Page 9 of Eris

"It's complicated?" Eris brushed a piece of grass out of his beard, and her touch lingered. "Hmm, it is soft."

"There's no point in trying to run," Romulus said, coming to stand beside them. "Get off him, Eris." It could have been the poor lighting, but Enzo swore her eyes turned black at the order. "You are hurting him,amica."

For some reason, it was those words that convinced Eris to let Enzo go and climb off him.

Romulus held out a hand to him. "Come on, you look like you could use a drink."

"Or seven," Enzo replied, taking the hand. Romulus hauled him to his feet like he weighed nothing. "What is this all about?"

"We'll all go inside so we can explain properly," Romulus replied.

Enzo straightened his shoulders. "And if I want to leave?"

The other man pointed at the two women. "They aren't going to let you. Unfortunately, you are the key to a plan they are hatching, and I have no say. Neither do you. Just hear them out?"

Enzo looked at Eris. She had her arms around her middle, like she was cold or hurt, and had the decency to look a little guilty. Laverna was just grinning from ear to ear.

"Okay, one drink," Enzo said.

Romulus patted him on the shoulder. "Good man."

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" Eris asked softly as they walked back to the villa.

Enzo wanted to snap at her, but he found that he couldn't. "I'm fine. Just really confused about why you decided to kidnap me at all."

"It's traditional for gods to kidnap mortals that catch their eyes," Laverna called out as if this was an obvious answer. Romulus looked at her exasperated and besotted at the same time.

Enzo stared at the people before him, his footsteps faltering. "And you are gods, are you?"

All three of them smiled, but Eris answered, "You're going to have to come inside if you want to find out."

She strode off toward the villa, black braid swaying, and even though this was shaping up to be the weirdest night of his life, Enzo followed.

CHAPTER SIX

Enzo wasn't used to other people pouring his drinks, but he waited as patiently as he could while Romulus poured him a glass of a very nice scotch.

"Are you really Romulus...liketheRomulus?" Enzo asked.

"Call me Rom, and yes. Why is that funny?"

Enzo tried to stifle his laughter before it became hysterical. "Because my nonna, who is kind of crazy, has always said we are relatives of yours."

Rom filled more glasses and gestured to a set of couches next to a fireplace. "She's not crazy, and youaremy blood."

Eris sat in an armchair and crossed her legs. "And how is your nonna?" she asked.

A flicker of danger licked at the back of Enzo's neck. She was obviously still pissed at him for having to bail on their date, even though she had kind of bailed on him too.

"She's sorry that she interrupted our date by setting off her alarm because she was too busy hot-gluing rhinestones to it," Enzo replied.

Eris's black brows shot up, and Laverna flopped down on the couch and cracked up laughing. "Itoldyou he wasn't married."

"You really thought I was married? I said it was my nonna," Enzo replied. No wonder she had been so pissed.

Eris sniffed. "Her picture didn't look like she was a grandmother."

"She's vain, so she makes me use one from her thirties," Enzo said. His grandmother was hard to explain even to the people who knew her.

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