Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
“I’ll never be too important for you, Dolores.” He takes her hand, bowing over it as if he’s some kind of royalty, pressing a perfectly polite kiss to her knuckles. “You’re looking as beautiful as ever. Is your husband treating you right? If not, I may have to marry you and take you away from all this drudgery. You’ll cook only for me, and I’ll treat you like a queen.”
Her laughter fills the room. “You’re a lovely boy, but you don’t hold a candle to my Rufus. Besides, I hear you already have a wife, or near enough.” She turns that happy smile on me, and I can’t help grinning right back. There’s something about her that’s so warm and welcoming that I want to just stand here and soak up her presence. “Come, come, let’s get a look at you.”
I should probably feel like a horse at auction as she circles me, clucking her tongue and muttering under her breath. But her examination is so obviously done out of love for Dionysus that I can’t quite hold it against her. Especially when she stops in front of me and smiles even wider. “Aren’t you the loveliest little thing. Treat my boy right. He’s a terrible flirt, but there’s no harm in it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
She turns back to Dionysus. “Sit, sit. Food will be ready shortly.”
It takes another fifteen minutes to get settled and served, and then I’m left staring at a table piled high with more food than two people could ever possibly eat in a single meal. And that’s not even getting into the flight of mimosas for each of us. I glance at Dionysus, only to find him blushing.
“Dolores means well, but she’s certain I’m starving myself whenever I’m not here. Don’t worry about the food going to waste. She’s got seven children and more grandchildren than I can count. On any given day, there’s at least half a dozen teenagers passing through here, looking for food. They’ll make short work of any leftovers.”
I almost comment on the fact that he knows this family so well, which is similar to how Hades runs his territory in the lower city. It’s not how the rest of the Thirteen have historically operated. I guess that’s changing now. By all accounts, Ares runs a tight but respectful unit. The current Poseidon keeps his head down and seems beloved by the people under his command. People fear Demeter, but she takes care of her own. The list goes on.
I take a long sip of the first mimosa. Pomegranate, I think. “I still don’t fully understand why you said yes to this marriage, but I’m beginning to realize I’ve gotten incredibly lucky.”
“I wouldn’t go counting your luck just yet.” He picks up one of his drinks but sets it down without taking a sip. “I don’t know how to tell you this, love, but you have a stalker.”
Of all the things I expected him to say, that wasn’t on the list. “Excuse me?”
“The Minotaur. He’s got quite the fascination with you, bordering on obsession. He spent all of yesterday following me around, so I thought it important that he and I have a chat.”
None of those words makes sense in the order that he put them in. “He doesn’t chat.” At least not with anyone who isn’t me.
“Yes, well, I may or may not have dosed him with a little something to loosen his tongue.”
I blink. “You drugged him?”
“Only a smidge.” He holds up his thumb and forefinger with the barest width between them. “It wore off within an hour, with no long-term side effects. I can’t speak for his blood pressure, though. He wasn’t very happy with me when he realized what I’d done.”
I can only imagine. Asterion doesn’t like to be out of control. He drinks, but never to excess. I don’t think he’s ever done drugs in his life, or at least not in the time I’ve known him. “I’m surprised he didn’t kill you.”
“He thought about it.” Dionysus sounds entirely too gleeful. “Despite all appearances to the contrary, I’m not a fool, so I didn’t give him a chance to act on his more violent impulses. But we’re getting away from the point. While he’s still appearing to dance to your father’s tune, he has an unhealthy obsession with you.”
There’s a part of me that knew that to be true. Don’t I feel exactly the same way? From the moment I saw him, I felt an instant and unexplainable connection. I still don’t know how to define it. It’s as if there’s a vibrating cord that connects my heart to his, and every time I see him, it thrums in my chest. I knew he wanted me. But he owes everything to my father. More importantly, I betrayed Asterion. If there was ever a chance of him choosing me over my father, I killed it with my own choices.