Page 14 of Desired By Eros

“Sure,” Eros said, sounding genuinely curious despite his usual aloofness.

“When I was little, I always preferred dinosaur toys to dolls,” she began. “Dolls were too much work. They had clothes you had to change, hair that got messy. Dinosaurs were…easier. They were fascinating, like these ancient creatures that roamed the earth before people. They were huge, powerful, and they were real. Not imaginary like fairy tales or superheroes. Real.”

Eros nodded, still listening as she continued.

“My parents noticed how obsessed I was with dinosaurs, so they took me to natural history museums. They even enrolled me in all kinds of programs—summer camps, science workshops, anything that had to do with paleontology. I loved it. It stuck with me.”

“Huh,” Eros said, his tone contemplative. “So, this is, what, your lifelong dream?”

“Exactly,” Psyche said, feeling a spark of excitement light in her chest. “I’ve wanted this for as long as I can remember. Being here, working at this site—it’s like finally getting to step into the world I’ve imagined since I was a kid.”

Eros glanced at her again. “Guess it’s a good thing I’m your transportation, then.”

Psyche gave him a look, unsure if he was teasing or being sincere. “I suppose so.”

The SUV rumbled along the road, and Psyche felt a strange sense of contentment settle over her. Even with Eros’sunpredictable personality, she was exactly where she wanted to be.

Psyche shifted in her seat, turning to glance at Eros. “Why do you even know how to drive? You’re a god. You have wings, for goodness’ sake.”

Eros smirked, keeping his eyes on the road. “When you’ve been alive as long as I have, you get bored. Humans are creative little things, always inventing something new. I’ve been driving since Ford rolled out the Model T. It was revolutionary back then.”

She blinked, her curiosity piqued despite herself. “How oldareyou, exactly?”

He chuckled. “Don’t you know it’s rude to ask someone’s age?”

She crossed her arms. “You don’t seem the type to care about manners.”

“Touché.” He gave her a sidelong glance, then shrugged. “Around twenty thousand years old. Give or take.”

Her jaw dropped slightly. “Twenty thousand? Artemis is older than you, though, right?”

“Much older,” he admitted with a grin. “She’s ancient, even by our standards. Don’t tell her I said that.”

Psyche laughed at the way he said it, but her curiosity didn’t waver. “Why’d you lose your power? You don’t exactly seem like the self-sacrificing type.”

His grin faded slightly. “Ever hear of the Winged app?”

“Oh, yeah. That thing caused so much drama. Wait—youwere behind it?”

The dating app had caused its users to instantly fall in love and the world came to a standstill as society rushed to be with their lovers, getting married, and basically love to love.

“Guilty.” His tone was unapologetic, but there was a flicker of something behind his eyes. “My ‘punishment’ was to stickaround the Upperworld until I learned how to be more empathetic and all that nonsense. Spoiler: I haven’t.”

Psyche tilted her head, her curiosity growing. “Winged was actually a really good app. My classmates loved it. I minored in computer science during undergrad, and I analyzed it for fun. The algorithm was impressive.”

“Of course you did,” he quipped, his smirk returning.

She ignored his teasing. “Algorithms and coding are easy for me, but my first love will always be dinosaurs.”

Eros let out a whistle, shaking his head. “Dinosaurs. What a thing to love.”

The casual dismissal hit a nerve. Psyche felt her chest tighten, anger flaring. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she snapped.

“Nothing,” he replied with a shrug. “Just…they’re extinct. You couldn’t have picked something more alive to obsess over?”

Her hands clenched into fists as she glared at him. “They’re not just an obsession. Dinosaurs shaped the world we live in today. Their fossils hold answers to questions we’re still asking. They’re a window into the past, into evolution, into?—”

“Okay, okay,” Eros interrupted, holding up a hand. “Relax. I didn’t mean to insult your beloved dinos. They’re cool, I get it.”

---