A reminder I can’t afford to ignore. I take a slow breath. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Do that.” His eyes go hard. “If you bring danger to my sister’s doorstep again, I’ll kill you myself, law or no law.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, too.” There’s nothing else to say. “See you around, Zeus.” I turn and leave the office.
Psyche falls into step next to me as we head for the elevator. Neither of us speaks until we’re in my car and driving out of the parking garage. She exhales slowly. “That could have gone worse.”
“Did you know about the marriage negotiations?” I don’t mean to ask the question. I sure as fuck don’t mean to let something resembling jealousy bleed into my tone.
“Not exactly. I knew my mother had her eye on a political marriage between us, but I was honestly bluffing before. I had no idea Zeus was even entertaining the idea.” She leans back in the seat and twists to face me. “If I had realized my mother’s ambitions were welcomed by Zeus, I would have married him instead of you and solved all my problems at once.”
“And become Hera in the process.”
“And saved my sisters from becoming Hera in the process,” she corrects gently. “You know how the game is played, Eros. You play the game. You don’t get to be angry about it after the fact.”
She’s right. I know she’s right. It doesn’t stop me from wanting to pull this car over, shove my hand up her skirt, and make her come until she forgets there was even a possibility of a marriage to Zeus. It’s not rational, and it’s damn near unforgivable with our current situation. I need to be focused on the future, on dealing with my mother’s next attack, rather than what might have happened if Aphrodite’s jealousy and rage hadn’t gotten the best of her. I do not need to be picturing a wedding between my wife and Zeus. I sure as fuck don’t need to be thinking about the wedding night, either. He’ll be intent on securing his heir and a few spares. Zeus is one of three titles—Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades—who are passed from parent to eldest child.
The thought of Psyche’s belly gone round with pregnancy…
No, I can’t afford to think about any of that shit right now.
I make an effort to lighten my grip on the steering wheel. She’s mine, at least for the time being. I have to keep my promise to ensure she’s safe, which means focusing on the next few steps instead of what could have happened. “Where are we headed?”
“We have an interview.” She glances at her phone. “And then we’re going to speak with my mother.”
Demeter.
Another powerful, dangerous woman who’s only too happy to use her children as pawns in the Olympian power games. Yes, I have some things to say to Demeter. “Okay.”
“Eros.” Psyche reaches out almost hesitantly and touches my arm. “I need your head in the game. Are you with me?”
“Yes.” It’s even true. I’ve been compartmentalizing since I was a child. It’s nothing new. My end goal hasn’t changed, though now it’s expanded to ensure that Zeus never touches Psyche. I can’t tell her that, though. She’ll say that I’m being irrational, that it’s a moot point because our marriage has ensured he never will.
I don’t care. I have no right to this jealousy, especially when Psyche is mine in every way that counts, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to brand my presence on her very skin. The more time I spend with her, the harder it is to control my baser urges. I feel like I have a monster inside me, rattling the cage of my control. Eventually it will break out, and then there will be a price to pay.
“Eros.” She’s quiet for several blocks before she takes what sounds like a fortifying breath. “It doesn’t matter what I would have done if my mother reached her goals. It didn’t happen. I married you, not Zeus. I am your wife, not his. I’m committed to seeing this through, so please stop thinking whatever is going through your head right now. We need Zeus’s support, and these circumstances have already ensured that it’s going to be nearly impossible to pull that off.”
I’m committed to seeing this through.
I know she’s talking about what is essentially our con. Marriage for as long as it takes to keep her and her family safe from my mother. She’s not talking about forever.
But just for a moment, I really wish she were.
I’m not a dreamer by nature. I like facts and reality rather than the fantastic version of what could be. The fact is that Psyche only said yes at that altar because I forced her to. She didn’t choose me; she never would have chosen me if given her freedom.