Page 2 of Desired By Eros

“Tsk, tsk.” Eros rose from the stool. “I gotta run anyway. Places to go, people to see, you know? But I’ll be back. You’ve banned me, what? Three times this year? In the end, my money spends the same as everyone else’s.” And he was glad he had a large stash tucked away in a human bank that no one in Olympus knew about or else they’d have taken that, too, along with his mortality.

“I’ll see you next week.”

Jake’s gaze tracked him all the way to the exit, as if ensuring Eros did leave. As the door slammed shut behind him, an unusually warm breeze blew by. Thank fuck summer had finally arrived in this part of the world. While he didn’t freeze whileflying as his blood naturally regulated his temperature to keep him comfortable, it was not his favorite time of the year. It was much more pleasant to fly over lush greenery and drift along the summer breeze.

Speaking of which…

Crossing the street, he darted toward a line of trees behind the gas station and walked deep into the woods. Once certain no one else was around, he whipped his T-shirt off. With a deep breath, he relaxed his back muscles and unfurled his wings.

Nearly twenty feet across, they were covered in pure white feathers, ranging in size from the smallest downy fluffs close to his spine to long, sharp quills at the tips. A pearlescent sheen covered each one, giving his wings a dazzling appearance when stretched out. A minor goddess once begged him for one feather, and he strung her along for decades without ever giving one up because it amused him.

He shook the wings and spread them wide, flexing them open. At least the council didn’t take this away, nor his ability to retract them into his body, something made possible once he became immortal. Being half-geryon—a race of creatures with human bodies and bird wings—he had been born with those wings. All geryons and other creatures who could not blend in on the Upperworld had to live in Vale Crossing, a secret sanctuary unknown to mortals. It was where he had been born and spent the first few years of his life.

Dark thoughts crawled into his mind, which he immediately dismissed with a flick of his wings, shooting him straight up into the clear blue summer skies of Alaska. If it wasn’t for his ability to fly, he would surely have gone insane, being trapped in the Alaska pack’s territory. He was forbidden to go any farther than the town, and because he was considered a part of the pack and therefore under the Alpha, Cade Andersen’s command, he had no choice but to stay within the boundary that was set.

When Eros first arrived here, he attempted to run away, but he quickly found out the consequences of disobeying the Alpha. He had barely crossed the town border when his entire body had crumpled from crippling pain. And soon after that, he discovered that he physically could not disobey Cade Andersen’s orders. Depending on the severity of his defiance, it caused him anywhere from discomfort to sheer agony. It was another aspect of his punishment that had enraged him.

But, it was all worth it, especially considering what today was.

Soaring over the trees, he navigated toward the center of the pack’s territory, landing just outside the main lodge of the Alaska pack. He retracted his wings, not bothering to put his shirt back on as he headed inside. His guest room was inside on the upper floor, and he made his way there, avoiding the disapproving gazes from the other pack members. He hadn’t given a fuck what they thought since the moment he got here, so why should he now?

After a quick shower, he dressed carefully in a clean button-down shirt, slacks, and loafers. If he had his powers he could have magically dressed himself in seconds; heck, when he was a god, he hadn’t even needed to shower with soap and water. It had been annoying at first, but he found he quite liked the routine, plus what was he saving the time for anyway?

Reaching into the top drawer of his dresser he retrieved a large black box and opened the top, revealing a gold pendant. While it appeared to be like any medallion, this one had been a gift and especially made for him. The gold had been mined from the deepest recesses of Mount Othrys. Etched on the face was Eros’s godly symbol—a wing. Though the medallion had been given to him a long time ago, he had never worn it, as he was waiting for a special occasion. And he supposed there was no other occasion more special than today.

With one last glance in the mirror to make sure everything was in place, Eros trudged outside to the open field near the community center, where chairs had been set up in two sections of several rows, an aisle left between them. Everyone was already seated, and he was the last one to arrive. He headed to the lone empty seat in the front row, right next to the aisle.

“You’re late,” Artemis, former Goddess of the Hunt said. She was seated next to him and to her right was her mate and the bane of Eros’s existence, Alpha Cade Andersen himself. He said nothing, but shot him a disapproving look.

“The ceremony hasn’t started,” he said. “So, I’m just on time.”

“You should have showed up a few minutes early. If you’re arriving just on time, you’re already late.”

“Says who?” he huffed. Artemis had always been such a stickler for rules, and even her current mortal state hadn’t changed her. “If you wanted me here earlier, then you should have put ten fifty-five on the invitations, not eleven a.m.” Music from a string quartet just to the right of their row began to play. “Looks like we’re starting. Now, shush, you don’t want to ruin this day with your yapping, do you? Not with all the planning you did.”

Artemis’s nostrils flared, but she clamped her mouth shut. Smiling to himself smugly, he settled into his seat. While the last year here on the Upperworld had been a living hell, for today, at least, it would be worth it.

After all, this was the day his parents were getting married.

Actually, Aphrodite was his biological mother, but Hephaestus was not his biological father. The two originally had an arranged marriage, which they had agreed to stay in until Eros reached adulthood and gained his immortality.

Even as a child, he understood that they were not the typical married couple. He had prepared himself for that day when theywould eventually divorce. It happened quickly and seemingly without any hard feelings from either party. Of course, over the last few millennia, Eros had had an inkling that Aphrodite and Hephaestus might have carried the torch for each other, but since he never saw them together, he couldn’t really say for certain. So, when they had met again by accident about a year ago—in this very same place, and thanks to him, ironically—he had felt the spark between them. Which was why he did what he did—force them to work together to wrangle the misbehaving Winged app until they discovered their love for each other.

And even if he died a mortal, it would be all worth it, to see them finally together.

The bride and groom walked arm in arm down the aisle, both smiling from ear to ear. A year ago, when they first got together, Eros had told Hephaestus that he hadn’t seen either of them looking so happy. It seemed that still held true today, and if it were possible, they both looked even more radiant and joyful.

A few days ago, Hephaestus had come by—he did that every now and then, as did his mother—and Eros asked him jokingly if he was nervous about getting married again. Without hesitation, the god of forges and fire simply said, “No.” That straightforward answer further solidified Eros’s belief that what he did to bring them together was justified.

If he were honest with himself, the love radiating from Aphrodite and Hephaestus as they pledged to be together overwhelmed even him. After thousands of years as God of Love and Desire, he thought he’d grown used to the emotion. But it was evident to him and perhaps everyone here today that they were truly witnessing something special, a bond that would last for eternity.

Once the officiant, Hestia, finished her words of blessing, the groom kissed the bride, and a cheer rang from the audience. As soon as Hephaestus released her, Aphrodite turned towardthe guests, her gaze immediately landing on Eros. His chest tightened with emotion at the happiness—true, pure happiness—on his mother’s face. He sent her a smug smile, and she could only shake her head and laugh.

Hephaestus turned his head to briefly catch Eros’s eye. The corner of his mouth tugged up, he gave a quick nod, then turned to his wife to say a few words. They began to walk down the aisle, and everyone got up from their chairs to follow the happy couple.

“Ugh, are we going to have the reception at the barn?” he complained.

“And what’s wrong with the barn?” Artemis asked. “I was married there and we had the twins’ gender reveal there too.”

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