Chapter 20
CORDELIA
Ipeeled my eyes open, momentarily disorientated, then remembered where I was.
I yawned widely and snuggled into the fleecy comforter, wondering why I hadn’t seen Si since he left for his meeting with Zeus.
Unease settled over me like a prickly blanket.
I wasn’t sure if it was the thought of the reason for their discussions—most likely Ixion—or the fact that I was missing him.
That thought extremely irked me. The arrogant, beautiful god of the sea was totally off limits, and the fact that I was like a walking hormone in his presence seriously pissed me off.
Guinn and I had spent all afternoon with Sephy.
Hades had cooked and left us a delicious meal of cheesy asparagus orzotto, and Sephy and I polished off a bottle of red wine between laughs.
The queen of the underworld was a dynamo—funny as hell, full of stories, sass, and that weird goddess sparkle.
Honestly, I think Guinn had a full-blown girl crush.
Our chat was easy and relaxed without rehashing the trauma of the last seventy-two hours, but I caught Sephy casting me sly glances, clearly itching to still grill me about Si.
Guinn and I had retired early; both exhausted after our ordeals. Sephy promised to collect us before breakfast—mercifully, since I was convinced we’d die of starvation before we found the kitchen in the labyrinthine that was Hades’ House.
She’d also handed me a stack of books on the gods and Greek mythology. ‘Some cozy bedtime reading,’ she’d said with a grin. I made it through two and a half chapters before bone-deep exhaustion dragged me under.
I jumped from the bed and padded over to the interconnecting doors, knocking gently.
‘Guinn,’ I said softly, peeking in. A lump under the comforter told me she was still sleeping, so I returned to my bedroom and headed to the bathroom and that clawfoot bathtub.
I washed my hair and scrubbed my body in the warm water, then topped it up, pouring a heap of jasmine-scented bath salts into the water.
The air fogged with steam, and muscles relaxed, so I let my eyes slip closed.
‘Good morning, Little Red.’ That deep baritone voice caused my eyes to snap open. There he was, the swoon-worthy king of the sea, standing arms crossed, and leaning against the doorframe, looking like a model from GQ centrefold. Damn him.
Faded jeans clung to his long legs, and a deep-blue fitted Henley stretched across his broad shoulders and clung to his muscled chest and abs—and you guessed it—a hot, tight shiver ran through me, and my lady parts tingled.
I cursed my ridiculous body. His silver-blond hair was half in a topknot, and his green-blue eyes roved my face before grazing down my body, causing my nipples to harden.
For fuck’s sake. I was about to punch myself in the kisser.
‘I’m in the bath!’ I snapped, gripping the sides of the tub.
‘So I see.’ His voice turned husky, and a smirk pulled on those kissable lips. I glanced down and raised a brow at the long, hard length pressing against his jeans.
He winked at me, saying, ‘I’ve brought you both breakfast.’ Then he walked out, leaving me simmering with irritation.
I squeezed my hair dry, brushed it, and tied it in a messy bun, and, once dried off, I wrapped myself in a soft, fluffy robe. I found Guinn and Si sitting at the dining table, digging into a selection of various croissants and Danish pastries, along with juices and enough coffee to bless the gods.
Si glanced up at me, his gaze lingering with blatant appreciation. I ignored the heat creeping up my neck as I took a seat next to Guinn, poured a coffee, and grabbed an almond croissant.
Then Guinn struck.
‘So,’ she said through a mouthful of pastry as she eyed Si. ‘What are your intentions with my sister?’
I tried not to choke on the slurp of coffee I almost inhaled. ‘Guinn!’ I hiss-coughed.
Si laughed softly. ‘Purely honourable, Guinn. I assure you.’ He gave her a little nod and took a bite of Danish like he hadn’t just walked in on me naked in a bath fifteen minutes ago.
‘They’d better be.’ She gave him a once-over before she resumed stuffing her big fat mouth. I gave him an apologetic look, but he merely gave me a sheepish grin.
‘Have you had sex with her? Because she won’t tell me,’ Guinn said without even lifting her eyes.
‘Guinn!’ I snapped. Heat scalded my cheeks, creeping down my throat to my chest, and I resisted the urge to wipe a hand across my sweaty forehead. ‘My sex life is none of your godsdamned business!’ I growl-hissed. Si was unperturbed as he drank his coffee, his lips twitching with a tampered smile.
Guinn, in full teenage glory, rolled her entire head instead of just her eyes. Her dramatics were on point—as usual. ‘Come on Cordie,’ Guinn said as she took a drink, glaring at Si again. ‘None of us are oblivious to the gods and their shenanigans.’
‘Shenanigans?’ Si coughed a laugh, but a crease formed between his brows. ‘Please… Enlighten me.’
