Chapter Seventeen

It was time for bed. I showed Darius and Declan to the spare room, told them that they could decide who got the bed and who got the couch downstairs, then went into my room with Binx. Yeah, Dominic said he'd be right back, but I was too tired to wait for him. My power nap had restored most of my lost energy, but it was still late at night, quickly approaching morning, and I'd been through some shit.

I fell asleep near instantly. Even the chaos banging around my head couldn't keep me awake.

The next morning, I woke up to Binx curled against my chest and an arm slung over my waist. With a scowl, I looked over my shoulder to find a sleeping Dominic. Part of me was annoyed that he assumed he could sleep in my bed, but another part of me was thrilled to see him there. If it had only been Dom, there would be no question about being with him. I was over his withholding information. I understood why he'd done it. So, we were good. But not good enough for me to make two other men my lovers in addition to Dominic—one of whom was an arrogant idiot.

I sighed and sat up, making Binx mutter angrily. But then he stood, stretched, and jumped to the floor. I got out of bed too and headed for the bathroom. After doing all my morning business, including a shower, I came out to find the bed empty. Smart move on Dominic's end. If he'd been waiting for me, expecting something, the part of me that wasn't annoyed would have jumped ship and joined the part that was.

I got dressed, grinning at the smell of coffee and baked goods that wafted up to me. When I got down to the kitchen, I found the men gathered around the table, drinking coffee and munching on a pan of cinnamon rolls that sat in the middle of the table on a trivet. Binx was sitting near his food dish watching the men.

“Good morning,” I said as I entered the room.

“Good morning,” the three of them said in chorus.

“Did someone feed Binx?”

“I did,” Dominic said proudly. “And I gave him fresh water too.”

“Suck up,” Darius hissed.

“I made cinnamon rolls,” Declan said. “I hope you don't mind me raiding your pantry.”

“Raid away if it means you're going to make me sweets.” I leaned over the table and breathed in the deliciousness. “Yum. I'll have two, please.”

“Coming right up,” Darius said as he snatched up the only empty plate and scooped two big rolls onto it.

“Now, who's sucking up?” Dominic asked.

“Fuck off.”

“You fuck off.”

“Dominic, why don't you tell Amélie what Hades had to say?” Declan suggested.

“Here you go.” Darius put the plate down in front of me and then added a fork.

“Thank you,” I said. I took a bite and groaned. “Damn, Declan, you're a great baker.”

“Thank you.” He grinned at me. It was almost to the wattage of a Dom grin, and I liked the way it crinkled his face.

“Coffee?” Dominic asked as he got up.

I cleared my throat and looked away from Declan to say, “Yes, please.”

“I know how she likes it,” Dominic declared as he went to the pot. “And it's decaf, by the way, angel.”

“Wonderful. Thank you.”

Darius rolled his eyes. “If you're not going to tell her about Hades, I will.”

“Give her a second to wake up,” Dominic huffed as he fixed my coffee.

I took another huge bite of cinnamon roll and watched the men squabble over me. It was kind of fun. Meanwhile, Binx came over and laid on my feet. I absently reached down and scratched his head.

Then I had coffee and things got even better. I ate, relaxed, and listened to the men as I watched them. They were so handsome. And yet still real. That was where they surpassed Dionysus. He had the gorgeous mug of a god, but it made him seem out of reach. Too beautiful to touch. The Hounds were stunning specimens too, but they also had an earthiness about them that grounded them. These were men I could hold. In fact, they'd love it if I did.

The thought gave me pause. Did I want to touch all of them? The longer I was around them, the more used to them I got. Even Darius's arrogance was wearing thin and revealing some interesting facets beneath. They felt familiar already. And instead of familiarity breeding contempt, it comforted me. I was slowly warming to the idea of having three lovers. It certainly made it less scary to commit myself for all eternity. With one man, there was the risk that we'd grow apart or get bored. But with three, things would always be interesting. And the odds were in my favor. Even if I stopped loving one of them, I'd still have two left.

Oh, that sounds awful. But I could think like that since I hadn't fallen in love with them. Yet. Possibly. Dominic was almost a sure thing for my heart. But I wasn't used to the idea that I could love three men at the same time. It felt wrong. Like cheating. Or unfair. If I loved one of them, I shouldn't be able to love the other two. But that belief was rapidly getting disproved. My heart would have to adjust. And make room. Prepare itself. Maybe it already was.

“Tell me about Hades,” I said.

“He's pissed,” Dominic said and leaned back in his chair. “By now, he's probably met with the other Olympians. He said he had to tell them about Silas.”

“Olympians? You mean the main gods of the Greek Pantheon?”

“Yeah. You know, Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, yada-yada.” Dominic shrugged. “Hades doesn't think it's one of them, but he'll know once he faces them.”

“Can't gods lie?”

“Sure, but he knows them. They've been acquaintances for a very long time.”

“So, he doesn't have any idea who Silas is?” I asked.

“I gave him a description and told him what he did, but evidently, a lot of gods can raise the dead, and magic like that is what they call opening magic. It gives the caster the opportunity to latch onto the soul of their target. Their magic is already holding it when it brings it back into its body.”

“Opens them up,” I said with a nod. “What about Hades's enemies?”

Dominic grimaced. “Vast. Turns out, the God of the Dead isn't the favorite at parties. He's got a lot of people who don't like him.”

“Would they all be willing to risk the world to get their revenge?”

“Probably not,” Declan said. “But there's no way to know which ones care about humanity and which don't. The bigger gods still have a following, so they'd be unlikely candidates. But the thing is, there are hundreds of lesser gods beneath the twelve Olympians.”

“Yeah, I know,” I muttered.

“And a good third of them don't like Hades,” Dominic added.

“Well, shit,” I said.

“Indeed,” Darius said. “But we can protect you until this is over. Even if you don't want to be with us. Please come and stay at the house, Amélie. I promise not to pressure you about our relationship. We can take things as slow as you want.”

“Or not at all?” I lifted a brow at him.

Darius sighed, grimaced, then said, “As you wish.”

I looked at Declan.

He nodded.

I looked at Dominic.

He grinned hopefully.

I looked at Binx.

He was asleep.

“Well, shit,” I said again.