Page 33 of A Reign of Storm and Madness

“Where’s Kalix?” he demands.

Theos shrugs. “He hasn’t come down yet.”

“We’re going to be late if he doesn’t hurry.”

I wasn’t exactly expecting any sort of praise or compliment from Ruen which is why the irritation that skitters through me as he stomps towards the end of the staircase and completely ignores me is that much more frustrating.

My gaze slips back to Theos and skims down his attire. Both he and Ruen are dressed far more opulently than I’ve ever seen before. Their trousers are matching black, but that’s where the similarities stop. Theos is dressed in a burgundy suit coat over a snow-white dress shirt that hangs open to reveal the expanse of golden flesh on his upper chest. The double-breasted jacket has two rows of gold buttons running up the front of his chest from where a corresponding belt rides at his waist. The upper right-hand side of the coat is folded back revealing the gold satin inside with a pretty thorn design creeping around the edges in red.

It’s really not fair that he’s allowed to wear so much whereas I’m being forced to wear napkins. With a scowling mouth, I leave off examining him further and glance to where Ruen stands, calling up for Kalix to hurry his ass up at the base of the stairs. Unlike Theos, Ruen’s formal attire has no red at all. It makes me think that each of these suits were specifically created to match their personalities as well as their preferences despite the short notice.

A black shirt like I’ve only ever seen on fellow assassins from the guild peeks out of the collar of his suit coat. It molds to his flesh like a second skin and arches up his throat stopping inches beneath his chin, hiding any extra flesh that would normally be bared.

What is he hiding beneath his clothes? I wonder absently.

Even as that curiosity fills me, my eyes continue their perusal. The jacket that he’s donned for this eve is a rich violet indigo, a purplish-blue royal color. The wolf’s head cufflinks sparkle from his wrists as he curses and then withdraws a pair of fingerless black gloves from his pockets.

He pulls them on just as the door above swings open and Kalix appears at the railing. My head tilts back and my insides clench. The Darkhaven I’ve always found the most dangerous simply because he’s unpredictable and sadistic in so many ways moves down onto the top step and then descends the staircase as Ruen steps back. Kalix’s lips curve up into a cruel smirk. He’s enjoying it, the stunned silence that the rest of us can’t seem to break.

He’s wearing a skin tight black bodysuit underneath his clothes. It’s not unlike the shirt that molds to Ruen’s frame as it spans from the sides of Kalix’s neck and only comes to a stop at his wrists. Unlike Ruen, however, the suit has been cut open from the neck downward, revealing tanned flesh and muscles that appear slicked with oils. The vest of pure onyx he’s wearing gleams with blackened gems.

His booted feet hit the ground floor and they don’t make a sound as he moves around Ruen, not stopping until he’s in front of me. My head tips back further when he finally halts as his chest brushes mine. Emerald eyes glint with an open wickedness in them. He’s enjoying this.

Kalix lifts a hand, just as he had that morning, offering it to me. My eyes fall to it and notice the silver and black chains crisscrossing over his chest and hips. It looks like a harness of some sort, dark and beautiful and simplistic. I blink as something else catches my eye. This close, I can finally see the embroidered image at the center of his chest just beneath where his neckline stops dipping at his collarbone. It’s a snake. One of the venomous little creatures, not so little in the depiction, slithers up his chest and around to the back of his shoulders, reappearing on the other side and coming back to rest over his heart.

“Shall we, little thief?”

I’ve got my hand half raised to take his when his words hit me. I freeze. “What?”

Teeth flash and I swear, I spot fangs. Kalix captures my hand before I can pull it back and he drags me closer, dipping his head as he drops his lips right next to my ear.

“I know your secret, little thief,” he murmurs, lower than I’ve ever heard him speak before. Quiet enough that I doubt even Ruen or Theos can hear. “Or should I call you my little liar now?”

My blood runs cold, but Kalix doesn’t give me a true chance to respond. He laughs and uses his hold on my hands to spin me out of his arms and then back. “She looks good enough to devour, doesn’t she, Brothers?” he asks, turning his attention to the others standing in the room with us.

I barely hear him. The dull roaring in my ears has taken over everything else. Horrible, bone-aching fear slides into me. My insides liquefy. My mind recoils.

No. No. No. This isn’t happening. It can’t be.

I’m spun again and my feet stagger. This time, it’s not an act. No pretending, just real unadulterated terror clutches at my throat.

He knows. He can’t know, but he does.

When my eyes lift to meet Kalix’s as he stops spinning me and the fluttering transparent fabric of my dress settles once more, he arches a brow as his smile stays in place. I should have known better than to think I could do this. I was arrogant. Cocky. Stupid.

Kalix brings me back to his side and lifts his free hand to my face, turning me to look at Theos and Ruen, both with tight expressions. It’s clear they have no clue. Not yet. How long will that last? How long do I have left?

“Tell me, little human,” Kalix says, the last word mocking. I close my eyes as his breath brushes my face. “How does it feel to be owned by three of the most powerful Mortal Gods? Do you feel powerful, yourself, having all of us surrounding you?”

My eyes reopen, but I can’t make my lips move. No answer comes out. In this moment, none of them look mortal at all. They look like young and powerful Gods and I, their Divine sacrifice, am at their mercy.

Chapter 20

Theos

Day of Descendance parties are always full of rapture. I’d never been to one before coming to the Academy, but I’d lost my virginity at the first one, and ever since—I’d relished in the carnal nature of these gatherings. Until now.

Gods are old—ancient to humans and Mortal Gods alike—and in my time at the Academy, I’ve come to understand that with that age comes a loss of consideration for others. When you live eternally, few things bother you and even fewer entertain you. So, when they find something of interest, they latch on to it and drag from it all the enjoyment they can attain.

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