The Underworld Crown (Series)

Chapter 14

The castle hallways were abuzz with activity as I meandered back to my bedroom, rubbing sore muscles along the way. I was anxious about running into Alek, so I kept track of all of the faces I passed into in a desperate hope that he wouldn't be one of them. Luckily, I didn't see a single hint of his smug smirk. Instead, I was faced with the next worst person. Himeros stood in the hallway which led to my bedroom, leaning against the wall with all the nonchalance in the world. The sleeves of his button-down shirt were rolled up to reveal bronzed forearms. With one hand in his pocket, he held a cigarette in his other. When he saw me, he exhaled, and a long draft of smoke swirled around him.

"No smoking in the hallways," I said by way of greeting.

He paused. "Really? Hades allows murderers in his hallways but no smokers?"

I shrugged. Himeros didn't need to know that it was my rule, not Hades' rule. "Hey, don't shoot the messenger."

An amused expression crossed his face, as though he'd told himself an inside joke. "You're not wearing your bracelet today," he noted.

I scowled and stormed past him, content to leave him alone in the hallway.

"Did you not receive any pleasure from my gift?" he drawled, the innuendo loud and clear.

I spun on my heels and marched back to him. I must have looked pretty threatening by my standards, because he stood straighter and a sliver of satisfaction coursed through me.

"Do you think this is funny?" I exclaimed.

Himeros frowned, having the audacity to appear genuinely disappointed. "So, you didn't enjoy my gift?"

"Of course I didn't enjoy your gift," I snapped. Then, in a smaller voice, "Did you think I would have fun kissing the one person who was my friend? The only person in this entire castle that I trust? My friendship is likely ruined because of you."

His frown etched deeper onto his face. "That's an oddly specific thing to accuse me of. I think you've overestimated my capabilities."

The smoke from his cigarette curled up into my nose. I wanted to throw it from his hand and stamp it out on the ground. "What do you mean?"

"I provided you with a basic lust charm, activated in the presence of the person you most admire. I didn't imbue the bracelet with a charm designed for a specific person." A smile curled at his lips and his eyes glazed over with a far-away look. "Why, if I could do that, I would have had a lot more fun..."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Well, I know for a fact that you're lying. I feel absolutely nothing romantic towards Kadyn, yet the bracelet convinced me that I did."

Himeros shrugged, even though he had no clue who Kadyn was. He was just going along with my intense line of questioning. "All I can say is that the lust charm was designed to activate in the presence of someone you felt an attraction to. For that reason, I thought you would have enjoyed my gift, not hated it." He paused for a moment. "Unless, of course, the bracelet was activated by someone other than Kadyn, but your body mistook him as the source of your attraction...I've never considered that little loophole."

I took a step back from him, frowning. "You mean, maybe someone else in the same room as Kadyn could have activated the lust charm?"

Himeros dipped his head forward, making his silver highlights glisten. "Exactly."

God, I was getting a headache. I leaned my weight against the wall, taking a deep breath. "Fantastic," I deadpanned.

"I apologise for the fallout of my gift, whatever that may be."