Page 69 of Blood

“The walls are thin,” Frankie retorts dryly.

“And most of us were horny,” Barret once again pipes in, completely unashamedly.

“Can we not talk about this here?” I grit my teeth as a strange combination of embarrassment and—God help me—lust cascades through my bloodstream.

But it’s apparent at least one person sitting here refuses to let the conversation go.

Alex places his arms on the table and leans forward even farther until he’s able to lock gazes with Athena. “As you can see, Violet is most definitely not my sister,” he growls out.

“There’s nothing wrong with fucking your sibling, Alex,” Athena says kindly. “We do it all the time.”

And that...

That makes me choke on my own spit. I quite literally have to be punched in the back by Frankie to keep from dying.

I do recall learning about all the various gods and goddesses from the olden times. Didn’t the majority of them have, ahem, relations with other members of their families?

Unbidden, my eyes slip to Balor, who has his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. His gaze is already on mine, as if he just knew where my thoughts would head at this revelation.

“Don’t even,” he warns.

“Balor.” I lower my voice to a conspiratorial whisper, though I’m pretty sure everyone at the table can hear me. “Are you a product of an incestuous relationship?”

“Violet, I swear to god—” A growl reverberates through Balor’s chest as he continues to glare at me.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed about, my dear.” Athena pats her son’s hand with a soft grin on her face. She then turns to me. “But to answer your questions, yes. Balor is the son of me and Ares...my brother.” She jerks her chin toward the huge, towering figure sitting opposite her with shoulder-length black hair, hard eyes, and a huge body hewn from granite.

I try really, really hard to keep from laughing, especially when Balor’s face tints red.

“Mom!”

“What?” Athena asks innocently.

“That’s interesting, Balor.” I smile sweetly up at the man who had made my life a living hell for far too long. “Very, very interesting...”

As Balor continues to glare at me, possibly too angry to speak, a soft, feminine voice echoes over the speakers Lucifer must’ve installed in the ceiling.

“Ms. Dracula?” the receptionist asks. “I have a Ms. Cynthia and Ms. Vanessa here to see you. I’ve sent them to Room 666.”

I lean forward to press a red button on the center of the long, rectangular table. “Thank you, Misty. I’ll be up shortly.”

Vin’s already out of his seat, hurrying toward the exit. I know he’s eager to see his sister—but probably not as eager as Ares is to see his own.

Snort.

I make myself laugh.

“Why don’t we table this discussion for later?” Athena claps her hands together and stands gracefully. Her long, floor-length dress glimmers around her curvy body like starlight woven together. She really is a beautiful woman.

How did Balor turn out so damn ugly, then?

Must be all that inbreeding...

As if he can sense the direction of my thoughts, Balor gives me the middle finger and then storms out of the room without a backward glance. The rest of Athena’s trusted advisors follow after him, leaving us alone with the goddess of wisdom herself. Those sagacious, gray eyes latch on to my face and stick there.

“You may believe this is a hopeless endeavor, Violet, but give it time. You were always meant to rule. We will listen to you, even if it may not seem like it.”

“Um...thank you?” I cant my head to the side as I study her quizzically.

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