Cruel Seduction (Dark Olympus, #5) (89)

No matter how much I desperately want him to.





34


HEPHAESTUS





It’s the strangest thing to walk into Aphrodite’s penthouse and find her, Pandora, and Adonis waiting for me. They’ve all gathered in the kitchen similar to how we were this morning, but there’s less tension in the air. As I watch, Pandora slips past Aphrodite and trails her fingers over my wife’s back. Adonis stands a little apart, but his shoulders are relaxed and he’s working a cork out of a bottle of wine.

Aphrodite sees me first. I watch in confusion as she walks directly to me and presses her hands to my chest. “Glad you could make it.” She even sounds like she means it.

“Glad to be here.” I sound like I mean it, too.

Damn it, I do mean it. I don’t know how the home of the woman I was forced to marry, that I hated above all others, managed to become a haven, but it feels that way. It’s not just because Pandora is here. Or Adonis. It’s the strange combination of them…plus Aphrodite.

Eris.

She still hasn’t moved away, and I can’t quite lift my hands to return the almost tentative touch. But I can’t leave it unanswered, either. “How did the rest of your day go?”

Her smile is small, but it reaches her eyes. “I only jumped at loud noises a few dozen times, but better than yesterday.” She pauses. “Yours?”

Part of me wants to shut this down, to stop even the tiniest hint of camaraderie. I might not like what I’ve learned of Minos’s plans, but I can’t just shuck them off. The thought of doing so makes my skin crawl…

Or maybe that’s the thought of letting him hurt the woman standing in front of me, her expression open for the first time since she walked down the aisle to me.

I swallow hard. “It was a shit show. Probably for the same reason yours was.”

Her smile fades. “It’s not ideal that we’re on opposite sides of this now, no matter how we started.”

How could it be any other way? I don’t have an answer by the time she steps back and leads the way into the kitchen. I don’t know what to expect, but Pandora presses a quick kiss to my cheek and then Adonis hooks the back of my neck and kisses me hard enough to make my skin go hot. He releases me before I can decide to do anything more about it, though.

My head is spinning. It feels like I ended up in the wrong apartment, with a life that looks familiar but isn’t the same. Isn’t real.

If Minos succeeds in his plans, they’ll all hate me. Even Pandora. Maybe especially Pandora. She would never admit to wanting a family, not when she’s been suspicious of Minos from the start, but there’s no denying how relaxed she looks as she jokes lightly with Adonis and gets him flustered. Something has unwound in my wife as well, though not as thoroughly as with the other two. Even though her shoulders aren’t tight, she watches them with the same worry that’s worming around in my chest. As if drawn by my attention, she shifts her gaze to mine in a moment of perfect understanding.

We’re going to break this.

We don’t want to. We will try very hard not to bring harm to this group. But we’re both loyal to greater forces. I might be willing to consider peace, at least with Aphrodite, but Minos will never be satisfied with that route. And Zeus won’t rest until he’s driven us from the city. I’d bet good money on it.

I’m not sure what I’d say if I had the chance. I never get it. Adonis opens the first takeout container and freezes. No one notices it but me, but they sure as fuck notice when he slaps Pandora’s hand away from another container.

“Hey!” She rubs the back of her hand. “What the fuck?”

“Eris.” He glances at her. “Sniff this.”

Aphrodite hurries over and follows his direction, leaning down and inhaling deeply. She curses. “They weren’t even trying to be subtle. The leaves are all over the salad.”

I find myself closing the distance and looking over her shoulder. “Poison?”

“Yes, though whoever did this didn’t choose well. It would take eating this entire salad and then some to get a fatal dose, but I’m not in the mood to be in digestive distress for the next few days.” She carefully refolds the top of the box and slides it back into the bag.

“Where did you order from? Who does the delivery?”

She studies me for a long moment. “What does it matter?”

Adonis clears his throat. “I’m taking this out.”

Pandora looks between me and Aphrodite. “I’ll…go with you,” she says slowly. “For protection.”

“Protection.” He gives a choked laugh. “Right. Good idea.”

I barely wait for them to leave the room to start in on my wife. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean? ‘What does it matter?’ It matters because someone tried to poison us.”

“No, they tried to poison me. I ordered this before you arrived. There’s no conceivable way they would know you’re here.” She tucks her hair behind her ears. For once, there’s no venom in her tone. “That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? Anarchy in Olympus. Our experienced leaders replaced with murderous civilians who are unprepared for what it takes to rule. Your people are aware that the barrier is fading, and while there’s currently no standing army waiting to conquer us when it finally does, I think we both know an army isn’t necessary to take a city. Not anymore.”