Page 11 of Until the End of Ever
I read it once, then twice, frowning more as the words danced in my mind.
It didn’t sound good. Five beyonddeath? Was that referring to the corpses mutilated in order to control Kleos? I didn’t really think any of the verses seemed to directly talk about the ritual.
I was pondering the words when another mini earthquake grumbled. Familiar with that specific sound, I smiled at Kleos, who was blushing adorably.
“Didn’t you eat a sandwich?” I was fairly certain I’d given her the first beef.
“They weretinysandwiches,” she whined. “Like the stupidly small ones they serve at afternoon tea. And we’ve been walking forever, in a bloody cave, then dealing withgods.”
My lips curved up. “All right, little goddess. Let’s get you fed.”
“Yes, let’s. We have twenty-seven minutes until she goes from our little goddess to a vengeful, hangry nightmare,” Gideon teased.
“Enough teasing already. I’mnota godsdamned goddess,” she grumbled.
That wasn’t entirely true. "Not yet.”
She bit her lower lip. “I still can’t wrap my head around it all. That’s just…insane. But Gideon’s right, let’s go.” She winked at her cousin. “Twenty-six minutes until I strike.”
4
KLEOS
I’d been a bloody idiot this weekend.
To say that things were awkward was a hell of an understatement. Lucian barely even looked at me for most of the morning. And then, he touched me, and my entire body caught fire, as I remembered everything he could do with his hands, and his mouth, and his?—
I shook my head.Get a hold of yourself, Valesco!
This was why people didn’t have sex within their immediate circle of acquaintances. Though Silver and Gideon went there last Friday, and neither of them seemed all that bothered about it.
Meanwhile, I was most definitelybothered.
Every time I caught a glimpse of him, I remembered exactly what it was like to feel him everywhere. Lucian fucked with the same amount of control, precision, and expertise he displayed in every other aspect of his life, which was deeply unfair. If there were any justice in the world, he would have had a small cock, or not known what to do with it. But no, the Adonis was a bloody sex god.
I was never going to forget what shagging him was like, was I? On my deathbed, I’d look back and think of it as the pinnacle of my existence.
“How do you feel about souvlaki?” Lucian asked. “There are restaurants, but it’d take more time, and we might miss the portal back?—”
I was already practically running towards the street vendors, the smell of grease beckoning me.
The old, smiling vendor, greeted me in rapid-fire Greek, losing me within two words.
“Α! Θεογ?ννητοι; Δεν μου κ?νει καμ?α εντ?πωση με την ?λη φασαρ?α που ακο?σαμε. Εφ?σον λοιπ?ν δεν καταστρ?ψατε τον κ?σμο πως θα μπορο?σα να βοηθ?σω;”¹
Thanks to my studies, I might have understood a few words of ancient Greek, but I was far from fluent in the modern language.
It made sense. November was far from the tourist season. Flushing, I opened my mouth to apologize and ask if he knew any English, French, or German, but Lucian was already replying, words flying out of his mouth with ease.
Unfair.
I tried not to wail. But seriously, he had to also speak Greek, on top of everything else? And why did it sound sexy? The portly middle-aged man behind the counter certainly didn’t make it roll in his mouth in a way that made me want to throw my panties at him.
“Anything you don’t eat?” Lucian asked us. “And would you like fries?”
“Has anyone in the history of the world notwantedfries?” I retorted.
He grinned. “You need to meet a few proper ladies seeking suitors. Fries are usually not part of their diets.”
