Ismini inhaled sharply. “I can do that. But if you mean go straight ahead, you might not get that, Dimi.”
“Just try.”
“Alrighty.”
Ismini crouched down just low enough to seem like she was about to take off running. Dyletri raised his head, his silver and blue swirling eyes locked on Ismini’s ass. Evesse could almost guess what he was thinking.
And, yup, the moment Ismini’s molecules broke apart and started swerving in the direction Dimithinia had told her to go to, Dyletri sat straight up.
Eve was almost too distracted by the fact that she could now see Ismini’s molecules moving at warp speed toward their destination. She almost didn’t catch what the God of Fertility was up to.
Then, just like that, Ismini’s molecules got pulled in his direction, like a shot barreling out of cannon. Her friend rematerialized right over her R’mann’s lap. Dyletri grabbed Ismini’s hips and yanked her down onto him.
“Dyletri! Let me go.”
“Nope.” Dyletri bit his lip, his incisors elongated, his expression straight-up carnal.
“I . . . I have to practice!” Ismini cried feebly, her hungry stare already locked on his mouth.
“And I am in need. Let’s go.” Dyletri dematerialized, taking Ismini with him, and Eve had no doubt that the infernal sounds of them fucking would soon reach her poor ears.
Again. “I can’t believe this shit. Have they been like this the whole time?”
“Worse. Much worse. He is the God of Fertility and he has not copulated in millennia. I am assuming it is to be expected now that he is mated.”
Evesse studied Dimithinia’s expression. “And you truly don’t care.”
“Nope,” Dimithinia said, surprising Eve when she popped the ‘p’ and smiled.
Eve couldn’t help but ask. “If it was Crius, would you care?”
Dimithinia’s expression turned one hundred percent, pure, grade A vicious. “Once more, I say to you, nope. He is an unfeeling bastard who has not spoken a word to me since I took him the invitation to Ismini’s Ziaphrite more than a week past. He can rot in his hell.”
“How long were you down there with him, before you were reincarnated, I mean?”
“Almost eleven thousand years.”
Fucking hell. “And you were aware of it?”
“Each and every moment.”
“You spent time with him inside your glowing orb thingy?”
“Each and every moment.”
Well, hell. “You’re right. He is an unfeeling bastard. And first chance I get, I will cause him as much agony as possible. I promise you this.” As far as peace offerings went, Eve supposed that was a real good one, because Dimithinia gave her that blinding smile again.
“Looks like it’s just you and me, and I’m willing to learn. Care to teach me?”
Dimithinia’s smile grew even wider. “It would be my pleasure, Evesse. And, afterward, perhaps you can explain to me what ideas you have for Crius’s suffering?”
Gee-freaking-whiz. Eve might as well throw up that white flag. ‘Cause she knew, she just knew, that she was gonna fall in love with that female as much as her friends had. She’d had the same exact feeling when she’d met Soleria and Ismini. Fighting it would be utterly futile.
And Eve didn’t do futile.
“Come on, then. Teach me how to aim.”
Chapter 11
One week later.
-Enzyria.
“I love this song!”
“Cy, seriously. Don’t start this shit. Shut it.”
Gangnam Style blasted over the speakers, and Cy took off, straight into the “riding the pony” motion.
“Cy, I’m serious.”
“Don’t be a hater, Ian. Dance this shit with me. This is classic!”
“Someone smack him.”
“Gladly.” Evesse walked right by Cyake and delivered the necessary blow to his head.
“The fuck? The song is playing. I have the right to dance it!” Cy rubbed his head and glared after her. “Oh shit, girl . . .”
Evesse ignored that last part. The place was packed full of gods and beings she didn’t even know. Hell, she didn’t even know that her new friends knew so many beings. Yet here they all were. Thankfully, so was she. She was grateful that she’d managed to wake up right on time for the celebration. Ismini deserved for her to be here. Dyletri did, too, but Eve was still busy pretending she was mad at him.
“Seriously, Eve, that dress is hot.” Lizzisi, Goddess of Light, came up next to Evesse and handed Eve a glass.
Eve thought Liz’s white dress was just as gorgeous.
She looked down at the tight, red strapless piece with the slit up the thigh. Okay, Eve knew her dress was hot. So were the black heels she wore. Both of which she’d picked out on purpose.
He’s not going to be here.
She ignored that thought.
“Your dress is, too.” Eve smiled at Liz and took a sip of whatever had been given her. It was similar to champagne, but with the kick it had, it was definitely more than just fermented grape juice.
“What is this?” she asked, turning to look at Liz.
“Laussane,” Liz said, slamming back her glass.
“Huh?” Eve said, surprised with the speed Liz chugged the strong shit.
Liz smiled happily. “It’s our own version of alcohol. Just enjoy it.”
She took another sip. “You trying to get me drunk, Liz?”
Liz laughed, flipping her blond hair over her shoulder. Her eyes sparked whenever she smiled, the lightning in her irises flashing rapidly. Evesse was no longer freaked out by it.
Nah, instead she was freaked the fuck out every time she looked in a mirror now. Swirls of gold, brown, and black dominated her irises, and when she got mad, specks of red flashed up close.
