The Love Game (Gods of the Universe: Book 1)

One

Four years later

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"Lana!" My mother sings. "Someone's here to see you!"

I groan in unison with my best friends, Milo and Carina Garrett, since it's almost nine o'clock. They're twins; Carina is older, with pale skin and curly brown hair, while younger Milo has tanner skin with curly golden-blond hair, but both want to help me prevent the gods from marrying me.

"I'll be right down!" I call out the door. Then I turn back to my friends; Carina sitting cross-legged on my bed and Milo straddling my desk chair, spinning around in so many circles I'm surprised he's not throwing up. "Okay, guys," I say, drawing their attention. "How do I look?"

Carina sighs. "Same as this morning, Lana," she answers, gesturing to my clothes.

The skirt of my dress is made entirely of grey silk roses while the strapless bodice is decorated with tiny red beads in a beautiful symmetricand pattern, and the whole thing is fitted over dozens of petticoats and a breath-taking corset. Pun intended. I refused to wear jewelry or make-up, not even Carina's red lip stuff. She'd pinned my black hair up in some sort of elaborate braid and, despite my protests, had pinned a red jewel flower in the middle of my hair. So far, the only thing Milo had done was throw out random comments and on-the-spot poetry, claiming to be
keeping watch for my mother.

"You promise?" I press. My mother would kill me if there was even a hair out of place.

"I swear, Lana," Milo interjects, "you look absolutely fabulous."

"Amazing," Carina adds, though she looks less than thrilled about it.

"Absolutely fabulously amazing!" Milo crows suddenly. "You'll be wonderful. You'll charm the pants off that god!" He promises.

"Figuratively, of course," Carina interjects dryly.

"Thanks, guys." I bite my lip and ask, "Do we want this one to like me?"

"No," Milo declares instantly.

"You know we'd prefer him not to, but you definitely won't get anywhere if you keep biting your lip," Carina adds.

I scowl. "Alright," I say, taking as deep a breath as my corset will allow. "Wish me luck."

"Never!" Milo and Carina screech in unison, the way they always do.

"Keep it down!" I hiss, glancing at the door. "My mother knows you're helping me, but she'll kick you out if she hears anything!"

"Sorry, Lana," they chime, but neither sound honestly remorseful.

"Okay. Here I go." I open my door and glide down the stairs, the way my mother taught me. I need to put on my mask of confidence. This new god needs to know he can't and won't ever have me.

I glide over to the door to let him in. "Back straight," my mother hisses from the sofa, and I straighten my posture before swinging the door wide open.

A young man who looks about 18 with tanned, golden skin is waiting on the porch. He has long, braided black hair decorated with red and gold beads and is wearing a white kilt-like skirt decorated with gold, red, blue, and green. His lack of shirt accentuates his muscular frame, and around his neck hangs an elaborate amulet that looks like and eye that I instantly recognize as the protective Eye of Horus, made of jade, onyx, and lapis lazuli. I think his eyes are his most entrancing feature—lined with kohl, the left is gold and the right is silver—until the god smiles a smile that sends my heart into a frantic fluttering. "Lady Lana Alcina, I presume?" he asks, and his voice almost makes me swoon.