Zeus (Contemporary Mythos Book 6)

“I don’t know what else to throw at this woman. She was ready to fuck against a tree trunk, but has she called? Texted? E-mailed saying ‘marry me now, you bastard’? The answer is no, Levin.” I sighed, looking over at my dog, who cocked his head back and forth at me.

Levin yipped and scurried away as Kratos appeared with his wings splayed wide, Bia following him.

“We have some interesting news that you’ll definitely want to hear, my liege.” Kratos stood tall with his hands folded in front of him.

Bia had a conniving grin on her face, and she flicked her fingernails together.

“Let’s hear it.” I leaned on the bar.

“Your hopeful bride-to-be is, in fact…a demigod.” Kratos’s jaw tightened.

Shaking my head, I worked my pinky finger in and out of my ear as if Kratos had just told me Aphrodite was celibate. “That isn’t possible. I would’ve smelled it from miles away.”

“It is possible if her mother put a spell on her,” Bia chimed in.

I gripped the edge of the bar, lightning sparking down my arms. “A spell? Who the Tartarus is her mother?”

“Oizys.”

I stood straight. “Oizys? She’s still active? Haven’t heard about her in eons.”

“She is not on Earth anymore. But for a time, she fell in love with a mortal man, thus producing Keira.” Bia floated to stand in front of me, canting her head to one side.

“I kind of gathered that, Bia. It is how pregnancy works. I should know.” I ground my teeth together.

“She spends her time in Tartarus now, assisting Hades and using her powers of misery to torture the condemned.”

I scratched the back of my head, growing more impatient by the minute. “Oh, good, I’m glad she’s keeping busy—would you two get to the point?”

“We ‘coerced’ the information out of her, sir. She did not wish Keira to grow up dealing with the gods and politics of Olympus. She left her with a mortal couple and put a shielding spell so that no other god could detect her blood. Not even you.” Kratos clenched his fists as if preparing for my backlash.

How much more complicated could this possibly get?

Kratos shifted his stance. “Oizys also told us that her father had a message for you.”

“Erebus? What does that ‘ray of sunshine’ want?”

“He said you should stop by to his new ‘operation’ in Chicago.” The skin above Kratos’s eyes wrinkled as he lifted a brow.

“Operation?”

“Apparently, he’s running a highly organized crime ring.”

A chuckle escaped my lips after pausing mid-sip. “He must be joking. I can’t show this face mixed into that bullshit.”

“He always has had a bit of dark humor, sir.” A gleam formed in Kratos’s eyes, which was the closest one would get to witness him smile.

Downing the rest of my drink, I shook my head. “He knows the deal. I don’t fuck with them, and they don’t fuck with us.”

When I became king, I struck a bargain with the primordials. There’d be no interference both on their part or the Olympian gods so long as they played nice. And it would stay that way, otherwise, I’d need to banish them the same way I did another group of rather large bullies.

“Is there anything else about Keira I should know?” I looked between my two enforcers.

“We also believe she’s your—fated bond.” Bia brought our faces closer and grinned.

I glared at her. “That’s impossible. What are you trying to say? The Fates made me wait for thousands of years?”

“Do you think, sir, it is a coincidence that Hera, after thousands of years of marriage, left you right before you and Keira crossed paths?”

“Fuck,” I said under my breath.

Kratos crossed the room, standing beside Bia as if they were about to have a united front. “Forgive the insubordination, sir, but you really need to tell her who and what you are.”

“Fuck if I will.” I shoved away from the bar, turning my back on them and raking my hands through my hair. “I’m this close to snaring her.”

“If you want any chance of a relationship beyond what you and Hera had, a partnership, she needs to know what she’s getting into so she can make that choice for herself. Meddling won’t solve this one—my liege.” Kratos pounded his fist against his chest and bowed.

“What makes you think I care if I have anything beyond what I had with Hera?” I spoke to the mirror behind the bar, my reflection partially skewed from hanging wine glasses.

“You do care.” Bia leaned to the side, peering at me through the mirror, still grinning.

The lightning pulsed over my skin, swirling over my arms and sparking in my eyes. “Out. Both of you. Now,” I roared.

A fated bond? Me? Not. Possible.

And she’s a demigod?

I leaned against the wall, my head heavy, tiredness pulling at my bones, begging for rest. Maybe just for a moment. Moving to my leather chaise lounge, I slowly sat with a deep sigh, closing my eyes.