“Don’t tempt me, woman. I might take you up on that. Make Zen regret he was too late,” Liz said, because she was oh so sensitive.
That was the one name Evesse really didn’t want to her right then.
“Dude, wasn’t Crius supposed to be here?” Cy stopped next to them with two drinks in his hands. Eve would have condemned him, but Ianthen was right behind him, and he had three.
Sillizi, Liz’s black-haired twin and Goddess of Darkness, waltzed up to the group looking way too stunning in her midnight blue dress. “I believe I see him coming in now. Oh, baby.”
Eve looked toward where she was pointing and nearly died. The big motherfucker walking in the door was the definition of animalism. His arrogant gait matched every other part of him.
“Drink, bitch. Drink. He has that effect on all females,” Liz said under her breath, making another glass of Lausanne appear in her hand and chugging.
“Hey, have you seen . . . Oh, holy shit. I think I just came,” Soleria gasped, stopping next to Eve.
Evesse heard a small growl from her left. She didn’t have to look to know it was a certain blue-haired creature—cough, Ian, cough—who was most likely chugging all three of his drinks at once.
Cyake waved over the black-haired guy who had just walked in. “Yo! Cri! It’s been forever!”
Crius’s silver eyes moved in their direction. The God of the Underworld had no pupils, and it took Eve a moment to process that. She didn’t know why that was odder to her than anything else she’d seen thus far.
Crius took a couple of steps toward them and then stopped, looking startled. The way his big body came to a halt was freaking comical. Especially when Eve saw the reason why.
Over the last week, she’d grown close to the small woman headed their way. Oh, Eve had been hostile to her when she first woke up, sure. But that had lasted less than a day, and since then, there had been enough time for Eve to get close to her.
And boy, had they become close. Eve adored Ismini, but Dimi’s personality was too scandalous not to love.
“Dimi!” Eve cried, deciding to play with the God of the Underworld. “There’s your hot ass! Looking for someone to
fling it at tonight?”
Yeah, she was loud enough to call the attention of everyone around her, but that wasn’t so wrong, was it? Nah.
Dimithinia stared at Eve with a confused look. Until she noticed the individual glaring down at her with all the fury of his domain. When she saw it was Crius, Dimi flipped her long hair over her shoulder and literally sashayed toward Eve, the slit of her dress showing off just enough leg and thigh.
As far as displays went, Eve had to admit she fucking loved it.
Take that, asshole, she thought. You’re just another male idiot about to suffer for your foolishness.
And there would be more of them before the night was over. There was a reason she’d picked out her dress, after all. Even if he wouldn’t make it, it didn’t hurt to be prepared.
“Fling myself at? Perhaps I am thinking about it. Are there any takers?” Dimithinia asked just as Cy innocently raised his hand.
The laser glare with no pupils turned toward Cy next.
And cue the evil genius laugh in Eve’s head. She smirked at Dimi, who joined the others while Crius made his way toward them. He seemed happy enough to greet Ian, but Cy? Eve took a sip of her drink, hiding her big ass smile.
Wondering where Ismini was, and really hoping she and her R’mann hadn’t decided to consecrate another unnecessary place, Evesse left the group to go look for her. She made it a few steps before a wave of heat she was becoming accustomed to ran through her. She had to stop and lean against a doorframe just so she could blink and breathe.
A few breaths. That was what it usually took for the feeling to recede. This time, it wasn’t really going away, and the pain in her veins throbbed harder.
She knew what it meant. Of course she knew what it meant. And it was so fucking unfair. So fucking wrong. How could this be chosen for her against her will?
It was chosen for Ismini.
Yeah, but just because it worked out for her best friend didn’t mean it would work out for Eve. Not with the way her luck usually ran. Afraid that someone would see her in such a state, she stepped further into the hallway and kept going until she reached the opposite wall. She leaned into it, pressing her forehead against the stone.
Eve couldn’t make sense of why it was so intense all of a sudden. Why it was killing her now. Maybe it was just getting worse, and soon she would fall face first into the Fieren, the unrequited mating turning on her and eating at her from the inside out.
That would be great. Really great. Yeah, okay.
She inhaled shakily again, turning and leaning her back against the wall. She was heaving air in when out of the corner of her eye when she caught sight of . . .
Oh, holy shit.
Her mouth fell open. She couldn’t move. Her heart twisted inside her with fury and need. She couldn’t look away from the giant storming toward her. Evesse was on the verge of hyperventilating. She wanted to smack herself for her obvious reaction.
But she couldn’t stop.
Couldn’t stop it.
In all black, he was nearly frightening. His eyes flashed between blue-and-gray and red-and-black, and his cheek bones seemed more prominent than the last time she had seen him. He came closer until he was right in front of her. His hands slammed on either side of her head. Eve gasped, jumping in surprise.
“Why are you wearing that dress?”
“Huh?” she asked, eyes locked with his and unable to move.
Zeniel leaned toward her, his face too fucking beautiful and vicious. The sight of his jaw twitching made her clench everywhere, and she was horrified when she felt herself gush. Even more so when she saw his nostrils slightly flare. She knew he could smell it. Knew he could smell what he was doing to her.
