My Date From Hell (The Blooming Goddess Trilogy, #2)

The Understatement of the Century (Part 4)

Kai leaned in to me and nuzzled his face into my neck. His arms circled me and he held me tight, inhaling my scent and cradling me like I was the most precious thing in the world.

Either Kai had a severe head injury or he'd been possessed, because he was never tender like this.

I gritted my teeth. He made it very hard to hate him.

I couldn't shake the thought that this was another of his famous mind-games. That he had faked being out of it from the start. However, I still wanted answers. Maybe a warm, pliant Kai would be a talkative Kai. And if he shut up fast, then I'd know he was just playing me.

I wasn't above exploiting the situation to find out.

And that's all this was—a fact-finding mission.

"Kai," I murmured.

His hold on me tightened.

I felt so warm and safe. Facts. I was here for facts.

"Tell me why you took Theo's chain." The chain that had been forged so Zeus could bind Prometheus to a rock and have an eagle eat his liver as punishment for giving mankind fire. Since Prometheus no longer had any power in his human form, it was his only weapon. "You stole it. Knowing it was all Theo had, just so you could what? Go after Hades in his poisoned state?"

"Had to," he rumbled, his voice scratchy, as if he hadn't spoken for a long time. It was growly and sexy and his slightly foreign accent was the tiniest bit more pronounced. For some reason it made me think of rumpled beds.

No! Not beds. Bad, nasty things like uh—

Kai nipped on the hollow of the left side of my neck which remained my Kryptonite. Every nerve flared to life screaming "more" as shivers ripped through me and my mind went blank.

I placed my hands on his chest and tried to shove him back. Get some breathing space. Oxygen was exceedingly elusive right now.

In response he nipped me again.

Had Kai come with a medicine label it would have read: take sparingly. Side effects may include: full body tingling, inability to catch a breath due to tightening ribs, and wonkyheadedness.

"Focus, Kyrillos," I ordered sternly. Or at least muttered weakly before letting out something embarrassing close to a moan as he licked the spot he had nipped.

Yeah, definitely a moan. It only fired him up hotter.

I couldn't let him touch me. Was not going to let him fondle his way into forgiveness.

Answers. Now. I had to get back in control of this situation. I'd turn the tables.

I held his arms in place at his sides and nuzzled his jaw. "The chain, Kai. What happened?"

The skin under my lips felt bristly and tasted salty and I sort of forgot this was supposed to be an assault tactic as I fell into the spiciness of him.

"Chose you, Goddess," he mumbled. He groaned and tumbled us to the floor.

"I know," I tensed under him. "You wouldn't ever let Hades hurt Persephone."

Seriously, I so did not want to be reminded of her right now.

"You." He was starting to slur.

I ignored the tinge of guilt I felt knowing that he really hadn't come to his senses properly. Was still in a stupor and would never have been answering me otherwise. "Yes. Me. I am Persephone. But I'm Sophie. Do you get that?"

I bent a knee and placed my bare foot against the cool floor, the better to support his hot, heavy weight.

Kai suckled the skin above my collarbone.

My last iota of reason jumped up and down in my brain reminding me of my real purpose. The rest of me tried to beat it into getting with the pleasure program, but he was a determined little bugger.

Kai's head dropped against my chest.

I dragged my foot along his leg, sliding it against his toes. I gave him a prod.

"Hades poisoned himself," he got out thickly, rolling off me.

I sat up abruptly, hot anger flooding my system. "That bastard! He framed me."

But why? Any way I looked at it, I came up blank.

I shook my head. "It doesn't make sense. If he wanted me out of the way, he'd have killed me. Not frame me."

Kai raised himself enough to lean over me, staring into my eyes. His expression stayed partially glazed and dazed, evidenced by his blinks that were becoming slower and slower.

I cupped his chin in my hands. "Stay with me here, bad boy."

"Test." Blink.

"For ..." I prompted.

"My loyalty." He paused and I waited, unsure if there was more. "You ... or him." Very slow blink.

"But if you went after him then that meant ..."

His gaze softened and he started to sway. "Chose. You."

I laid him on the ground in case he fainted and considered what he'd said. It was sweet, I guess. "You chose Persephone again."

"Chose Sophie," he mumbled. His lids fell shut.

Holy. Hannah.