Page 56 of Scion of Chaos

He hums in agreement and gives me a solemn look. “We all know, Nemea. We live here. We’ve guarded those convicted of crimes against the gods for an eternity already. Pan was released thanks to his help vanquishing the Titans, so the gods owed him a favor. But Vesh can only do so much without bringing their wrath down on his head. He won’t risk destroying the fragile balance we’ve already found here. Maybe he could release one more—one powerful enough to help guard the Titans once we capture them—but not all of them. Not all at once.”

I want to argue more—I’m still indignant over what I witnessed—but he’s working my Achilles tendon so perfectly, I moan and lean back on my hands.

“I’m not done talking about this,” I say.

He chuckles. “I didn’t think so. There are pillows behind you. Hold still.”

He shifts forward and reaches across me, his big body arching above me. He grabs two big, fluffy pillows and rests them on the floor at my back. His hips push between my knees, forcing me to part wide, and I bite my lip, looking down between us to where his groin comes within an inch of grazing against mine.

“Won’t they get wet?” I ask, referring to the pillows, but thinking about something else entirely.

“Yes, but don’t worry about it. They’re there for your comfort. Everything in this place can be easily replaced if it gets soiled.”

“Except me. Though you’re doing an amazing job so far of cleaning me up. Very thorough.”

I lie back, pulling the bedsheet tighter around my torso despite knowing it’ll have to come off if I’m going to let him washallof me.

He stands up straight again, his gaze sliding over me. Then he shakes his head. “I’ve barely begun. And since you are irreplaceable, you can trust I will be extra thorough. But you need to bare yourself to me for me to do my job, Nemea. You did not seem shy last night, so what is holding you back now?”

My mouth has gone dry, and I feel exposed even though I’m still covered, the only bare skin my arms, shoulders, and my very clean lower legs dangling in the water.

“Can I have something to drink?” I blurt, hoping for a reprieve from the intensity of his look.

He nods without taking his eyes off mine, then tilts his head slightly to the side. I turn to see a tall, black crystal glass sweating with dewy moisture that wasn’t there a moment ago. I rise to reach it, but then a silver straw appears. I gasp, smiling at Asterius.

“You or this place?” I ask, scooting the glass closer and taking a sip through the straw. It’s lightly sweet and citrusy, like lemonade, but more refreshing somehow.

“A little of both,” he says. He reaches up to hook a finger between the sheet and my chest and tugs. “Can I uncover you now?”

Fortified by the beverage, I sit up, shaking my head as I crane my neck to look up at him. I hook my fingers into the top of his loincloth, excited by the way his firm lower belly quivers beneath my knuckles. “Only if you let me undress you first.”

27

Asterius

Dredging up ancient memories like the day I was sent to this prison would normally destroy my mood for at least a week, but every touch of this morsel of a woman sends that bitter memory even farther from my mind. From the moment I was first allowed to see her, thighs spread across Erebus’ face, her scent filling the air, I’ve thought of nothing more than having her. But too many of our sentences to this prison were a result of being forced to go places and do things against our will. I can’t speak for the others, but I believe we all wantthiswoman to want us, to come to us each under her own power.

Last night was only the first taste of what it would be like to belong to her, and to have her belong to us. Looking down into her eyes now while she begs to undress me is more perfect than I could have dreamed. Her eyes are dark, the charcoal-shaded smudges around them making the subtle glow of her irises even more prominent. Damp tendrils of her hair cling to the sides of her cheek and her throat, accenting her pale skin and the inked design on one side of her body, and her veins pulse beneath with the subtlest illumination.

She probably isn’t aware of the power lurking inside her, of the threads of both Chaos and Fate that bind her to this place, to us. Staring into her eyes makes my skin prickle with goosebumps, and my belly spasms against her touch, cock rousing before she’s even let it loose.

I lower my hands to my sides and stretch them out facing her. It’s shallow here, so the water barely clears the tops of my thighs. She has easy access, and I am utterly at her mercy.

“You may do as you wish.”

She swallows and licks her lips as she looks down where her hands fumble with the wet knot of the loincloth that hugs my hips. It’s securely bound, tied snugly enough to ensure it doesn’t come loose in the middle of a fight, so she struggles and curses.

“Sorry, I thought this would be easier.”

“Use your power,” I say. “Chaos is undoing. You could think my clothes off, if you focus.”

“I haven’t had a proper lesson yet. I’ve only used it with that stupid dildo so far. Vesh showed me how to hold onto it last night, but that wasn’t easy.”

I reach for the bottle hanging against her chest. “This is your creation, isn’t it?”

“Right, that too. Let me try.”

She closes her eyes and inhales a deep breath, her chest swelling as her lungs fill. The ink of her tattoo subtly begins to writhe over her skin. The deeper she focuses, the more definition the octopus acquires until one of its arms reaches out, tip probing like an extra finger between the layers of the knot beneath my navel. She’s focused despite not opening her eyes, so I don’t think she’s aware of the way her magic has manifested, but it takes only a slight tug of the magical tendril before the knot gives and her fingers do the rest. She opens her eyes just as the octopus fades back into her skin, then flashes me a triumphant smile.

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