“Gaia, please. Don’t call me that horrible name.” Eros chided. “Especially in front of my incorrigible little lioness.”
Gaia’s smile disappeared as she turned to face me. “Yes, I would say she needs no encouragement, given her outburst during the ceremony.” Her pale green eyes radiated disapproval. “You might want to remember, Potential Davies, that no matter the results of the Game, you are only here by the grace of the Kyrion.”
Her gaze flickered briefly to Eros before she addressed me once more, her tone filled with derision. “Some may find you entertaining. Rest assured that Chaos does not tolerate fools, and neither do I. I hope for Eros’s sake that you have some other skills we have yet to see.”
Are all of the Kyrion condescending asshats?
A sarcastic response was queued up but slipped from my tongue as a yellow butterfly flew between us. It lighted momentarily on my nose before circling me. I rubbed at the ticklish spot, amazed it had gotten so close. It fluttered in a circle over our heads before landing on Gaia’s outstretched finger.
She cocked her head as if she was listening to something before she pinned me with her gaze. “Hmmm, that remains to be seen.” She nodded to Eros and turned to glide across the field as if she walked on air. Not even a blade of grass stirred as she disappeared into the forest.
Creepy-assed snob queen.
There was something strange about all of the Kyrion. They tugged at something inside me that I didn’t like. Last night at the ceremony it had been an intense reaction. Today it was subtle but still there. It was as if a live current radiated from them and seeped under my skin. It put me on edge. My instincts shouting that they were a threat to me in some way. Especially Chaos.
In fact, my back still tingled from whatever had happened when our eyes met last night. Irritated by that, I asked, “What is with the Kyrion’s whole lord and lady of the manor act? Well, except for you. You seem ok mingling with us peasants.”
“My little lioness, let’s just say that here we are the lords and ladies of this land. You should treat us with that level of respect. There are ancient traditions that have to be observed during the Games.” Eros grimaced. “The clothes. The language. The annoying pomp and circumstance.”
He sobered, all traces of the jokester disappearing as his gaze bore into mine. “I may push the limits of acceptability, but I never forget that we are honoring our ancestors. As the ruler of my House, I can’t be seen to entirely shirk the traditions, even if I find them a bit ridiculous myself. Does that help you to hold that sharp little tongue of yours so that we may avoid pissing off anyone else? The Kyrion may be barred from doing you direct harm, but they can make your time here very difficult.”
“I’ll try. I’m not usually like this. It’s just that there’s something about you guys . . .”
Eros wasn’t paying attention. He was staring intently at something by my side. Following his gaze, I jerked like I had been caught doing something wrong. Then forced my arms to my sides. The whole time we had been talking I had been scratching furiously at my back where my skin felt hot and itchy.
“Is there something bothering you, Lia?” Eros asked cautiously.
“My skin feels a bit itchy. It’s probably an allergy to spandex,” I replied sarcastically.
He stared at me for a long moment. “Hmm.” Then a lecherous grin spread across his face. “How about I—”
“Don’t finish that sentence if you want to be able to walk straight.”
He shouted with laughter. “Sheath your claws, lioness. It’s time to get sweaty.”
Eros led the way to an area around the side of the elevators that looked like your typical gym set-up. If you happened to be someone like Batman who worked out in a cave. The other contestants already occupied various weight machines while their guides either looked on in boredom or encouragement. Eros wove his way through the torture devices, Molly and I following behind.
Dread was filling me already. I should probably warn them about gym equipment’s aversion to me.
The thought flew out of my head when my eyes locked on Chaos. He stood over the Asian contestant, Maya Li, as she struggled on the bench press. Her arms trembled as she inched the bar higher. Sweat soaked the chest of her gray T-shirt and dripped from her face. She finally managed to lift the weight and breathed out a sigh of relief. When she attempted to rack the bar Chaos snapped, “Again.”
What a dick.
As if he had heard that thought, Chaos turned toward me. Those deep, dark eyes raked me from head to toe. For a second, I could swear that same look of hunger from my dreams filled his gaze. Then a sneer swept his face as his eyes locked with mine. “Potential Davies, tardiness seems to be one of what I am sure is a long list of your faults. If you care so little for training, the offer to forfeit is still on the table.”
