“Probably.”
Auxo got this knowing look in her eyes.
“I know that look. You have feelings for one of them. Tell us all about them.”
“She’s a half demon from another realm, and yes, I’m totally smitten.”
All three Horae squealed and clapped their hands.
“Wehaveto meet her,” Thallo said.
“Is she good enough for you?” Carpo asked.
Auxo just swatted at her.
“Of course, she is. He wouldn’t love her if she weren’t. Hephaestus, we’ll be glad to help. When do you need us to sneak them in, and how many?”
“Eight. Possibly nine. I’m not sure if River’s father is coming. He’s a Duke of Hell and might not want her coming without him. Four monsters are coming, my mate, two witches, and a demon.”
I thought that was it. That was what Hades and I had discussed. I knew I had dumped a few surprises in his lap. Hopefully, he wasn’t planning on returning the favor.
Auxo leaned forward on her elbows.
“Then, let’s discuss the perfect time to sneak a bunch of monsters and demons into Olympus.”
Perfect.
Chapter 11
Kimon
I
was happily walking around without a shirt on to show off River’s scratches on my chest. They stung in just the right way. I didn’t wear a shirt most of the time, but I wanted everyone to see her demon marked me. I was making every point to show off my chest and stomach even more than usual. Pavlina knew and was rolling her eyes. She was just jealous River scratchedmeup and not her.
Barbatos noticed, and he totally wasn’t judging. He asked about it. River had apparently been worrying about that red cloud that surrounded her when she changed because it didn’t come out when we were in bed. I remembered how Barbatos said she could use it as a weapon.
“You don’thaveto have the cloud. It happens when you change, but you can make the change so fast, it’s more like a vapor and people can’t see it. That’s probably what you did last night. Outstanding work with the scratches on Kimon, by the way. I couldn’t have cut him up better myself.”
River’s dad was so weird.
“How do I do that again?” River asked.
I think we all wanted to know that because we watched her struggle to change so many times, then it just popped out when Tryphon added a bit of choking. River liked it rough, but I would have said something to him about it until I realized she wanted it. When she changed, I thought she was about to kick us both out of her bed, but then I realized it was a total accident, and she wanted to keep playing.
I really hoped her scratch marks left scars. I’d never wear a shirt again just to show off her marks. She had a ring through her nose to show she was mine, but I had nothing on me to show I was hers. Sure, I could get a tattoo, but what would I get? I’d rather wear her claw marks.
Barbatos just scratched his goatee.
“If it happened by accident, you must have felt a little threatened. Now that you’ve met your demonic form, she’ll come out to protect you when needed. You must get more familiar with each other, so you don’t get surprised.”
River just frowned.
“I wasn’t feeling threatened. Tryphon and Kimon would never hurt me. I know that like I know my name.”
Tryphon just stretched so that his robe came open and exposed his chest.
“I’d wager several dinars that was your first time getting play choked by a Kraken. She probably just wanted to make sure I didn’t go too far.”
