Tempted

huh?”

“Yeah.” It was almost automatic for me to clutch the neck of my shirt and lean against the wall so that I was just out of his reach. “It happened when Kalona was banished.”

“Do you mind if I see them?”

His voice was deep and seductive—he’d hit the perfect boyfriend tone. But before he could move closer and think that he could help himself to looking down my shirt, I held up my hand like a stop sign.

“Not now. I just want to get some sleep, Erik.”

He’d stopped moving toward me and his eyes narrowed. “So how’s Stark?”

“He’s hurt. Bad. But Darius says he’ll be okay.” I kept my voice guarded. His attitude was making me feel seriously defensive.

“And you just came from his room, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

Clearly frustrated, he ran his hand through his thick dark hair. “It’s just too much.”

“Huh?”

He threw his arms out to the side in what looked to me like a well-practiced dramatic gesture. “All of these other guys! I have to put up with Heath because he’s your consort and just when I’m trying to get used to that, this other guy shows up—Stark.” Erik said the name with a sneer.

“Erik, I—”

Acting like I hadn’t tried to say anything, he spoke over me. “Yeah, sworn to be your Warrior. I know what that means! He’s always going to be with you.”

“Erik—” Again I tried to get a word in, but he kept blaring over me.

“So I’m going to have to put up with him. And as if that’s not bad enough, it’s obvious there’s something going on between you and Kalona! Come on! Everyone’s seen the way the guy looks at you,” He scoffed. “Like that doesn’t remind me of Blake?”

“Stop.” I spoke the word softly, but the anger and irritation that had been building inside me exploded at his sarcastic mention of Kalona, and spirit, that I’d so recently conjured, filled the word with a power that had Erik, eyes wide, taking a step back. “Let’s get this over with,” I continued. “You do not have to put up with any other guy because as of this moment you and I are not together.”

“Hey, I didn’t—”

“No! It’s my turn to talk. We’re done, Erik. You’re too possessive, and even if I wasn’t exhausted and stressed out of my brain—two things that apparently don’t matter at all to you—I still wouldn’t be up for tolerating your crap.”

“After everything you’ve put me through, you think you can just walk out on me like this?”

“No.” Feeling the spirit swirl around me I channeled it into my next words as I stepped forward, backing him down the hall. “I don’t think anything. I know this is how it’s going to be. We’re done. Now you need to go away before I do something I might, in like fifty years, be sorry for.” I purposely pushed hard with the power of the element that was flowing through me, causing him to stumble.

His face had gone utterly white. “What the hell’s happened to you? You used to be so sweet. Now you’re a freak! And I’m sick of you cheating on me with everyone who has a dick. You should be with Stark and Heath and Kalona. They’re what you deserve!” He stomped angrily past me, slamming the door to the stairwell.

Just as angry, I marched over to room number thirteen and flung open the door.

And Aphrodite almost fell right out, face-first.

“Oopsie,” she said, running her fingers through her always perfect hair. “Guess I was, uh—”

“Listening to my big breakup scene with Erik?” I finished for her.

“Yeah, that would be what I was doing. And may I just say I don’t blame you. Talk about an asshat. Plus, you so don’t cheat on him with everyone who has a dick. You and Darius are just friends. Plus there’s Damien and Jack… well, not that they really count, being as they like dick themselves. Still, it was a ridiculous exaggeration.”

“You’re not really making me feel better.” I plopped down on the twin bed that wasn’t all ruffled and obviously just laid on.

“Sorry. I’m not very good at the ‘making someone feel better’ part.”

“So you heard all of that?”

“Yep.”

“Even the part about Kalona?”

“Yes, and again I call him an asshat.”

“Aphrodite, what the hell is an asshat?”

She gave me an exaggerated eye roll. “Erik is an asshat, you dork. Anyway, as I was trying to say before you interrupted, it was seriously not cool that he brought up Kalona. Plus, he had enough evidence for his stupid jealous insecurity already with Heath and Stark. It was totally not necessary to mention the winged guy.”

“I do not love him.”

“Of course you don’t. You’ve outgrown Erik. Now, I suggest you get some sleep. Goddess knows I hate to mention it, but you look like crap.”

“Thanks, Aphrodite. It really helps me right now to hear that I look as terrible as I feel,” I said sarcastically, completely avoiding the fact that when I said I didn’t love him I’d meant Kalona and not Erik.

“Hey, anytime. I’m just here to help.”

I was searching for a sarcastic comeback when I noticed what she had on and a little bubble of unexpected laughter escaped from me. Aphrodite, Queen of Fashion, was wearing a floor-length, cover-her-from-ankles-to-neck, white cotton nightgown. Like she’d gone Amish. “Uh, what is that lovely little thing you’re wearing?”

“Don’t start with me. This is the penguins’ idea of nightwear. Well, I can almost understand it. I mean, they take those stupid chastity vows, and if this is what they wear to bed, the vow would be practically unnecessary. Seriously. The thing almost makes me look unattractive.”

“Almost?” I giggled.

“Yes, smart-ass, almost. And before you’re too gleeful, cast your eyes over there. That thing folded up on the end of your bed isn’t an extra sheet. It’s your very own designer nun sleepwear.”

“Oh, well, at least it looks comfortable.”

“Comfort is for sissies and unattractive people.”

As Aphrodite snootily retucked herself into bed, I made my way over to the little sink in the corner of the room and washed my face and used one of the new, still-in-its-wrapper guest toothbrushes to brush my teeth. As nonchalantly as I could I said, “Hey, uh, can I ask you something?”

“Ask away,” she said, plumping her pillows.

“It’s a serious question.”

“So?”

“So, I need a serious answer.”

“Yeah, fine, whatever. Ask,” she said flippantly.

“You said before that you knew Erik got too possessive.”

“That’s not really a question,” she said.

I raised my brows at her in the mirror. She sighed.

“Okay, yes, Erik was a stage-five clinger.”

“Huh?”

She sighed. “Clinger. Stage five. Totally not fucking cool.”

“Aphrodite, what language are you speaking?”

“Teenage American. Way upper-class. You could speak it too with a little imagination and a few real cuss words.”

“Goddess help me,” I muttered to my reflection before I continued. “Okay, so. Erik was too possessive with you, too.”

“That’s what I just said.”

“And it made you mad?”

“Yeah, definitely. Basically, it broke us up.”

I squished Crest on my toothbrush. “So it made you mad. You and Erik broke up, but you were, still, uh, all,