What the fuck had Jessell said to him? And why had she disappeared off the face of the planet so I couldn’t torture her to find out? #IWillCutABitch #IKnowKarate #OrYogaAtLeast
I’d been so wrapped up in my thoughts I didn’t even realize I’d reached my apartment door until I was standing on the mat. After letting myself inside, I crashed onto my bed and decided it was a very real possibility that I had some mild depression.
“You’d like that, Sickness, wouldn’t you? You fucker,” I told the Sin trapped in my necklace.
I almost felt his response; a bout of nausea rolled into me, reminding me that I was the box that contained three of the world’s deadliest sins. Before I knew it, I’d passed out and Shauna was banging on my door. My eyes snapped open.
It was 8:00 P.M. on the dot.
“Go away. I’m sick!” I screamed.
A key jiggled in the lock and she let herself in. Dammit, I never should have given her my spare. “Get up, bitch. You’ve got fifty-seven thousand followers and you need to take pictures tonight of you having fun or they will unfollow.”
#Truth
I bolted upright at the mention of losing even one follower. My heart couldn’t handle another loss, and every unfollow felt like another stab in my chest.
“Shower! I’ll pick out your outfit,” she barked.
I did as she asked, and thirty minutes later I stared at myself in the mirror.
Hair was bangin'.
Body squeezed into a tight black dress.
But that necklace, it was my constant reminder of what I was … what I’d lost.
Fuck. I needed alcohol, stat.
After walking six blocks in heels, we arrived at the beach and our shoes got tossed onto the sand. Only at a beach party in Santa Barbara would you wear a short black clubbin' dress with a hoodie.
#CaliLife #Holla
“Maisey in the house!” Matt shouted, holding up the spout of a keg.
I grinned. Matt was always down to get you drunk when you wanted to escape life. I shrugged out of my hoodie and handed Shauna my phone. “Get this pic.”
Shauna had become my unofficial assistant; she knew what angles looked good and what filters to use.
“Matt, keg stand me!” I bounced over to him and he grinned.
I popped up into a headstand and Matt’s strong hand landed on my exposed thighs to steady me. Then he brought the nozzle down to my lips and opened the tap. Cold beer rushed in my mouth and I chugged it down, grimacing at the onslaught of fizzy bubbles. I wasn’t a huge fan of beer, but it would make an excellent shot for my Insta wall. #MightAsWellPlayUpThePartyGirlAngle #ApparentlyAllIWasGoodFor
“Got it!” Shauna confirmed and I closed the nozzle and jumped down.
“Thanks, Matt.”
“Any time.” He winked, looking my body up and down.
#NeverGonnaHappenBud #OnceYouGoTitanYouNeverGoBack
I added twenty hashtags to my shot and uploaded it.
“I feel like you need a little designer dog or something. That would up your daily content,” Shauna said.
A pang sliced through my chest at the mention of a dog.
Hound.
That hellhound had grown on me, and he was out with Cronus and Hyperion saving the world while I was doing keg stands like an idiot. I’d opened my mouth to respond, when a figure flickered into existence right behind Matt.
I nearly choked on my own spit at the sight of Rhea popping onto the beach out of nowhere.
Luckily, no one else seemed to notice, most of them too drunk. Rhea glanced around, regal and gorgeous, wearing a long crimson gown with braided straps, her hair perfectly curled over one shoulder. She looked completely out of place at a beach party.
#Bitch
“Be right back. I see an old friend,” I muttered, and beelined in her direction.
Rhea was observing the party like someone would a group of insects. When she saw me, she rolled her eyes. “There you are!” she hissed.
When I got closer, I reached out and pulled her gently by the arm. She didn’t fight me. “Rhea, what the fuck are you doing here? You can’t just pop in like that!”
She crossed her arms, dislodging my hand as she leveled a gaze on me that said she would do whatever the hell she wanted. And, to be honest, I was secretly excited to see this bitch; it was the first I’d seen any of the Titans in weeks. #IWasLongPastPathetic #OwningIt
“Cronus sent me. Apparently I’m expendable.”
At the mention of Cronus, my throat went dry. “He … he did?”
My heart was hammering so loud in my chest, I was sure she heard it.
She rolled her eyes again. “He saw your Instabook post and wanted me to make sure this guy”—she gestured to Matt—“wasn’t trying to harm you by holding you up in the air like that.”
My smile was sad, but there was a flicker of amusement inside of me. Cronus had a fucking Instagram account? He followed me? The world must be really ending, because that shit was impossible.
And was it jealousy or concern pushing his actions? Either way, it spoke of more than a guy that could just bail on me with no explanation. Fucking Jessell. I still wanted to kill that bitch.
“Matt’s harmless,” I casually told Rhea. “Is that all you’re here for?”
#TakeMeToCronus #ThenConvenientlyDieAndLeaveUsBe
She groaned. “Zeus has become a real thorn in our side. I’ve been ordered to stay the night with you and babysit.”
Anger crawled up my spine, chasing away my beer buzz. “Cronus sent you to protect me?”
Why not him? Why not Hyperion? Hell, anyone but his fucking ex-wife.
She seemed to understand my pissed-off tone. “They’re busy with Jealousy. They’ve been tracking him for weeks and finally got a solid lead.”
I stepped forward. “Bring me along and I’ll help you catch him.”
She looked down her nose at me. “I am forbidden from doing that, I’m sorry. Not that you would be of much use.”
She didn’t sound sorry. Ugh! Before I could retort, she stepped forward and dragged her fingers seductively along Matt’s back, causing
