“Shut up, Mandy,” Athena interrupts, casting her ‘friend’ a side-eyed glare.
Mandy forges on, oblivious to the ire spewing from the Goddess of Virtue’s eyes. “All I had to do was make you feel the worst kind of emotional pain so we could subdue you. But when my first attempt didn’t work, I created an illusion.” She sighs wistfully, sliding her hand along the bed almost as if she wishes it to be real.
“And what the fuck are you going to do?” I demand, not at all concerned. By now, my guys will be looking for me. I’d say that Athena and Mandy have only a few more minutes…give or take.
“We’re going to take away your ability to feel pain,” Athena says bluntly, and my insides turn cold.
“What?” I ask as the first drizzle of unease slides down the nape of my neck like an icy rain. I switch my gaze from a grinning Mandy to a smug Athena. “Are you joking?”
Without my ability to feel pain…
I’ll be virtually powerless. I need pain. To heal. To fight. Without it, I’ll be…nothing.
“I had my friend—the God of Minerals—find this special rock for me,” Athena drawls, flashing me a saccharine sweet smile. “It’s actually supposed to help most gods and goddesses. It’s designed to take away your ability to feel pain. Permanently.”
The gemstone suddenly feels like ice against my forehead, and I know I’m panting. My eyes flicker wildly from woman to woman, hoping one of them will see reason.
“If you do this, my men won’t hesitate to kill you,” I attempt to reason, but Athena merely laughs.
“But by then, I’ll be more powerful than your teeny, tiny brain can even begin to comprehend.” Her fingers on her free hand scrub at the indent between my eyebrows, almost as if she’s attempting to rub the crease away. “Because this stone will store all of your pain.” Her smile radiates pure evil. “All of your power. And the moment I consume it, I’ll be unstoppable.”
“You mean we’ll be unstoppable,” Mandy pipes in, face creasing with irritation.
“Don’t be stupid.” I swivel my head slightly to address the Goddess of Manipulation. “You know that Athena won’t share any of my power with you. That is, if it even works the way she thinks it’s going to. And that’s also assuming you’ll be able to get out of here in one piece.”
“Oh, that?” Mandy snorts. “No problem.” Her body shimmers, sparkling white mist encircling her, and where she once stood, now stands…me. I watch my lips peel back into a tight-lipped smile, and when she speaks, it’s my voice I hear. “I don’t think anyone is going to stop me from leaving, do you?”
Athena begins to mutter beneath her breath, the unfamiliar words rolling from her tongue like poison. I can’t tell what language it is, but whatever she says causes the gemstone to glow blindingly. Where it once felt like an icicle against my skin now feels like a sauna. I’m fucking burning alive.
I try to call on the pain that I’m feeling, try to smite the bitch to kingdom come, but my power won’t react when I call it, almost as if it’s locked away and I no longer have the key needed to access it. Panic unfurls in my gut at the realization that Athena is ripping my powers from me.
“Em!” a familiar voice screams from down the hall. “Where the fuck are you?”
Tate.
I practically sob in relief.
“Pooky!” Sin’s voice joins his. “Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
“Pooky, really?” Avery asks dryly.
“It’s cute,” Sin defends.
Mandy, still wearing my face, begins to smirk, pushing up her—my—breasts.
“I guess this is where I come in,” she purrs as I thrash in the chair, attempting to escape the restrictive bindings. “But don’t worry. I won’t fuck them too hard.”
Before I can scream at her, beg her to change her mind, she skips out of the room. I hear my voice farther down the hall exclaim, “Guys! I’m here!” before their voices fade away.
No. No. No. No.
This can’t be happening.
I remember what Athena said before, about how the gemstone pulls away my pain.
But what if I have no pain? What if I empty myself, so I feel nothing at all?
I have no idea if it’ll fucking work, but at this point, I’m desperate. Already, I can feel myself draining piece by piece, as if Athena is taking more than just my power, but my entire soul. But maybe my power is tied to my soul. Maybe they’re so delicately intertwined that one can’t exist without the other.
With skilled practice, I steady my thumping heart and close my eyes. I don’t think about the pain ricocheting through my head. The betrayal from Rebecca’s kiss with Desmond…or Mandy’s kiss with Desmond, now that I know the truth. I eradicate the image of Mandy fucking all of my men from my mind.
And then, I settle into a semblance of peace. It’s grave and tenuous at best, almost wobbly in foundation, but it’s better than the turbulent emotions that were once cascading through my veins.
The door to the room is kicked open, and Athena drops the stone with a startled yelp. Her body is tossed across the room with a sickening thud.
Sin hovers over me, body shaking with an almost elemental fury as flames dance in his palms.
Desmond stands in the entryway, holding a squirming Mandy. Avery, Helio, and Tate rush into the room as well, Rebecca on their heels.
“Are you okay?” Tate demands instantly, moving to stand behind me and untying my arms. Helio drops to his knees in front of me to remove the rope from my ankles as well.
“I’m fine,” I reply shakily. My body feels unnaturally tired, as if I ran twenty miles without stopping, and my throat is dry.
“Mandy!” Athena screeches as Sin advances on her like an avenging, beautiful angel. “Do something!”
Mandy panics, eyes flashing from face to face, and Desmond growls at her
