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Since I was forced—or rather couldn't swallow my pride—to spend the night at Aza's, I searched for her and finally found her in the kitchen, where she and Sam prepared a few sandwiches. When I walked in, they didn't hear me; they were so focused on each other. They laughed, stood close to each other, and kept touching each other as if by chance. I wholeheartedly granted Aza and Sam their new-found happiness. I didn't want to interrupt this happiness with my selfish question. I abandoned my plan and slipped out quietly.
So, I couldn't sleep at Aza's, but I also desperately needed a shower, and there wasn't one in her room. This bedroom thing was becoming a huge drag that I could all too easily solve myself, but I didn't want to. Tanael was waiting for that, and I wouldn't do him that favor. I wanted to win this one fight when I had already lost so many others.
I also had to find a dress for the dinner at Hades and Persephone. I would ask Stephan if he could get me a beautiful dress like the one I'd worn to the gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Although the evening dress I'd been given for the reception was surely still hanging in the wardrobe in the Hamptons, I would definitely ask the demon to get it for me.
I carefully crept up the wide staircase to the wing with the bedrooms and study. As quietly as possible, I walked past the precious paintings and only hoped I wouldn't bump into the house's master. He was surely mocking me, as I was roomless due to my stubbornness.
I stopped in front of Aspasia's door and knocked. Emma opened it, and I remembered that Aspasia could no longer share her bed with me because Emma now lived with her.
"Hello, Myrina, come in," the Amazon greeted me. She had apparently had a shower. Her hair was wet, and she was wearing only a bathrobe. The sound of rushing water could be heard from the bathroom.
"No, everything's fine. I wanted to see if you were all right," I answered, quickly saying goodbye.
I already knew that the room next to it belonged to Edward. In addition to the room that Tanael had wanted to allocate to me, his own bedroom, there were Zuri's and four other guest rooms, which were undoubtedly already divided among the other guests. But I didn't want to spend the night with one of my snoring brothers, who had always annoyed me at summer camp.
In the opposite wing were Sam's, Hecate's, and Stephan's rooms, as well as another door, from which Tanael stepped out at that very moment.
Crap! I stood there in the middle of the corridor.
Of course, he spotted me immediately and approached me with a gleeful grin.
"Looking for a place to sleep again?" he teased.
I rolled my eyes, annoyed. After all, he wasn't entirely innocent in my misery—at least, that's what I liked to tell myself.
But then, an idea came to me—a plan to regain my ability to maintain my pride.
"How about we swap rooms, Tanael? You get your bedroom back, and I will get the guest room you're using now," I suggested triumphantly.
Elegant and light-footed like a cat, he sauntered towards me.
"What are you willing to give me in return?" he asked.
"What?" I stammered, entirely out of my depth. "What do you mean?"
"Well, if I give up my beautiful guest room. What are you offering me in exchange?"
"Your own bedroom, of course," I replied, somewhat confused.
"That would be boring," he purred. "Just a room I've had for hundreds of years." His eyes shone, and a hint of his former divine self swam in the gold of his irises. I knew the old legends about the Greek and Roman gods and the deals they made for their benefit. I had to be careful if I didn't want to lose more than I wanted to. Somehow, I had to manage to distract him so he would accept everything I offered him.
While I was still feverishly thinking about how to do this, the angel was already standing before me.
A fresh scent of lemon and a hint of rosemary surrounded him, and the memory of the moment Hades had so mercilessly interrupted hung between us.
Slowly, he leaned forward towards me. A wavy strand of hair brushed my cheek.
"Make me a good offer," he breathed into my ear, and I had to close my eyes as the touch of his breath on my skin tried to break through any restraint in me.
When he withdrew again, the gold in his gaze had become dark, almost animalistic. Why did I always forget he wasn't human?
"A favor!" The words had left my mouth unusually quickly, too quickly. They were unstoppable, and I wanted to slap myself for them. A bottle of wine, dinner, or even a silly hand-embroidered handkerchief would have been possible, but a favor? How could I have come up with such a stupid idea?
My counterpart grinned with satisfaction, and the devil in him was clearly happy about my faux pas.
"A favor? To be redeemed whenever I ask for it?" His voice was as soft as spun silk and sharp as a knife at the same time. I swallowed uneasily and wished I was in one of my snoring brothers' bedrooms.
Somehow, I had to straighten it out. It would have been very dishonorable to back out, and I didn't want to expose myself like that. So, I had to make do with what I had, and a favor could be many things: pouring a drink, handing over a bowl, or even having dinner with his friends. If I managed it cleverly, the room might not cost me anything after all.
