didn’t miss a beat. “Yes.”

  The certainty in his answer surprised Yoori. “How are you so sure?”

  “Because if he’s dead, all of the Underworld would know. A dead King cannot command the flow of information that pertains to him; only a breathing King is powerful enough to silence the mouths of those he comes across. Since his disappearance, I have heard little to nothing about him. This only means two things: he is not only very much alive, but he is also still very much powerful.”

  “Do you think he’ll ever make his return to the Korean Underworld?”

  “If he has something to come back for, I’m sure he will.”

  Yoori absentmindedly nodded before leaning in closer to Tae Hyun. She asked her final question of the night. “I’m certain he must’ve heard about the fires in Taecin. Do you think he knows that I’m still alive?”

  “If he does, I don’t doubt that he’ll make an appearance soon. If he left the Underworld because of you, then he’ll return to it because of you.”

  “May the Kings and Queens who had fallen before you be your examples. . .”

  07: House of Cards

  “Do you think I’m too easy?” Yoori asked out of the blue, wincing in pain after Tae Hyun rubbed some ointment around the bruises and cuts on her right leg.

  It had been several days since the attack by the Cobras and although many of her wounds remained, many had also faded under Tae Hyun’s stringent care. It hadn’t occurred to Yoori how “easily” she gave in to Tae Hyun until she mulled over her predicament. There she was, wearing a pink tank top with white short-shorts (Tae Hyun’s suggested outfit), being rubbed down by the sexy one himself, and she wondered if she should have waited on forgiving him.

  She verbalized this thought to Tae Hyun, who was shirtless and only wearing black lounge pants. “Should I have waited a couple of months before I forgave you? Was three weeks too soon?”

  Tae Hyun gave her an unimpressed stare. He then tilted his head to check out the white bandage wrapped around the wound on her thigh. Because the wound was still susceptible to pressure, Yoori had to prop her bent leg up on a wooden chair. Her leg was essentially hovering over Tae Hyun’s muscular shoulder while he crouched before her and tended to her wounds.

  “Are you asking me if I think you putting me out of my misery ‘too soon’ was a mistake or are you asking me if I think prolonging my ‘punishment’ would make me treasure you more as my girlfriend?” He shook his head slightly, keeping his eyes on her thigh. “Your irrationality never ceases to amaze me, Brat.”

  One would think that after their reconciliation, Tae Hyun would spoil Yoori rotten with sweet talks and compliments. This was far from the case. He was exactly the same with her as when they were “BFF’s.” He was sweet when he wanted to be, combative when he needed to be, and sexy as hell whenever he chose to be.

  Yoori glowered. Although she also treated him no differently, she still didn’t appreciate his smart aleck remarks.

  Tae Hyun smirked while “accidentally” poking a bruise on her knee, causing her frown to thaw into a wince of pain.

  Casually, he added, “For the record, three weeks was long for me. I’m sorry it was too short for you.”

  “Ow, jerk-face!” Yoori cried, smacking his naked chest with her left hand. “How dare you poke an injured person? You totally did that on purpose!”

  “Of course I did,” he said guiltlessly. He caressed the area he had poked. “You’re the one being a jerk. I can’t help but be offended.” He chuckled when she mouthed a string of curse words. Sending tingles up her body with soft touches, Tae Hyun gazed up, giving her the most enticing bedroom eyes she had ever seen. “I’m sorry about that. Would you like me to kiss it and make it all better?”

  His crooning voice stroked her senses in all the right spots. Yoori not only felt dazed, but also frustratingly enticed. It did not help that he was wearing close to nothing.

  How dare you use your sexuality as a weapon? She thought feebly, resisting the urge to nod like a bobble head.

  Yoori rubbed her wound, her heart beating dramatically. In lieu of succumbing to another one of his seductions, she forged on with her chain of thoughts.

  “I’m not saying it was too short for me—because it wasn’t.” She held his eyes with hers as she spoke, the bitterness dissolving from her stare. “But I think other girls prolong the punishment so that their boyfriends—or ex-boyfriends—would remember to never hurt them again. I can’t help but think that I gave in too easily. I don’t know . . . I don’t want you to think of me as being . . . you know . . .” She whispered her next words. “Easy.”

  Tae Hyun’s lips stretched into an amused smile. He blew warm air on her thigh. The feel of his breath made her shiver with need. She mentally cursed him for his silent way of seducing her.