The banked fire from last night flared to life, and I felt my mouth twist. The urge to push this man rode me hard. There was something building inside that wanted to come out. My mind clicked off, and I was operating on pure instinct. “Oh, I didn’t realize I was running late.” Pulling my ponytail over my shoulder, I draped the end across my breasts and twisted a strand of hair around my finger. “It isn’t every day you wake up to find a gorgeous hunk of man meat in your bed. You can imagine how that would make a girl lose track of time.”
Man meat? Really? Where the hell had flirtatious Lia come from?
Chaos looked nonplussed for a second before that tic started in his jaw. Then the ground seemed to vibrate beneath my feet in time with that tic. Uh oh, a mute Chaos was probably bad news.
Damn it, Lia, what were you thinking? Oh yeah, you weren’t. Idiot. Time to say goodbye.
I moved to pass him, but he grabbed my arm. A spark ignited from the calloused grip of his hand on my bicep and lit a fiery trail along my nerve endings to shoot straight through my heart.
Holy heart attack!
I stumbled against him. Everywhere we touched seemed to burn.
His fingers flexed on my arm as if he couldn’t make up his mind whether to push me away or pull me closer. His gaze searched mine. There was a faint blue ring around his brown eyes that seemed to be growing by the minute. Whatever he saw in my eyes had his brows drawing down into a frown. That tic along his jaw started in double time. I licked my lips, wondering what it would be like to taste that tanned skin. His grip tightened, and he pulled me closer as if he wanted me to find out.
Eros nudged me aside, breaking our contact. Caught off guard, I stumbled back into Molly. She wrapped her hand around my shoulder to steady me, then pulled away with a hiss of pain gripping her hand. It was an angry red as if she had touched something hot.
“Brother,” Eros commanded quietly, pulling Chaos’s attention from me. “I assure you Potential Davies has been resting. I felt she needed extra sleep this morning to perhaps improve her disposition. That was wishful thinking on my part, but she did look exhausted when I attempted to wake her earlier.”
I couldn’t see what was happening over Eros’s shoulder since he had a few inches on me. However, everyone could feel the tension mounting between the two men. This was my fault. My stupid mouth was getting not only me in trouble but Eros as well. Just like old times. What happened to the level-headed businesswoman I’d prided myself on becoming? She needed to find the on switch for her brain to stop this before it got ugly.
I tried to step from behind Eros, but he put his hand out to block me. Gripping his arm, I leaned to his side to see what was happening. Chaos looked at my hand on Eros’s arm, and I could see him connecting the dots. Yep, Eros was the “man meat” most likely to have been in my bed. Chaos took a menacing step forward, closing what little gap there had been between the men. He glowered down at Eros. “The Potential’s bedroom is off-limits unless invited by her personally. I will not tolerate the rules being broken, even by you, brother.”
The silence was suddenly deafening. The clanging of machines and murmur of voices had ceased. Everyone was watching us. Great
, I was once again the center of attention. This time I had no one to blame but myself. Stop poking the lion, Lia. Eventually, he’s going to eat you.
Chaos looked around the room. The guides bowed to him in acknowledgment. The contestants shifted uneasily. Finally, he pinned Eros with his hard gaze. “Rule number three is that no contestant may be bedded by trickery or coercion, is it not? The rules are in place for the protection of all. You will not break them again.”
Eros bowed deeply even though he still gripped my forearm like he thought I was going to do something crazy—or crazier. I glanced at Chaos, expecting him to be basking in the glow of this show of subservience. Instead, that harsh gaze was focused on me. “I will attend the training this afternoon to see for myself if this Potential has any redeeming qualities that might make up for the disruption she has already caused. Perhaps you should try a muzzle on your pet, Eros.”
Eros tightened his grip on my arm again. The extra encouragement to stay quiet wasn’t needed; I was done messing with the king of the jungle. Chaos held my gaze one more moment as if waiting for my smart reply. When nothing came, he simply nodded.
