But of course, that just sends me and Rebecca into another peal of giggles.
“Who the fuck even are you?” I ask, breathless. When her eyes harden, betraying the true extent of her animosity, I work to calm myself down. “Because you’re fucking crazy if you expect me to believe that my guys would ever touch you. Okay, maybe Avery would, but only to put his hands around your throat and suffocate you until you’re no longer breathing.” I shrug nonchalantly, adopting a bored expression as if I’m simply engaging in girl talk instead of being tied up as a hostage. “So fuck off.”
Athena appears at that moment, wheeling an office chair full of supplies. I spot tweezers, a handgun, a blowtorch, a hammer, and a screwdriver.
I’m just going to put this out there, but I do not think I like what she has planned.
“I see you met my friend Mandy.” She nods towards the unfamiliar goddess, flashing blinding white teeth.
“Who the fuck is she?” Rebecca and I ask in unison, and I swear Mandy—whoever the fuck she is—growls.
“I’m the Goddess of Manipulation, you fucking whores!” she squeals, stomping her foot. Literally stomping her foot, as if she’s a three-year-old instead of a centuries-old goddess.
“Goddess of Manipulation…” I scour my memories but come up blank. I’m pretty sure I heard of a Goddess of Manipulation before, but she’s never explicitly been on my radar.
Well, isn’t this a metaphorical kick to the balls. One of the people behind this entire fucking mess is a complete and utter stranger.
“You pretended to be me and kissed Desmond,” Rebecca reasons, and Mandy smiles like the cat who ate the canary. But what she doesn’t realize is that I’m a fucking lion, and I’m going to eat her for my next meal.
No one touches my men and lives to talk about it.
“That’s right.” She glances down at her nails almost absently.
“Please don’t tell me that you did all of this because of a man,” I hiss, spewing daggers at first Mandy and then Athena. “Or men.” I’m not oblivious to Athena’s crush on Tate, but I do know that he despises her almost as much as I do.
“Oh, sweetheart,” Mandy cajoles, brushing at my hair. I attempt to twist my head away from her, but she merely grips my chin and holds me still. “It’s much more complicated than that.”
“Then enlighten me.” My words are garbled from how tightly she’s holding me, but the pain only fuels my power. I need more.
“All in good time,” Athena cheers, clapping her hands together. “But first…” She wheels the office chair closer to where I’m sitting and gestures towards the items with a dramatic flourish. “Let’s see how much pain the Goddess of Pain can withstand, shall we?”
Another smile graces her angelic features, and this time, I can’t stop myself from nose diving straight into another memory.
And I know that this one will change everything.
I PLACE my hand over my mouth to muffle my laughter as I race through the palace halls. On both sides of me, shiny suits of armor stand tall and proud, the hilts of their swords clutched in two hands over their hearts.
Fuck, Tate’s face…
I break into another string of giggles as I picture my lover’s wide eyes and snarling lips. It’s not technically my fault that he fell asleep naked in my bed. It is my fault that I gave his pubes a little…trim.
I can hear his voice behind me, screaming my name in a tone that exhibits both amusement and fury. Because let’s be honest, no matter what I do, Tate will never remain mad at me.
Glancing over my shoulder at the empty hall, I turn at the upcoming fork, taking a right towards the kitchens. And then, my feet stutter to a stop as my eyes focus on the scene before.
It’s Desmond…and Rebecca.
My confusion turns into dawning horror when I see my best friend stand up on her tiptoes and press her lips to Desmond’s. Shock splays across his face as his eyes bug out of his head.
What?
I volley my gaze between the two of them as tears prick my eyes. Pain like no other ruptures in my chest as I watch Desmond tentatively push her away, almost as if he’s afraid to hurt her. Confusion swims in his dark eyes as he says something to her, too softly for me to hear, and her lower lip protrudes into a pout.
Tears well in her stunning emerald gaze. Something about that doesn’t sit right with me, but the pain is too overwhelming, too intense, for me to focus on.
How could she do this to me?
And how could Desmond let it happen?
Logically, I know that he’s done nothing wrong. He didn’t kiss her back, and he pushed her away as soon as he overcame his shock. But try telling that to my juddering heart—every beat pounds with betrayal. Betrayal and a pain so intense that my power sparks to life on the tips of my fingers.
Before they can see me, I turn on my heel and race in the opposite direction. I need to find Tate or any of my other lovers. I need them to hold me and assure me that they still love me.
The farther away I walk, the clearer my head becomes. I almost feel…ridiculous. I won’t lie and say I didn’t feel jealousy when I saw Rebecca’s lips plastered to Desmond’s, but I know that her feelings aren’t reciprocated. Still, how could my best friend do this to me? She knows how much I love him, love all of them, and it feels as if she shoved her dainty hand in my chest and fucked up all my internal organs.
There has to be a logical explanation.
I repeat that in my head as I turn towards our shared bedroom, at the far end of the hall. When I left—well,
