Page 47 of The Demon God's Desire

I only pray it isn’t the Hearthkeeper, come to take Bridget away from me.

A maniacal laugh echoes from all around us, coming at us from all sides at the same time. Bridget hides her face in my chest, her arms coming tight around me as my eyes dart around to search for the source of the voice.

I’m not sure what I’ll be fighting, but I’ll use whatever I have to keep it from pulling us apart.

“Well, well.” A figure appears through the smoky haze. “What do we have here?”

I squint, trying to see him as he approaches us.

Bright violet eyes are the first things I notice along with a twisted smile that promises absolutely pain along with pleasure.

I stiffen as I stare into the face of the Hedonist himself.

“Looks like our dear Hearthkeeper was right after all. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, champion?”

24

BRIDGET

My heart is about to leap out of my throat. I can’t believe what I’m seeing. The nude figure, glowing vividly, throws his head back and laughs, the sound echoing off the temple walls.

Shit! It’s one thing for Guilri totellme that the gods are real. To hear about his dreams and even to see the power of the gods in attacks that only a goddess could orchestrate.

But to see one standing before me? There’s no way to rationalize that away. There’s no way to explain it to myself in ways that don’t make me sound crazy.

It’s mind-boggling. A literal god. Here! Standing in front of us! But wait...what did the god say? Champion? As in...the Hearthkeeper’s greatest fighter in the waking world—champion? Is that what he is to her? What use would she have for something like that anyway?

Guilri seems just as boggled as me because before he can even utter a word, the god himself—the one called Hedonist—seems to almost materialize in front of me.

He stares down at me and my breath catches in my throat. The man is undeniably attractive—he is a literal god after all. He’s all angular planes and lean and muscular physique—almost as perfect as the depiction of his statue in the center of the room. His long, silky white hair brushes over my shoulder as he leans down, his cool hand making contact with my face.

I nearly shudder as he traces the line of my jaw with smooth fingers. The look in his eyes is almost predatory—animalistic in nature. As though he wants to devour me whole. I feel exposed under his intense violet eyes.

“I can see why you would choose this little human,” he says, voice husky. “She’s so alluring,” he moves his hands down to my neck, smoothing fingers over my throat. “You, my dear, would make a wonderful addition to any of the many pleasure houses in my honor.”

Guilri growls, low in his throat and throws himself at the god, shoving him away from me. My heart falls into my knees, eyes widening. Guilri justassaulted a god.

But the Hedonist only laughs, throwing his head back and chuckling as though the entire thing amuses him.

“Don’ttouchher,” Guilri warns him. “You’re here to helpme.”

“Testy little elf, aren’t we?” the Hedonist smirks. “Don’t worry little elf. The only thing I care about from you is what you have to offer in return. What’s in this situation for me?”

Before Guilri can utter a word, a flaming pillar of fire erupts from the back corner of the temple and takes all our attention away from the god in the center of the room.

The pillar shoots up to the ceiling yet strangely doesn’t burn anything around it. Not even the nearby plants are singed from the fire.

My brain seems to slow to a halt though, as from the pillar of flames emerges a beautiful female elf.

Ah. Elf isn’t the right word. Goddess? Divine deity? She’s clearly something cosmological. Her beauty is ethereal and she glows from head to toe.

I immediately realize that she must be the Hearthkeeper. She’s got long, flowing silvery hair and a demure air, as though she knows exactly how to command men to serve her through her femininity.

She stares at me with wide, unblinking silver eyes as she assesses me. The way she looks at me makes me want to disappear into the floor. Her eyes are full of swirling emotions—rage, hatred and...seething jealousy? That one I don’t understand.

Guilri immediately steps between us, protecting me and shielding me from the view of both gods. His eyes are on her, even as he continues speaking to the Hedonist. “I heard you’re fond of gambling,” he says, tone light despite the wobble in his voice that makes me aware of how nervous he is.

“Mmm,” the Hedonist tilts his head, remaining noncommittal.