Then he turned back to his Potential who had taken advantage of the distraction to rest. “Again, Potential Li.”
Eros dragged me away to the back of the gym where the stone floor was covered in exercise mats. He finally released me and turned to Molly who had been trailing us. Crap, had I managed to annoy the only Kyrion who didn’t think I was a moron?
“Teach her the warm-ups and put her on the track. He doesn’t usually attend the training, but he isn’t going to let this go. Push her. Hard.” Eros turned to me. Uh oh, he was furious. “Congratulations. You’ve managed to do in less than one day what no one has ever done in our entire lives. Chaos prides himself on his control, and you just made him lose it. In front of a lot of people. You must have a death wish.”
Eros pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. When he looked back at me, I could tell he was still angry but struggling to control it. “Look, something is different about you. We’ve all felt it. Nothing has gone right since you got here. I’m not saying that’s all on you, but maybe you should keep your distance from the Kyrion. Especially Chaos. I need to look into something Molly said earlier. It’s ridiculous, but I don’t believe in coincidence. I’ll be back for the race.”
Shamed at my actions and hurt by his words, I whispered, “I’m sorry.”
He hesitated as if he wanted to say something but shook his head and walked away.
Molly eyed me in astonishment. “That’s a first. You’re two for two on driving men crazy. Balls of steel.” She shook her head. “Let’s go. You’re going to hate my guts in about two seconds. For the record, I won’t take it personally.”
12
A bead of sweat quivered on the tip of my nose before dropping to the mat beneath me. Loose strands of hair had escaped my ponytail and stuck to my sweaty forehead and neck. My breath wheezed in and out like I was an asthmatic at a smokers’ rally. Rivulets of sweat ran down my chest and back, making my snug workout clothes feel like a soggy second skin. Molly had called it a dynamic warm-up. If this was only the warm-up, death by exercise was a real possibility.
The heat of Chaos’s gaze had swept my body frequently as Molly put me through my paces. As a result, my concentration was crap, and my mood was surly. It hadn’t helped that my old clumsiness came back with a vengeance. I’d warned Molly about my propensity for gym-related accidents, but she had shrugged it off as my trying to get out of training. Until she witnessed the train wreck herself.
Molly was the first victim when I accidentally kicked her shin. Then, tripping over my own feet, I’d caused an entire rack of hand weights to fall over. Pretty sure someone’s foot was really sore. Mortification had me ducking out behind an exercise machine, so I’d only heard the cussing. Then I got too close to the edge of the mat while doing jumping jacks and smacked Devon right in the face. That behemoth guide hadn’t even flinched. He’d stared stonily at me as I apologized, my whole body flushed with embarrassment.
Chaos had snorted and mumbled something too low for me to hear. Probably for the best. My reply was a one-finger salute. Unfortunately, he missed it since he was already walking away toward the forest, snapping at his contestant to keep up.
Molly hadn’t let my clumsiness interfere with her drill sergeant routine, though. She’d pushed me harder. Who knew she was such an evil torturer in disguise? I’d cussed like a sailor on every rep. She’d ignored me and added another. She seemed to sense my less than full commitment. She pushed me and pushed me until my whole body was trembling.”
“You . . . uhn . . . evil workout dictator,” I grunted as I strained through another set.
It was a running joke between Dia and me that I was allergic to all forms of exercise. It wasn’t far from the truth. I had tried almost every type of workout you could imagine. It wasn’t just that my willpower ran out of—well, power—but things always went wrong. Just when my muscles started burning, and my heart was pounding as I hit my peak, disaster would strike, usually in the form of some bizarre equipment malfunction. Luckily, there had only been minor injuries, but I didn’t want to push my luck.
“Get that leg up higher, Lia. C’mon, pick up the pace!” Molly shouted as she tapped the knee of my extended leg to get me to keep it straight.
“Motherfucker!” I glared hard at her perky butt, hoping that at any minute laser beams would shoot from my eyes to set it on fire. “If you had balls . . . uhn . . . I would lift . . . uhn . . . my leg higher . . . uhh . . . just to kick you in them.”
“Pretend I’m Chaos then. Get that leg up!” Molly said while she circled me.