‘Gladly.’ She leaned forward, eyes narrowing.
‘The gods are renowned for creating unhealthy power dynamics. They thrive on control. In a relationship, this would probably lead to manipulation, dependency, and subservience. Textbook toxic.’ She pointed at me.
‘That would be detrimental to your well-being, Cordie.’ And there’s the fifty-year-old Guinn.
‘You’re trusting a possessive god you literally just tried to assassinate,’ she finished with exasperation as she threw up her hands. I hated losing arguments to hormonal teenagers who thought they knew everything… but she did sort of have a point. Si’s brows were now almost lost in his hairline.
‘You clearly have a low opinion of the gods, Guinn,’ Si said, his smirk nowhere to be found.
‘You’re a load of self-important jackasses.
Well… some of you,’ she amended with a shrug.
‘Jury’s out on you… But you circle her like some lovesick vulture.
’ She nodded at me. ‘Which is weird. But I’m watching you.
’ She jabbed her finger at him, then turned to me.
‘Don’t let a man’s dick rule you, Cordie. You rule you.’
‘Any more words of wisdom, oh wise one?’ I rolled my eyes, but her words jabbed at my conscience. Was I really letting Si dictate too much?
No... Not dictate. But gods, every time he looked at me like I belonged to him, my body went rogue. I didn’t want to be subservient. It wasn’t in my nature, but with him? Hell, I sure as hell wanted him to take control. It was getting harder not to give in.
‘Wow. Looks like someone came down with a case of assholes this morning,’ Si muttered, taking a sip of his coffee.
‘You came down with a case of assholery topped with a hint of dickface,’ Guinn said under her breath.
I gave her a chastising look and pointed a finger. ‘No. Swearing!’
‘Omg, you swear all the time.’ Her cheeks stained red.
‘That’s because I’m a surly adult. I’ve earned it. And don’t be disrespectful to Poseidon.’
She gave a theatrical “ugh”and folded her arms.
‘I’d listen to her,’ Si whispered to Guinn with a playful smirk. ‘She scares the shit out of me.’
Guinn released a dramatic sigh and turned to him. ‘Are you whipped?’ The smile dripped off his face, but his eyes worryingly darkened, the flicker of ancient storms churning behind them. She snatched a pastry and jumped up, stalking by with balled fists.
‘She has a colourful personality,’ I said with a wince, shooting him an apologetic half-shrug, feeling concerned about his volatile temper and Guinn’s safety.
‘Much like her sister,’ he replied, grabbing another pastry, looking somewhere between pissed off and slightly amused.
‘You okay?’ I asked softly as Guinn slammed her door.
He didn’t answer right away. His gaze was unreadable. ‘She’s not wrong about everything.’
‘Which part?’
‘The part where I’m circling you.’
My pulse skipped. ‘Creep.’
‘Claimed,’ he corrected softly as he looked down. ‘But sure. Let’s go with creep, if it makes you feel better.’ Si’s eyes met mine over his steaming cup of coffee, and something in my stomach flipped. ‘So… what are your plans today?’
‘I think we’re doing some training with Persephone, then I’m taking Guinn to meet Simmy at the library. She still needs to study, and he said he’d help.’
‘You said she’s training in IT?’
‘Yes. Drakos had her working for him in her spare time. She was designing and building as well as learning to manage the network infrastructure and security. She’s smart as a whip.’
‘Do you think she’d like to spend time with Theseus? He’s an IT whizz. She’d learn a lot.’
I grinned. ‘I’m pretty sure she’d love that!’
‘He’ll pop by later. I’d best be going.’ He stood, piled the breakfast dishes onto a large tray, winked at me, and disappeared in a flash of seafoam and mist.
Si Thalassa was a contradiction in every way. One minute, he was laughing over pastries with my sister. The next, his eyes were cold storms from a forgotten age.
And gods help me… I liked it. I liked him. That terrified me more than anything.
* * *
An hour later, Guinn and I were trailing behind Sephy through the never-ending maze that was Hades’ house, relying entirely on her to lead the way. Honestly, I needed to ask for that freaking map before I really started leaving breadcrumb trails like some Underworld Hansel and Gretel.
Today, we were meeting more of the Underworld’s not-so-dead inner circle—at training now, and again at dinner tonight—and my nerves were staging a rave in my gut. Guinn and I were both decked out in sleek leather fighting gear, which made us look badass enough to fake confidence.
Our wardrobes had magically exploded overnight, now stocked with designer everything—combat-ready outfits, casual loungewear, and gowns fit for royalty.
Where the hell they’d found time to pull that off, I had no clue, but Guinn had been buzzing.
She’d spent thirty minutes twirling in front of the mirror like a couture-fairy on crack.