Page 19 of Gods and Graves

CHAPTER NINETEEN

EVERETT

I ’m not surprised Aphrodite chose to set up camp in a swanky, upscale apartment complex in downtown New York City.

The lobby shimmers like the inside of a champagne flute—tall ceilings wrapped in velvet gray and gilded with brushed brass trim that catches the early morning light.

A chandelier of fractured crystal spirals down from above, suspended in midair.

At the far end, a concierge desk—minimalist marble and matte black steel—stands abandoned, a collection of brochures on its surface.

Potted fiddle-leaf figs flank the lounge area, which holds a collection of leather armchairs, glass tables, and a stone fireplace. The scent of sandalwood and oranges drifts through the air, and jazz music blares from hidden speakers.

There’s not a single fucking person to be seen.

Not one.

Rumor has it Aphrodite bought the entire building, kicked out all of the tenants, and turned the rooms into sex dungeons.

“So…the Goddess of Beauty,” Thea begins as we move to the elevator.

According to Krystian, the glamour is already in place, making her invisible to anyone who isn’t us. Unfortunately, she’s still able to talk.

And talk she does.

“She’s, like, really pretty, isn’t she? Super pretty?”

The elevator opens with a ping. Inside, the paneling is dark walnut, inlaid with pearled numerals that glow softly under the recessed lighting. Who the fuck needs a fancy elevator?

Thea doesn’t wait for any of us to answer her questions as she continues on, her voice growing high-pitched and frantic. “Of course she’s pretty. She’s the Goddess of Beauty. Do you guys think she’s pretty?”

Trap, an inner voice in my head screams. It’s a trap.

None of us answer as the elevator comes to a stop on the very top floor—the penthouse.

Of course Aphrodite is pretty, but I would be an idiot if I confess that out loud.

Thea’s prettier.

I won’t admit that to her, though. The last thing I need is her head getting even bigger than it already is.

The elevator opens directly into the penthouse with a soft, pneumatic sigh.

“Woah,” Thea breathes, stepping slightly in front of us, her head twisting this way and that to take in the sights.

Sunlight filters through the floor-to-ceiling windows like silk, tracing over every available surface—obsidian countertops, mirrored pillars, and floors of dark-stained oak.

At first glance, the apartment is luxury incarnate. It’s all modern furniture in monochromatic colors. Artworks that border between obscene and sensual. A fireplace carved into the walls, with flames eating at the tempered glass.

The only door leads to what appears to be a bathroom. A four-poster bed sits in the center of the large room like an altar, dressed in charcoal silk and flanked by obsidian columns that aren’t just ornamental.

Discreet hooks line the ceilings, one of them still boasting rope. A wall opposite the bed has a shelf full of every sex toy imaginable—butt plugs, anal beads, dildos of all shapes and sizes, cuffs, paddles, whips… All of them are arranged with a surgeon’s precision.

A scent—clean, spiced, and unmistakably carnal—hangs in the air.

“Holy fuck. Aphrodite is freaky,” Thea exclaims, moving towards the wall of toys.

She holds up a leather mask for inspection.

“Put that down,” Krystian whisper-hisses.

Thea drops it immediately…and then moves to the paddles, standing on her tiptoes to grab one off the wall.

“Oh! Look!” She pantomimes spanking the air, her lips pursed in fierce concentration.

It’s…cute.

She’s cute.

How irritating.

“Is she even here?” Zaid murmurs to no one in particular.

“Is that who I think it is?” a somewhat familiar voice coos, high-pitched and lilting. A second later, the bathroom door opens, and Aphrodite steps into the room, smiling sensually. “My boys! What a pleasure.”

I clear my throat and very purposely look away.

Because Aphrodite? She’s wearing virtually nothing.

I catch a glimpse of a black thong and stickers on her nipples, her reddish-brown hair piled in a loose bun at the top of her head.

“Aphrodite,” Zaid says formally. He, too, isn’t looking directly at her, making sure to keep his gaze trained just above her head. “It’s a pleasure.”

“I hate her,” Thea deadpans, finally moving away from the sex toys to stand behind the goddess. “I really, truly hate her. It’s hate at first sight.”

Krystian brings his fist to his lips to hide his smirk.

“I think I know why you’re here,” Aphrodite purrs, sashaying forward.

She reaches for one nipple sticker and tosses it aside, then she grabs at the other.

“Is that a nipple piercing?!” Thea’s voice goes shrill.

Instinctively, I dip my gaze to the goddess’s breasts, noticing that there is, in fact, a metal barb cutting through her pink nipple. That must be new. It certainly wasn’t there the last time she attempted to seduce us.

“Don’t fucking look!” Thea sounds horrified.

I immediately turn away, and that only pisses me off.

