Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 147649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
I didn’t even see him move.
He stares down at Nysta and growls at her, “I said you could stay if you behaved.”
And this is the moment when I feel fear.
I mean, I’ve always been kind of afraid of him, but what he’s shown me of himself up to this point was the cozy version of Eros. Maybe a little more intense than Russ Roth, but definitely falling short of actual evil.
What I’m witnessing right now—the fierce look on his face, the intent and anger in his eyes, the cut muscles of his body, and the wings, and the leather, and the magic…
Oh, fuck. I can almost taste his magic. It’s so strong.
He is capable of things.
Pell pulls me closer, holding my hand tighter as Eros directs his attention to me. He pauses here, his eyes so focused on me, his leathery black wings rising up a little behind his back, his posture so… on the verge of something. Like he’s got something to say, but then decides not to say it.
Instead, he lets out a breath and looks at Pell. “You had better explain.”
“Tarq is dead.” Pell doesn’t miss a beat. “I went to Vinca, I was fully intent on betraying my friend to deliver him to you, and I found this.” He holds up the skull by the horn, thrusting it in the direction of Eros. “The whole city is in ruins.”
“Impossible. It’s Vinca. It’s been standing for the last twenty-five thousand years.”
“Well, it’s gone. Maybe there was a war—”
“There was no war!” Eros bellows this, shaking the room again.
But then Pell bellows back, “Do not use that voice on me!” And he shakes the room so hard, chandeliers fall and holes appear in the floor. People scatter and within the span of a minute, there’s no one here with us. Even Nysta has the good sense to get the hell out.
During all this Pell and Eros are staring each other down. Silent.
Eros breaks the standoff first. “As I was saying, there was no war, monster. You did that by making him king.” Then he turns, huffing out a breath, and walks back over to his throne to take a seat.
Surprisingly, Jacqueline is still sitting on the floor at the foot of his throne.
“Jacqueline,” I whisper-yell, like no one but her can hear me, which is dumb. “Come over here, Jacqueline.”
“No,” Eros says. There’s no rumble in this command, but Jacqueline does not move.
I don’t really blame her. Even though I’m a freaking wood nymph chimera with horns and hooves and I’m standing next to a shaggy, but very imposing, satyr, she hasn’t even asked about why I look this way or what happened to Pell’s legs.
She hasn’t asked any of this because she hasn’t noticed. And she hasn’t noticed because she’s under his spell. And whatever power, or magic, or attraction Russ Roth had, this is a million times worse.
There isn’t a chance in hell that Jacqueline is going to get up off that floor. She’s going to stare up at this demon with that adoring look on her face for the rest of time. Or until Eros lets her go.
“You can have this.” Pell tosses the skull and it goes skittering across the smooth tile floor, coming to a rest in the middle of the room.
Eros looks at the skull with disgust, then directs his gaze to Pell.
But before he can speak, Pell says, “We have come to make you an offer.”
“That is your offer?” Eros’ eyes light up violet for a moment, directed at me. But it’s such a quick thing, and disappears so fast, I almost think I made it up. “Some remnant of the monster Tarq? I needed him alive, you fool. I needed his genetics. I have no use for his bone or horn. I need access to the gods. I want revenge, Pell. They took from me and now it is their turn. If you’ve come with an offer that falls short of that, forget it. I will just have to take my Pie.”
How did we ever think we were going to convince this god of anything? Salvation? What a joke.
And Pell must be thinking the same thing because he pauses. In fact, the pause is long enough that Eros leans forward, opening his mouth like he’s going to say more.
But then Pell blurts out, “We came to offer you a door.”
Eros and I both say at the same time, “What?” But I say it in my head and Eros roars it out with a rumble. “A door, you say?”
“That’s right.” Pell doesn’t look at me or even squeeze my hand to let me know he’s got this. He just stares intently at Eros. “We’ve mastered the power of doors.”
Eros looks at me and, yep, his eyes light up violet. “You’ve learned how to use the rings?”