Seduction (Curse of the Gods #3)(56)

“He didn’t even touch him!” I sputtered out, my voice a half-screech. “How did he get Leonard to knock himself out like that?” I looked between all of them.

The rest of the Abcurses all wore blank expressions, but I could read the dark twinkle in Siret’s eyes.

“What have you five done?” I demanded. “You can’t use your powers; you’re going to get into trouble!”

I might have hated Staviti and Rau, but that didn’t mean I wanted another god fight to break out. Rome patted me on the head, and I would have kicked him in the shins, except his pat soon turned into a soft caress across my cheek. “Don’t you worry. We’ve been getting around the rules of the gods for a long time.”

I was starting to get a sneaking idea of what they had done, and if it was true, then he was … pretty smart, actually.

Some of the shock wore off in the crowd, and the announcer’s voice sounded again. “Next to the arena is Aros, gifted with Seduction. He will be competing against Jewel, also gifted with Seduction.”

Well … shit.

I turned to the golden god and before I could think it through, both of my hands were clenched around the material of his shirt, pulling him close to me. I was already up on my toes, but he had to lift me even higher so my lips could reach his. The kiss burned through me like a ray of sunshine. His goldenness seeped into me, and I felt warmth in every single inch of my being.

He pulled away before I could completely lose myself. My breathing was harsh and heavy as I said, “Barely even rolled me that time.”

He grinned, that beautiful, perfect grin, and I slumped forward, catching myself against his hard chest. “Don’t let her Seduction you,” I murmured. “I’ll come out there and accidentally punch her on purpose. You know I can do it.”

I was set back on my feet as another hard kiss was pressed to my lips. “Don’t you worry, sweetheart, she won’t even get a chance to open her mouth.”

His eyes flicked to Yael, and more of my suspicions were cemented. They were somehow borrowing powers from each other. That way, whoever was in the arena wasn’t using their power, it was one of the other gods.

How were they doing that?

Aros disappeared out of our secret viewing station, passing Coen on the way in—who had to duck his head to get through the door, before he crossed over to join us.

I reached up and patted one of his biceps. “Great job, One. Wasn’t worried for a moment.”

He just shook his head at me, but I edged a little closer. “When you said before that they threatened the only thing you guys gave a shit about … well, what did they threaten?”

I was wondering if their mother had returned: maybe they were using her against them. I doubted they could threaten Abil. Their father seemed to be able to handle himself. Four sets of eyes in varying shades of green were locked on me, and that was when it hit.

“Me? They threatened me?” I smiled broadly. “I knew you all liked me. No point in denying it any longer.”

Yael’s brow furrowed and he looked like he was in a great amount of pain. “How can the fact that gods are threatening you almost every sun-cycle not be bothering you?”

I shrugged. “It’s really not a big deal. My teachers and fellow dwellers in the villages used to threaten me all the time too. I’m more than used to it.”

I returned my attention to the arena as Aros took to the sands, walking out into the middle of the empty space and spinning in a small, graceful circle. There was no sign of his opponent. I shifted from foot to foot, growing more anxious by the moment, but Aros seemed to be completely relaxed. He walked a short distance. Stopped. Returned, and did another small spin. He settled his eyes on the god-box, quirked a brow, and his lip tilted up just slightly at the corner. The people in the stands started to fidget, a hushed murmur carrying through them.

Eventually, Aros threw out his arms. “Am I not an appealing opponent?” he called out, his voice carrying across the space clearly.

The stands shook with nervous laughter, and Aros eventually grinned, his perfect features almost mischievous as he faced the god-box again. The laughter faded away as the nervous clearing of a throat filled the arena. It was the announcer.

“The second Seduction sol has … withdrawn from the fight. A new contestant has been chosen.”

A louder wave of murmuring swept through the arena, and several of the rows of waiting sols jumped to their feet, craning over and around each other to spot who the new contestant was. I didn’t bother looking—my attention was all on Aros. The mischief in his face had been chased away by annoyance, and he was staring our way, as though sharing his annoyance with us. It was nice of him to share and everything, but I had no damn idea what was happening. I apparently wasn’t a part of their team-effort secret plan.

“That wasn’t supposed to happen,” Yael muttered.

He didn’t sound alarmed, but the other Abcurses had gone quiet, their attention on the sands.

“What wasn’t supposed to happen?” I asked. “And actually … what was supposed to happen? You can tell me what’s going on. I’m great with secrets. I once didn’t tell Emmy that her dress was tucked into the back of her underwear for a whole sun-cycle. Okay—to be honest, I never told her. Mostly because I didn’t realise she wasn’t doing it on purpose. I thought it was a new fashion statement, the first one from Emmy that seemed fun in any way. Long story short, she got sent home from school with a warning for exposing herself.”