“Never gotten any complaints.” I wink.
Hunter gives a frustrated growl. “I thought you were interesting. I didn’t mean I just want to … have husbandly privileges.”
“No worries, you won’t be getting any privileges, and neither will I.” I shrug again, eager to show how much he doesn’t matter. One thing about me is I’m stubborn. Once I’ve made up my mind, I don’t turn back on it.
“How about this: I’ll let you wait to take a pregnancy test, have that come back negative, and we can just have the handfasting up until then. Then you won’t have to wait so long to satisfy your needs, especially since the monogamy will be useless,” Hunter suggests frantically.
I frown at that. Why the hell does he care? He almost sounds worried for me being without sex for six months. Granted, it’s uncomfortable. It’s part of my makeup to have physical release. I get great satisfaction from my pleasure and the pleasure of others. Now he’s acting like it matters that I get it, even if it’s not from him.
“That sounds reasonable,” I say with a nod of my head.
“No,” Nemesis says with a stony finality, “the law is the law; there’s no avoiding it for either of you.”
Hunter glares at her. “This really is none of your business. All that matters is we don’t have a child together.”
“You’re supposed to spend six months attempting to have a child with one another, and if you don’t, then you know that you’re not soul mates. That is the point of the handfasting. It’s not about not having a child,” Nemesis says calmly. “You two, for all intents and purposes, shall act as if you’re married from here on out. At the end of the six months, if you two don’t have a child, which I expect you to attempt to do, then the relationship may be resolved.”
“We’ve figured out a solution, but thanks for your advice,” Hunter tells her.
“It’s not advice.” I finally sigh. “If we don’t follow the rules of your people, she’ll make both of our lives a living hell. I guess we have to do this, though she can’t make us sleep together. At least there are small favors.”
Nemesis frowns at me. “I’ll do what needs to be done. I expect both of you to take this seriously and follow the letter of the law as fully as possible. If I have to step in to make sure of this, then so be it.”
“Oh good goddess, your authority doesn’t mean you can make us sleep together.” I roll my eyes and say to Hunter, “Don’t drink anything she gives you.”
“Right.” He nods, with a little smile I don’t begin to attempt to analyze.
“I really don’t want to have to punish you two to keep the balance, but have no doubt that I will,” Nemesis warns. “That being said, congratulations, and I hope to see you at the party later, Hunter. Do you mind giving us a moment alone?”
Hunter throws me a questioning glance, and I give him a quick nod. The sooner he leaves, the sooner we can get down to the bottom of this craziness. A temporary marriage will complicate an already complex situation.
“I’ll see you downstairs,” Hunter promises before taking his leave.
As soon as the door shuts behind him, I pounce on Nemesis. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Her eyes narrow dangerously. “I should be asking you that! You’re jeopardizing everything we’ve worked so hard for!”
“If you’re worried about that, why are you forcing us to stay together? The more he’s around, the more likely he is to catch us plotting,” I hiss.
“No, you idiot. The more he has to sneak and prod you into giving him what he wants, the more likely he is to figure out what we’re really doing. If someone alerts the Olympians before it’s completed, they will end us,” Nemesis says. “Distract him with your assets and he’ll be out of our hair soon enough.”
Enyo nods. “Excellent point. Peitho, wave your lady bits in his face and his brain is sure to turn to mush.”
“What do I get if I play along with the handfasting? Sex is off the table.” I sniff.
“You get to continue living?” Dys asks.
“What do you want?” Nemesis asks in exasperation.
“I want Australia.” I smile.
“No!” Apate wails. “I had dibs!”
While serving as immortal representatives, we’ve been given free rein of Earth. In the past, we were much more restricted. The longer we’re on Earth, the more our powers acclimate to this dimension. If we’re able to finally break the boundaries binding our powers, we will be able to ascend to true, powerful goddesses in our own right. We’ll no longer be daimons or minor goddesses. We’ll have enough power to take the Earth as our own, no longer serving the Olympians.
