Page 6 of Soft Bronze

“Like Kratos, my job was to serve as a guardian and playmate to Zeus. I once had the same markings on my shoulders as my brother, but unlike modern tattoos, mine faded with time. I thought I’d done a fine job for Zeus. I protected the king and queen, then at night I shared their bed. Whoever wanted pleasure, I fulfilled their needs. Then I met Phthanos, a man at court. I fell for the man. He possessed so much strength and determination. I loved him, but he didn’t share my feelings. Zeus lost the need for me and Phthanos never truly loved me. I became jealous of the love I thought I’d had. They all found happiness without me. My jealousy consumed me and my father entombed me in bronze. He said it was for my protection. For years I hated him. Now I understand his motives. The outcome he’d planned for me far outweighs my wildest dreams.”

Camden struggled over to the closest chair. He needed time to process. Either Zelus was great at lying or he was telling the craziest truth. The statue had come to life and seemed to be infatuated with him. That statue was a god and had a brother. KG was also a god? How was that possible? He seemed so normal. Nothing made any kind of logic.

“I’ve overwhelmed you.”

“You could say that.” Camden rubbed his hands over his face. “So you’re real.”

“I am.”

“And you’ve got a past.” He still hadn’t wrapped his head around Zelus being real, but if that was the case, then Zelus would’ve had boyfriends or girlfriends before. Everyone had at least one partner, but the idea that a man could’ve turned Zelus—the real man—down … it seemed so far out of reality. Then again, he wanted to turn down Zelus because he wasn’t sure he wasn’t somehow hallucinating the whole situation.

“Would you like for me to prove myself?” Zelus asked. He sat on the edge of the desk. “I can.”

“Why not?” He doubted anything else Zelus said would convince him.

“Camden, I heard you talking to me. All those nights, I listened to every word. I wanted to answer you and to let you know I understood how you felt. You weren’t alone. I fell in love with you a little more each night. Now that I’m here with you, I’m very much in love.”

“Me?” He sagged against the chair. “That’s not possible.”His thoughts fogged. If Zelus was telling the truth, then the conversations hadn’t been so one-sided. How about that? Camden bit back a smile. He shouldn’t believe Zelus’s story, but something deep within him did. The bond between them was stronger than he’d imagined. Nice. At the same time, Camden’s doubts came into play. He’d never been the guy men wanted to stick with. He was an oddity. The nerd who was chic today and boring tomorrow. Even his own damned mother hadn’t wanted him. Love—especially with a god—wasn’t in the cards.

“Camden?” Zelus knelt in front of Camden. “What don’t you understand? Enlighten me, please.”

“Okay, you’re real. You must be or you wouldn’t be sitting here in front of me. I’ll give you that, but you can’t be in love with me. You only know the cranky, sobby crap I told you. Besides, you’re a god. If you’re really a god, then you can have whomever you want and do so much better than me. I’m not worthy of you.” Wow. He’d just made himself out to be less than significant to anyone, much less a god.

“Why would you discount yourself? Because of things you can’t control? Because of your past and the things you told me about while you visited me? I assure you, the past has nothing to do with my feelings.” Zelus folded his thick arms. “There have been plenty of things I couldn’t control. Being encased in bronze comes to mind. My past isn’t exactly neat. I slept with many people all at Zeus’s behest. I gave my heart to a man who wanted my position, not my love. Trust me when I say I wish I could change what I’ve gone through, but I’m glad I had that as my past.”

The guy sure knew his stuff or was at least sticking like hell to his story. Fine. Then Camden would go with it, too. Zelus was a god and Camden wasn’t partner material, even for a date, with a deity. “Zelus, you don’t get it. I know guys like you.” He needed to make Zelus understand. Rather, he needed to push Zelus away before anyone got hurt or someone got wise to Zelus’s story. Distance always worked better for Camden than keeping people close.

