Page 67 of Vengeful Mates
I straightened Slade’s collar to give myself an excuse to touch him and give him a warning. “Promise me you’ll behave and won’t piss off a god.”
Hades merged with his god and was stronger, faster, and more powerful than the five of us combined. We didn’t want to offend him in his home. Zethan was already unpopular with the god, earning the nickname Outlaw, and I worried Slade would say or do something offensive to get himself or all of us killed.
Slade trapped me in his arms, palms claiming as much of my ass cheeks as he could grab. “No promises, Nurse A.”
Exactly what I was worried about. “I want all of you returning home in one piece. I’m not sure I can heal all of you in one night.” I ran a finger along my throat. “And for the record, I’ve never restored a severed head.”
“I’m just teasing.” Slade’s large hand patted my hip. “I won’t get intotoomuch trouble.”
My nerves crackled as he tapped my ass to get moving through the portal. On the other side, my men flanked me as if they sensed danger. Slade gripped my hips possessively, showing the others gathered who I belonged to, Castor on my left side, Zethan in front to protect his president and me, with Alaric taking up the rear formation, keeping guard.
Six heads turned in our direction. Men, whom I assume belonged to Cupid’s avatars, eyed me off, gazes assessing, probably determining my limit of power. Seemed like the kind of thing an avatar would do. Evaluate the competition and whether it could be eliminated if necessary. Big Dick Syndrome energy strangled the room as my men took the others in.
I was in the healing business… mostly, except for the random and deserved reckonings… and I didn’t want an all-out war with beings just as powerful as my men and me.
My men and I relaxed as we realized Hades huddled by the fire with Cupid’s men, three papa bears cradling their babies in papooses. Twins, by the looks of one pair. The god’s hand patted his daughter while one of Cupid’s men, a tall, dark, serious-looking man, bounced his grizzly child.
My eyes abandoned the gathered group. Talk about wow. Extravagance. Marble and gold everywhere. Fancier than the damn Egyptian Underworld, that was for sure. Ancient Egyptians loved to show off their gold and jewels but this place had our god’s culture beat hands down.
Slade kissed my neck then wandered away, going over to a pale-haired man equally as mischievous as my devil. “Mads! Looking as handsome as ever.” He clapped the man on the side of the arm, almost sending him sprawling.
Hermes’ avatar, Mads, assisted Castor in his reckoning against the Bathurst Police and their abuse of the trafficked women. I wanted to run over and throw my arms around him, hug him, and tell him how grateful I was for helping Daddy through a stressful time. Later, though.
Tension gripped my shoulders at the pairing of the devil of the Greek and Egyptian pantheons. No good could come of those two getting together.
Zethan came to my side, a hand settling on my lower back, my body heating from the contact. “If he gets carried away, I’ll pull him out.”
I cradled his stubbled jaw, adoring the firmness and brutality of it. “At least I have a few sensible men.”
Castor crowded my other side, sliding an arm around my waist. “I’ll stick by Slade’s side and make sure he doesn’t get in trouble.”
His promise both relieved me and disappointed me that Zethan didn’t offer himself for the role when he, too, had the power to bring Slade down from a radioactive meltdown.
After we broke the curse, Zethan’s need to be with me magnified, as if he believed everything would go back to the way it was at the stroke of midnight.
I clutched Castor’s chin and warned him in a low, throaty pledge, “I’ll hold you responsible if chaos rains.”
“You’re gambling with your genius title, Daddy,” Alaric joked.
Castor gripped the back of my neck. “I give the orders here, Sorceress.” I got sucked into his tornado of a kiss, and the bastard left me breathless and spinning, my ass smarting from his spank. “Tonight, I’ll teach that mouth a lesson.”
If I wore panties, they would have evaporated from the heat that consumed me.
Daddy’s scent drifted away as he joined Slade and the cheeky-looking avatar to do his duty and keep my fiery mate out of trouble.
Autumn moved from the lounge to greet us, excusing herself from a conversation with a pretty woman I assumed was Cupid’s avatar. On her way, the Lady of the Underworld collected a goblet and held it out while a servant poured wine into it.
“Aaliyah! Zethan! Glad you could make it.” Hades’ wife looked the vision of glamor, and my heart fluttered in a teenage fangirling way. Elegant and sleek lines of her gorgeous olive gown swished with each step, the train flowing along the ground behind her. Dripping in jewels, she sparkled, her skin glowing like the goddess residing inside her. Fur draped over her arms and shoulders.
“Here.” Hades’ wife held out the goblet.
“Thanks.” I cupped it in my hands.
Our hostess dragged her fur tighter over her body. “Oh, your dress. Hades would kill me if I wore that.”
I glanced down. Cleavage bordering on indecent. Tight as all get out. Daddy knew the right dress to accentuate my body. Swarovski crystals along the bust and corset paled in comparison to the pearls sewn into Autumn’s gown. Killer high pumps that I wobbled in and barely kept balance compared to my hostess. Conscious that I might have dressed inappropriately, I wrapped my arms around my waist.
Autumn trilled with laughter and grabbed my arms, tugging them down. “I didn’t mean it like that. My husband’s jealous and possessive and would poke a man’s eye out with a burning fire iron for daring to look at me.” She hiked her fur higher over her arms to hide her bust, exposing a hint of a belly. “Trust me, the fur prevents a war.”
