Zeus’s humorless chuckle stopped her retreat. “Daughter, it’s rude to keep our guest waiting. And you look lovely this evening. The color of your dress makes your eyes dance with the fire of a shooting star. I insist that you join us... now.” His arm encircled her waist, tugging her into his side.
With no hope of escape, Diana threw the shoes in her hand into the corner underneath the statue and allowed her father to escort her into the party. Where she’d expected him to scoff or belittle her appearance, he actually gave her an approving tilt of his chin.
What are you up to, Father?
The floor-to-ceiling doors made of pure gold and hammered into scenes of the gods’ various triumphs swung open. One step. Two. Three. Heat flamed up from her core to choke her. Everyone stopped speaking, even the music ceased. Unaware—or unconcerned—Zeus strode with Diana by his side all the way to the far side of the room where his throne glimmered in the torchlight... and warm eyes the color of dark cacao intermixed with tawny swirls locked on her.
If her father’s plan was to get the archangel to notice his daughter in an impure manner, he had certainly succeeded.
Diana realized too late that she was being offered up as a sacrifice.
Chapter 8
A Surprise Guest with an Agenda
Holy Father above!
Every molecule of Lucifer’s body caught fire, burning away all logic and thought. He couldn’t have spoken a word even if the Creator himself stood before him and demanded it. He had not allowed the image or idea of Diana to cross his mind since they’d separated upon their arrival at the palace. It didn’t take a prophet to theorize that she was dangerous. Not in the traditional sense, but he knew she could wreck his entire existence with one look. The realization hit him that it was late—the damage had already been done.
Whereas earlier she had been cast as the virginal, but feisty daughter of Zeus with enough spunk to lure him into a kiss, she now encapsulated a primal, sultry glamour. No less beautiful, just a different aura of seduction.
An unexpected hard smack on his shoulder nearly sent him tumbling to his knees, right at Diana’s feet. Lucifer cranked his neck to glare at the offender. “Makes you want to re-think the whole chaste angel business, doesn’t she?”
“Brother, what are you doing here? Thought I was flying solo on this endeavor.” Lucifer tried his best to keep the aggravation out of his tone, but he didn’t want nor need help with this situation, especially from the obnoxious Olivier. Or...did he?
A wicked grin spread up Olivier’s face while he flicked his eyes around the crowd before landing on Diana again. “Yes,” he growled, “I’d ditch my duty for the chance to feel that one’s arms around my neck, and her lips sliding across my body.”
Rage blurred all reason. “Olivier!” He’d meant to merely reprimand his brother, but sudden visions of using his sword to decapitate the arrogant prick’s head from his hulky shoulders sprang to mind. The jerk deserved to be lashed by the host of the heavens for such a comment, whether it was made as a joke or not.
“Welcome, the most esteemed, Olivier. I was thrilled to hear of your arrival.” Zeus stepped in between the angels, then pivoted to place one arm around each. “Isn’t it a lovely surprise, Lucifer, that your brother has joined you? I do hope you both can extend your stay awhile so we can properly show you the bountiful fruits of Olympus.”
Lucifer couldn’t take his eyes off Diana. She’d blanched a shade lighter than the purest alabaster and stepped back as if to fade away into the gathered crowd. He half-wished she would in order to spare him, but the other half couldn’t bear her absence.
“Gentlemen, come and join me for some wine before dinner and we’ll discuss our business. I hear, Olivier has news of upmost importance that couldn’t wait.”
Zeus shoved them toward a discrete door hidden by a wide vine-covered pillar with fragrant sprigs of jasmine flowers. Mortal servants bowed deeply in their wake, some even still holding up silver trays covered with sugared violets, ambrosia, and chalices filled with a fragrant, deep maroon wine.
Two burly men decked out in full battle armor opened the door. Zeus craned his thick neck back around. “Oh, Diana! Please join us, as this business involves you as well.”
Blood thrummed in his ears, deafening him to all else. A bristling at the nape of his neck signaled DANGER, but he was helpless to stop it.
IT HAD BEEN SUCH A horrific idea to allow Athena to bully her into wearing this fragment of a piece of cloth instead of her typical full-length stola; to doll her face up with enough kohl around her eyes she could be mistaken for an Egyptian pharaoh from that strange planet Ares was so smitten with. He’d taken her there once when she was a child. All she recalled was it was dry, hot as Hades, and they had enough gold to dam the River Styx. At least if Aphrodite had given her a make-over, it would’ve come off a touch more natural-looking. Feeling far from sultry, Diana pleaded with her sense of pride to surrender so she could flee back to her chambers.
The gawking of everyone—god and mortal alike—wasn’t what unnerved her. She’d made a fool of herself plenty of times before these same people. Her spunk and desire to be accepted as a warrior like her brothers had led her to do many things in an order to prove herself that had all backfired. That was nothing to the humiliation coursing through her veins right now.
Lucifer had seemed physically ill at the sight of her. His eyes had widened in apparent shock or aversion, and a nerve in his jaw twitched. That could not be a good sign at all. Making it worse was his archangel brother standing beside him ogling her like cattle. He’d whispered something in Lucifer’s ear and then guffawed so loudly everyone had turned to see what the joke was—apparently, she was the joke.
Zeus craned his thick neck back around. “Oh, Diana! Please join us, as this business involves you as well.”
She could’ve sworn mischief danced in his eyes. That, or he’d already imbibed too much wine. Either way, any plan of his that involved the angels and herself had to be the worst idea in the history of Olympus.
Someone nudged her in the small of her back. Jerking her head around, she glared at Athena, whose lips were turned up in a grin wider than a pooka who had just made a lucrative deal.
“Better hurry up, little sister. Can’t have the holy ones waiting on you.”
If she didn’t know better, Diana would’ve sworn that Athena had set her up all along. To make a fool of her? Yes, most likely. But her sister never did anything without thorough consideration and could be counted on to have a strategy woven into every word she uttered. So much for sisters sticking together.
With every step forward, anger boiled higher in her gut until her hand shot out to grab a wine goblet. She swallowed its entire contents, squared her shoulders, straightened her spine, and—while cursing Athena under her breath—waltzed into Zeus’s study, determined not to allow the archangels to witness her humiliation.
