Chapter 20 #3
Sephy almost choked on her water, but the thought of actually banging Si made my thighs clench and my nipples harden. I put a hand on Tee’s shoulder and pushed her away as she laughed. I imagined climbing him like a tree, and thinking about climbing that ripped body made my ovaries vibrate.
‘She’s not wrong, Cordie,’ Sephy piped up.
‘Sex with Hades is full of fireworks. Oh. My. Gods… It’s like a pleasure cruise.
You just wanna ride that boat straight out to sea.
It’s so good! He makes me sing to the angels when he’s deep inside me.
’ She extended the word deep and smirked at me as she wiggled her eyebrows.
‘If you hadn’t just healed my shoulder, I’d punch you in the kisser,’ I deadpanned, making her shriek with laughter.
* * *
After a delicious lunch of assorted pizzas and salads, Sephy took Guinn and me to the library to meet Simos.
He was to spend a few hours a day with Guinn, ensuring she kept up with her studies, then Theseus would collect her to take her to Zeus’s IT facility each afternoon, which she was hyped about.
We entered the sanctuary of gods knows how many books through an enormous door carved with ancient symbols—the library was draw-dropping.
Guinn squealed in delight, her eyes wide as she surveyed the circular room, its thirty-foot-tall walls brimming with books.
A mezzanine level, accessible by a grand staircase, held even more literary treasures.
Spotting the rolling ladders, she bounced up and down, gasping with excitement—she was in paradise.
Magical sunlight streamed through the high glass ceiling, illuminating the cozy arrangement of sofas, tables, and chairs scattered throughout the space.
As I wandered, I traced my fingers along the spines of the books, sighing contentedly. The sweet, nostalgic scent of old books filled the air—a comforting blend of knowledge, adventure, fantastical romances, and distant lands. It was an oasis of endless possibilities.
‘I’ve always wanted to do a Beauty and the Beast,’ Guinn shrieked as she raced to a ladder, climbing it, then rolling down a towering bookcase, one hand raised in the air.
‘Uh-oh,’ Sephy muttered. ‘She’s in for an ass-kicking.’
‘Huh?’
I squished my brows together as a strict voice shouted, ‘Don’t break my ladders!’
Guinn squeaked and almost lost her balance, and that’s when we saw him. Guinn scrambled down the ladder, skipping the final rungs and landing with a solid thud.
A creature—half-goat, half-man—stood before us, barely four feet tall.
His lower half was coated in thick black fur, complete with backward-bending legs, cloven hooves, and a twitching tail.
The fur climbed to his waist, where it gave way to a lean, human torso dusted with soft, downy hair.
Small, pointed horns peeked through his dark curls, and his impish grin pulled my attention like a magnet.
‘You’re a satyr?’ Guinn asked, eyes wide.
‘No shit, Captain Obvious,’ he quipped, one eyebrow arched. I let the snark roll off me, too mesmerized by the strange creature to take offense.
‘Simmy, don’t be an asshole,’ Sephy said as she hugged the Satyr. ‘Let me introduce you to Cordie and Guinn.’
* * *
After spending a few hours in the library by myself while I waited for Guinn, Theseus came to collect her.
Fiddling with the cuffs of his jacket, his glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose, he was geeky-attractive and seemed shy and sweet; the type who’d drop random myth trivia, then blush if you actually noticed.
His dark hair flopped into his eyes as he gave me a crooked grin, boyish and oddly endearing.
He wasn’t built like the other demigods, broad-shouldered and larger-than-life, but he had that lean, wiry look, all sharp edges and restless energy.
He promised to take Guinn to McDonald’s for supper and bring her back later, after they’d visited Zeus’s Azure Vault. I raised an eyebrow at her giddy reaction to fast food, and that’s when fifty-year-old Guinn showed up again—inhabiting her teenage body with the gravitas of a seasoned professor.
‘When we crave junk food,’ she began, ‘our brains release anticipatory dopamine. At the same time, the stomach produces ghrelin, also known as the hunger hormone, which drives us to seek calorie-dense options. Once we satisfy the craving, dopamine is rereleased, reinforcing the behaviour.’
Theseus looked at her like she’d just won the Nobel Prize. The two of them—the handsome geeky young demigod with a face fit for TV, and my little sister, a science nerd in a teenager’s body—bonded like siblings at a comic con. I couldn’t help smirking at their banter.
‘Theseus,’ Guinn said, tapping her upper lip like she was about to deliver a TED Talk. ‘Did you know that French fries trigger the brain’s reward system in the same way as addictive drugs?’