Gorgeous bastard.
A growl rumbled out of him. In a flash, he pressed his big body against her. His hand grabbed her jaw. She wanted to continue to lie to herself about what was happening to her, but the moment she felt his touch, the R’mannev wailed through her.
“Answer me. They’re all fucking looking at you. I see them. Why are you wearing it? Are you trying to drive me crazy? Or other men?” He leaned in, his eyes turning completely black as red lines appeared across his cheeks and moved higher. The lines merged with the black ones that seemed to leak out of his eyes.
Mavrak.
“Fuck . . . you,” Eve gasped, both furious and so horny she could barely think. He was gone for weeks, and he had the nerve to storm in there and pretend he was jealous?
Two distinct tones rumbled in her ear. “Oh, I plan to.”
“N—”
“Yes.” His fingertips ghosted across either side of her jaw.
Soft. So soft. So gentle.
Then, they shot into her hair, latching on with every bit of strength he had. Eve’s lips parted, pain and shock rushing within her. Had she not been as strong as she now was, he would’ve torn her hair off. Her skin. Everything.
And still, his grip tightened, forcing her head back.
“You’re mine.” His tongue snaked out, flicking her ear lobe. His teeth followed, barely nipping.
Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.
Eve fought it, torn between the anger and frustration he’d unleashed in her. “No,” she choked out again, grabbing onto his biceps. “Not fair. You don’t get to—”
“I do. You’re mine.”
She froze, lids peeling back so quick she was afraid she would lose them in the back of her head. He couldn’t know. There was no way. Fuck, if he had fucking known all this time she would kill him.
Her anger took control of her hold, funneling all her strength until her nails had torn through the leather of his jacket.
Through the skin underneath.
“Gods. Yes. Make me bleed.”
A desperate, carnal sound left her, the kind that shocked her almost as much as his request. No he hadn’t. There’s no way he’d just asked her to do what she thought he had.
Two voices groaned, both equally as dangerous and coming out of his throat. “That sound . . . I missed you, Eve. Would’ve been here when you awoke had I known. I told them to fucking find me.”
Zen nipped at her jaw; dragged one incisor across it. It was elongated and sharp. So sharp it threatened to slice right through her skin even though it had barely touched her.
No way. No fucking—
“You will never wear anything like this unless I’m around. Got it, Evesse?”
—way.
“What the fuck did you just say?” she gasped, pushing with all her might.
She actually managed to move him an inch. Which was impressive. She had almost three hundred pounds of muscle, godly power, and apparently, determination pressed against her.
“Unless I’m around to show them who you belong to, you will not dress like this in public. You’re mine.”
Evesse wanted to give that statement the purdy comeback it deserved. She really did. She opened her mouth to do so, too.
“Uhn!”
Plump, firm lips and a hot, ruthless tongue cut off any and all capability of speech. Zen echoed her moan with a groan as he angled his head, his body pressing deeper and his hips forcing their way between her legs.
Those lips, hot and ruthless, became the center of her universe. Zeniel went in without mercy, his tongue sliding home before she’d fully opened her mouth. His tongue was wet, hot and smooth as it connected with hers over and over, refusing to give her any control over the situation.
Eve arched, latched onto his hair, and moaned his name. The idea of fighting him was long gone at that point. Destroyed as if it had never existed.
She rubbed her chest against his, her nipples aching for contact. Zeniel pulled away, his breath teasing her. Hungry for more, she pulled on his hair and leaned in. He gave a warning growl, his hands retaliating and pulling on her hair. He jerked her head back hard, that luscious mouth of his attacking her too sensitive throat.
Weakness rushed through her, followed by a drunken lust that was agonizing.
He wasn’t going to fit inside her. That was the only thought that flashed through her head for a second, followed by pure, unadulterated, completely misplaced excitement. ’Cause there was a good chance he was going to hurt her with the monstrous thing he had going on between his legs.
And she couldn’t fucking wait to be torn by it, consequences be damned.
The burn in her neck intensified. Did he know? Fear hit her, fueling her with adrenaline. If he didn’t know, she couldn’t let him see. There was no way she was ready to let him know.
Zeniel pulled her away from the wall, dematerializing them both. They slammed back into form inside a room—his room. His scent was all over the place, even saturating the walls, and she was almost knocked to her knees right there.
“What are you doing?” She managed to pull away from him, her fingers reaching up to cover her neck.
“Evesse.”
“No.” She stumbled away from his outstretched hand. Confusion and lust robbed her of her common sense, but even so, she knew there was no way he could just barge in there and have her at his convenience. She’d gone through too much without him to allow that. She’d fucking cried over him.
The reminder gave her the dose of anger she needed to move away from him. Her body wept, every vein pounding to the point that everything around her seemed to do the same.
Zeniel took a step toward her, his black and red eyes watching her. His brow tensed, his fists clenched. It looked like he was barely holding himself back from flinging himself at her.
“Evesse.”
“No,” she said again. She stumbled back another step, her mouth torn between going bone-dry or overflowing as his scent invaded her. It was everywhere. God, help her, it was on her skin, covering her. She needed more. She needed . . . no.
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