Page 12 of Queen of the Wicked (Afterlife #1)
Erebos
A fraction of Erebos’s powers had returned at the most unfortunate time. He could feel the well in the pit of his stomach, not even half-full. Still, a small drop of power was there, quietly stirring, letting out a soft rumble as those dirty thoughts of Alessia’s penetrated his brain.
Christ. There hadn’t been a god in centuries, but he tried to curse someone, anyone, for those damn thoughts.
Careful what you wish for, Little Mortal, he had sent through the mind link, and then his eyes lifted to hers.
It took only a second for him to shoot his mental shields up.
He couldn’t let her know what he was thinking, not when his thoughts were running rampant with how, exactly, he’d put his wicked tongue to good use on her.
That dress was…magnificent. The silk fabric hugged every dip and crevice on her athletic but curvy frame, showcasing her best features.
The cut of it outlined her prominent breasts, tiny encrusted rubies surrounding th em like an offering on a silver platter.
Crimson, part of their house colors, looked downright sinful on her.
Alessia Eastwood was insufferable and downright annoying, but she was insatiable all the same.
“Want some chicken with your drool?” Eryx asked, wincing when Erebos kicked his shin swiftly beneath the table.
Rather than be embarrassed by the knowledge that Erebos was reading her thoughts, Alessia strode confidently to the table and landed in her seat with a loud thud, rattling the porcelain. “I take it you got your powers back? Can I go home now?”
All previous thoughts of lust towards her vanished. This was the Alessia he remembered. “Not quite,” he replied tersely, glancing over his shoulder where his wings should be. “Only some.”
Izara raised a brow. “Some? This is news.”
“Because it just happened,” Erebos muttered.
Izara and Eryx exchanged a glance.
“If I have to remain here, I don’t see why I’m required to parade around in corsets and dresses. Izara isn’t wearing a dress.” Alessia waved to her across the table, showcasing her regular pants and tunic.
“Izara’s responsibilities don’t require dresses,” Erebos replied. “When she is working, she will remain in her uniform.”
Alessia stabbed the chicken with her fork and brought it to her lips, her eyes closing in silent bliss from the taste.
Erebos desperately tried to look away from her, but he was infatuated as she darted out her tongue to gather the remaining grease from her mouth, zeroing in on the freckles that danced across her cheeks.
She was utterly perfect. Full lips, slender nose, and cat-like emerald eyes that exuded confidence and danger with every glance.
“I want to remain in uniform, too,” Alessia said. “As beautiful as the dresses are, I can’t breathe in them.”
This wasn’t dinner etiquette. At any event, it would be considered rude, but Alessia didn’t know any better, so Erebos tried to push aside the anger he felt. “If you are going to be inconsiderate and not wear the dresses supplied to you, I will seek to find you uglier clothing.”
“Perfect,” she replied, plastering on a fake smile. “Glad we’re on the same page then.”
Erebos gritted his teeth when Eryx cleared his throat. “How are you enjoying the castle so far?” he asked her.
“Well, considering you don’t have Wi-Fi, I’m struggling to find things to do, but I’ll survive for now. It’s a beautiful place. It’d be better if a man with constant despair weren't sulking around.”
A man you just pictured between your thighs? Erebos sent the thought off to her without thinking, more than pleased to see the skin of her neck turn pink before traveling up to her cheeks.
“I’m grateful to be alive and in a beautiful place at that,” she muttered, a satisfied smirk falling onto Erebos’s face.
Good girl.
Her cheeks were crimson now.
He hadn’t had a hard cock in a while, certainly not one like this. It strained against his trousers, begging for release, but he refused to act on these purely biological feelings.
Alessia, no matter how attractive, was an annoying and insufferable mortal.
That was all she’d ever be. It didn’t matter how smart her mouth was or how badly he wanted to shut that smart mouth up.
She stole his powers—stole everything from him—so being deterred from the task at hand over a pretty face was ludicrous.
He shook his head, attempting to clear his thoughts before sending a message to Catalina, ensuring his mental walls came down so Alessia would hear. Catalina, please meet me in my chambers after dinner, he said. That would fix his issues and whatever desire he had for the woman sitting beside him.
As you wish, Your Majesty. I would be delighted.
Alessia bristled but didn’t say anything through the mind link. Instead, she folded her hands on the table and asked, “When will we find the Seeker? Tonight?”
Eryx covered his mouth with his hand, stifling a laugh.
“It’s much more complicated than that,” he explained.
“The dungeons are filled with unexplainable creatures, and the pits of Hell are hard to navigate. It’s a maze, and you have to plot a good way out before going in there.
It’ll take some time to find a safe route. ”
Alessia groaned. “How much time?”
Izara shrugged. “As much time as it takes.”
Alessia turned to Erebos. “Okay, well, our blood pact also states that you help me find my mother, so if planning a route through the pits will take a while, can we at least focus on that in the meantime? ”
“We are going to accomplish one thing at a time,” he replied tightly.
“First, the pits, then we will find your mother.” If he even could.
Bastian could have taken her mother; if that were the case, Erebos would be helpless in retrieving her.
He couldn’t enter Heaven without permission, which Bastian would never allow.
Finding her would be remotely impossible.
“Then I would like to help plan the route with you,” Alessia stated bluntly.
Erebos was instantly filled with rage. “What part of you thinks you’re qualified to weigh in on the decisions of my realm?”
“ Technically,” Eryx started, but Erebos raised a hand to silence him.
“Shut up, Eryx.” Eyes blazing, he turned to the woman beside him, loathing how she wouldn’t back down from a fight. “You’re insignificant to this process. We will create the plan and notify you when it’s complete. That’s final.”
The chair she was sitting in slid back with a screech that echoed off the high ceilings. “You’re a real dick, you know that?”
Izara choked on her water.
“And you’re an ungrateful brat,” Erebos responded with a shrug. “We all can’t be perfect, can we?”
Twirling on her feet, she stormed out of the ballroom, her heels clicking with determination across the marble floors. “Enjoy your booty call!” she screamed. The guard at the door cleared his throat as he opened it for her to exit, and when they were all alone again, Eryx burst into laughter.
“She called you a dick !” he hollered, grasping his sides. “I can’t remember the last time that’s happened.”
That was because it had never happened. Alessia fueled the rage he had buried inside of himself for years. The hot lava was beginning to bubble, and Erebos was a volcano destined for eruption. If Alessia kept it up and continued to push, she wouldn’t like what she discovered.
Izara tried not to smile, always in work mode.
She never let herself relax. “She will need a lot of training,” she said quietly, changing the subject.
“She is nowhere near ready for the pits. If she truly wields most of your powers, we will need her to be able to use them. Eryx and I will not be enough to defeat the creatures if they decide to attack.”
“Of course,” Erebos said. “See to it that she is prepared before we leave. In the meantime, Eryx and I will determine a safe route.” Izara wouldn’t tolerate Alessia’s temper tantrums. While Izara may be quiet, she was the greatest soul seeker and friend he had.
The woman was always on alert at all times, and if Alessia thought for a second she’d be able to get her way around her?
Erebos puffed out his chest, stifling a laugh.
He couldn’t wait to watch her try.
Suddenly, his stomach rumbled, and he looked down at his already clean plate, then to Alessia’s, which was barely touched.
He released a groan and cursed this stupid connection between them.
He wanted to sever it. He didn’t want to feel the need to care for her, but he couldn’t let her go hungry, and since his plate was wiped clean, this feeling inside of him wasn’t his own.
“Also, please ensure Ambroz brings a plate of dinner to Alessia’s room,” he told both of them.
Izara dipped her head in acknowledgment. “As you wish.”