My phone buzzed on the counter.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Groaning, I pushed to my feet and swiped the phone screen.

Melissa Daniels wished to speak to me. With the first day of the trial tomorrow, it didn’t surprise me in the slightest, but the last thing I wanted to deal with was her acid husband-dunking ass. Not to mention the irritation of the hope that’d idiotically bubbled in my stomach that the message would’ve been from Keira. Rage shot down my spine, and a blast of lightning shot through my arm, shattering the scotch decanter resting on the corner of the bar.

Levin had creeped his way out from his hiding spot after Kratos and Bia left, only to yelp and scamper away again.

“Shit.” Waving my hand to make the shattered glass disappear, I rubbed my temple and walked to Levin’s room.

He cowered in a corner, shaking.

And now I was an asshole.

Sinking to my knees, I patted my leg and spoke softly. “Come here, boy. I’m sorry.”

Levin didn’t budge at first, and I sat on my ass with a sigh, holding my head between my knees. Eventually, a tongue lapped my knuckles and a furry head pushed against my palm. I lifted my chin, and petted Levin’s head with heavy eyes.

“Sorry, boy.” I opened my arms to him, and he scooted closer, resting his head on my chest. I hugged him and rested my cheek against the fur on his back.

It would’ve been so easy to fall asleep like this—listening to the dog’s steady heartbeat, the softness against my skin. So. Fucking. Tired.

My phone buzzed again—another notification about the meeting with Daniels.

“Fucking Olympus. Fine, fine.” I scratched Levin’s chest before forcing myself to my feet.

I sat across from a more well-presented Melissa Daniels, having had her hair cut and styled. Twirling a pen on the table, I eyed her hands wringing in her lap.

“You seem nervous, Mrs. Daniels. Something you want to tell me?” I pointed at her busy hands.

“The trial starts tomorrow.”

“Yes, it does.”

She shifted forward, slamming her shackled arms on the table. “I covered my tracks, I’m sure of it, but—what if—what if they find the check written to the storage facility?”

Clicking the pen, I pressed it to the notepad. “The storage facility where they found the barrel?”

“Yes. I had to fucking pay for it somehow, didn’t I?” She yelled, her top lip bouncing.

“When you say you covered your tracks, how exactly?” I scribbled, but it had nothing to do with what she was saying. I just wanted to look busy.

What? A Greek god keeping notes? Please.

“It’d been processed through Quickbooks, and I changed them all around, shredded the original check, so it never showed.”

“Smart thinking. So, what’s the issue?”

Her light eyes widened. “The issue? What if they discover it? They search computers and junk, don’t they?”

“Mrs. Daniels, there’s always the possibility of them finding anything. We can argue that it’s the only storage facility in the immediate area. Doesn’t mean you stored a decomposing body.”

She rubbed her upper lip, sweat collecting on it. “Okay. Okay. But what about the barrel? I did purchase it, and they know that.”

“You’re a biochemist. Why wouldn’t you need barrels for the lab?” Drawing circles now on the notepad, I rose a brow at her.

She blinked once. “Damn. You are good.”

“If I had a dinar for every woman who told me that…”

“What?” She scrunched her broad nose.

“Nothing.”

She thinks of you, sir. Thinks of how she…needs you.

Bia’s voice trickled over my brain.

A feral grin tugged at my lips, and I snapped my gaze to the killer across from me who was keeping me away from my horny future Queen.

“If you have no further concerns, Mrs. Daniels, I’ll see you in court tomorrow.” I stood and shoved the notepad under my arm.

“Wait, I—” Melissa held her hands up, stammering.

I slipped a hand over her shoulder. “You look tired.”

She slumped in her chair, sleeping and snoring.

“Where is she, Bia?” I adjusted my tie, waiting.

Her office.

My grin turned downright villainous.

Once I was near the courthouse, I made myself invisible so no one would see me walk into her office. I could be an outright bastard, but she’d never forgive me if I sullied her reputation. Still hidden from everyone else’s view but Keira’s, I slowly opened her office door, only to find her sitting on the front of her desk, leaning back, her knees ever so slightly apart, peeking out from her pencil skirt. She slowly turned her head to look at me, surprise traveling over her face like melting wax.

“I got this peculiar feeling that you—” I closed the door with an audible click but didn’t lock it, showing her she was free to go at any point. “—needed something from me.” I’d made my voice extra husky.

“How could you possibly know that?” She unbuttoned two buttons of her dress shirt and pinched her knees together, sliding her heels back.

