Page 10 of Dark Gods
Seriously. Everything about him smoldered, from his green eyes glowing with mischief and sharpened with seductive intent to the devilish curve of his lips. His hair was as black as ink, and it flowed straight down his shoulders, a gleaming veil over his pristine gray suit. His shirt was open, baring just a bit of the smooth, stone-white chest beneath, and he was a foot taller than me, at least. That was saying something, since I wasn’t short at five-six.
"If you're looking for something to drink, you can't go wrong with this," he said in a smooth, pleasant voice that hit my ears like deception.
I looked down at the glass of clear liquid he was offering me and raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, but I don't take drinks from strange men. Besides, isn't that water?"
"An admirable policy, but in this place, all is rarely as it seems," he purred, running a long finger along the rim of the glass. There was something sensual about the gesture, and he had just enough self-effacing charm to pull it off without earning a stiletto to the crotch. I watched curiously as the clear liquid turned to a bloody red and the faint yet tangy scent of wine hit my nostrils.
"Nice magic trick," I said, the corner of my lips curving of its own accord. "Let's see... long hair, bohemian tastes, water into wine... Jesus, is that you?"
"Oh, you're a riot," he said with a laugh that flowed and shimmered like the ocean's surface, stepping close enough that I found myself backed against the table without having realized it. It was rare that I got cornered, but everything about him was overwhelming in a way that wasn't entirely unpleasant. "Hades is a lucky boy."
"What do you want, Loki?" I asked dryly, folding my arms to put a barrier between us. If he thought he was intimidating me with the Lothario routine, he was wrong, but I had made a promise to be on good behavior and this party was the last place I wanted to break that promise.
But I would, if he took one more slinky step.
"Can't a guy introduce himself to the new transfer?" he asked innocently.
"A guy can, the god of mischief and mayhem can't."
"Touché," he purred, his hungry gaze flickering over me. "I'd heard you were beautiful, but I wasn't expecting you to be so sharp."
Something told me he wasn't referring to my intellect. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"I also heard you have something of a reputation," he said, his gaze darkening as he leaned in. His hair brushed my bare shoulders and he was so close I could feel the coolness of his breath on my lips. A bold move, considering that Odin was mere yards away, even if he seemed currently distracted by whatever conversation he was having with Hephaestus and Akron, the Alchemy teacher.
"Is that so?" I asked in a sweet voice, smoothing down the lapel of his jacket.
I allowed my fingers to brush his bare chest and his eyes widened in surprise, but he made no move to back up. Slowly, I let the vines peek from the veins on my right wrist, creeping up his skin to coil around his neck. His long hair was the perfect concealment, so by the time he realized he was being constricted, it was too late.
"You know, you can't always believe everything you hear. Rumors have a way of being… exaggerated," I said as the vines tightened around his slender neck.
He made a faint wheezing sound, bringing his hand up to caress the green vine, but the amusement never left his eyes. "Noted," he said, still purring even though he couldn't get a full breath. "But I was referring to your extracurricular activities. The Panaceas?"
I didn't even half believe him, but I let the vines retreat back into my skin and he stepped back a comfy distance. Lesson learned. "What about them?"
"No judgment here," said Loki. "I respect the hustle."
"The hustle?" I snorted. In his posh English accent, it sounded even more absurd.
All these spoiled Olympians were the same, even if hewastechnically an Asgardian. They all thought they were badass just because their daddies had a spot on the Council of Gods.
"Loki." A rich, baritone voice cut through the crowd noise and Loki's spine went rigid. I knew that look on his face, too. It was the same one I wore whenever my mother called me Persephone.
He turned to look at the huge blond man standing not far off, giving him a scolding look. He was even bigger and broader than the gold-eyed dude who'd been leering at me over breakfast. Thathadto be Thor, but what was he doing here?
Surely the god of thunder had better things to do than attend his little brother's campus mixer.
"My brother," Loki said with a rueful little smile that would still have probably weakened my knees if I hadn't already built up an immunity to his kind of pathogen. He extended his hand with a flourish and a small purple bloom the same shade as my hair appeared out of nowhere. I blinked in surprise as he slipped the flower behind my ear. "If you're thinking of setting up shop, give me a ring. I'm something of a broker for all the fun things that go on after hours at this school."
With that, he turned and left to speak with his brother. I could tell from Thor's folded arms and generally agitated posture that Loki was supposed to be doing something besides making the rounds and setting up illicit deals. I plucked the flower from my hair and it turned to a tiny slip of paper right before my eyes.
I was used to being the one who did the floral magic tricks, but it seemed Loki was interested in edging into my domain on more than one level. I stared at the phone number he'd written on the slip of paper, about to toss it when I realized he wasn't the only one whose attention I'd drawn.
Before Hades could approach me, I tucked the paper in my bra for lack of a better option and tried to be less pissed by the time he came over. He was dressed in a dark maroon suit that made his eyes glow all the more. This time, he actually stopped to look me over, one hand casually tucked into his pocket like he was ready for a GQ photoshoot at all times.
"Persephone," he said with a slight nod of acknowledgment.
"Hades.” Of course he'd default to that name. Like I needed another reason to dislike him. They were already stacking up and we'd only just officially met.