We just have to figure out how to tap into the real depth of our power. The Olympians are strong because they take what they want, including power from others. They hold dominion over all Immortals, and in order to be stronger, they have made others weaker. We just need to reclaim what is rightfully ours. Luckily, we have at least a century to work on that puzzle. If the Olympians ever find out we’re planning a coup of Earth, we’ll never see the light of day again.
“Fine, you play nice and keep the dragon entertained. If you manage to keep him from digging and snooping around, you can have Australia. Assuming any of you buckle down and are able to assume your full powers,” Nemesis promises.
“We’re working on it. We’ve only been here a few months,” Ana points out.
“Work harder. We’re using borrowed time,” Nemesis points out. “Until any of you have updates, house meeting over.”
I watch everyone disperse.
Apate shrugs and says, “It could have gone worse.”
“How exactly could it have gone worse?” I ask. “I actually have to keep him.”
“Nemesis could have made you two fuck in front of us as proof, asked when you last menstruated so she knows when you’re ovulating, given the safe sex speech again, given Hunter the ceremonial keys to all of our houses, or better yet, told you to pack your things and move into Hunter’s hotel room! Plus, you got Australia. Some days, I really hate you.”
My eyes grow wide as I see Nemesis saunter up behind her and listen with interest. When Ana’s done, Nemesis says, “Firstly, I’ve never been a fan of watching others engage in sex. It just looks so dirty and primitive. Also, Peitho mentioned that a condom was used, so apparently nothing more must be said about safe sex. Lastly, there’s no way that Hunter’s moving in with us. As far as her moving into his hotel room, it matters little to me as long as he’s not around all of us.”
“Damn, I swear, Nemesis, can’t you make any sound when you move?” Ana gasps. “Where’s that bracelet we got you with the bells on it?”
“Ana, how would I sneak up on people to dole out retribution?” Nemesis counters before fading away like a shadow.
As Ana, Apate, and I leave our hotel room, I see Hunter loitering in the hallway. He gives me a sheepish smile. “Sorry you’re stuck with me for six months. I didn’t think it would be taken that seriously.”
He looks so sincerely sorry it’s hard for me to stay strong and rightly pissed. “Yeah, well, I’m sure you don’t want to be stuck with the slut of the daimon world, but here we both are.”
Hunter blinks at me, and I think I may have actually shocked him. “It’s not like you’re actually a slut. Anyone your age seems to have been around a lot, to people who haven’t lived since the beginning of time. I’m sure you don’t have a ton more … relations than others.”
“Certainly not as many as Zeus, and what the hell is his excuse? I mean, I get he’s king and all, but the title doesn’t come with a license to fuck. At least you have a legitimate tie to intimate acts, which is why you crave them more than some. But, honestly, that guy gets around way more,” Ana says with distaste.
Apate shakes her head. “It’s a good thing the big high and mighties in Olympus don’t give a shit what we say, or we’d have been long gone by now.”
I watch Hunter follow their exchange with wide eyes and a sl
ight, amused smile. True, he looks gruff and threatening, but his eyes seem nice. The kind of nice and sweet eyes that I avoid. Mainly because I’ll eventually hurt someone, and nice guys seem to break more easily. I don’t really want to destroy someone as powerful as Hunter.
“Interesting crowd, eh?” I ask him as Ana and Apate debate.
“You certainly keep an odd group of friends. I’m sure it’s never dull.” Hunter grins. “I’m usually more on my own.”
“Really? I thought being a prince you’d be around people constantly,” I say in surprise.
Hunter makes a face. “Being a prince isn’t great for me. I hate to tell you, but you’re now connected to the embarrassment of the family. I’m not only the youngest, but also the worst diplomat in the world. I guess I don’t know when to censor what I say. No filter here, or I’m just oblivious. I don’t know, but all of those courtiers drive me crazy, and I tend to say or do something about it rather than politely suffering through it.”
I can’t help but grin. “Don’t worry about it. In this group, if you don’t speak your mind, you may be eaten alive. You don’t live in the palace then?”