“Other than Kratos, you’ve met other gods? Who else has come to earth?” Zelus stood and barged into Camden’s personal space. “I demand an answer.”

Christ. Either Zelus wasn’t paying attention or he had a sick sense of humor and his story was about to collapse. Camden sighed. “Honey, the world is full of gods. There are countless men who think they are the world because they used to be someone important. I like you, but I’m getting the feeling you’re no better than those men.” And yet, he still liked Zelus.

Zelus bunched his dark eyebrows. Creases formed around his sparkling eyes. “I don’t understand, but I’m glad you like me because I do love you. I’m also not lying to you. I lived on Olympus and Kratos was there, too. I can have him explain, if that helps.”

Camden stood and flattened his hands on Zelus’s strong chest. Tingles shot from his palms to his own chest. Letting go of Zelus wouldn’t be easy. The god—if he was telling the truth—had wormed his way into Cam’s heart. No, he needed to be strong. “I’m glad you like me. I’m honored. Flattered. But I’m not the type of guy that men chase. I’m a temporary guy. I’m flattered you chose me, but you need to find someone of your caliber.”

“No, I’ve chosen you. The curse has been broken by you. I refuse to let you go.”

“You don’t have any choice. I’m not sticking around, so you’re going to have to cut me loose.” Camden pushed past Zelus and left the office. His brain overflowed with information and he needed to breathe. He wanted to believe Zelus loved him. Wanted to buy into the story about Zelus being a freaking god from Olympus, but his better judgment came into play. Yes, he wanted to embrace the god and those white-hot kisses, but men like Zelus didn’t believe in sticking around. Camden refused to be left behind again. His heart couldn’t take the beating a third time around.

****

Zelus stared at the door. Running after Camden had been his first thought. But if he went with his instincts and chased the man down, he wouldn’t solve his problem. He’d be letting his emotions get the best of him. He cared about Camden and loved him. Camden liked him, too. It was time to let fate decide if they were truly meant to be together, but he wanted nothing more than to push fate in the right direction—his.

“He left.” Kratos strode into the office and up to Zelus. “Freaked out. He’s rambling about how he can’t believe a damn thing you’ve said.”

“If you mean I scared him, then yes, I freaked him out.” Zelus shook his head. Camden didn’t believe him. Not good. He focused on his brother and learning as much as he could about his human. “You’ve found happiness with Andy. I’m proud, but I wonder. How did he break your curse? Moreover, how do you keep him happy?”

Kratos sighed. “Andy and I required time and trust—two things you don’t have.”

Wonderful. Zelus sighed and stared out the window. So much world waited for him, but he wanted one man. Wouldn’t Zeus laugh? He’d offered Zelus the world and Zelus turned everything down for love. When he tried to get back into Zeus’s good graces, he’d been thrown away. Now love was going to bite him in the ass. “I don’t know how much time I have to get him to trust me. Be honest. What do I need to do? I tried being honest, but he thinks I’m lying.”

“I’m not surprised that he thinks you’re telling stories. What we’ve gone through is beyond comprehension to many. It’ll take him a while to come around, but you’ve got to have faith. Believe me. Andy needed time.” Kratos sighed again. “You are on borrowed time until he’s willing to be your celestial mate. The effects of the curse are on hold. If you can’t find your mate, then you’ll be stuck until he can accept his fate and you as well.”

Zelus plopped onto the chair. He held his head in his hands. “I just want him to say he loves me.”

“You’re wanting more than he can do right now.” Kratos squatted in front of Zelus. “The fact that Camden listened to you is a start. He also put separation between you. That’s another plus because it means he’s thinking over what you’ve said. Someone hurt him and he’s not going to just hand over his heart. You’ll have to earn it. Show him that you love him and give him a chance to come around.”

Everything his brother had said made sense and still, Zelus felt so behind. “I’ve observed so much about humans and I don’t understand something. He said there are gods everywhere. These gods believe themselves to be superior to others. How? Are there other gods descended from Olympus?”

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