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My eyes narrowed slightly. I had no idea exactly what type of mark he thought he saw in the general vicinity of my breasts. I twitched as Nyktos’s finger began moving along the skin of my leg, back and forth in a straight, slow line. And I didn’t know what to think of his sudden affection—sudden sensual affection. I wasn’t used to being touched so casually or so openly.
“She’s a godling on the cusp of her Culling,” Nyktos stated so smoothly that I was impressed. His finger stilled on my skin. “And if you keep looking at her like that, I’ll cut your eyes from their sockets and feed them to Setti.”
My eyes went wide.
Attes laughed deeply, and the sound was nice—not as nice as Nyktos’s, but deep and throaty. “My steed prefers alfalfa and sugar cubes over eyes.” He brushed his fingers across the silver band on his biceps. “But he appreciates the offer.”
“I’m sure he does.” Nyktos’s finger returned to tracing that line.
Attes adjusted his sword as he helped himself to the seat in front of the desk. “Is she a godling who already called Lethe home?”
Irritation burned on my tongue. To sit and be spoken about as if I were not in the room was the height of infuriating.
“No,” Nyktos said.
Attes raised an eyebrow. “Then where did you find her?”
I’d just told Nyktos that I knew when to be reserved. This was one of those moments. A Primal sat before us. That alone was a precarious position to be in. So, I kept reminding myself of that as I searched for the veil of emptiness inside me, the one that allowed me to feel nothing—not even anger—and to just exist. I’d worn it so often that it almost felt like it had truly become who I was. But I struggled to find it.
I had a feeling it had to do with the hand on my leg.
“I found her in a lake.”
Attes’s brows snapped together. “I’m really hoping you’ll elaborate on that.”
“In my lake.” I spoke then, unable to stop myself. “He was—” I inhaled sharply as Nyktos shifted his legs, drawing my backside more fully against his lower stomach. Nyktos’s finger began to move, drawing a short line along my i
“He was…?” Attes prodded, his gaze lowering to where Nyktos’s hand had disappeared. Suddenly, I knew why Nyktos had felt the need to apologize ahead of time for his behavior. Everything he was doing was in plain sight of Attes. Nyktos was making it very clear that I was his.
The problem was, I didn’t entirely mind it.
Which presented another problem since my lack of disgust over this meant there was truly something wrong with me, and I would really need to think long and hard about that later.
“He was trespassing while I was swimming,” I managed.
A brow rose as Attes glanced between us. “I think I need to visit more lakes in the mortal realm.”
“You should,” Nyktos suggested. “Though I doubt you will find such unexpected treasure as I did.”
Treasure? There was a silly jump in my chest that happened before I could remind myself that if I took away the embers, a treasure was the very last thing Nyktos thought I was.
“Sadly, I think you may be right,” Attes said after a moment. “I doubt I shall find a treasure as…unique.”
Nyktos’s finger halted. There was something in Attes’s tone and the slight, almost secretive smile that graced his lips—something that caused tiny balls of unease to form in the pit of my chest.
“What’s your name?” Attes asked, his thumb tapping the arm of the chair.
Nyktos said nothing behind me, so I took that as permission to answer. “Sera.”
“Sera,” he repeated in a low voice. “No last name?”
It was doubtful that he could find many in the mortal realm who would recognize my first name. The last would be an entirely different story. I gave a coy shrug.
“Intriguing,” he remarked. “I think the others will understand why you’ve taken a Consort once they see her.” The Primal gave a slow grin, showing off that dimple in his right cheek. He winked at me. “I have a feeling many of them will find themselves wishing to adorn themselves with such an alluring accessory.”
Anger gathered in my chest for a second before Nyktos’s arms gave a warning squeeze. I’d likely projected that emotion right down his throat. Because…an accessory? There wasn’t enough common sense in the entire realm of Iliseeum for me to keep my mouth shut. “I doubt you prefer the taste of eyes more than your steed, but refer to me as an accessory again, and it will be you who feeds on them.”
The moment those words left my mouth, I almost regretted them. The Primal of Accord and War went impossibly still in the same way Nyktos often did. His glowing, silver eyes fixed on me. Icy, dark energy ramped up, brushing against my skin as it built from behind me. I was suddenly unsure which Primal I’d angered more.
Attes smiled, revealing straight teeth and fangs. “This one has bite.”
“You have no idea,” Nyktos murmured, and my head whipped toward him. His eyes briefly met mine as that damn hand slipped deeper between my thighs. His thumb gave a swipe, nearly brushing the thin undergarment there. “Behave.”
I drew back, my restraint cracking again.
“Has Veses seen her yet?”
Veses. My attention snapped back to Attes as the memory of the Primal touching Nyktos filled my thoughts.
“No,” Nyktos replied, his tone cool enough to chill my skin.
“Well, that will be a complication, will it not? One I would not envy.”
I opened my mouth, but Attes continued. “And you’ve had a lot of complications of late, it seems. I heard you had quite a few entombed gods escape on you.”
“I assume you had nothing to do with that.”
Attes smirked. “You should know me better than that. If I had a problem with you, I wouldn’t send one of my draken, nor would I unleash those entombed here.”
“No, you’re not the type to plunge the sword into someone’s back.”
“Neither are you.”
“Glad we have that in common,” Nyktos replied, but he didn’t sound glad at all. “What is it that you want, Attes?”
“There are many things I want, and very few of those things are available to me.” Attes stretched out a leg. His gaze dropped to where Nyktos’s hand was. “I’ve never seen you quite so…engrossed with another before.”
I almost laughed.
“You haven’t.” Nyktos’s lips brushed my cheek, causing my pulse to skitter in surprise. “I prefer to have her within reach.”
Only because he feared I would do something reckless, but not exquisitely reckless.
“I can easily see why.”
“And I can see you’re nowhere near getting to the point before I run out of patience,” Nyktos warned. “And I’m almost there, just so you know.”
Good gods, the way he spoke to the other Primal was shocking. I knew there was a hierarchy to the Primals, with the Primal of Death and Primal of Life being at the top, but still. This was the Primal of War.
Attes’s stare sharpened, hardening the handsome angles of his face. “You killed my Cimmerian. Those who came to your Rise.”
The swift change of subject threw me as Nyktos said, “They were not your Cimmerian. They served Hanan. And if you had such concern for them, you should have taught them better than to serve such a coward.”
Tension poured into the chamber, even as Nyktos’s finger continued drawing short, idle lines over the flesh of my thigh.
“As much as it pisses me off to admit this,” Attes said after a long moment, “you have a point there. But you also killed Dorcan. I was under the impression that you two were fond of each other.”
Dorcan…he had called Nyktos an old friend. I hadn’t thought much of it, because Nyktos didn’t consider any of those close to him friends. But that didn’t mean they weren’t.
“I may have tolerated him. But whatever tolerance I may have for someone ends when they come to my Court, make demands, and attack my guards. None of the other Primals would’ve done anything less.”