by A. K. Koonce
"I was hoping you'd have one." He glared at me as he said it, suggesting he didn't expect me to have one at all. He was just being a prick.
Lucky for me, two could play that game.
"I thought I'd just stand in the middle of the street and wait for them to come to me." I fluttered my eyelashes at him, hoping the move still worked even after thousands of years stuck in a prison.
Maybe I should have tried it on one of the gods back then. I might not have ended in this predicament if I'd done that. On the other hand, I might have been turned into a swan just so Zeus could get laid. That also wasn't exactly my idea of fun.
Yes, the gods had a weird history of retaliation. I was apparently too cherished to be turned into a pet. Or maybe I was considered a pet just the way I was.
"And do what? Wait as you're molested, robbed and murdered?"
“Like I have anything to be robbed of.” I taunted him with an eye roll, but deep down, I knew he had a point. "I need you to teach me."
"What?"
"Teach me to recognize sin," I clarified, though from the look of horror on his face, he did actually understand the first time. I hated it when men played dumb. It was like they didn't realize women would figure them out. They'd been the same back before I'd opened the stupid box too.
Alex cleared his throat loudly.
That was interesting. I wondered what kind of sin he was thinking of? Maybe it was something sex related. Though when that had become a sin was beyond me. It'd been a great part of life when I was free.
He'd over-reacted to the woman in the street though, so maybe...
I blushed, sitting up properly so I could shift my head and hide behind my hair. I'd rather he didn't find out how much that thought was affecting me.
"It's the best way," I added when he was silent for a little bit longer than was comfortable.
"You might be onto something there..."
"But?" I prompted innocently.
He didn't respond. This was going to get old really fast.
I rose to my feet and closed the small gap between us. "You were sent here to protect and help me," I said as sweetly as possible. "That means actually doing that. The quicker we do this, the quicker you can be rid of me." And in all likelihood, the quicker I move on to whatever torture the gods have planned for me next.
"Fine," he admitted gruffly, his eyes wandering to where our bodies were nearly touching. "You have a lot to learn." His voice came out a little raspy, and I wasn't sure why.
Probably best I explored that one later. When I was alone, maybe.
"Who better to teach me about sin than one of the gods?" I asked. "After all, they know it better than us mere mortals."
Alex gave a barking laugh, his face lighting up in amusement. He was blatantly handsome when he smiled. "You still think you're a mere mortal?"
"I must be. I'm hardly a god," I said.
"Mere mortals don't live for thousands of years, Dora."
He might have had a point there, but it wasn't going to be one I lingered on. "They do if they're being punished," I said flatly. There was something vindictively cruel about extending a life just so someone could suffer more.
"True. And you do deserve punishing."
I glared at him. "I've done my time. Now you need to help me win my freedom," I replied, turning away from him and storming back to the bed. "But first, I'm going to have the first decent night's sleep I've had in years."
Flopping down onto the bed, I kicked off my heels and leaned back, not bothering to see what Alex was doing with himself. I really couldn't care less, so long as he didn't try and join me.
He could find something to busy himself with. He was my keeper, not the other way around.
As long as he didn’t get in the way of me and this amazing bed, then we’d be friends of sorts.
Or at least… not enemies.
For the moment.
Chapter Four
"Up." A grumpy voice broke through my peaceful slumber.
I peeled open my eyes, wishing I was already back asleep. There was too much light in here. Too much air. And there was far too much comfort. I wasn't used to it, and the change in circumstances was confusing me much more than I cared to admit.
"What time is it?" I asked groggily, pushing myself up so I was seated.
"Seven am."
The flood of information I'd come to expect with the new times and new ways of doing things, crashed through my head, making me wince in pain.
"It's too early."
"I didn't take you for a lazy one, Dora."
"I'm not lazy," I snapped. "But I’ve spent long enough being punished. Is one day of rest really too much to ask?" I demanded.
"That's not what you said yesterday."
Damn him to Hades. I’d said I just wanted this over with. Which pretty much meant the early wake-up call was on me.
"All right, all right, I'm getting up."
I threw back the covers and swung my legs around so I could get to my feet. The plush carpet was a welcome change from the rough stone floor I was used to, even if it did still feel alien to me.
"What's the plan?" I asked, stretching my arms above my head and trying to remove the crick that had appeared in my neck overnight. I wasn't used to pillows either. This whole setup was odd.
"You could have warned me you were naked," Alex half-shouted, covering his eyes.
A soft giggle escaped me. I hadn't taken him for someone who was weirded out by nakedness. He was a god after all, and pretty much all they did was get naked and have orgies. Or sex with animals. They really weren't a picky bunch. Sometimes, I didn't blame myself for opening that box. I probably saved a lot of my fellow humans from the gods’ debauchery as a result. Or at least, I hoped I had. There had to be at least some good from me opening the thing.
"How did you expect me to sleep?" I was genuinely curious. I'd always slept naked. As had most people I'd known. It was especially true when it got hot in the summer, and the only way to stay cool was to strip.
