Page 95 of Crimson Skies

Victor’s mouth pursed at his confused stare. “I need to make it clear to other men that you are very much taken.”

His narrowed-eyed gaze swept the reception.

Theo couldn’t help but snort. “Wait. Are you jealous?!”

He sucked in air when Victor lowered his head and nipped at the pulse beating at the base of his throat.

“Rohengar was one of the most coveted demigods in all the realms,” he murmured. “It looks like you’re going to be too. My hands are going to be full keeping my rivals away from you both.”

Theo shivered and closed his eyes as Victor’s hot breath tickled his flesh. “But—we’re going to be in the Nether!”

Victor pulled back.

“We’re bound to visit Earth and the other realms from time to time,” he grumbled. “So you’re getting a ring, Theophile, whether you like it or not.”

Theo’s heart swelled with affection. “I like it.” He rose on his tiptoes and nuzzled Victor’s nose. “And Rohengar likes the idea too. We love being marked by you.”

He realized belatedly how that had sounded when Rohengar groaned inside him. Heat flooded his cheeks.

A complicated look came over Victor. “We should get some more food.”

“Okay?” Theo said, puzzled.

“It’s either food or I eat you,” Victor stated bluntly.

Theo flushed even harder as Victor pulled him toward the buffet on the other side of the terrace. A host of deities, otherworldly, and humans were loitering next to it.

Victor picked up a pair of plates, started selecting a variety of finger food, and paused to stare at the dejected figure at the far end of the table. “What’s the matter with him?”

The Reaper God stood shoulders slumped within a cloak of throbbing shadows decorated with jewels. He was plucking a flower and muttering under his breath, oblivious to the guests bypassing the table with glassy expressions in favor of the next one.

Mortis was nowhere to be seen.

“He suggested to Mortis that they should get engaged,” Tenebra explained. “Mortis said he’d think about it and went off somewhere with Demetrius.”

“He’s asking Dem for sex tips,” Pan said, a gleam in his eye.

Pyri curled a lip. Eden’s ears perked up.

“Temir must not rush his bride,” Myrdin said wisely.

Tenebra squinted at the Forest God. “You proposed on the day we met.”

A beatific smile curved Myrdin’s lips. “That’s because our love was meant to be, my little rose.”

Pyri and Pan made gagging noises. Hecate rolled her eyes and tossed some chicken wings at her hounds. Boreas sighed.

Dione looked around with a frown. “By the way, has anyone seen Menippe?”

Suzie indicated a hedge at the far end of the gardens. “She headed into those bushes with Jethro a while ago.”

Ortega and Yuan sucked in air. Dionne and Thetis’s expressions turned leaden. Strickland grimaced.

“It’s a little dark to be exploring the gardens, isn’t it?” Eden said, puzzled. She blinked in the face of their stares. The truth dawned. Her ears reddened. “Oh. They aren’t exploring the gardens, are they?”

“I’m sure they’re exploring something,” Zach drawled, much to Cedric’s ire and Tisiphone’s amusement.

Daphne’s jaw set in a firm line. The Naiad queen picked up a glass of champagne, downed it, and scanned the area.