Page 50 of A Reign of Storm and Madness

I realize that I’ve been fucking deceived. Conned. This bastard. My nails rake down his arms, slicing his arms open like ribbons and I don’t care. I want him to bleed.

“Get off me,” I snap.

He ignores me, fucking into me even harder. “Answer me,” he demands.

“No!”

A hand lands on my throat and Theos’ gilded gaze hovers over mine. “Answer. Me.” The effects of his persuasion slip under my skin and I shut my eyes, shaking my head as I try to shove it off. It’s ruthless, wrapping around me, especially when he speaks again.

“Look at me!”

I do, and I fucking hate him for it.

Don’t trust anyone, Kiera, Regis’ warning sounds much like Ophelia’s. They echo in my head, both of their voices combining into one as an unnatural burn itches at the back of my eyes. Trust only yourself. No one will save you like you will.

I should’ve known better. I should’ve been smarter than this. One fucking kind deed and I fell to his plot like an addict in need of a good hit. I want to throw up because it still feels so good having him inside me.

“Tell me what you’re keeping from me,” Theos orders.

I stare back at him and bare my teeth. His hand clamps down harder, his fingers tightening at the sides of my throat. I can hold out for as long as he can, probably longer.

“Fuck. You.” His eyes widen as I grit the words out through clenched teeth.

He curses and finally slides his free hand from my hip to my clit, thumb moving over the little bundle of nerves at the apex of my thighs with sharp precision. I bite down on the scream that threatens to spill out, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of hearing my body lose control as my insides clamp down around him. His hips stutter against mine before he stills and holds himself deep inside me. The hot wetness of his release fills me and when his hand eases from my throat and his cock slips from my cunt, I feel it leak down my inner thighs.

I roll over and shut my eyes, pretending as if the man standing at the edge of the bed with his gaze boring into me doesn’t exist. I press the heels of my hands into my closed eyelids as if doing so will keep the tears at bay.

The world is a cruel place, I’ve always known that.

I thought coming to a place like the Mortal Gods Academy would be no different, but it is.

It’s far worse than the cruelty of the rest of the world. It’s lies and secrets and damnation—no matter who you are. And you can’t trust anyone.

Chapter 28

Kiera

Idon’t know how long I lie there, but I do know that Theos cleans himself up and leaves after a while. Still, I lie there. The door opens and closes again and I don’t open my eyes, not even when I feel something warm and wet against my inner thighs, cleaning me. I pretend to be passed out—I’m certainly tired enough to be.

When I’m lifted from the bed and carefully placed under the sheets, I half expect Theos to crawl into the bed alongside me. He doesn’t. Instead, I sense his body heat and presence just there for the longest time. Watching me. Waiting for something, I’m sure.

I don’t give up the facade, and after what feels like hours of pretending to be unconscious, when I’m sure I’m truly about to fall asleep, his presence fades. The door to the bedroom opens and shuts, and then, so subtly that I’m sure he doesn’t think I hear it—the lock clicks.

My eyes pop open and I sit up, turning to stare at the large oak door.

My first rule of survival has always been to never trust anyone and I almost fucking broke it. For him—for a pompous manwhore of a spoiled God child. Mortal Gods Academy is far more dangerous than I think even Ophelia suspected. Mission or not, I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this up.

Creeping out of the bed on silent feet, I go in search of clothes. Finding Theos’ wardrobe is easy work, but finding something that doesn’t slide right off my frame is a bit more difficult. I manage to tug on one of his darker tunics and a pair of trousers that are obviously several years old and far too small for him as they’re tossed and covered in a thin layer of dust at the very bottom. Pulling them on and lacing them up extra tight to keep them from falling, I go to the door and try the handle.

Yup. Locked.

I mentally flip Theos my middle finger. I take a step back and close my eyes, seeking out the minds of my familiars. The Euoplos Dignitas answers first, but it’s too big for this task, so I send it off on another errand as a new plan forms in my mind. Once the creature is on its way, I seek out a closer spider, finding a small one at just the right size. It comes skittering under the door within minutes.

I open my eyes and bend down, holding my hand out as it crawls onto my palm. Spiders, unlike people, can be so loyal, I think with a bittersweet note. I relay to the little creature what I need from it as I turn my hand and press it close to the lock. The spider flutters off my fingers and crawls sideways over the door frame until it gets to the lock before disappearing inside.

As I wait for it to figure out the mechanics, carefully giving it a nudge here and there with the details I’ve learned over the years, I glance around the room. The dagger I usually keep on me had been dropped after the fight with Rahela, so now I’m weaponless.

Unlike Kalix’s room which was adorned with numerous weapons, so much so that I half wondered if most of them weren’t trophies he collected after defeating others instead of his own personal collection, Theos’ room is far more normal. There’s the bed and the nightstands. A window with a sitting bench in front of it. A trunk and … there!

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