Goddess of Love (Goddess Summoning #5)(36)

Griffin nodded.

"Stephanie?"

"No. Alicia."

"Alicia, huh? Hey, she's single again, ain't she?"

"Not yet, but I'm hoping she'll come to her senses soon. Anyway, forget about it."

"What? What's wrong with me?"

"What about what's her name, uh, Melissa? I thought you were seeing her," Griffin said. Robert shrugged. "I am. Kinda. But it's no big thing."

"And that's what's wrong with you." Griffin slapped him on the shoulder and started to get off his barstool - carefully, so that his damn skirt didn't fly up too damn far.

"Hey! With your sister I'd be different," Robert protested.

"Like I said before, forget about it."

Griffin left Robert still grumbling to himself at the bar and started to weave his way through the crowd of masked partygoers, keeping his eye trained on the silver blond fall of hair and the almost see-through costume of the woman who looked every bit the part of a goddess. He'd buy her a drink. Or two. What harm could a drink or two do? It wasn't like he was going to fall in love or anything stupid like that.

Chapter Eleven

"W hat do you want on your name tag?"

The woman looked up at him expectantly. Vulcan stared silently down at her.

"You know, who you're pretending to be tonight," she prompted.

"I am Vulcan," he said.

"Let's see." She tapped the capped end of the Sharpie against the table. "Vulcan was supposed to be God of Fire, right?"

"Correct."

"Yeah, I kicked ass in my mythology class last semester. Hey - I think there's another God of Fire here, too. You'd think y'all would've called each other to make sure you don't have the same costumes." She giggled a little. "Anyway, careful you don't clash. You could burn the place down, and that would be embarrassing with all you firemen here."

She grinned at her own joke and handed him a name tag with Hello, my name is GOD OF FIRE

printed boldly in black marker. Following what the others had done, Vulcan put it on his chest and then he moved slowly into the large, crowded restaurant, already feeling relieved that the lighting was low enough that if he was careful no one would notice his limp - or at least Venus wouldn't. He'd waited until she and Pea had found a table near the dance floor in the main room before he entered, though it had been hard to keep his eye on them through the press of costumed people. Normally he would have hated a crowd like this, but tonight was markedly different. He kept reminding himself no one knew who he was. It seemed true; no one stared and pointed at him. There were no gods or goddesses silently laughing at him, and no mortals cowering away from him in fear. For at least this one night he was accepted; no different than any other mortal man. It was, as Venus and Persephone had already observed, an amazingly freeing experience. Unconsciously he relaxed his usually too-rigid posture, allowing his arms to swing free and his body to move with an ease he rarely experienced outside his personal realm. His limp became less awkward. Had he been able to observe himself, he would have been shocked to see a tall, broad shouldered man who exuded power. His thick, dark hair, which he wore short because of the heat in his realm, usually evoked disdainful looks from the golden-maned Olympians. Here he fit in perfectly amongst the firemen and their military hair cuts. He wore a half mask that was the warm color of a candle's flame, and only the blue of his eyes, his lips and the firm, square line of jaw were left visible.

"Hey handsome," purred a woman who ran a quick finger down his bronze breastplate. She was dressed in a short black skirt and matching black sweater that sparkled with tiny threads of glittering silver. Her sweater was unbuttoned low enough that the red of her bra was exposed, along with her generous br**sts. Her mask was also red, as were the horns on her head and her wild, shoulder length hair. Her name tag read, Hello, my name is SATAN. Vulcan had to force himself not to jump back in surprise at her touch.

"God of Fire, huh? You can light my fire anytime, baby." She moaned breathily.

"I'll keep that in mind, Satan," he surprised himself by saying with a smile. The woman licked her reddened lips and smiled coquettishly before allowing the crowd to wash her from his side as the tide of people headed to the dance floor. The mortal woman had flirted with him! No one knew who he was. Logically he'd realized it before then; he'd even repeated the fact to himself as he moved through the restaurant. But he hadn't really known it until the moment the woman had spoken to him. It was enough to make him throw back his head and shout with happiness for the first time in his long life!

With growing confidence, he met several of the other mortal women's eyes. Not one of them turned away from him in disgust. Not one of them cringed in fear. One of them actually winked at him. The others smiled invitations. Even through their masks he could easily read their interest. His heart thudded with newly discovered excitement. If those women - those indiscriminate mortals who he had never spoken to, but who clearly were showing interest in him - if those women could find him desirable, then did it not stand to reason that Pea might desire him, too?

Vulcan moved to stand against the wall, just another in a long line of costumed, virile men. When the harried waitress took his order he repeated what the man standing nearest to him had asked for, a Boulevard Wheat Beer. As he sipped the brew, which was actually rather tasty, a little like satyr winter ale only less sweet, he focused his attention on Pea and Venus. Using the invisible thread of fire to amplify his already divine hearing, he listened and waited.