Page 20 of Gods of Prey
“She’s...” I pause, reluctant to admit what I’ve observed and what I remember. “She’s good for him. She balances him in ways I haven’t seen before.”
“That’s inconvenient,” he mutters.
A laugh escapes me. “That’s one word for it. We should go before he comes back.”
As we shuffle out of the office, I keep my gaze trained on the floor. “I need to check on him after work. He’s investigatinga board member he suspects has connections to the surviving order members.”
“Well, I’ve already got an invitation to their event. Maybe I can do some digging on it then,” Revel replies smoothly. “Benefits of being charming.”
I roll my eyes. “Is that what you call it?”
We fall into step as we exit the building, an odd pair—the interim God of Life and the Goddess of Death—trailing behind my oblivious twin. The tension between Revel and me crackles like static electricity, annoying and impossible to ignore.
Hours later, I wander aimlessly through our apartment alone, finally allowing myself to take it all in. When we first got here, I was so focused on our plans, I couldn't absorb the details of our temporary home. It’s luxurious, all right. With white walls and too many windows for my taste. But the view of Bash and Jovie’s building is perfect.
“Not bad for mortal accommodations,” I grudgingly admit to myself.
My bedroom is plain and crowded. Because he told them he wanted an office, they gave him a spare room that has a desk crammed into the corner beside a queen-sized bed. That’s not what makes my stomach twist into knots and keeps my mind reeling, though. It’s the consideration he showed for me. This man who is supposed to hate me has already cared more about my needs than anyone I’ve kept close.
What does that say about me? About the people I keep in my circle?
It’s been quiet while he takes yet another nap. I told him that mortals sleep at night and, unlike in Aurelys, the sun actually sets here to make the task easier. But he must be conditioned to sleep with the brightest lights around, and his mind is likely still stuck on the divine realm’s clock.
Just as I finally start to relax onto my mattress, I hear the shower in the bathroom separating our rooms squeak on. Water flows against the wall beside my head, a calming white noise that blocks out the chaos of the city below.
I fall into a meditative state, not realizing how badly I’ve needed to simply sit back andbe. When I returned to Aurelys, I was thrown right back into my duties. This realm has been a whirlwind. I don’t sleep in this form, but I still need to rest every once in a while.
As I lay my head against the pillow, my mind carves a forbidden path that wanders to Revel. Him standing under the water spray in his mortal form—a toned-down version of his godly body.
I shouldn’t do this. Even in the privacy of my mind, I shouldn’t violate him in this way. But I can’t seem to stop my thoughts from tracing the lines of his body with the water droplets. From envisioning the pure masculinity that practically seeps out of every pore.
My eyes pop open, and I realize I’m no longer lying down. In fact, I’m no longer in my room at all.
I’m standing in the middle of the bathroom, facing the glass doors of the shower that have hardly fogged up enough to provide any cover for Revel’s naked form.
His large hands move across his body as he swipes a soapy rag over his skin. He doesn’t appear to notice me, which meansthat in my mindlessly meditative state, I’ve at least made sure to conceal myself from his view.
Unfortunately, I don’t use my invisibility in the way I should—to scurry out the door and never speak of this again. Instead, I allow my eyes to drift lower with his hands, across all the hard lines of his body. At the stiff erection he seems to be ignoring as he scrubs the rag angrily against his abdomen, his thighs, his hips. He’s giving attention to every part of his body except the one begging for it.
I’ve been intimate with men before—obviously. Especially mortal men, who are like a watered-down version of the gods I’ve grown up around. I’m very familiar with the male anatomy and not immune to its effects. It’s usually their mouths that turn me off. There’s nothing I can’t stand more than a man who doesn’t know how to shut the fuck up, and most of them fall under that umbrella. But there’s something about Revel that’s different. An odd part of him that pulls me in rather than repels me away.
The way he fights himself when most other men would give in. Whatever thoughts he’s having, he doesn’t want to acknowledge them.
I drift closer, intrigued by that revelation.
What’s on your mind, interim god? And why are you fighting it so hard?
Something shifts in the air, and Revel’s head swivels in my direction, his gray eyes landing directly on me. They’re like ice cutting across the bathroom. His hand stills against his lower stomach as he glares at me in question, but he doesn’t make any attempts to shield himself from my view.
Shit. I’ve manifested before him.
“Can I help you?” he asks with more venom in his voice than ever before.
There’s nothing I can do to smooth this over. I’ve been caught gawking at him, plain and simple. I’ve violated his privacy and now he’ll probably kick me out. And what recourse do I even have?
I’m a ghost. Not reallyexistinganywhere.
“I-I just came to ask you a question.” The pathetic lie tumbles out of my mouth.
