The Darkest Kiss

'Well, no.' Much as it would have saved her pride, she suddenly realized she didn't want him thinking she gave her kisses away so easily. 'Not yet.'

His brow furrowed. 'But you just said—'

'I know what I said.'

'Why have you come, then? Why stalk my every waking moment?'

She pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth, her frustration renewed. There was no time to reply, however, as Reyes, Paris and Gideon closed in on her. All three were scowling. Did they think to grab her and keep her still?

Rather than answer Lucien, she snapped at the men, 'What? I don't recall inviting you into the conversation.'

'You are Anya?' Reyes eyed her up and down, his revulsion clear.

Revulsion? He should be grateful! Hadn't she liberated him from the curse that had forced him to stab his BFF every night? Yes, damn it. She had. But his look was one she knew well, and one that never failed to raise her hackles. Because of her mother's amorous past and the widespread expectation that she, with her free-spirited ways, would follow suit, every Greek god in Olympus had projected that same sort of revulsion at her at one time or another.

At first, Anya had been hurt by their smug disdain. And for several hundred years, she'd tried the good-girl thing: dressing like a freaking nun, speaking only when spoken to, keeping her gaze downcast. Somehow she'd even squelched her desperate need for disaster. All to earn the respect of beings who would never see her as anything more than a whore.

One fateful day, when she'd come home from stupid goddess training, crying because she'd smiled at Ares and that bitch Artemis had called her ta ma de, Dysnomia had pulled her aside. Whatever you do, however you act, they are going to judge you harshly, the goddess had said. But we all must be true to our own nature. Acting as anyone other than yourself merely brings you pain and makes you appear ashamed of who and what you are. Others will feed off that shame, and soon it will be all that you are. You are a wonderful being, Anya. Be proud of who you are. I am.

From then on, Anya had dressed as sexily as she pleased, talked whenever and however she wanted and refused to look at her feet for any reason other than admiring her strappy stilettos. No longer had she denied her need for disorder. An offhand way of saying 'fuck you' to the ones who rejected her, yes, but more importantly, she liked who she was.

She would never be ashamed again.

'It is…interesting to see you in the flesh after all the research I've done on you lately. You are the daughter of Dysnomia,' Reyes continued. 'You are the minor goddess of Anarchy.'

'There's nothing minor about me.' Minor meant unimportant, and she was just as important as the other, 'higher' beings, damn it. But because no one knew who her father was—well, she did, now—she had been relegated as such. 'But yeah. I am a goddess.' She raised her chin, showing him no emotion.

'The night you made yourself known to us and saved Ashlyn's life, you told us that you were not,' Lucien said. 'You told us you were merely an immortal.'

She shrugged. She hated gods so much she rarely used that title. 'I lied. I often do. It's part of my charm, don't you think?'

No one replied. Figured.

'We were once warriors for the gods and lived in the heavens, as I'm sure you know,' Reyes said as if she hadn't spoken. 'I do not remember you.'

'Maybe I wasn't born yet, smartie.'

Irritation flickered in his dark eyes, but he continued calmly. 'As I told you, since your appearance weeks ago I have been researching you, learning everything I can. Long ago, you were imprisoned for murdering an innocent man. Then, a hundred years or so after your confinement, the gods finally agreed on the proper punishment for you. Before they could carry out the verdict, however, you did something no other immortal had ever managed to do. You escaped.'

She didn't try to deny it. 'Your research is correct.' For the most part.

'Legend claims you infected the keeper of Tartarus with some kind of disease, for immediately after your escape he weakened and lost his memory. Guards were placed in every corner to fortify security, as the gods feared the strength of the prison depended on the strength of its keeper. Over time the walls did begin to crumble and crack, which eventually led to the escape of the Titans.'

Gonna blame that on her, was he? Her eyes narrowed. 'The thing about legends,' she said flatly, 'is that the truth is often distorted to explain the things that mortals cannot understand. Funny that you, the subject of so many legends, don't know that.'

'You hid here, among humans,' Reyes said, ignoring her. Again. 'But you weren't content to live in peace even then. You started wars, stole weapons and even ships. You caused major fires and others disasters, which in turn led to mass panic and rioting among the humans, and hundreds of people being imprisoned.'

Warmth suffused her face. Yes, she'd done those things. When she'd first come to earth, she hadn't known how to control her rebellious nature. Gods had been able to protect themselves from it, humans hadn't. Besides that, she'd been almost…feral from her years in prison. A simple comment from her—you aren't going to let your brother talk to you like that, are you?—and bloody feuds erupted between clans. An appearance at court—perhaps laughing at the rulers and their policies—and loyal knights attempted to assassinate their king.

As for the fires, well, something inside her had compelled her to 'accidentally' drop torches and watch the flames dance. And the stealing…she'd been unable to fight the voice in her head that whispered, Take it. No one will know.

Eventually she'd learned that if she fed her need for disorder with little things—petty theft, white lies and the occasional street fight—huge disasters could be averted.

'I did my homework on you, too,' she said softly. 'Did you not once destroy cities and kill innocents?'

Now Reyes blushed.

'You are not the same man you used to be, just as I am not—' Before she'd completed the sentence, a sudden wind blustered around them, whistling and harsh. Anya blinked against it, confused for only a moment. 'Damn it!' she spat, knowing what would come next.

Sure enough, the warriors froze in place as time ceased to exist for them, a power greater than themselves taking hold of the world around them. Even Lucien, who'd been carefully watching her exchange with Reyes, turned to living stone.

Hell, she did, too.

Oh, no, no, no, she thought, and with the words, the invisible prison bars fell away from her like leaves from a winter tree. Nothing and no one could hold her prisoner. Not anymore. Her father had made sure of that.

Anya walked to Lucien to try to free him—why, she didn't know, after the things he'd said of her—but the wind ceased as suddenly as it had appeared. Her mouth dried, and her heart began an unsteady tango in her chest. Cronus, who had taken over the heavenly throne mere months ago, bringing new rules, new desires and new punishments, was about to arrive.

He'd found her.

Freaking great. As a bright blue light appeared in front of her, chasing away the darkness and humming with unimaginable power, she flashed away. With a sense of regret she had no business feeling, she left Lucien behind —taking the taste and memory of their kiss with her.

CHAPTER TWO

A BLACK FOG HAD DESCENDED over Lucien, locking his mind on a single thought: Anya.