Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 92659 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92659 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Charon Ariti has been Hades's right-hand man for years. He's given everything to the lower city, but now he's ready to take something for himself. He's only too happy to give Eurydice a special kind of education…but is her heart really free enough to be claimed?
Orpheus Makos will do whatever it takes to make things right. Once the golden boy of the upper city, he's now a shadow of his former self. He'll do anything to get Eurydice back…even if it means she's not coming into his arms alone. Three hearts. Three futures. Countless ways to get it wrong.
But with enemies slipping through Olympus's faltering barrier to lay siege on the lower city, a trio of broken hearts will be the least of these would-be lovers' worries…
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
1
EURYDICE
The music is a deep, throbbing beat that seems to soak into every molecule of the room, inspiring the occupants to sin. Or if not inspiring, then at least smoothing away any lingering worries about clinging to the perception of purity that the upper city values so highly.
We’re not in the upper city now.
I glance at my phone for the fifth time in ten minutes and curse under my breath when the text I’m waiting for finally comes through.
Ariadne: My dad put us on lockdown. I’m sorry, but I can’t come tonight.
I’ve spent three weeks and tried half a dozen failed attempts to get Ariadne into Hades’s kink club. Lying through my teeth about how no one will know who she is. Feeling guilty for coaxing her into what is essentially a trap when she shows all evidence of being a lovely person. That guilt has faded thanks to the events of the last month.
People are dying and the fault lies with the Vitalis family. With Ariadne’s family. Her father might be the one pulling the strings, but the little hints Ariadne gave Apollo at that house party six weeks ago weren’t enough. She knew this was coming and she didn’t warn us.
That makes her the enemy.
An enemy who’s not walking into my trap tonight. I sigh. Not that this is much of a trap exactly. It’s more that I’ve been tasked with attempting to coax her over to our side. If that’s not possible, then I suspect someone will just flat out kidnap her, but I’m the carrot in this situation.
Not that anyone knows it.
I look around, my guilt flaring for a completely different reason. I’ve been in my brother-in-law’s sex club quite a few times in the last couple months. I have no doubts that Hades is aware of it, though I’m careful to only show up when I know he and Persephone won’t be presiding over the activities.
This is the first time I’ve come alone.
It feels weird not to have Charon as my ever-present shadow. He wouldn’t have approved of tonight’s attendance, so I snuck out without telling anyone where I was going. The club manager, Hypnos, has seen me around enough now that the bouncers didn’t stop me when I walked through the door. Zir doesn’t know my arrangement with Charon, which works well enough for me. Charon initially allowed me access to the club, with one caveat: I’m only allowed to watch. I suspect that rule originates from my sister and brother-in-law, but Charon is the one enforcing it.
But Charon isn’t here right now.
The room is a true den of iniquity, all artfully designed to seduce the senses. The lights are always low when the club is open, but a cleverly hidden waterway around the edge of the room throws dizzying reflections onto the ceiling, giving the impression of us being underground. I’ve seen the furniture arranged in a dozen different ways, but tonight it’s the traditional layout, with couches and chairs and cushions situated to allow plenty of space for conversation and, well, fucking.
I inhale the scent of sex and smooth my hands down my tight minidress. My body thrums in response. It’s been…so long. There’s joy to be had in watching though, and I’ve learned a lot about the shape of desire and kink in general in the last nine months. But it’s all in theory. I haven’t participated. Truthfully, I haven’t wanted to. For a long time, I was focused on putting one foot in front of the other and not letting the pain of Orpheus’s betrayal break me.
But now?
I look around the room. I have a free night and no supervision. Maybe it’s time to turn some of my fantasies into reality. To stop thinking about healing and attempt that first step.
“I’ve seen you around, always watching, never participating.”
I jolt and turn to find a man has taken up a spot against the wall next to me. He’s a very attractive South Asian man who’s about my height with a slim build and smiling eyes. He also looks incredibly familiar, and not just because I’m sure I’ve seen him a few times during my visits here.
He holds out a hand. “Thanatos.”
Recognition clicks as I slip my hand into his. “You’re Hypnos’s brother.” Now that I say it, I see the similarities between him and zir. Same medium-brown skin tone, thick dark hair, and refined features. They also both have incredibly sensual lips. Not that I’ve noticed. Except I have.
“Guilty as charged.” Instead of shaking my hand, he raises it to press a light kiss to my knuckles. It should be cheesy, but his dark eyes invite me to indulge him.
“It’s nice to meet you.” I find myself smiling as heat stirs to life low in my stomach. It’s been so long since I’ve even wanted to indulge… No, that’s a lie. But it’s been a very long time since I’ve encountered someone who was safe to indulge with. Someone I could spend a fun night with and not worry about shattering a relationship I value in the process.