Page 187 of Blood of Hercules
In fact, I felt nothing at all.
Chapter 20
The Pianist
Kharon:A few hours earlier, at the symposium
I leaned forward at the piano and watched my prey.
Alexis was sitting at a table, surrounded by sirens. She smiled and laughed freely as she talked with the naked creatures.What other secrets do you have, carissima?
The male siren sitting next to her shifted closer, staring at her with pure lust.
I ground my teeth together.
Missed a note.
My thighs bunching, it took every ounce of control I possessed not to stand up and throw my dagger into his throat.
Play the long game, Kharon.
Don’t ruin all your carefully laid plans.
I slammed my fingers down across the ivory keys, pressing the pedal with so much force the piano creaked.
Another Olympian Spartan crawled toward the piano bench, and I kicked him away with disgust. I wasn’t interested in playing with weak bitches; I had singular tastes.
Once I made up my mind, nothing could change it.
I was looking at what I wanted.
Hell and Hound lay at my feet, hackles rising with annoyance, as a constant stream of sirens and Spartans crawled forward, trying to seduce me.
I regretted ever wasting my powers on them.
None of them deserved it.
Breathing deeply, I focused on the music and nothing else.
Fingers moving quickly across the keys, I lost myself in the flow of a faster melody. Plans and moves played out before me, and I studied each one carefully.
There was no room for error.
Not with what was on the line.
There was an explosion of laughter across the room, and I leaned forward to look around the colonnade. Unable to avoid the magnetic pull Alexis had on a room.
My fingers stilled.
She was standing up at the booth, skin gleaming like polished gold, her mismatched eyes crinkled with laughter.
Dried blood was crusted across her perfectly curved lips, her arms were streaked with dirt, and curls were wild around her face—she looked like a disheveled angel.
I’d never met anyone who was such an intoxicating combination of shy and bloodthirsty.
I loosened my diamond-encrusted belt to release the pressure in my pants.
Alexis smiled seductively, slowly tugging down one of her toga sleeves.