A startled screech sounded from nearby followed by a loud crash. Someone shouted, “Look out!”
A heavy weight hit my side and sent me skidding across the mat. My hands burned from the friction, but more importantly, I was being pressed uncomfortably down into the mat.
“Little lioness, you seem to always find trouble. Although I’m quite enjoying the outcome this time,” Eros whispered next to my ear as his hips pressed against my butt.
My head thunked onto the mat. “Do you always have to tackle women to get them under you? Get off me, idiot.”
“Oh no, my sweaty little lioness,” his voice rumbled in my ear. “Usually, it’s the women tackling me.”
“Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. Are you guys ok?” a breathless woman asked from somewhere above us.
Eros got up and helped me to my feet. The few remaining people in the gym area had gathered around the mat. Damn it, how do I keep ending up in these situations? Busty—er, Nikki—hugged me like we were long-lost friends as she rambled on about how Eros was such a hero for saving me. Finally, she let me go only to launch into a one-woman reenactment of what had happened. Apparently, the weights on her machine had suddenly fallen off when she pulled the bar down. One of the bigger ones had started rolling right toward me. Sure enough, a weight disk the size of a watermelon was now lying on the mat where I had been moments before.
That would have left a mark.
Eros had saved me even after the crap I had pulled earlier. Impulsively, I hugged him in thanks. He squeezed me back. Then he stiffened in my arms and gently pushed me away. My cheeks heated. What did I expect? I’d practically thrown the guy under the bus earlier. He had every right to be mad at me. The apology died on the tip of my tongue as I caught sight of who was standing there. Shit, all of my good luck must have been used up in a previous life.
Chaos stood not three feet from the mat, his arms crossed. His dark accusing gaze swept over me like a wildfire, bringing such heat that my fingernails dug into my palms to keep from crying out. There was a pressure in my brain that pushed and pushed until my head was throbbing. Then suddenly it was gone.
Chaos’s gaze raked over me before it snapped to Eros. “Brother, I thought you would be in the library researching this idea of yours.”
&nbs
p; “The library is extensive, and much time would be wasted in the search,” Eros replied carefully. “I decided to have others pursue the information so I could focus on my Potential.”
“I see.” That tic started up in Chaos’s jaw again. “Is your Potential injured?”
“No, there was—”
“If she is not injured, then why is she not on the track? Is this some new form of training that I have not heard of?” Chaos asked with a sneer.
I hoped he was referring to the hug and hadn’t seen Eros lying on top of me. Now that would be awkward. I stepped forward, drawing his attention. Punching the bastard in the face would have been rewarding. Fortunately for him, my hand still hurt from smacking Devon.
You are a rational business woman able to handle even the most demanding customer; keep it together.
Something flared inside me and what came out of my mouth wasn’t what I intended. “For the record, he saved me from being injured,” I retorted. “I hugged Eros. He’s clearly too much of a gentleman to admit that. Something you obviously know nothing about.”
Chaos narrowed his eyes at me but didn’t respond. Instead, his gaze lowered slowly to linger on my heaving breasts. Uh oh, there went my nipples, standing right out there for the world to see in this damn spandex. His arms dropped to his sides, and his breathing became more labored as he noticed my reaction. My anger was melting away to be replaced by another type of heat as I felt his gaze like a caress.
I jumped at the phantom brush of hands cupping my breasts. Circles were drawn lazily around each breast, spiraling closer and closer to the tips. Molten pleasure flooded my body as those hands explored me, learning my shape. My thighs clamped together as the heat seared my stomach and continued south.
The invisible hands left my body, and I almost shouted aloud in disappointment, wanting to hold on to the pleasure as long as possible.
A hand landed heavily on my shoulder, and I squeaked in surprise. Whatever trance I had been in immediately disappeared. I blinked rapidly, surprised to find how close I was to Chaos. His arm brushed against my aroused nipple, and I bit my lip to hold back the whimper. My knees threatened to buckle beneath me as whatever too-hot-to-be-real mojo he was pumping out continued to devastate my control.
Paldimori Gods Rising Box Set Page 10