Page 54 of A Veil of Gods and Kings

“Right.” I raised my hands, but he jerked away from me, and I sighed. “Zeus’ child, it doesn’t hurt.”

“Aren’t you Zeus’ child?”

I grinned. “See, it’s a fitting curse, is it not?”

He huffed a laugh. “All right.” He slunk his robe off, folding it and draping it over the back of the chair. “It’s just temporary, right?”

Temi nodded. “It will only last six or seven hours.”

“Why?” I kicked a foot over an ankle. “Are you attached to your looks?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Actually I am. I’m sorry if you don’t have a reason to be as attached to your own appearance.”

I turned towards Temi. “Did he call me ugly?”

She rolled her eyes, her form framed by the massive doors behind her. “I have names I’ll call you.”

I smirked and turned back to him. “Any features you’d hate to lose for a few hours, prince?”

He clenched his jaw and shook his head. “Just make sure it’s temporary.”

I laughed again and pushed my powers out. His irises turned a deeper brown, his mouth widening, his eyebrows thickening. He still maintained most of his features but not enough to draw attention. Something panged within me at the loss of the color of his eyes, the sharper angle of his jaw. He really was beautiful. It was just annoying as hell that he knew it.

I lifted my knapsack and rifled through it before thrusting a tunic at him. “Here, change into this. We can’t go into the city with you looking like some high lord.”

He crumpled his fingers into the fabric. “This?”

I sighed. “Are you seriously going to be more difficult about clothes than me changing your actual appearance?”

He scowled and shoved the tunic under his arm. “I’m not apologizing for dressing better than you.” And he turned, storming out the door.

An oil lamp flickered over the glossy surface of the desk, and I twisted towards Temi. “Well, I’d say we’re off to a good start.”

She gave me a shove, but her lips quirked up.

Hyacinth stepped back into the room, his arms crossed across the plain cream tunic, his face tightened into a glower. “Let’s go.”

The tunic allowed his legs, which were surprisingly muscular, to show where his robes normally obscured them. The firm lines of his thighs shifted with his weight. Damn. My eyes lingered a moment too long, and I cleared my throat. That was definitely not where my mind needed to go.

“Are you ready, Apollo?” Temi said.

I lifted my face to her. “Yeah.”

An hour later, we bustled together down the busy streets of Niria. Roars of laughter burst from a public dining room, and I pulled the door open, gesturing to the warm light and humming noise flooding out into the street. “After you both.”

Temi walked in, but Hyacinth hesitated, his expression tightening.

I sighed. “Is there a problem?”

“I’m wondering if this is a trick on your part.”

Another burst of noise flooded through the open door. I rolled my eyes. “Prince, I’m a master of disguise. I could sneak up on you in the palace if I wished to harm you. More than that, I know quite a few deities. If I wanted you dead, you’d already be so.”

He frowned. “How comforting.” But he ambled into the room, and I followed behind him. We walked over to a table Temi sat at, the wax thick in the air as flames from candles bobbed about, casting dancing circles of illumination on the low ceilings. We found our seats, and the proprietor strode up, dropping three dented goblets before us with a clatter and lifting his other hand to pour wine that sloshed against the sides.

“Thank you,” I said.

He nodded. “Here for dinner?”