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He’d shrugged his suit jacket off but his black dress shirt was still buttoned at the wrist. Sebastian pulled his hand back and flicked the bead of water into my face. “Better safe than sorry,” he said, before resuming his relaxed position.
I let the water rest on the tip of my nose, enjoying the feel of it absorbing into my skin. “Why’d you come out here?”
Sebastian looked at his hand, adorned with a family signet ring on his left pinky. “People.”
“Too many or one in particular?”
His lips pulled into a crooked smile. “I should know better than to try and sneak anything by you.”
“Come on,” I said, nudging his shoulder lightly.
“Fine.” He ran a hand through his hair, and it fell back into place even more perfectly than it was before. “An ex. Here with a fucking Romulus.”
“Renato’s date?” Anyone who was here with him was clearly not right in the head. Last I saw him, he was stumbling so badly he almost knocked over a tray of food.
Sebastian was wracked with something close to a shudder. “The very one.”
I leaned against the railing, dipping my chin down to try to get a read on his facial expressions. “Do you want anI’m sorryor ayou can do better?”
Sebastian pushed up, his face revealing nothing. “You know, I shouldn’t be surprised by your wit anymore.”
“Thank you?” I wasn’t really sure if that was a good thing.
“Don’t worry, Daphne,” Sebastian said, placing a hand on my arm. “That was a compliment.”
Before I could continue the conversation, the doors slammed open, and Sebastian jerked back.
“Time to make myself scarce,” he said, widening his eyes for just a moment. And then he was gone like the wind.
I turned back to the water, feeling a strange urge to plunge my arm into it. But then I heard the drunken shuffling of dress shoes on the stone floor.
For the love of Zeus, could I not get a second of peace?
Maybe if I just stayed still no one would—
“Daphne!”
I knew that voice. And it made me double down on the urge to dive into the water in front of me. I made myself turn around and face him.
“Renato,” I practically seethed. I’d had to deal with him for years at university, and my patience was a lot sturdier then.
“You look hot,” he slurred, stumbling over to me. He was good looking, like many members of his family were, but his personality was so unbelievably off-putting it lessened the appeal.
“Thanks,” I said through gritted teeth. When he got within a foot of me, I realized he had me backed against the railing.
Renato hiccupped, and I got a whiff of vodka on his breath. I was honestly surprised he could speak at all. “But you look unhappy.”
“Yeah, how’s that?” I tried to stand still but I wanted to get away from him so badly. Two more seconds and I was shoving my knee into his groin.
“You know, you could come away with me,” he said, ignoring my question and leaning in close enough for me to feel his breath on my chin.
I pulled back, putting space between us. “And why would I do that?”
Renato smirked, pushing forward again and grabbing my wrist. “Because you know you belong with us. Up there. You could live among humans.”
“Well, I’m a god,” I said, my tone biting. I was seconds away from breaking his hand like Lukas had taught me.
Renato’s lip pulled back and I could see the blinding, artificial white of his teeth. “A god stuck in an engagement she doesn’t want to be in.”
