Chapter 24
Charisma
Artemis attempted to persuade Eros to alter his decision dozens of times, and it lasted longer than her repeated efforts to accept that neither of us would reconsider.
Hades watched the entire exchange unfazed, probably bored out of his mind, and I didn’t doubt it was a relief for him when Eros eventually veyrithed the both of us to his house.
I played with the hem of my shirt as Eros opened the door to the library, extending a hand and motioning for me to enter first. His pursed lips twitched, eyes fixed ahead as he waited for me to walk past him.
Was he thinking about Psyche? Feeling as if he might betray her? My chest stung at the thought. The bond . . . was surely not a comfortable thing for him to do. Not after all he went through. And yet, he was doing it all for me. To keep me safe.
I shook my head. No, he was doing it to ensure their plan would succeed. I was simply a means to an end. And still, that path included keeping me alive, and no matter what differences stood between us or my feelings about his kind, he wasn’t the antagonist in my story.
My arm lifted toward his shoulder but fell quickly beside my body. “Eros . . .” was all I could muster.
He offered me a faint smile, his gaze still vacant. “It is all right. Your death would be something I could not forgive myself for.”
I nodded and stepped inside the room, filling my lungs with air. The events of tonight seemed to shift things between us. I wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad thing, but it felt oddly like we were at square one, starting from scratch.
My legs carried me to the chair, and I sank into it, hearing the soft click of the drawer as he opened the secret compartment in the bookcase.
“I assumed you would prefer to read the information rather than have me explain.” As he spoke, Eros clutched a leather book between his fingers, sending a small cloud of dust swirling in the air as he wiped his hand across it.
“Each god possesses this book. It is called The Codex of Bonds. A god must not reveal it to anyone, including the individual they are to be bonded to.” He handed The Codex of Bonds to me, encouraging me with a bob of his head.
“Then why would you give it to me?” I gazed up at him between my eyelashes, observing how he removed a strand of hair from his forehead, searching for the right words.
“What is one more rule to be broken?” Eros smiled, repeating my question from the other day. “You will discover what is of your interest on the first page.”
“Thank you,” I whispered as I flipped it open.
“You are still at liberty to change your decision,” Eros added, stuffing his palms into his front pockets. “We can proceed without your involvement. As I stated before, this is not your battle to fight.”
“You know I won’t change my mind.”
“I am aware, yes.” Eros took a deep breath, taking a few steps back. “You may find me in my room, should you need anything.”
He turned, the muscles in his back rippling under his shirt, fists clenching and unclenching as he stalked to the door. It wasn’t until the door pressed shut behind him, and the sound of his steps vanished that I took a deep, grounding breath.
I grazed my fingers over the buttery-soft cover, my attention stalling on the cream-laid pages that rustled like dry leaves.
The Bond of Gods I couldn’t tell.
Too soon, his hand disappeared from my neck and left nothing but icy coldness behind.
I fluttered my eyes open, gulping. His own eyes, dark and collected, didn’t leave the bruises as he drew the tip of the blade on my skin until it drew blood.
I bit back a hiss, my fingers curling on the bedsheets.
He winced as if the sight was repulsive, unfitting.
“I apologize.” Eros tilted his head, gaze softening.
“It’s just a scratch.”
He nodded slowly, then the glint of the blade flashed as he sliced his vein open, leaving behind a thin line. It was strange—the way his palm found the back of my head and mine his; the way we inched closer, our breaths falling short over each other’s skin.
A single drop of blood, warm and sticky, made its way down his neck.
At the same instant, as if choreographed, our lips met each other’s veins in perfect unison.
Eros’s tongue darted out, a silken serpent dancing across the trailing blood, before his mouth closed around the small wound, sucking in the liquid.
I shivered in his arms, a tremor that ran from the tips of my toes to the roots of my hair—a spark of electricity that forced my fingers to dig deeper into his scalp.
My body curled into his, seeking the heat and magic that radiated from him like a blinding light.
Swept away by a force I couldn’t understand, I followed his lead.
Hesitant at first, I parted my lips, allowing his blood to paint them in its sinful shade before flowing down my throat.
The metallic taste hit me full force, unfamiliar enough to jolt my senses.
My brain, caught in a whirlwind, sent alarms screaming through my system, warning me about how wrong it was, how unnatural.
Every instinct within me protested. But then, as his essence swept inside me, a fiery sensation pulsed in my veins.
The spark chased away any fear and replaced it with a yearning, an insatiable hunger for more.
My body, now aligned with my heart, craved the proximity.
I clung to him, lost in his intoxicating embrace.
I didn’t recognize the moan merging with the sounds of suction as my own nor Eros’s grunt when his fingers grabbed a fistful of my hair, tilting my head so he could get a better angle.
A gasp tore out of me, a desperate plea, and it was then that Eros pulled back.
I didn’t miss the look in his eyes. Blatant and unapologetic arousal.
He wiped the blood from his mouth with his thumb, his gaze never leaving mine as he pushed his finger inside, closing his lips around it.