The Curse of Betrayal (28 page)

He starts walking us backwards towards the living room and then drops me down on the couch so I’m on my back. His eyes are darkened with emotion, but the green stands out—so bright it’s like a star. I back into the corner of the couch, and he hunts me, inching himself slowly towards me, teasing me with a mischievous look of love.
 

I tease him right back, pretending to shake as I back up. His mouth turns up in an evil smile, and I know I’m in big trouble. I’m playing with fire, and it’ll only burn me but the burn feels freaking good. I squeal as he reaches for my ankles. He captures me and pulls me down the couch towards him. I erupt in a fit of giggles as he presses himself down against the full length of my body, pinning me to the couch with his weight.
 

“I want you,” I whisper, planting hurried kisses up and down his neck, nipping where his heart beats heavily and constant.
 

“Not today,” he tells me. I question why he doesn’t want me. Is it something I’m doing wrong? He picks up on my worry and leans back so we’re face-to-face, only centimeters apart. “I want you to love me when we go further.”
 

“I do love you,” I object, craving more with Ari.

“Just me.” The comment shuts me up completely. I would have never guessed Ari to be the one to slow things down and I’m taken aback.

“Okay.” I agree, because despite our undeniable attraction, he’s right. Who knew he would be the responsible one.
 

“That doesn’t mean we have to stop.” The sexual gleam comes back to his eyes in full force. I smile, lifting my chin so our mouths are nearly touching—almost like a dare.

And he takes it. He kisses me with so much emotion pouring out of him that I grow weak in the knees—not that I need them in this position anyway. I press up against his stiff form above me, liking the way it feels against my core.
 

He reaches a hand between us, trailing his finger teasingly down my body, landing at the apex of my legs. A shiver runs through me, anticipating his every move. The slightest flick of his finger has me on full alert.

“You want this?” His fingers move up and down my pants, never making it to the spot I want.

“Please,” I beg, lifting my hips up so he knows.

“Tell me how much.” His eyes are heavy, almost as if lifting them is just too much work. But the green peeks out just enough for me to hold their color.

“So much. Please, Ari.” I beg him again, needing him to touch me. I’m tired of playing around. I
need
this.

“Tell me you love me,” he says, breathing heavily.

“I love you. Only you,” I say, my control dwindling fast.

He catches me by surprise and reaches his hand down, rubbing me, swirling his finger around in a motion that leaves me desperate.

I rub against him unable to control myself. His tongue trails along my collarbone leaving a path of fire. After only a couple minutes, I’m completely ready to burst. I pant against him, waiting for the explosion to take over.

“Let me feel you,” Ari whispers, his voice raspy, right in my ear. He slips his hand beneath my jeans which leaves me breathless. Just the sound of him sends me over the edge, and the influx of ecstasy takes over me. I ride the wave until I don’t even think I’m on earth anymore.
 

I groan when it’s over, opening my eyes to find Ari smiling down at me. He plants a gentle kiss on my lips and sits back in his heels so I can get up. I feel guilty that he didn’t get anything out of it, so I reach for him.

“You don’t have to,” he tells me, but I ignore him and reach again—this time he lets me. I undo the button of his pants and pull them down to his ankles. Next I reach for his briefs and slide them down, revealing his godly self.
 

Thank the gods I saw his naked body before, because the shock value isn’t as harsh. Although I think I still would have rather it been a surprise just for me.
 

“You don’t have to do this,” Ari tells me again. I’m sure it’s because he sees the intimidation in my face.

“I want to,” I say, but then think better, “I’ve never done it before so I might be bad,” I warn him, suddenly nervous. I don’t know whether it’s his naked body before me or the inexperience which leaves me anxious.
 

“You could never be bad. Trust me, I know.” His eyes are soft as he coaches me. I smile, realizing that I’ve obviously done this before with him. It gives me a sense of relief that in previous lives, we’ve been together in this way.
 

I take him in my hand, moving slowly, yet clenching it tightly. I speed up, and I know he likes the pace when his head falls back on the couch and a soft moan escapes his lips by accident. He groans again but deeper and lust-filled. The noise makes me think I’ve hurt him, so I drop him from my hand.

“Did I hurt you?” I’m horrified.

“Not at all. That felt so good,” he tells me. I return my hand, wanting to please him like he did me. It doesn’t take long before he’s pushing me back and turning away from the couch. At first, I’m perplexed and wondering what he’s doing, but it soon clicks, and I’m having to stifle my own laugh.

 
He fixes daggers at me, looking between my laughing form and the soiled ground. “Funny, Eury.” He still holds himself as it begins to deflate in his palm like a broken balloon.
 

He rushes into the kitchen. He’s only gone for a second before he comes back with a wet rag and some paper towels. He cleans the floor and then zips himself back into his pants before his eyes meet mine.
 

“You think that was funny, huh, little girl?” he teases, his eyes playful. I nod, and he scoops me up into his arms. I wriggle, trying to break free, but he sits us down on the couch, placing me on his lap. “I love you.” He kisses just the tip of my nose and I scrunch up my face.

“I love you too, Ari.” I lean into the crook of his neck, taking him in, memorizing our moment.
 

When I get back to my room later that day, a weird feeling erupts in my stomach. Immediately, I’m on edge, paranoid. I unlock the door, turning the knob as slowly as possible to avoid making noise. I peek in the small crack. When I deem the coast to be clear, I flip up the light switch, illuminating the ill lit room.

“Kara,” I whisper, hoping she’s in there. When silence greets me back, my heart sinks. I drop my back pack on the floor, causing it to thump and roll over in a clamor. If there’s an intruder, he’d get scared from the noise—I hope.
 