"Just cover yourself. Now." He thrust something flimsy and silky in my direction, his hand still covering his eyes.
I took it gingerly, not knowing what to expect. Shaking it out, I discovered it was some kind of robe, with a tie to fasten around my waist. I could live with that. Even if part of me wanted to stay naked just so Alex became more uncomfortable and flustered, I knew that probably wasn't the best choice for either of our sanities.
Tying the robe in front of me, I relaxed into the feel of it against my skin. That was good at least.
"All right, I'm all covered. You can open your eyes now."
He removed his hand slowly, as if unsure whether to trust me or not. If he wanted to offend me, then he should just keep going.
"Happy now?"
"Not even slightly," he grumbled.
Hopefully he'd snap out of the crazy moodiness at some point, no way was I dealing with this for the next however long.
I folded my arms and watched him intently, waiting for him to do... something. Maybe make a suggestion about what we should do to get my quest underway.
A snort escaped from me. A quest? That made me sound like one of the ancient heroes, and I wasn't so keen on that idea. They never got to take a holiday. Eternal glory just wasn't worth the workload.
Alex simply sighed. Helpful. Why didn't he just get on with it if he was so desperate for our job to be over?
He picked up a black gadget thing, and pressed a button, lighting up what I now knew was a TV. This instant knowledge thing was either going to be really useful, or really annoying. I wasn't too sure which. Maybe if I gave it another couple of days I'd be able to make up my mind.
The sound and color were a lot more vibrant than I expected, and the opening chords of what I assumed passed for music filled the room.
"This is the kind of person you want to attract." Alex gestured towards the TV where two women appear to be fake fighting along with the words of the song. How odd. I'd hav
e thought they would just fight if they wanted to, not just sing about it.
"I'm not sure my fighting skills are what they used to be." Not that I'd ever had any. It was something
I'd failed at time and time again.
The look on his face said it all. He both pitied me and hated me all at the same time. Maybe I’d missed something again, like with the woman in the street?
"They're just pretending, for entertainment."
"Pretend fighting?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Things have moved on from when you were last here," he pointed out.
"I just don't see the point of faking it. If you're going to fight, then fight. Preferably in front of an audience." I shrugged, thinking back to just how popular the fights had been. I'd not been a fan myself, but plenty of other humans had loved them. It was easy to see why too. The adrenaline and the rush filled the air. A way to enjoy pain without it being inflicted on you.
"Times have changed, Dora."
There was that name again. What was so wrong with calling me Pandora? I loved my name.
"Yes, yes, I know. I have information overload." But that didn't mean I understood it. Nor that I had to understand it either. There were some things which would probably always escape me. And that was okay. I hoped.
"Obviously, it's not working." He glared at me, but I was too engrossed with what was happening on the screen to pay him the attention he apparently wanted.
The man now singing to us was breathtaking. Unlike anyone I'd ever seen. I hoped no one would tell Zeus, but this man easily out shined most of the gods I'd met. The singer’s hands gripped a microphone tightly as he screamed lyrics about love and pain and a mixture of both.
It sounded harmoniously awful. It was like the emotion in him was being ripped from his throat, not caring about softening his tone for an audience of any kind. But his words were beautiful.
“What’s so sinful about him?” My attention never strayed from the deep vengeful look in the man on screen’s pale green eyes.
Alex looked from me to the television.
“The guy’s a rockstar. He breeds sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Literally. It’s like their fucking motto.”
This man’s motto was sex, drugs, and rock and roll? How odd. What a weird order also. I’d think drugs would come before sex, but I probably wasn’t an expert in the matter.
“Then I want him.”
“Want?” His brows creased, and a weird, repulsive look crept over his features.
“If he’s sex, drugs and stuff then he’s the one I want.”
“The sins aren’t puppies. Want.” His tone turned mocking as he shook his head at me. “Let’s do some research and we’ll get all of this started.”
Research. That sounded time consuming. Not at all how I thought I’d be spending my time as a free woman again.
Zeus said they’d come to me. They’d be drawn to me. My gaze locked on to the beautiful man on the screen just as the guitar riff drifted away into a sad and fading sound. His thick lashes closed slowly before the video turned to black and the music stopped. A commercial cut across the screen, disrupting my thoughts of him.
They’ll come to me.
Seemed simple enough.
Without a word, I passed Alex, opened our hotel door, and strode into the hall. The carpet turned to dark tile, and my bare legs reflected off the glossy floor. I admired the high ceilings, the sparkling lighting of the hotel. It was a structure of glass. The building reached high into the heavens, while allowing its guests a view of the entire city. My attention wasn’t on the city, though. I was headed to the busy lobby down the wide, open hall.
“Where are you going? Are you insane?” Alex’s shouts rushed after me, but I didn’t pause for him. He cursed me under his breath—a stream of nasty words that only made me smile. “Zeus did not prepare me for this bullshit.”
Men in suits gave me hard stares, their eyes skimming down the dress Alex had given me. I adjusted the robe’s tie in the front, securing it a little tighter.
