Goddess of Pain - Katie May Page 0,15

to be my judge, jury, and executioner. Rumor has it that he can see into someone’s soul, see the darkness that a person wishes to remain hidden. Everyone is tainted, though some more so than others. It’s a stain on your heart that you can never wash clean, no matter how hard you try.

Helio enacts vengeance when that darkness surpasses the light.

He’s significantly larger than Desmond, and that’s saying something. Muscle upon muscle line his arms and chest, which are usually bare. Dark, tribal tattoos climb up his arms and spread across his chest. His black hair is currently styled into a faux-hawk, and his beard is in desperate need of a shave. Everything about him screams rugged sexiness, and I am so here for it.

I wrench my gaze away from my trusted warrior and focus on our prisoner.

The man on the ground begins to whimper, fat tears cascading down his chubby cheeks, as I glare at him from my throne.

“You dare to steal from me?” I whisper harshly, body thrumming with rage. I can be a lenient goddess…or I can be a complete and utter bitch. There is no in between. My hands itch to inflict unspeakable pain on the man who dared try to take what is mine.

I ignore the man’s pleas, turning instead to face Helio.

“Verdict?” I query, lifting a brow. His face, shadowed in darkness, pinches as he concentrates. His lashes flutter close, and his lips part. My eyes automatically flicker to them—the plush lower lip and thin top one.

Desmond, perched on the throne beside me, waggles his eyebrows suggestively as he nudges my stomach. We’ve been together for over two centuries, and every day, I fall more desperately in love with him. It feels wrong to look at another man the way I’m looking at Helio. I know I would stab Desmond if he dared to be with a woman other than me.

But something in my soul tells me that Helio is meant to be with me, with us. He’s meant to join this makeshift family we have created. The silent man was made to be mine.

“Guilty.” Helio’s gruff voice reverberates through me as he reopens his eyes, spearing me in place. I can’t help the manic smile that curls up my lips.

A guilty verdict means I get to play. And fuck, I love playing.

More than that, I love having sex with Desmond in the blood of my enemies.

But this time? It’s not just Desmond I make love with.

It’s Helio too.

Avery is the third god I fall in love with.

God of Death.

Even the name itself causes goosebumps to ripple up and down my arms.

I eagerly await his arrival in the extravagant dining hall, the table set with plate after plate of his favorite dishes.

Helio sits on one side of me, as silent as always, while Desmond sits on the other, practically thrumming with energy.

Rebecca sits opposite me, poring over her pink journal.

“The chicken? Check. The live band? Check.” She taps her feathered pen to her lips in contemplation. Our world is a strange mix of new and old, modernistic and ancient. In the human world, we would be dressed as if we were from the fourteen hundreds, and there is no technology. Yet, we have pens and journals and modern literature. I’ve always been fascinated with Earth and the people on it, but I’d be the first to admit that I much prefer the simplicity of our home. There’s something beautiful in the mundane, something humans fail to replicate.

“Rebecca, I think we’re fine,” I say soothingly, and she flashes me a narrow-eyed glare.

“If we want this alliance to flourish, we need to impress him,” she states simply, huffing. Before I can even roll my eyes, she adds, “Unless you want Athena to scoop him up.”

My annoyance quickly transitions into anger. Athena is the bane of my existence. Not to be confused with the Greek goddess. This one couldn’t hold a sword if it would save her life, and she’s definitely not the Goddess of Wisdom.

No, our Athena? She’s the Goddess of Purity.

Real fucking ironic, considering she’s been with more guys in the last year than I have in the centuries I’ve been alive. Frankly, Athena is a bitch.

“So, we need to impress some fucking death god,” Desmond snorts, leaning languidly back in his chair. “Who the fuck cares? He’s probably a major prick.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too,” a charming voice says from the doorway. Instantly, we all freeze, turning towards the newcomer with