Page 59 of Make Me Hunt
His head turns to the side, teeth sinking into the inside of my thigh. “I mean all of this, my little curse. How quickly I let you in. How easily you snuck into a place no one’s ever reached.”
If I were any other woman, his confession would’ve filled my heart with joy, while mine constricts with pain. This is something neither of us expected, but the difference between me and Ares is that I can’t allow it to grow.
And that brings me to another topic I’ve been avoiding, though it crossed my mind several times these past few days. “I know from the legends that the gods have children. How does that work? Is it the same as it is for everyone else?”
“You’re asking if there’s a chance I knocked you up?”
“If you’re going to put it like that…”
“We don’t function exactly like mortals. We can have children, but we need our father's approval first. I don’t know if it's magic exactly, but it’s some kind of special power. When he allows it, then it happens. It’s his way of keeping us under control. Especially since we live throughout the centuries, and if he allowed it to happen freely, we’d have probably outgrown the number of mortals by now. So don’t worry, you’re safe… For now.” He finishes with a smirk on his lips. I can even say it holds a certain warmth.
That only scares me more.
But it does help me get to something I’ve been meaning to ever since we stepped into this room. “Does your father keep track of how many gods he created? I mean, when one of you is gone, does he make another? Or are you immortal... nothing can kill you?” I try to steady my breath, making it look like a simple curiosity rather than a real investigation.
“I don’t know how he makes the decision of when or if we’re allowed to have a child. We’re immortals, and we only rarely get killed. Even when we lost our powers, we didn’t lose our ability to regenerate. If I’m hurt, I’ll bleed, but my wounds heal in moments. The only way to kill a god is a decapitation... explosions... or maybe other godly powers. We can regrow limbs over time, but we can’t exactly grow back a head.Well, except for my brother, Mirmir—or Ulupoka, as he’s known to the Polynesians. His power is full regeneration, so he's the only one who’s survived having his head removed from his body. Poor bastard is still searching for it. Even lets himself be seen from time to time, too. How do you think the legend of the Headless Horseman got started?”
“Please don’t invite me to family dinners,” I chuckle, my fingers threading through his braids.
We spend several hours there, surrounded by wonders unknown to the rest of the world, as he tells me stories about power and wars. Of how kings bowed to him, of warriors he turned into legends.
I could stay there and listen to him for days. In fact, that’s all I ever want to do. For time to freeze in this moment, in this room. For Halloween never to come.
But, as always, the dream ends, and the reality hits me much faster than I anticipated.
“I don’t want you to go home,” he says, his voice growing more serious than just a few moments ago when he was telling me about the literal vaults of jewels he collected over time.
“Well, I don’t have anything to wear, so I’ll have to go there eventually.”
“I’ll buy you new clothes… and we can go pick up your stuff. But I want you to stay here for the week. I’ll be out of town for a few days, and I want to know you’re safe.”
“Why wouldn’t I be safe?” I arch a brow, hoping to get more out of him.
“Because I can’t keep an eye on you when I’m gone. Just promise me you’ll stay here until I get back, and I’ll take care of everything else after that.”
I want to fight him on this; to tell him I can take care of myself. I have been doing so for all this time. But the promise of someone else taking care of me sounds dangerously tempting, lying back, enjoying the ride, and letting someone else handle everything.
Though, my dreams never come true. I’ve learned that the hard way. So, for now, I just have to play pretend. I want him to think I trust him and that I’ll wait for him like the good little curse he considers me to be.
He’ll learn soon how much of a curse I can really be.
We spend the rest of the day getting to know each other, though I’m not letting him in as much as he’d like.
He knows better than to push it, trusting everything will come in due time. What he doesn’t know is that time is the only thing we don’t have.
He orders dinner and only starts packing his laptop and a handful of clothes after he sees that I’m well fed. And I’m not letting this opportunity pass. “You could take me along on this business trip. I’ll stay in the hotel room. Maybe prepare a surprise for you when you get back to the hotel after a long day.I do owe you…” I challenge as seductively as I can, hoping maybe I could find a spot next to him during thistrip.
“Wish I could… But I promise I’ll take you with me on my next trips. Paris maybe. I’ve got some London appointments next month.” He’s trying to charm me into staying put. And with the way his lips crash into mine, he might’ve succeeded—if things were different. “Prague for Christmas. New York for New Year’s.”
Okay, he’d definitely win on normal terms.
“Is it dangerous? Is that why you want me to stay here? Because I can handle a little danger.” I smile, playing every card I have to get him to take me along.
“More complicated than dangerous. I just need time to deal with a few things. Just promise me you’ll wait here for me.”
“Promise,” I say, crossing my fingers, knowing I’m not going to keep it.
I can’t wait for him, not how he wants me to. Not like this is a new beginning.