Who is she to tell me what to do? To tell me who I can and can’t look at? I barely fucking know her, and we’re certainly not in a relationship.

So, ignoring the erratic thumping of my heart, I force myself to look at the goddess, to take in all of her supple curves and defined lines. Her large breasts, slightly flushed. Her nipple piercings. The black thong that leaves very little to the imagination, accentuating her pubic hairs and slit.

I feel…nothing.

How goddamn concerning.

“I will poke out your eyes and then feed them to my cactus, so help me God,” Thea threatens, moving until she’s blocking the goddess from my view.

Her tiny hands are curled into fists as she glares up at me.

That act of defiance…

The way her cheeks burn with righteous indignation and anger…

All of that honey-blonde hair cascading around her…

Fuck, she’s beautiful.

My cock stirs the way it didn’t before with Aphrodite. I just pray Thea doesn’t notice—or she assumes my reaction has something to do with the goddess before me.

Wait…did she say cactus?

She’s so fucking weird.

“We’re not here for that,” Zaid says with a restrained chuckle, trying to be diplomatic. “You know Ares will castrate us if we touch you.”

Thea places a hand on her hip and cocks it to the side. “That’s the only reason you don’t want to touch her?”

We ignore her, obviously, and keep our attention fixed on the goddess. Well, I try the best I can, but it’s hard with Thea jumping up and down, repeatedly trying to block Aphrodite from view.

I can’t help but notice her breasts jiggle each time she jumps. I wonder what she looks like wearing the bra I picked out for her. Fuck.

Stop. Thinking. Of. Her.

“You sure?” Aphrodite giggles and absently traces a hand down her chest, flicking at the bar in her nipple. “Because you boys look awfully excited.”

“You better be happy to see me and not her,” Thea warns.

I instinctually scowl at her—then remember she’s invisible and stands at Aphrodite’s boob level, so it looks like I’m scowling at the goddess’s tits.

Goddamn reaper.

“We really don’t want to piss off Ares,” Zaid tries again, forcefully ripping his gaze from Thea to give the goddess his full attention. “You know how he is.”

Aphrodite scoffs and moves towards the bed. Thea has to practically dive to not be run over by the raging goddess.

All of us look away as Aphrodite bends over to grab something off the bed. Everyone, that is, except for Thea.

“Dude! She’s wearing a butt plug!” Thea points at Aphrodite’s ass, then she lowers slightly and squints to see better.

“Oh my god,” Krystian murmurs, gawking.

Thea remains oblivious. “Yup. Definitely a butt plug. It looks like it’s vibrating. Ohhh. That’s on my bucket list. I’ve always wanted to try one.”

Now, all I can envision is a naked Thea with a plug shoved up her perfect ass.

Goddammit.

I blame the pheromones in the air, exacerbating my lust.

Aphrodite straightens and wraps a silky bathrobe around her. It’s practically transparent, leaving very little to the imagination.

“Do you think I care about Ares’s precious feelings?” The goddess’s lips curl. “He certainly didn’t care about mine when he was fucking his lover.”

We’ve all heard the story dozens of times before.

Hundreds of years ago, Ares started an affair with a woman he met—a woman who wasn’t Aphrodite.

Ares became obsessed with his new lover and broke things off with Aphrodite, and she became infuriated.

Ares begged for Aphrodite to come back to him years later, and they’ve been hate-fucking ever since.

“You might not care, but we do,” Krystian says with a chuckle, holding his hands up in the air placatingly. “He’s a scary asshole on a good day.”

I can’t even imagine what he would do if he thought we were moving in on his girl.

“If you’re not here to fuck me, then what do you want? I’m awfully busy.” Aphrodite sniffs and perches on the edge of the bed, reaching for a bottle of lotion. “I have an orgy scheduled to take place in just under an hour. So unless you want to join…”

“An orgy?” Thea perks up.

“No,” Rafe growls, that one word directed at Thea, though Aphrodite nods as though he was responding to her.

Yeah, no fucking way will we allow Thea to partake in an orgy with a bunch of random-ass humans and supernaturals. Just the thought of anyone touching her makes me want to slam my fist through a face.

Not that I care.

She can do whatever the fuck she wants.

Just as long as it doesn’t involve other men or women, obviously.

“We just wanted to get the details on the latest gossip.” Krystian waggles his eyebrows.

Aphrodite perks up. “Gossip?”

Hook, line, and sinker.

“Something about Hades’s favorite reaper…” Zaid scratches absently at his chin, gauging her reaction carefully.

But he doesn’t have my enhanced senses, so he doesn’t hear the way her heartbeat picks up speed. He doesn’t see the sweat that dots her forehead.

“What are you talking about?” She sniffs and refocuses on her task at hand—sensually rubbing lotion into her thighs and calves.