“Gods no. I live near enough to show up if need be, which is rare. The family is happy not having me there. I mean, they love me and all that, but they prefer to see me more for family events where we’re away from prying eyes. I actually live in a cave most of the time. It’s away from the court and not too close to humans, though I also keep a house in the country that I stay at occasionally,” Hunter explains.
“Whatever, at least your family loves you and all that shit. I guess Aphrodite likes me well enough, but we don’t see each other too much. When I was younger, I was my mother’s handmaiden. Unfortunately, our gifts are alike enough that it didn’t work out. She has a mad jealous streak. She started a trend where servants are stuck wearing headscarves and shit.”
“It would have been impossible for her to hide your beauty.” He smiles before quickly changing the subject. “I imagine you’re pretty social?”
“I like to party and go out. I also like to stay in, since it’s kind of an event when we go out. I don’t always like to be on, personality wise, or have people all around me fawning over us. It’s more fun to be with other supernaturals, since mortals tend to go nuts at a pretty face, and the intrigue in that has definitely worn off.” I frown.
“I can imagine that; you are pretty old.”
“Only been alive forever, even if I just started out as an idea. How old are you? Am I grossly cradle robbing, or is it just slightly?”
“I’m five hundred and eighty-nine years old,” Hunter answers, sounding a bit uncomfortable.
“I can certainly say I’ve had younger. Then again, I’ve also had older.”
“I’m not that young.”
“Yep, you’re old enough to have matured, realized it was a boring way of life, and switched to being immature again. It’s like having wisdom but ignoring it most of the time. Plus, I bet you have some major cool treasure. Come on, tell me, tell me! You collect treasure in a big hoard, right? Keep it in your cave? I’ve heard dragons and griffins are treasure fiends,” I say, eyes lighting up.
Hunter answers my smile with one that is possibly even brighter. “What self-respecting dragon would I be without treasure? Of course I have a stash. I’m particularly fond of vintage crowns. I also like royal jewels, gem-encrusted gowns, and scepters. My biggest collection so far seems to be head and hair pieces, like those little combs for your hair and headbands.”
“No offense, but your collection sounds a little girly.”
“I also keep daggers, swords, scrolls, furniture, and all kinds of things. But my collection is also for my future mate. I want to have enough gifts to give her at least one every day of our lives together. Treasure is the ultimate show of appreciation,” Hunter says with a little shrug.
I try to cover up the way his words affect me by saying, “Well, if you start to run out, you can give her each earring at a time instead of as a pair.”
“Apollo is sooo not as big a meddler as Aphrodite!” Ana disagrees with Apate loudly, causing Hunter and me to turn our attention to them.
“If anyone is the bigger meddler, it’s Ares nowadays. He and that shifter biker gang he’s leading. I don’t know what the hell he’s thinking,” Apate says with some admiration. “I heard some amazing stories from the twins the other night!”
“Did she just say Ares is the leader of a shifter biker gang?” Hunter asks me in a slight whisper.
“Yeah, he’s got a real thing for leather,” Ana answers.
“Trust me, the others in Olympus must have been glad to be rid of him. When he’s jonesing for a fight, he picks on them like crazy. They’re the only ones who can give him a good run for his money, so he tries to start shit with them. Not that they give in, but sometimes he makes it damn hard to resist,” Apate adds.
“If you irritate me, I’ll sic him on you,” I warn Hunter.
“I know you’re probably not too happy with the current situation we’re in. It would probably be best to try to be friends and get through this together.”
“I don’t like to be tricked. You could have at least told me about the six months thing before we actually slept together. At least with you I know there’s the treasure side effect if I get bored. I can drool over it for at least a good month or two,” I tell him, finding it hard to stay mad despite the clear justification.
“You’d have to share the treasure chamber with me. I can look at it for at least three months.”
“You two are definitely starting to disgust me in your newfound friendship and understanding,” Ana observes. “Granted, I’m all peaches and cream happy that you’ve found common ground, blah blah. Do you think you can do something annoying and insensitive in the next day or so to spice things up? It’s not like any of us has ever been married before. I want to see how tragic it would actually be.”