“You can’t walk around in public in a silk robe.”
His tight jeans and fitted shirt left little to the imagination. Hard lines etched down the front of his chest, the white shirt pulled nicely over his abs. If any small amount of lust entered his body his jeans would be sure to give a telltale sign of that, too.
“You’re more indecent than I am.” I gave a shrug to him as I continued on my search for the sins of this city.
They’ll just be drawn to me, right? So far, no sins are rushing the streets to jump in my box … Hmmm what a happy innuendo...
The murmuring sound of the busy lobby echoed in the open space. Sleek elevators opened and closed. Guests waited to be checked-in at the long desk on the far wall. Complete normalcy filled the grand hotel.
Until my eyes met his. At the center of the room, near the extravagant fireplace, stood my rockstar. The dark lashes that lined the pale green of his eyes lowered as his gaze raked across every inch of my body.
I wasn’t sure what was with me, but I half expected the gold specks to return and verged on disappointed when they didn't.
My bare feet shifted slightly against the cool tile and Alex’s mouth parted as he looked from me to the man standing just a few yards away. A long sigh left his chest as he glared at the heavy interest the man was giving me.
“Yeah, you’re a look of total modesty all right,” Alex mumbled under his breath.
To test the gods, I didn’t wander over to the rockstar. As if setting an elaborate trap, I simply waited to see if he would come to me. My attention trailed over the pretty details of the chandeliers above, the fine cut of the glass, the way the light splayed across the room. I looked anywhere but at him and to tempt the sin a little more, my fingers began to toy with the top of my robe, pulling at it and moving it, shifting it until it drove even myself mad.
“What’s your name?” The sound of his voice was like honey over velvet. Smooth and warm, comforting and commanding all at once.
If one more person called me Dora I was going to lose my mind on the first day back.
“Hope. My name’s Hope.”
And after the sins were released into the world, all that was left was Hope.
How fitting.
The angles of the man’s jaw held his smile in a dark and malicious way. It wasn’t a look of happiness at all, really.
I looked up into the slicing pale colors that streaked through his beautiful eyes. He truly was a mortal who would make the gods envious.
“My name’s Ashton St. James.” His tongue snuck across his lips as he slipped his warm hand into mine.
He held my hand firmly in his as he took a confident step closer until the ends of my robe brushed against his dark jeans.
Ashton St. James.
Alex was wrong; I definitely knew sin when it was right in front of me
Chapter Five
Another man joined Ashton. The other man’s hair was short, blonde, and tidy, not at all like the mess of dark locks that fell across Ashton’s lashes. The two seemed to be friends but total opposites. An accent rushed the other man’s words as he spoke about media and connections and things that he seemed to say too quickly for my mind to find a meaning to. His words had a pretty air to them. Light and alluring. I remained silent while to two of them checked the other man’s phone for something before Ashton’s gaze drifted back to me.
“We’re staying in town for a few weeks. What about you? You from out of town?” He still stood only inches away, his bare arm that was covered in swooping ink brushed against mine.
“Yeah … I’m from out of town.”
Way. Out. Of. Town.
The other man’s attention skimmed over me for less than a second before he typed furiously away on his phone again.
“This is my friend, Zavier. You might have heard of him, he’s responsible for the Finder app.”
I tried to keep the confused look from my face as they both waited for some sign of recog
nition.
The Finder app. Is that impressive?
It’s supposed to be impressive. I think.
“Wow,” I said with a nod. “Finder. Yeah. Impressive.” Basic one-word replies were all I had. This was turning into a mess.
“I have to get back to my room. I’m feeling a little indecent.” A smirk touched my lips when I heard Alex laugh loudly from behind me before smothering the sound with a gruff cough.
Both of them paused on that statement, their gazes trailing warmly across my thighs before meeting my eyes again.
My smirk widened.
This is going to be simple.
Capture the sins of the world; easiest job I’d ever have. I guaranteed it.
“Meet me at the hotel bar later?” I leaned into him, letting his cologne wash over me.
Zavier’s dark eyes seemed to take note of the small contact of our bodies before he went back to his relentless tapping on his phone.
“Of course. Eight o’clock?”
A smile pulled at my lips, and I nodded slowly to him.
In less than five minutes, I’d already found and lured a sin.
All that was left was to capture and defeat.
Simple.
***
The confidence pushing through my chest fell away the moment I stepped foot into our room again.
A sleek black box, small enough to hold in my hands sat neatly on our table in front of the couch. It was a glossy porcelain prison. The appearance of fragility but the structure of hell itself.
The familiarity of it made my heart skip a beat and threaten to stop beating altogether. Alex’s hard chest brushed against my back, presumably unaware of the fear that had begun to drown me.
During the game of the gods I’d started to play, I’d forgotten what was really at stake here. Life. Capture and defeat meant stealing Ashton’s life away.
“The gods are always watching.” Alex moved around me, his demeanor seeming more serious and protective than I remembered.
He stepped closer to the box, blocking my view of the vile little thing. It was small and yet large enough to hold someone’s existence captive.