She didn’t deny she needed me. Mm.

“Intuition? Magic?” I took several steps forward, testing if she’d stop me or run away. “Does it matter?”

She shook her head, her chest rising and falling with quickened breaths the closer I got.

“So, what do you need then, Keira? Hm?” A step forward. “Sustenance? Legal advice?”

She kept quiet, simply shaking her head, and as I stood a breath away from her, her bottom lip quivered.

I cocked my head to the side, standing in front of her but careful not to touch—not even a brush. “That dance in Argentina? I’d go so far as to say if you didn’t ‘hate’ me, we might’ve fucked in the nearest stone alley.”

She gripped the desk with both hands, but I kept my gaze focused on her. “After the stunt you pulled regarding my deportation, you’re lucky it even got that far. Look. You’re attractive, you know it. That doesn’t mean I’ll spread my legs for you.”

Mm. Or was that precisely the reason why.

I let my gaze drop to her lap before slowly panning it back to her face.

“Not to mention we’re opposing counselors, as I’ve said many, many times.” Her grip tightened on the wood, knees pressing so hard together they turned red.

Mm. Mm.

The rabbit was wound so tightly in my snare.

“True. True. Doesn’t mean we have to—” I took a small step forward, enough to brush my pant leg against her bare knees. “—go full tilt. So many other options.”

A breath caught in her throat, and goosebumps littered her skin.

I nudged my knee between hers, testing her again, seeing if she’d deny me.

“You say, ‘stop,’ and I will.” I willed her gaze to mine, further clarifying I meant what I said. “But something tells me—this is precisely what you need.”

Her throat bobbed as she yet again remained silent.

I traced a hand over her knee, traveling to the top of her thigh, waiting, waiting for her to say, “no,” or, “don’t.” But to my fucking sheer delight…she kept quiet, only making enough noise to let out a shaky breath. Her knees spread an inch, inviting me.

Moving my fingers to her inner thigh, I coaxed her legs wider, trailing my hand until I felt the lace of her panties against my fingertips. Flicking at them with a single finger, I raised my brows, waiting for the signal to retreat.

Instead, she didn’t say a word and leaned back with a moan.

I parted the cloth with one quick swipe and plunged a finger into her.

Fuck. Me. Already so wet.

She gasped, and her neck craned back.

Pumping in and out of her, I watched her every reaction and wanted to make damn sure she knew what she’d been missing the entire time we’ve played games—what more she could have.

“I crave consent because it gives us both power to devour each other.” I thrust a second finger in, and her thighs tightened on my waist. “And you repeatedly keep giving it to me without so much as a whispered word. The way your thighs pull me closer, the whimper escaping your throat.” Dropping my face near her neck, I dragged my lips over her skin and paused at her ear. “The fact you’re so wet right now you’d damn well slip off the desk if I weren’t grabbing your ass.”

She moaned, not caring if it was loud enough for surrounding offices to hear. Not that they could, I made sure of it.

“I could bend you over the desk right now, and you’d let me, wouldn’t you?” I whispered, coating it with gravel.

She thinned her lips and craned her neck back. “Currently, I’m physically incapable of saying I wouldn’t.” A sigh escaped her lungs as her eyes panned down to watch what I was doing to her.

“But I won’t.”

Her gaze snapped to mine, distance and arousal playing in her stare.

“I want you to be able to scream without fear of someone hearing. To become unbridled. Because that’s what you truly need, isn’t it, Keira? No burdens. Freedom.” I curled my finger inside her, probing her spot and making her whimper.

“I didn’t know I needed it until I met you, Zane.” She wrapped a hand around my tie, pulling me closer. “Why is that?”

Slipping out of her, I dragged the juices collected on my fingers over her lips, locking our gazes again.

My dick had gotten hard the moment I knew she wasn’t going to stop me and it fucking throbbed at the sight of her licking herself from her lips.

I leaned in. “See you in court tomorrow—counselor.” And I left her with nothing but the memory of me inside her.

I’d be the first to say this method would be bound to have me exploding, but that’s what I needed her to be…a volcanic eruption of need and want for the King of the Gods. Mainly because I knew Kratos and Bia were right. I did have to tell her, or I’d surely lose her. We’d get through the first day of the trial, she would get to see me at work, really at work, not some damn trivial evidence trial, and when she was coiling with admiration—I’d strike. Still, there was the unsettling notion how I knew what she needed. And it’s because…I needed the same damn thing.