Page 34 of The Devil and His Goddess

“Any of them.” She bit her lip to fight a grin. “Minus Perseus, of course.”

I feigned indifference with a shrug. “Not sure why you wouldn’t include him in the running.”

“You’re so sexy when you lie,” she laughed before smacking a kiss on my cheek.

Shaking my head over her antics, I resumed my trek to the kitchen, which was absolutely clear now that everyone congregated at the front of the house. I grabbed a water and hopped onto the kitchen counter while Aiysha reorganized the drinks next to me, which had gotten cluttered during the party.

It was a long time before the crowd started spreading back out. Aiysha and I people-watched from our place, making and handing out drinks as people wandered by. Since dance season was underway, I wasn’t drinking any of the alcohol. I was content to sip on my water, which I’d just finished when a trio of girls came into the lightly-packed kitchen.

“I’m shocked they wanted to brave a house party,” a girl with pink-tipped blonde hair remarked to her friends.

“I’m not,” one replied with a laugh, flipping her strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder. “Thisisthem we’re talking about.”

Men and women moved around the kitchen, filing out as the new flow of people walked in.

“I agree with Eden,” the brunette I’d seen behind Zagan said. “Some of the guys love parties, and where one goes, they all go. I mean, just remember our first night meeting them. Is anyonereallysurprised?”

“My point exactly,” Eden laughed.

“Did you see Coldin, though?” the pink-tipped blonde asked the girls as they reached the island just as others moved away. “He looks miserable.”

“He always looks like that, Addie,” the brunette laughed.

Addie pursed her lips and looked at the ceiling like she was contemplating the suggestion. Finally, she shrugged. “True.”

“I see you girls made it past the ambush.”

My breath stilled in my throat as I recognized that deep, playful voice. Perseus appeared in the kitchen with his charming grin on full display.

“No thanks to you guys,” Eden shot back with her hands on her hips.

Perseus shrugged. “You know you love the chaos of it, Eden. But I think the worst of it is over. Should be smooth partying from here.”

Perseus’s green eyes magnetically found mine through all the people coming and going through the expansive kitchen. His smile deepened as he crossed the room to where I still sat on the counter, one leg crossed over the other. He braced a hand on either side of my hips and leaned against my bare legs.

“Goddess,” Perseus greeted quietly so that the name was for our ears alone.

I just barely fought my mirth as my chin tilted ever so slightly higher. “Peasant.”

“That must be Harper.”

He glanced over his shoulder where the brunette girl in the group watched us with a teasing tilt to her lips.

“You know Harper?” Perseus asked.

The girl’s cheeks grew rosy as she tucked some hair behind her ear. “I knowofHarper. Zagan told me about how …closeyou seemed at work today.”

Aiysha barely stifled a laugh beside me, and despite my cool facade, my ears grew warm. Perseus didn’t seem embarrassed about being caught with this strange tension between us. He just rolled his eyes and stepped away so I could clearly see the brunette and her friends.

“Harper, this is Iyla,” Perseus introduced with a gesture at the brunette. “She’s Zagan’s—” He paused with a purse of his lips. “Well …”

Iyla’s cheeks somehow grew even pinker, and she came over to shake my hand. “I’m Zagan’s friend.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said, recalling that morning.

Zagan had made a joke about running home to fuck someone named Iyla. I supposed the relationship between the two was complicated, and I suddenly felt a kinship with Iyla. If there was something I could understand, it was a complex relationship with one of these guys.

“I hope it’s okay that we came with them,” Iyla said while nervously shifting on her feet.

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