  “Three weeks may be short to some people, but you forget that we’re closer than other couples. Who else do you know have been together for nearly every minute of every single day since they’ve met?” He leaned in closer to inspect some of the healing cuts on her thigh. He rubbed the last of the ointment onto her awaiting skin. “I don’t know about you, but I think we’ve become one of those stupid couples who are interdependent on each other.”

  Yoori noted the subtle blush on Tae Hyun’s cheeks when he casually stated this. The sight warmed her heart. The all-powerful God in this secret society was blushing as he tended to her wounds. Nothing could beat this adorable moment.

  “In essence, three weeks would equate to a three month timeframe for us. And that’s too long for me. The time we spent apart was hell—I’m glad it’s over.” He addressed the last of her concerns with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “And I’ve been rubbing ointment over your body for a few days now, and I haven’t gotten any action. It’s safe to say you’re not easy.”

  Butterflies, of both desire and bashfulness, quaked in her bruised tummy.

  “Shut up!” Yoori grumbled, blushing immensely.

  Though she was flushed, her heart lifted at his admission that he was head over heels for her. She had received these admissions in the past, but they were given under “dramatic” circumstances. It was another thing to have him admit it when they were casually hanging out. She had to take advantage of this rare opportunity.

  “What is it about me that you’re hooked on?” she inquired, faking coyness.

  She was playing a dangerous game since she was his ex-girlfriend. The last thing she should be doing was tease him, but she was curious. She knew without question that he adored her as much as she adored him. What she had never really known was the reason for his interest.

  “Is it my wittiness?” she prompted in a sultry voice. She attempted to act sexy when he peered up at her.

  Yoori never saw herself as a sexy woman. If anything, she felt dorky compared to most girls. Yet, after being around the walking sex God that was Kwon Tae Hyun, she couldn’t help but feel bigheaded that she reeled in the best fish in existence. Any girl would feel cocky, and Yoori was no exception.

  “Is it my sarcasm? My fiery personality? My impressive physique?” Feeling oh-so-confident with herself when his amused eyes returned to her thigh, she leaned in closer to give him her best bedroom eyes. “My sex appeal?”

  Hushed silence came over the room as she awaited Tae Hyun’s reply.

  She had already decided that if he said the right thing, then she might actually throw caution to the wind and pounce on him right then and there. They’d never had sex and even though she was a complete prude (and even though he was her “ex-boyfriend”), she couldn’t ignore the sexual frustration gnawing within her.

  Say the right thing and you might get some, she urged in her yearning mind.

  With his attention still on her wounds, he finally parted his tantalizing lips. “Y
our unrivaled ability to be a really weird flirt. There’s something strangely addicting about your social awkwardness.”

  What?

  The rotation of her world came to an earthshattering stop. It only exploded when he added, “Now could you stop leaning in so close? You’re blocking the light. I can’t see if that big cut of yours is healing or not.”

  Her once big head deflated in embarrassment. Of course. It made sense that the insensitive Tae Hyun would diss her and inevitably shame her failed attempt to be a super vixen. She growled under her breath. Unable to suppress her bitterness, she pulled her leg off the chair, accidentally kicked him across the shoulder, and pushed him away. Although her efforts weren’t physically powerful enough to push him off balance, it was strong enough to seize his unwavering attention.

  “Stop touching me,” she seethed, standing up with her chin held high. This was what she deserved for going out of her comfort zone and attempting to be sexy—and with an ex-boyfriend no less. “My physical wounds are fine, thank you very much. Now if you’ll excuse me, I shall put on my un-sexy pants and ignore you because you’re an insensitive jerk.”

  Yoori bestowed his entertained face with a death glare before limping across the room to retrieve her pajama pants. Her pink pajama pants were an inch away from her grasp when another hand appeared, pulling the pants off the chair they hung from and throwing them across the room.

  She was outraged when two arms wrapped around her. “Hey! What are you doin—?”

  “I like what you’re wearing,” he whispered, his voice as sweet as honey.

  Tae Hyun whipped her around to face him, held her close to him, and allowed her to drape safely over him as he fell backward. Their welcoming bed echoed with a soft creak as it adjusted to their weight.

  Yoori groaned. She didn’t want to be tricked into forgiving him again. That charm of his was her kryptonite.

  Desperate to stand her ground, she said, “It’s winter and I’m wearing a tank top and short-shorts. I’m cold.”

  She made an attempt to jump out of his hold. He only held on tighter.