I\u2019ve never seen Hades so starstruck in my life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hades\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have just come inside instead of calling me, you know,\u201d I said into the phone, eyes on the glass window of the mall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the other line, Alec\u2019s dry voice replied, \u201cAnd meet your crazy cousin? Yeah, I\u2019m good right where I am.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I chuckled under my breath. Right. He\u2019d never gotten along with Sierra. When we were kids, she\u2019d followed him around like a shadow, demanding he be her man one day and her servant the next. Alec wanted nothing to do with her, but Sierra was relentless, she didn\u2019t care how many times she got shoved away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was still the same, even now. Out of all my family, she was one of the few I tolerated. She wasn\u2019t fake, and she wouldn\u2019t leave no matter how much I tried to push her off. At least she was consistent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d I asked, cutting the nostalgia short.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about your brother. Roman.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That made me tilt my head, my reflection catching the curl of my smile. \u201cWhat about him?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard he\u2019s also going to the masquerade party.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I paused. Roman? At a masquerade full of high society parasites? That wasn\u2019t like him. He avoided that world as if it carried the plague. Still, that alone wasn\u2019t enough for Ale to bother me with.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what\u2019s the issue?\u201d I pressed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alec let out a sigh. \u201cLet me guess, you\u2019ve already forgotten the information I told you about.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My brow lifted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour brother,\u201d Alec continued, \u201cis Violet\u2019s professor. Even if it\u2019s a masquerade, what if he recognizes her?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ah. Now that was worth reporting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The corners of my mouth curled upward as the pieces connected. After that night with Violet, I had Alec dig into her life. That was when I learned that my estranged little brother happened to know my woman. And not just in passing, either. He actually paid attention to her. Roman, of all people.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That alone spoke volumes. Roman didn\u2019t waste time on anyone unless they meant something to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My fingers tightened around the phone as I leaned back against the glass. So, what exactly was she to him? Just a student? Something more?\u00a0<\/p>\n
A low, amused chuckle escaped me. \u201cWell, well. Isn\u2019t this interesting\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My smirk deepened at the thought.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Were two brothers really about to be interested in the same woman?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cInteresting?\u201d Alec repeated on the other end. \u201cThat\u2019s all? Shouldn\u2019t you do something?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo what?\u201d I replied, indifferent, rolling the word lazily of my tongue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if he recognizes her at the party?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d I said. \u201cIn fact, I want him to recognize her. I want Roman to see that his favorite student is with the brother he\u2019s grown to hate so much. I want him to finally snap, to show me that crazy side he\u2019s always buried under calm and logic. Now that would be a sight worth watching.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve never songs shortik in my lita\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alec hissed through the line. \u201cYou\u2019re insane. You hate it when people do anything to your brother, and yet here you are wishing to see him go on a rampage. I don\u2019t know you love him or hate him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course I love and cherish my brother. Roman is important to me. But at the same time he overthinks everything. He always calculates, and weighs consequences. I tilted my head toward my own reflection in the glass, still smirking. \u201cWhen you can just do what you want consequences be damned. That\u2019s where he and I are different.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alec sighed. I could practically hear him rubbing his temples. \u201cYou do realize I\u2019m usually the one dealing with your consequences, right? Well, that\u2019s what I get for working with a crazy boss.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why I keep you around,\u201d I said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, yeah,\u201d Alec muttered. \u201cAnyway, that\u2019s what I wanted to inform you about. Oh, right. One more thing. Your adoptive son will be there too. Let me guess, you don\u2019t give two fucks about that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I laughed. \u201cWhat gave it away?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I could feel his eyes roll through the phone. \u201cOkay, whatever you say, boss.\u201d And with that, he hung up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I lowered the phone, tilting my head in thought. Two men, one already interested, my adoptive son, the other possibly interested, my own brother. And both were drawn to the same woman.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I slipped my phone into my pocket, running a hand through my hair as I muttered under my breath, \u201cBut they need to realize, they\u2019re up against someone who won\u2019t allow either of them a chance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A quiet shuffle of footsteps drew my attention. One of the sales associates approached, head bowed respectfully.\u201d Your suit is ready, sir.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I barely spared her a glance as I walked past.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tonight would be more entertaining than I expected.\u00a0<\/p>\n
***\u00a0<\/p>\n
A couple of minutes later, I was fully dressed in a tailored black suit, a long coat draped over my shoulders, and my mask dangling from my hand. I sat back, legs crossed, waiting. An hour had already passed since Sierra had taken her away. Normally, patience was not a virtue I claimed. I had other matters to attend to, people waiting on my decisions, things that could shift entire markets. I would never waste an hour of my time waiting for a woman to get dressed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And yet here I was, still waiting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I leaned my head back against the seat, closing my eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had made me this way. Violet. This strange woman who for reasons I still couldn\u2019t comprehend, had buried herself into my thoughts and refused to leave.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Was it because she was my adoptive son\u2019s girlfriend? No. It was more than that. Even then, there was something about her that ignited something primal in me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had altered me in ways no one ever had. I even relocate my company\u2019s headquarters back to America for her. Just to keep her within reach, and to make sure no one else ouched what I had already decided belonged to me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t know if this madness would pass one day. Maybe it would. Maybe it wouldn\u2019t. But until then, I would take every second I had with her and chain her closer to me until escape was no longer an option.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The echo of heels broke through my thoughts, clicking against the floor. I didn\u2019t open my eyes. It was probably another sales associate here to make useless small talk or atempt to catch my attention. But then I caught her scent. That familiar, intoxicating scent that drove my blood wild.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ive never sewn Hodet so thorstruck my fo\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m done, Hades,\u201d Sierra announced proudly. \u201cI made sure she became the most beautiful woman in the country.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I opened my eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Standing there in a strapless gown with a gold sequin bodice and an ivory satin skirt was Violet. Her hair fell in soft waves, her makeup minimal, yet she looked more breathtaking than any woman who could have been painted head to toe in it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She scratched awkwardly at the back of her head, eyes darting nervously. \u201cIs it\u2026 good? Sierra said I looked stunning.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sierra chuckled, eyes flicking to me. \u201cDo you really have to ask? Look at his face. I\u2019ve never seen Hades so starstruck in my life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Violet\u2019s gaze shifted to me again, as though searching for confirmation. She opened her mouth, about to say something, but I was already on my feet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In a few strides, I stood in front of her, her chin tilting up to meet my eyes. I wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against me, and lowered my head toward Hers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI changed my mind,\u201d I murmured.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her lashes fluttered. \u201cW\u2013what?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cForget the party. I don\u2019t think I can allow you to step outside looking like this. I might just erase every man who dares to look at you from this earth.\u201d My grin curved. \u201cSo, let\u2019s go somewhere private, and I\u2019ll take this dress off you myself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Behind us, Sierra sighed, shaking her head with a smirk. \u201cCrazy bastard.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nights Burn With Regret \u2014 by Nathan Perez 50 I\u2019ve never seen Hades so starstruck in my life.\u00a0 Hades\u00a0 \u201cYou […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-craving-the-guardian-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27966\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}