Page 9 of The Chosen Son

As they headed toward me, Phobos again offered his elbow to this mystery man, and again, the man turned his head to the side as if he were distracted by something, but I’d seen the way his eyes had flicked momentarily to my brother’s arm. This was intentional, and I grinned widely.

By the time I’d reminded myself to move, it was too late, and the two of them had made their way up the stairs toward me. Phobos’s whole body was tense. “Fancy seeing you here, Brother. I wasn’t aware you were invited.”

I shrugged. “Oh, you know me and philanthropy. I’m a giver.” I shot a wink at Phobos’s date, and he looked down at the ground, his cheeks pinking up in a blush that perfectly matched his pocket square. But then he peeked up at me through his thick lashes and I felt my cock perk up and take notice. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” I asked Phobos pointedly.

“If I must,” he grumbled, but there was a glint in his eye. Oh yes, he was excited to show off his new toy. “This is Cameron, mysidekick.” We’d always been Dad’s sidekicks, so he probably expected me to be impressed or something, to hear that he now had one of his own.

I frowned, feigning confusion, and turned to address Cameron directly. “What is that, like a personal assistant? Do you get him coffee and answer his phone? I hope he pays you well to put up with his shit. Ugh, please tell me he doesn’t make you do his laundry. The man is a total slob.”

The corner of Cameron’s lips twitched, and I couldn’t resist reaching out my hand. “Deimos, at your service.”

Cameron stared at my hand with a strange mix of curiosity and caution. “You called Phobos brother?” he asked quietly.

“Yes, but only in the literal blood-related kind of way.” I wiggled my fingers, reminding him that I was still waiting for him to shake my hand, but it seemed it wasn’t just my brother he had an aversion to touching. I felt a strange sense of disappointment as I lowered my hand.

“Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have a party to attend.” I went to walk away, thinking maybe I could still salvage this night, maybe corner Loki when he went to the bathroom, but Phobos grabbed my arm in a viselike grip.

“About that…” he said, voice tinted with more than a little suspicion. “You wouldn’t be hoping to take a shot at a certain someone tonight, would you?”

“What are you talking about?” I asked with as much innocence as I could muster, but let’s be serious—I was no actor.

“Deimos,” he said in warning, shooting me a glare.

“Phobos,” I echoed back, mocking him like the child I often reverted to when around my brother.

Cameron’s gaze bounced back and forth between us, completely in the dark about the centuries of family drama that was currently being dragged out of the closet. He had this hungry, eager look about him, like someone sitting in front of the TV with a bowl of popcorn, ready to devour the latest reality show.

Phobos seemed reluctant to talk about everything in front of Cameron, so they couldn’t have been too close if he hadn’t told him about my past.

“You gentlemen have yourselves a good night. Or don’t, I don’t care either way.” I beamed my most charming smile and took a step back toward the doors. I could hear the gala from here, light music and distant laughter. I could sense the window of opportunity closing. I needed to act now!

Phobos sighed. “Please, Brother, don’t make me stop you.”

I rounded on him, gritting my teeth at the hot flare of frustration. “I’m notmakingyou do anything. Just let me go. You owe me that much,” I snapped. I tried to take another step, and he moved with me.

“You know I can’t do that. You’re my family, and I love you, and I would miss you after Loki put you in the ground.”

Cameron let out the tiniest gasp. “Loki?” His eyes flicked straight to me, a look of question and perhaps understanding as he put the details together. “What’s your problem with the mayor?”

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it,” I said, booping his nose.

The contact between us was just a fraction of a second, but in that moment, I was hit with a blast of power so potent that it went straight to my head, my vision flashing with pure, white light.What. The. Fuck.I tilted my head, taking a second look at this young sidekick of my brother’s. He was no ordinary human, that was for sure.

I blinked hard, shaking my head to clear it.

“I want you to remember… you gave me no choice,” Phobos said sadly, shaking his head, before placing his palm flat on my chest.

I was distracted, unprepared, and that was the only reason why I wasn’t braced for the hit. He didn’t even put a whole lot of force into it, because all conflict aside, he was still my brother. My feet left the ground, and I soared across the landscaped lawn, before landing hard on my back and skidding a hundred feet. I heard excited murmurs—they seemed to think this was some kind of promotional stunt for an upcoming movie. I had no doubt their phones were recording.

Snarling, I got to my feet and brushed grass off my tux. “I’m sending you the dry-cleaning bill.”

Phobos shrugged as he stepped forward, placing himself between me and city hall. “I can afford it.”

I stalked back toward the main entrance, determined. “No matter what you do, I’m going inside and I’m kicking Loki’s ass. If I have to kick yours first, so be it.”

Phobos tugged off his tie and threw it aside. “Don’t spoil the party. Have you tried booking an appointment to meet with the mayor during normal business hours?” Next off was his jacket, and he’d started on the row of buttons on his fancy white shirt.

That gave me pause. “Why the hell are you getting naked? We haven’t wrestled Greco-Roman style since Mesopotamia.”

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