Page 14 of Fallen Gods

A person.

A very warm, tall person.

I exhale and stumble back.

It’shim.

I should not be fixating on the fact that he smells so good, like the outdoors combined with the sea and fresh rain. Crisp and cool, like water itself.

He has no reaction. He’s unfeeling. His expression is as cold as his body is warm. He finally looks down at me and tilts his head. I try to keep my face impassive.

I can tell from the twitch that begins in his jaw and the narrowing of his eyes that he recognizes me. How could he forget the girl he so openly and blatantly rejected? The world freaking knew about our little alliance gone wrong. Most teens’ rejections circle around their friends and family—mine made the local news.Bad Blood? Broken betrothal between business moguls Eriksons and Stjernes.

I meet his unblinking eyes—dark brown, like wet bark or bitter coffee—and wait. No response, none whatsoever. Except for thatlittle tick, tick, tick that’s going in his jaw. Still, I may as well be the paint on the wall behind me for all he acknowledges me.

My heartrate kicks up. It shouldn’t. But it’s a traitorous bastard.

So I wait.

Aric says nothing. His expression gives away nothing.

He looks at me likeI’mnothing.

He looms over me, easily six foot six, maybe taller. His presence is completely overwhelming. Electric. His gaze is sharp, analytical, like he’s already decided that I’m not worth his time. Or worse, that maybe I am.

His wavy jet-black hair falls over broad shoulders, the kind of effortless perfection that shouldn’t exist outside of a dream—or a nightmare. His full lips are so devastatingly tempting, it doesn’t matter if he’s about to throw me a compliment or stab me with a dagger.

High cheekbones and eyes the color of the earth after rain—dark, rich, and impossible to escape once you’re in too deep—make him into something almost inhuman, a force of nature wrapped in fury. And those arched eyebrows? I doubt they’ve ever had the audacity to lift in anything close to amusement.

He’s angry, a lightning storm bottled tight, and the worst part is, he has no clue why.

Confusion flickers across his face for half a second, a micro-expression of hesitation, before his jaw sets like iron.

And now he’s leaning in closer. My pulse spikes, betraying me.

Finally, he leans down as if to get on my level. His sneer has me almost taking a step backward. “So are you lost or just looking to get burned again?”

Chapter Six

Rey

I watch him. I don’t flinch. I don’t react. I am, after all, the one who’s going to take him down.

Besides, Father taught me it’s smarter to observe than engage, even as Aric’s words slice through me. No hint of softness from the guy I met on the beach, the guy who gave me actual hope for something different. He’s unfeeling. But what more could I expect from Aric than an absolutely soul-altering chill?

I force a smile.

I show teeth.

He can try to intimidate me, but I know exactly who I am and what I’m capable of.

“She’s with me, unfortunately,” Reeve drawls, barely looking up from his iPad. “Just checking her in. Due diligence, graduation requirements, blah blah blah.”

Reeve’s tone is a complete contrast to the warning he gave me earlier. No anger here, just boredom.

Aric grunts and shoulders past me. Damn, he’s strong. Then again, of course he is. Honestly, nothing should surprise me about him anymore.

“Nice to see you again as well,” I offer, my voice too bright. Shit. He’s already got me off-balance.