Hunter raises a brow at me.
“Yes, she really is honest to goddess serious. Just ignore everyone else here. They lost their minds long ago, in a land far away,” I tell him, while rolling my eyes.
“More importantly, do you think I should add a pom-pom tail to finish my look? Carry a carrot around with me?” Apate asks, shaking her ass at us, currently tailless.
“You’re good to go.”
“Already a fashionable half hour late, so the party is sure to be hopping by now.” Apate grins. “I hope Deimos and Phobos come back with more of that yummy in my tummy wine.”
“The guy you were engaged with the other night?” Hunter asks me, suddenly serious.
“Engaged with … goodness, are you talking about the kiss? That was so not even major,” I respond hotly.
“That was Dolos, the god of trickery,” Ana supplies.
“I see. I’ll have to talk to him about our new arrangement,” Hunter says absently.
“It’s none of your business! Don’t get all possessive on me, or you’ll get my foot in your scaly dragon ass!”
“None of my business? Scaly!” Hunter yelps.
Ana nods happily at Apate as they bump fists, and Ana says, “Success.”
Chapter 6
Hunter:
“So you tricked her,” Julian says in an insultingly unsurprised voice.
I look around stealthily, making sure Peitho and all of her friends are out of hearing range. Luckily, there’s not much to worry about on that front. All of them are apparently nuts for glow bowling. They have their glow sticks hanging all about their bodies, and three lanes to play on. The fact that the woman in question is doing an embarrassing victory dance after getting a strike has nothing to do with my smile.
“I didn’t trick her. I helped her realize that what we have is special, and needs six months to simmer,” I say easily.
I watch as Peitho walks forward as if she’s going to take another turn, though she doesn’t have a ball. She stops right in front of the red “do not cross” line and sprea
ds her legs. Far. Then she makes a come-get-some motion with her hands, and Apate throws the ball down the lane, sending it rolling right between my betrothed’s thighs.
“Damn, can you imagine how much that would hurt if she had too high a reach?” I ask in fascination.
“Hunter, can you please focus on the conversation at hand and not your tricked mate?” Julian says with annoyance.
His tone makes me turn back to him. Then I smile dopily, “I guess she is my mate, huh? Even if it is just for six months.”
Julian growls at me. I thought only shifters did that during polite conversation. “Are you going to tell her you tricked her into it? That ‘Little Hunter’ never made it to her southern borders?”
“I’m starting to wish I never told you about that. I don’t see what the big deal is. I mean, I tried to back out of it once I saw how difficult it would be for her and how much it means. But her pushy roommate, Nemesis, wouldn’t let me! Now we’re both just going to have to deal with it,” I say.
“Or you could tell her how you never fucked to begin with?” Julian suggests.
“That would ruin all of the good progress we made.” I look at him like he’s crazy.
“I swear you’ve gone completely insane. She’s going to be pissed when she finds out, and you know she eventually will. Do you really want to be stuck with a pissed-off goddess for six months?”
This I think about, since he finally has a good point. “I’m sure by then she’ll have succumbed to my natural charm and will forgive me easily. Or, you know, never find out. I could always give her a sparkly from my treasure as compensation.”
He just gives me a look. “That would literally be turning her into a whore.”
“Didn’t think that one out.” I shrug, not really listening as I watch Peitho jump on Lyssa’s back just as she’s about to swing. Her dress rides higher and higher until I can almost see—oh God, I hope she’s wearing panties. A quick glance around the room tells me every other guy here is hoping the exact opposite.
“Fine, whatever, we don’t have to talk about it anymore. I still don’t understand what you’re going to do with her for six months. The novelty is going to start wearing thin by month three at least. Besides, I hear her and the other goddesses travel a lot. Are you just going to tag along like a faithful puppy? Or take her to your cave? You can’t expect a girl like that to want to live with you in your cave, even if it is just temporary.”
Skin of a Goddess (Goddess Ascension Book 1) Page 8