Sage peeked around his shoulder at Ariston who was shooing everyone else back into the Staff area before following suit, leaving them alone in the lobby. "When I realized it was your brother, I panicked. I didn't know if you'd think I was like Aphrodite, because I am not."
"I don't think that," he said softly.
"Are you sure? Because I'd understand if there was some repressed fear that all women would treat you like she did."
Adonis sighed heavily and dragged her over to a sofa. He sat and patted the seat next to him. When she plopped down beside him, he said, "Yes, I'm sure. Aphrodite and you are nothing alike. When she took you last night, and you came back pissed about it, I knew then you were a different kind of woman. A kind-hearted woman. A loyal one."
"Truly?" Her confidence was improving finally. For some reason, slut-shaming never got under her skin too much, but being considered a two-timing homewrecker—wait, wasn't Ariston married? Oh God! Now she felt bad again—wasn't something she aspired to.
Adonis leaned in and brushed his lips lightly over hers. He pulled back enough to whisper, "Truly," before claiming her lips in a real kiss, unlike the cold reaction she'd gotten from Ariston.
The kiss deepened, and as her hormones flared, she pulled out of his grasp. Seeing him without the horns was different, but it didn't make him more or less attractive. She didn't understand how Aphrodite could be so shallow. Okay, sure…he didn't have hooves at the moment, but he was all man in the places that counted with or without those. "I'm keeping you from looking for Theron. You should go."
"I'd rather stay with you," he confessed. "But yeah, I should."
"Be careful." She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "I am starting to like you, old man." She winked.
Adonis laughed as he stood up and stretched. "As long as you're here waiting on me when I return, little girl, I'll do my best to remain in one piece."
As he marched ahead of her to the back room, Sage swallowed down her dread at his going out there. Something very bad was going to happen. She could feel it.
Somewhere above him, a door closed, and the footsteps of multiple people echoed down the stairs to the sidewalk in front of the building. Jacen fumed at the window, blinds drawn. Encased in bars on the outside to prevent break-ins, that window added to the illusion of being held prisoner in his own room. He should be out there too, searching for Theron. His punk ass had jumped him in an alley like a common street criminal, Maron and Elek doing anything their leader asked of them. Made him sick. How Dionysus kept them reined in, he'd never know. They'd never been particularly controlled, but without the wine god around, they'd only become worse dangers to society.
His bedroom door opened and London stepped in. The expression on her face betrayed that something had occurred upstairs. Worried, he tried to sit up straighter and winced at the movement as his mending ribs protested the effort. "What happened?" he asked. "Is something wrong?"
London ran a hand through her long dark hair and took a seat at the end of his bed. "No, just uncomfortable drama. Ariston's here. Sage kissed him thinking it was Adonis. It was…awkward."
Jacen cringed. "Yikes." He was kind of glad he missed that even as his mood soured further. He wished Ariston had come to say hi at least. "Did Ariston come alone?"
"Zale is with him. Lily stayed in New Jersey with Kat and the baby."
Jacen nodded. He'd catch up with the others when they got back since they hadn't deigned to visit with him beforehand. He rubbed his eyes and huffed out a breath. He was being unfair. They needed to track down Theron, and that was more important than he was right now. However, Jacen was going out of his mind wanting to know what was going on, and he also wanted to call and touch base with Chrys again. The Boeotian hadn't answered the last few times he'd called. Dionysus' old job must take a lot of attention away from returning phone calls.
He wasn't bitter. He wasn't… Jacen wanted to help, and being confined to a bed to heal grated every last one of his nerves. His ribs were doing much better, but he probably wouldn't be able to get up and walk around until tomorrow. Hopefully, as it would be just in time for the satyr moon.
A knock rang out from the door.
"Come in," he called out.
A petite blonde woman in a long white dress stepped in and blinked big blue eyes at him. London crossed her arms and took a step between the woman and the bed. "Who the hell are you?"
Jacen scratched his head, unsure what was going on. He hadn't been too surprised to see a woman he didn't recognize since he hadn't yet met Sage or even knew what she looked like. But by London's reaction, this clearly wasn't the new nymph. So…who was she, and why was she here?
The woman nonchalantly waved a hand. "Do not be alarmed. I'll only be here a moment before my sisters learn where I've gone."
Jacen raised a brow and London took a step forward and said, "That tells us nothing." She balled her hands into fists at her sides. He admired the fierceness in his girl. Even when Apollo had captured them, she'd been fierce.
The woman smiled and gestured toward her chest with both of her delicate hands. "I am Atropos, of the Moirai."
London gasped, sitting down on the edge of the bed, and Jacen attempted to sit up a little straighter. His ribs throbbed with agony, but finally the Fates would give them an answer—or
