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“Who’s a fucker?”
“Hypnos, the god of sleep and dreams.”
“Why would he bother with me?” I ask.
Eros hesitates as if he might know, but he doesn’t share. “What did he do?”
“Nothing really. He said things aren’t as they seem.” I shrug.
I shift a bit, because Eros has yet to lift off me, but he doesn’t budge with my movement.
Eros is still rattled, so I allow the contact, as it’s calming me down too. “Seems like a dumb reason to talk to me.” Is he warning me about Eros? Will he betray me? We have a strange set up as it is. I pay for my continued existence by doing whatever he wants. He doesn’t need to manipulate me, Ialready know what’s happening there. Besides, it isn’t like I havefullytrusted him… yet. To dismiss Hypnos’s warning, I say, “Of course things aren’t as they seem. Nothing ever is.”
“No, not usually,” Eros agrees, rolling off me and onto his back. He stares at the ceiling, deep in thought. There’s a worried strain around his eyes.
“Is there more to his warning?” I ask. “Does it have something to do with Hermes’s threat?”
“The others are supposed to butt out while I train you,” he mumbles.
“So this has something to do with me not accepting you yet?”
He nods.
“Why do they care?” I ask, worry swelling in my chest.
“I didn’t want to burden you with it.” Eros’s jaw flutters with anger. “But if I don’t succeed in my goal, then you will be up for grabs.”
“Grabs? Like other gods will try to take me?” I don’t like the sound of that at all.
“Yes.”
I clasp a hand over his jaw and turn him to face me. “Then I should accept your offer. Uh, that’s with a kiss, right?” I swallow hard as I glance from his gold eyes to his full lips. Why is it this hard to kiss a freaking sexy, considerate, and gorgeous god? Maybe because it means more than just a touch of skin. I’m committing my existence, my soul, to him.
“No.” He catches my face tenderly in his hands as I inch closer, then he turns away so I can’t disobey. “You aren’t ready yet. It can’t be forced.”
“But if they?—”
Eros cuts me off. “It won’t work unless you’re truly mine.”
Mine… The word sounds heavy as it lands between us.Minesounds so final and possessive. It sounds romantic in books to have a passionate male claim you, but in real life? It’s scary. Hisrefusal to want me until I give him everything scares me too, and stupidly enough, it feels like rejection.
“Okay,” I whisper. “We’ll wait.”
With a glance at the window, I see it’s still too early for me to get out of bed, so I snuggle into my pillow.
Eros curls up next to me, pressing his body in line with mine. “Please understand.” His deft fingers play with the wisps of my hair. “I… I don’t want to force this. I need you to choose this role because you have the love of your life.”
Again, why does that statement feel so significant?
I don’t sleep the rest of the early morning. It’s partly because I’m worried Hypnos will drag me to his realm again, and partly because I worry about what will happen if I can’t win Carl’s love the way Eros hopes I will. I lie awake next to him, wondering what’s to become of me.
What if I can’t trust Eros enough to be a matchmaker?
What if the other gods claim my soul, and they turn out to be cruel? Or what if I end up dead after all this?
15
CONFRONTATION
