Page 55 of Queen of Tempests and Sin

And gods help me… I liked it. I liked him. That terrified me more than anything.

* * *

An hour later, Guinn and I were trailing behind Sephy through the never-ending maze that was Hades’ house, relying entirely on her to lead the way. Honestly, I needed to ask for that freaking map before I really started leaving breadcrumb trails like some Underworld Hansel and Gretel.

Today, we were meeting more of the Underworld’s not-so-dead inner circle—at training now, and again at dinner tonight—and my nerves were staging a rave in my gut. Guinn and I were both decked out in sleek leather fighting gear, which made us look badass enough to fake confidence.

Our wardrobes had magically exploded overnight, now stocked with designer everything—combat-ready outfits, casual loungewear, and gowns fit for royalty. Where the hell they’d found time to pull that off, I had no clue, but Guinn had been buzzing. She’d spent thirty minutes twirling in front of the mirror like a couture-fairy on crack.

‘Here we are,’ Sephy said as she opened an enormous set of double doors. I let out a long breath and followed her through and into the training hall.

It was massive—bathed in warm, magical daylight, as though the ceiling had stolen a slice of a perfect sky. Marble columns lined the walls, giving the place an unmistakable Grecian aesthetic, and racks of weapons gleamed along the perimeter. The floor was padded with a soft, springy material that yielded slightly underfoot.

‘Whoa. Wicked,’ Guinn breathed as she did a full three-sixty, eyes devouring the vast array of weapons lining the walls.

‘Ladies, you already know Perseus,’ Sephy said, winking at the demigod, who gave us an exaggerated bow. ‘And this,’ she added, motioning to the tall, striking woman beside her, ‘is Tee. Tee is one of my best friends. Her real name is Hecate.’

‘As in the goddess of witchcraft?’ Guinn squeaked, bouncing on her toes and clasping her hands together.

‘That’s me, kiddo,’ Tee beamed, raising her hand for a high-five. ‘Good to meet you, Guinn.’

Tee was… stunning. Her skin gleamed with the warm richness of burnished copper. Tall and willowy, her raven-black braids were laced with silver beads and piled artfully atop her head like a crown. As her alluring dark eyes met mine, they gleamed with interest.

‘And Cordelia, I assume.’ Her husky voice held a note of humour. ‘The woman who has apparently ensnared our surly sea god.’ She raised a brow as she studied me.

I cleared my throat. ‘Cordie. Nice to meet you.’ I extended a hand, but Tee grinned wickedly and yanked me into a bear hug.

‘I knew you were having sex with him!’ Guinn scoffed as she placed her hands on her hips, smug as sin. Sephy squealed with laughter, and Perseus started coughing like it was the eighteenth century and he was a tuberculosis patient. Tee clamped her lips together as I spun to face Guinn.

‘I am not having sex with him!’ I snapped, heat flaring through my face like a fever. ‘And if I were, it’s none of your godsdamned business.’ I glared at the little shit.

‘He’s a controlling cu⁠—’

‘Don’t you dare finish that sentence.’ I waved my finger at her as Sephy and Perseus struggled to rein in their amusement. ‘Big no on that word. Big no!’

‘Okay. Cool your jets. I didn’t finish it because I do believe you would, indeed, punch me in the face.’

‘You got that right.’ I gritted my teeth and scowled at her. ‘Just… wind your neck in, lady. Me boss’—I pointed to myself, then her—'You not.’ Then I added, ‘And again. I’m most definitely not sleeping with him. Kapish?’

‘What evs.’ She cocked a hip and fired a glare right back.

‘Well, now that’s settled,’ Sephy said, still trying to wipe the grin from her face. ‘How about we do some actual training?

‘Let’s warm up first,’ Tee said with a knowing smile—the kind that made my muscles tense pre-emptively.

‘Guinn, you pair with Sephy,’ Tees said. ‘Cordelia, you take Perseus.’

The demigod winked at me and gave me a devilish smile.

I cracked my neck, giving him a once-over. ‘Bring it on, big boy,’ I said, squaring off.

I dropped into a fighting stance, muscle memory taking over. Grappling, jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai—I’d trained in it all. But without my blade strapped to my leg, I felt strangely exposed. I pushed that thought away with a slow inhale through my nose.

Perseus struck like a cobra—fast, fluid, and lethal. But I was ready. I dropped low, launched upward in a tight somersault, and landed behind him, locking him in a rear-naked choke. Before I could tighten it, he twisted behind me and collapsed backward, dragging me down in a blur of limbs. The breath rushed from my lungs as he flipped and pinned me in a dominant mount, straddling my abdomen like it was his by right.

He grinned down at me. That smug, maddening grin.

Heat flared in my chest—not embarrassment, but a low burn of frustration. I planted my hands against his sternum, tucked my heels close, and bridged with all the strength I had. His hands hit the mat as I rolled us over, but before he could recover, I sprang to my feet in one clean motion.