He raised a brow. ‘You’re saying McDonald’s is basically my dealer?’
‘Exactly. And you’re hopelessly hooked,’ she teased, elbowing him lightly as they walked towards the door.
‘These are the facts I need in my life,’ he replied solemnly, placing a hand on his chest. ‘You, Guinn, are a national treasure.’
‘And don’t you forget it, Mister,’ she responded, giving him a mock-pitying look. Theseus looked at her like he’d just found his new favourite sidekick.
‘Don’t bring her back too late. Oh, and one more thing...’ I flashed Theseus a sugary-sweet smile and patted the knife at my hip. ‘Keep it in your pants, Mr Handsome, or I’ll personally make sure your future bedroom adventures are nothing but fond memories.’
Theseus went scarlet as he shoved his glasses higher, which only made Guinn grin wider.
‘Theseus,’ Guinn said, tugging his sleeve, ‘please ignore her. She’s legally obligated to threaten every guy who breathes in my direction.’
‘Actually, ‘I said brightly, ‘I’m just really good at it.’
Theseus gave a short mock-formal bow. ‘Noted. Your sister’s safety is my top priority. Right after not dying.’
Threatening demigods was quickly becoming my favourite pastime—and I was getting very good at it.
I spent the rest of an indulgent afternoon swotting up on the gods, waxing, painting my nails, and chilling, before I sank into the tub with a glass of wine, letting the warmth soothe my muscles. I finished drying off and moisturised my whole body.
I paused in front of the mirror as I caught sight of the faint puncture marks on my upper thigh, so close to my pussy.
The bruising was gone, but the weird imprint was still visible, small and oddly possessive.
I frowned, trailing a fingertip over it.
My brain instantly flashed back to Persephone’s offhand question—Has Poseidon shown you his fangs yet?
—and my irritation spiked. He’d bitten me after…
I squashed the memory of his mouth devouring me.
‘Oh, that arrogant, egotistical, overgrown sea bastard…’ I muttered under my breath. First, he wrings two orgasms out of me like he owns the rights to my body, and after he’s leaving marks like I’m some prize catch in his net?
A curl of unease twisted in my gut, unwelcome and stubborn, because under the annoyance… was a pulse of something else. Something dangerously close to curiosity.
I shook it off. He could keep his fangs—and his ridiculous claim that I belonged to him.
I turned away and pulled on some sheer lace black underwear—everything in the walk-in wardrobe was high-end designer, effortlessly elegant, and I wasn’t about to complain.
Hair came next—after blow-drying, I styled my auburn waves into a soft half-updo, a few loose curls brushing my bare shoulder, the rest cascading down my back.
Dark kohl framed my eyes, making their blue even brighter.
A touch of blush and a swipe of highlighter gave my cheekbones a subtle, sculpted glow.
My lips—stained a deep, sultry red—were the final statement.
I stepped into the dress—a daring little black number—short, halter-necked, tied at the throat, with a backless plunge that dipped all the way to my waist before slipping on matching strappy heels, and giving my reflection one last glance.
Then I strapped my dagger to my upper thigh and smiled as I picked up my glass of wine.
Powerful, polished, and dangerous—exactly how I wanted to feel this evening.
A knock at the door made me pause. I wondered if it was Sephy. ‘Coming,’ I hollered, striding out of the bedroom, and placing my wine on the table as I passed. I opened the door—and promptly forgot how to breathe.
Poseidon.
He stood there like some storm-kissed fever dream, and I breathed in the heady scent of the ocean that always seemed to cling to his skin.
The dark blue dress shirt stretched across his muscled chest, and his long, ripped legs stood slightly apart, his smart black trousers straining to contain his Corinthean thighs and…
Holy Hades.
My internal temperature immediately reset to inferno because, apparently, the man had decided to smuggle a torpedo in his pants. I needed to get a grip on myself—I was a sex-starved kerfuffle of hormones around this god.
Cue the snark.
‘Well,’ I said, quirking a brow. ‘Is that an anaconda in your pocket or are you just super-pleased to see me?’
He stared at me. Those beautiful eyes—blue-green and deep as the sea—felt like they were seeing into my soul. I lifted my eyebrows. ‘Can I help you?’ His eyes didn’t so much as blink. Like I was a riddle he needed to solve.
My smirk faltered under the weight of it. ‘Okay,’ I said, voice dry. ‘Gonna need you to blink or say something. Staring is rude, Poseidon. It makes you look all... creepy and stalkerish.’
Still nothing. I desperately wanted to look away, but sheer stubborn will made me hold his gaze.
Then—finally—he cracked.