Page 1 of Eris

CHAPTER ONE

Eris sat at the corner of her favorite bar on the Viale Vaticano and drained her cocktail. She had been coming toSilviano'sfor the last fifty years, and they still made the best Aperol Spritz cocktails in the city.

She checked her watch. She had been there for almost two hours, and the grip she had on her curse remained strong. She wrote her findings down in the notebook that Isis insisted she use to record her progress. She was determined to help Eris control her curse, and they needed proper data they could use. The control was beginning to feel easier, and a small glimmer of hope that she could one day control the chaos again was starting to bloom. Her social anxiety was another matter.

Eris had been afraid to be around people for so long that she had forgotten how to properly interact with them. The lights, the music, the noise—it became overwhelming if she stayed around all that longer than a few hours.

"Can I get you another?" the bartender asked.

Eris glanced up from her journal at the man and smiled.

"Yes, please," she said and pushed her empty glass towards him.

Eris took the opportunity to check him out. She had seen him working there more than once and wasn't the only person who appreciated his excellent shoulders and dashing smile. He was dressed in a dark red button-down shirt that had the sleeves pushed up to reveal strong forearms. Curling dark hair with a few gray streaks was worn a little longer and matched a beard that suited the cut of his strong jaw.

He seemed oblivious to the way the women's (and some of the men's) eyes followed him. Eris bet that he got amazing tips. He was one of the few people who managed to get more than five words out of her. She wished she had Laverna's easy charm to be able to flirt with him.

The bartender smiled and placed a fresh Spritz down before her. "You've been here a while tonight. Is someone foolishly standing you up?"

Eris shook her head. "No. I just like to be alone around people sometimes, and this place suits me."

"I have seen you here a lot lately. Are you still hunting priests, or have you decided to move up from virgins?" he asked, his hazel eyes dancing with mischief.

"Watching me that close? I don't know if I should be flattered or not," Eris asked, a flicker of attraction burning hot through her. "I also don't know what business it is of yours if I hook up with priests."

"Absolutely none." The bartender set down a new bowl of nuts beside her Spritz. "I am curious to know why priests though. Were you forced to go to a Catholic school or something?"

"My dad ran away with one," Eris said, straight-faced. "It's a way for me to heal my childhood trauma."

"Really? That's one I haven't heard before," he replied and then realized Eris's mouth was twitching. "You're lying. Damn, you had me going there."

Eris sipped her Spritz. "You deserved it."

"I can't help but be curious. You seem to attract men of the cloth. I was merely trying to figure out the appeal on your behalf."

"What are you, a shrink or something?" Eris demanded.

The bartender placed a hand on his chest. "Alas, a failed one, but bartending isn't much different. Satisfy my curiosity and tell me why a woman like you would waste your time with men who don't even take you out on a proper date."

Eris smirked, ready to see a grown man blush. "Why? Are you offering to take me on one?"

"Enzo. And I was about to, but you beat me to it," he said, gracing her with a dazzling, cheeky smile. "Very well. I accept. I'm just closing up. Can you wait?"

Eris's mouth fell open at being so quickly maneuvered. "I didn't ask…"

"Great," Enzo said and hurried away to clear some empty glasses from a nearby table.

Eris blinked. "What just happened?" she whispered under her breath.

She should get up and leave. Her time holding the shields around her curse was already at its limit. She closed her eyes to check them. They were holding fine, but did she want to go on a date? With actual talking involved?

Eris opened her eyes again, and the first thing she saw was Enzo smiling as he held the door open for customers leaving.

Yes, I really want to have a date.

Enzo was handsome but not in a pretty way, and there was something about him that she couldn't quite put her finger on…like he reminded her of someone from long ago, but she couldn't picture who.

Her eternal loneliness niggled at her. What would it hurt to have a drink with him? If he was a dick, it wasn't like she couldn'tget up and leave. Unexpected nerves fluttered in her belly. Fates, she couldn't remember the last time she had an actual date.

---