Keep Me Close: Gods of Hunger Book 2 by R.M. Virtues

Author:R.M. Virtues [Virtues, R.M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Strange Hungers Publishing
Published: 2021-07-29T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Hephaestus

Hephaestus made his way down to the security office via the service hallway, unwilling to encounter anyone on the main floor. After yesterday, he’d been intent on avoiding anyone and everyone that he could. It was one thing to be caught with Aphrodite. It was another thing entirely to be caught by his uncle, one of the two men he respected the most.

And it wasn’t that he was ashamed, at least not of Aphrodite. That was far from the truth. However, Persephone had already been weary of allowing him to continue this job on his own, and he would hate for anyone to think ill of him for falling prey to his own desires. He prided himself on being stronger, tougher, wiser than those around him. More than anything, he prided himself on being an immovable object, a title long tried and tested, a title he still held onto. Yet he’d merged personal and professional with eyes wide open, and he hadn’t thought twice about it. That was something to be ashamed of.

And it was Aphrodite. She was the apple of the city’s eye, the fantasy of all. Most would be proud to be in his place, but instead, he was only aggrieved by the fact that he’d stooped to the level of the average and mundane. If anything, he felt as though he’d done Aphrodite a severe disservice. Differences aside, he’d always respected her. He respected who she was and how she conducted her business. Now it felt like he’d taken advantage of all of it, and while she may not see it the same way, he knew her well enough. She wanted a fairy tale. He could never give her that.

“Hephaestus!” the girl at the front, Leda, gasped as he entered the office.

He had almost forgotten that she was working down here now, and it took him a moment to recognize her. She looked different from the day she’d arrived, cleaned up and dressed in a simple blue dress. Gathering his bearings, he greeted her with a polite smile although it felt more like a grimace.

“Leda, how are you?” he asked, leaning over her desk.

“I’m alright,” she responded, her smile bright and glittering.

“How do you like it down here?”

“I like it a lot. Everyone down here is really nice, and the job is easy enough. I really appreciate you recommending it, Hephaestus. I know you didn’t have to do that.”

“It was nothing really. You should be thanking Aphrodite. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have had a place to recommend.”

“Well, Psyche says you’re in charge of security for the whole city. That’s really neat. You’re like - a hero or something.” She giggled lightly. “It’s very impressive.”

“I’m more strategy than I am combat.”

“You’re just being modest.”

She batted her lashes, and he traced the movement. He wasn’t sure, but there was something about her that struck him, making him wary. She seemed to be trying pretty hard, and while it was most likely due to her desire to succeed in this position, there was something else too.

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