Page 103 of Queen of Tempests and Sin

The court held its breath, watching the impossible—Zeus actually swallowing his temper. The courtyard buzzed with disbelief. Nobody—nobody—talked to Zeus that way and lived to tell the tale.

Aphrodite let out a dramatic sigh, swirling her champagne as if this were the latest episode of a soap opera. ‘Of course,’ she purred, eyes sparkling with mischief, ‘leave it to Bronte to turn a potential execution into courtship foreplay.’

Hades didn’t even bother hiding his grin. He tipped his glass towards Bronte in a mock toast, shadows coiling lazily at his feet. ‘I always said she was born for chaos.’

Sephy’s eyes narrowed, sharp as a blade, as shadows licked at her fingertips. ‘This isn’t funny,’ she snapped, her voice low but edged like broken glass. ‘He threatened Cordie.’

‘On the contrary,’ Hades murmured, smug as sin. ‘It’s hilarious. And neither Poseidon nor I would’ve let him within an inch of your friend.’ Which sort of thawed my opinion of the scary god of the dead—not that I’d ever admit it out loud.

Meanwhile, Zeus still hadn’t taken his eyes off Bronte, silver gaze molten with something dangerously close to infatuation.

And me? I leaned towards Sephy, muttering, ‘Well, at least if he’s busy drooling over Bronte, his focus is off me. I’ll take it.’

A few minutes later, the three gods strode off to a private part of the courtyard, obviously for a private tête-à-tête, and of course, under Bronte’s direction, the three of us followed.

From our spot half-hidden by marble pillars and jasmine, the three of us overheard every word. Si’s fury rolled like a tsunami as he snapped about Zeus daring to threaten me—his consort-to-be. Yeah, still not sure how I felt about that phrasing, but now wasn’t the time to unpack it.

Zeus sounded… stunned. ‘A mortal? As your consort? You can’t be serious.’

‘You can’t control love,’ Si bit out, his tone sharp enough to cut steel.

The word rooted me to the spot. Love. He’d never said it to me, never even let it slip, and now here it was, fierce and undeniable, thrown in Zeus’s face like a vow. My breath caught, my heart squeezing so tight it hurt. He meant it—maybe not as a confession, not yet—but it was there in every word, every storm-dark look he gave me. For once, I didn’t hide behind sarcasm. I let the truth settle deep in my bones, terrifying and steady all at once. He loved me… and gods help me, I loved him too.

Sephy beamed, and Bronte rolled her golden-brown eyes.

Then Hades, smooth as ever, dropped a reminder. ‘Do you recall what you said to us in Nexus? That you wanted to be better. That you wanted us as true brothers, not just allies bound by obligation.’

Zeus actually faltered. The smug edge in his voice cracked. ‘I did,’ he said slowly, almost as if the words cost him. ‘And I wasn’t lying. I’ve been too proud… too blind. But I want to change that. I should’ve said it sooner.’

The silence that followed hit like a thunderclap.

Si’s voice cut through, low and merciless. ‘Words are easy, Brother. Prove it with action, or don’t waste my time.’

The temperature in the air dropped again, but this time it wasn’t fury—it was a warning.

Zeus didn’t bristle for once; there was no thunder in his eyes, no arrogance in his stance. He only inclined his head, jaw tight, as if swallowing down the instinct to lash out. The silence stretched, heavy, almost solemn, until he finally spoke. His voice was lower, stripped of grandeur.

‘You’re right,’ he admitted. ‘I’ve failed. I’ve treated our brotherhood like a weapon, something to use instead of protect. But I don’t want that anymore. I’m sorry… I need to do better.’

My jaw nearly hit the marble floor. Zeus? Apologising? Voluntarily? Holy shit.

Beside me, Bronte’s jaw actually dropped before she recovered with a wicked grin. ‘Huh. Didn’t know “sorry” was in his vocabulary. I bet he needs a glass of water after forcing that out.’

Sephy folded her arms, shadows flickering faintly at her fingertips. Her expression softened only a fraction, but her voice was steady and cutting. ‘Pretty words don’t mean anything without change. Let’s see if he can change.’

Bronte arched a brow, lips curling. ‘Change? Please. The last time Zeus changed was when togas went out of fashion.’

A startled laugh burst out of me before I could stop it, champagne nearly going up my nose. Sephy howled with laughter, her shoulders shaking, shadows flickering with her amusement, and I doubled over, clutching my glass like a lifeline.

Gods, Bronte was going to get us all smote—but right then, I couldn’t stop laughing.

A little while later, Si leaned down, his breath hot against my ear. ‘Let’s get out of here. I have an urgent need to feel your mouth around my cock.’

My whole body lit up like a struck match. Gods, I wanted nothing more than to drag him into the nearest dark corner and fuck his brains out, but reality elbowed me in the ribs—I needed to talk to Guinn… about all of it: him calling me his consort, the blood bond, and… the inconvenient little fact that I might actually be in love with him. Okay, was in love with him.

‘Rain check?’ I murmured, giving him a small, almost apologetic smile. ‘I need to see Guinn first.’

His face flickered, somewhere between disappointed and downright nervous, like he was bracing for Guinn’s verdict as much as I was. The look on him made my chest ache. The tempestuous sea god, undone by the thought of my fifteen-year-old sister’s opinion. It was almost… adorable.