Nothing happens, so I chalk it up to paranoia and move over to my bed. I grab my bag off the floor and drop it on my bed. I open the bag and grab my cell from the outer pocket. I text Kara to meet me at the student center for dinner and quickly go to the closet to throw on some more comfortable clothes.

As I open the closet curtain, a large figure jumps out at me, making me scream and run back towards my bed. I grab my flashlight that I keep on my nightstand and wield it around like a weapon.
 

“Stay away!” I yell as I try to figure out who the hell is in my room. I swing the flashlight so the person can’t get close enough to touch me without getting whacked.

A deep, throaty grumble of laughter erupts, and I know I’ve been pranked. My blonde god stands just outside of the closet, looking smug and beautiful, jolting me.

“Ollie? What are you doing here?” I yell, scowling at his cruel joke. I cross my arms defensively over my chest since he just petrified me. “I literally almost peedmyself.”

“I have to talk to you.” His face falls and is suddenly serious.

“And you thought scaring the crap out of me first was the way to go about it?” I’m perplexed by this guy.
 

“I’m sorry. I just couldn’t resist.” He laughs. He walks to me and grabs my hands in his. I can’t help my body as it reacts to his closeness. My palms sweat as my heart rate spikes, making me nervous as hell at whatever news he’s delivering.
 

He pulls me towards the bed and lifts me up on it gently. I giggle as his hands clutch my sides, tickling me playfully. He hops up on the bed next to me. My legs dangle off the side, while his are rooted to the ground.

“I kind of have a plan.”
 

“A plan? For what?” I ask back.

“Your mom,” he says, intriguing me. “Are you going on the field trip this weekend?” he asks, making me roll my eyes. All everyone is talking about is this damn retreat to the middle of the woods. I just don’t get it.
 

“I don’t really have a choice. It’s mandatory.”
 

“Good. We’re going to meet your mom there.”
 

“Really?” I’m not sure what emotions I’m feeling. While I’m excited to see her, I can’t shake the fact that she’s been avoiding me, saying it’s not the right time.
 

“What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy.” Ollie frowns at me.

“No, I am,” I tell him. I don’t want him to think I’m not thankful that he’s trying to get us together. Because I am. It’s just she’s been so hateful. “She hates me, though.”

“Ryder, she doesn’t hate you.” Ollie presses his hand to my cheek and comforts me. “There are other things going on. She’s trying to protect you. She doesn’t hate you.”
 

“Did she tell you that?” My hopes are up, so I pray that he doesn’t crush me.

“Yes,” he reveals. “She loves you. I promise. It’s safe now. She’s going to explain.”

“You’re the best.” I mumble, while wrapping myself around him.

“I know.” He goes into detail about the plan of action. I try to memorize his every word, wanting this meeting to go flawlessly. I have so many questions I want to ask her—mostly about how she knew about the attack, and when the attack started why she wasn’t helping, but also what she’s been protecting me from all of these years and if she told my dad about her powers.
 

“I got all of the information from Professor Onassis. She knows what’s going on and thinks it will help with the curse. I’ll meet you there,” Ollie promises.

“How do you know she’s going to come?” I ask him, since she hasn’t wanted to talk to me the past times I’ve seen her.

“I told her if she doesn’t, she’ll lose you forever.” Ollie lifts his shoulder, his eyes bowing like he’s embarrassed.

“Thanks, Ollie. I owe you.”
 

“When we meet her, Ari can’t come.” He stares down at me with stern eyes. His blue eyes are glassed over like he hasn’t slept, but they hold an array of emotions—from lust to protectiveness to sadness and even something angry.

“What? Why?”
 

“I don’t want him to. It’s my condition.” He pauses, waiting for my answer.
 

“Fine,” I mutter, dropping my head in my hands.
 

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

balance of curse making

I can’t even begin to explain how much I have come to love this place. I take the steps two at a time up to the large library fortress. The stone on the outside makes it look like it’s the oldest building on campus, built way before this was a school. But the inside looks brand new—almost as if they gutted the place to remodel. The air’s
 
musty with the smell of old books. I don’t bother stopping at the counter. Instead, I head straight up the stairs to our private room.

“Hey,” I say to Professor Onassis. She lifts a finger at me as she mouths the words
hold on
. I can see that she’s reading to herself. I take a seat across from her and wait patiently for her to finish the page. I drop my bag on the floor with a bang. I’m used to researching my curse with Professor O, so I grab a book from the pile and start flipping through, skimming the pages.

The Balance of Curse Making
is the first book I pick up. I’ve been choosing books based on their names. I always seem to go for the weird ones or the ones that sound ridiculous. I like to read poetry books and children’s books, too. They tend to get to the point a lot faster. But our piles are dwindling, so I pick up the big book and start reading the table of contents.

“Sorry, dear. I was in the middle of a rather large paragraph. How are you today?” She places her finger on the middle of a page to save her spot and looks up at me.

“I’m fine. How are you?” I ask her back politely.

“I really want to figure out if these attacks have to do with your situation. I’m frustrated that we’ve come up short handed,” she admits to me. “I want to help you.”

“It’s okay. We’ll figure it out.” I smile at her, trying to be optimistic. If I wasn’t, I would have had a mental breakdown a long, long time ago.
 

“Well, get to reading. We’ll be here a while.” She lifts her finger back up and doesn’t miss a beat. I flip to chapter one and start reading about how curses work. This book is actually eye opening, because I know nothing of the sorts. I didn’t even know people can just make a curse—so long as you’re powerful enough.
 

The more blood of a god you have in your system, the more effective the curse will be. The thing that interests me the most is that curses still have to obey rules. They have to have a way out, and this page really cements in my mind. Even though Hades is really powerful, he had to have a way to back out of the curse.