The War of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 3)

by Con Template

  The sweetness behind that gesture aside, Yoori couldn’t help but feel unsettled as well. He was putting a lot at risk by doing that. She nervously played with her fingers. “You’re not afraid of looking weak?”

  “You make me strong,” he told her without regret. “Every time I know you’re watching, I want to show off.”

  Yoori blushed, and he leaned in, taking advantage of the moment by catching her off guard again.

  “Be with me again, baby,” he finally murmured, gently pushing her against a tree in the garden. His carnal eyes peered down at her, weakening her resolve.

  “Tae Hyun—” she weakly protested, feeling her control wither away. She was already ready to give in to him when he suggested they come to this estate. She no longer knew how much control she had left. She bit her lips, recalling why she did not want to sit on the throne when Hae Jin suggested it. She wanted to tell Tae Hyun of her concerns, her fears—yet she found it impossible when he stared deep into her eyes.

  “Be my girlfriend again,” he persevered, cradling her close to his chest while running his fingers through her hair. His beautiful gaze held hers, his eyes teeming with promises of a wonderful future if she accepted his proposal. “I want to be with you,” he went on, pressing his forehead against hers while hovering his lips over hers. “I want you to be mine again.”

  Yoori swallowed with need, feeling downright tempted with his mouth so close to hers. In that brief moment, nothing concerned her but Tae Hyun and his gorgeous lips. She breathed with shallow breaths, her eyes becoming dilated with longing. She did not say anything to refuse, and he took this as his cue.

  He leaned forward, nearly grazing his lips with hers when—

  “You look so pretty tonight, baby—oh shit!”

  Tae Hyun and Yoori snapped out of their impending kiss to see two initiates walk into the garden.

  The two initiates, the first guy who Tae Hyun beat during the last minute of the initiation and the girl who took his place, stopped in stunned silence upon seeing Tae Hyun.

  Rage entered Tae Hyun’s eyes when he realized that his initiates had just fucked up his romantic moment with their presence.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” he asked them heatedly.

  “Uh . . . exploring?” the male initiate said nervously, clearly wishing they had taken another route in the garden.

  The female initiate nodded, blushing immensely. She looked like she’d rather be anywhere but there, in the garden with an angry King and his significant other.

  Tae Hyun was flabbergasted by their idiocy, namely the male initiate’s. “I just got done beating the fuck out of you and you’re here ‘exploring’ with your fellow initiate?”

  They laughed fretfully before the male initiate said, “Sorry about that, boss. We’ll head back now!”

  One second they were there and the next, all Yoori could see was a whoosh of white clothes running off in the direction of the mansion.

  Yoori calmly watched them disappear. After a few passing breaths, she said, “They seem like promising initiates.”

  “How so?” asked Tae Hyun, his voice bitter that they had screwed his “moment” with Yoori.

  “They’re just like their King. They just overexerted themselves, and they’re still horny.” She glared, feeling her control return as a result of the distraction. She recalled the powerful feeling she received when she sat on the throne and felt her sanity return. “Way to catch me off guard with your charm, Romeo.”

  Tae Hyun expelled a breath and tipped his head backward. “How do I convince you to be my girlfriend again?” Weariness was set in his voice. He was so defeated that Yoori was sure any answer she gave him, he would endeavor to do.

  “Fight me,” she said, taking advantage of this moment to prove a point she had been dying to make.

  He looked at her strangely. “I’m sorry,” Tae Hyun said dryly, “did you just say something ridiculous?”

  “Fight me,” Yoori repeated seriously, desperate to show him what a threat Soo Jin could be if she returned. She wanted to show him why he should be careful with her. Her eyes roamed ahead, and she saw that during their walk, they had somehow migrated back to the maze. She pointed at it, determined to make that labyrinth their battleground. “Whoever falls first loses.”

  Tae Hyun was still looking at her like she was crazy. “You’re saying if I kick you off this maze first, you’ll be my girlfriend again?”

  She nodded.

  He scrutinized her, his face becoming inquisitive. “Why do you want to fight me?”

  “So you know what you’re getting into when you’re in a relationship with me.” She swallowed tightly, always feeling rattled whenever she brought up her Underworld counterpart. “I may not be a threat, but Soo Jin can be.”

  “Soo Jin is not here.”

  “She can be.” Yoori sighed at his flippant behavior whenever she brought up the dangers surrounding An Soo Jin. Her evil counterpart was not to be taken lightly, especially by Tae Hyun. If An Soo Jin were to return, he was the one she was going after. “And when she is, she may be a bigger threat than any other rival you’ve encountered in the Underworld.”

  He smirked, clearly finding her to be dramatic. Nonetheless, he was prepared to humor her. “So be it. If that’s what it’ll take to have you be mine again.”

  Without another rebuttal, he jumped onto the maze with ease.

  Yoori looked up at him, never feeling shorter. She cleared her throat. “You’re not going to help me up?”

  Tae Hyun presented her with his most mischievous smile. “Not right now, Princess.”

  He started to walk backward, treading on the maze with ease. “What are the rules if my opponent can’t even get up on the maze to fight?” he asked with amusement. “Do I win by default?”

  “No!” cried Yoori, outraged at his attempt to be a cheater.

  “I think that should be the case,” he went on airily. Though his voice was playful, she could also tell he was serious. If she didn’t get on that maze, she was going to lose by default. “You have thirty seconds to get on before I win.”

  Panic set into Yoori. She struggled to remember how the Reapers and the Cobras got onto this wall. She moved her hands over the brick infrastructure, attempting to find the footholds they used to climb up this edifice. She blew out a relieved breath when she found the footing underneath the ivies. With a grunt, she used it as her foothold and climbed onto the maze.

  The wind picked up when she stood upon the ivy-covered foundation. All around her, trees and plants were rustling while she rested her eyes upon Tae Hyun. He stood approximately ten feet across from her, staring at her quietly. At this moment in time, as he stood before her as an opponent rather than her suitor, Yoori felt the competitive energy surge inside her. She felt like she was staring at a fellow God, not a King.

  “Do you realize how much the Underworld would pay to see an event like this?” Tae Hyun asked as though reading her mind. He, too, understood how powerful it felt to be standing here, across from someone else who was also revered in the Underworld. “How many lives they would sacrifice to witness the battle between the King of Serpents and the Queen of the Underworld?”

  “A war of the Gods.” Yoori smiled as she enjoyed the feel of the breeze running over her. “Ju Won would love this moment.”

  Tae Hyun’s doting eyes observed her under the moonlight. “Are you acclimated yet?”

  She distractedly nodded, still marveling at the view from this maze. “Yes.”

  “Good.”

  He was in front of her before she could move. He merely brushed past her, and she nearly slipped off the wall. It wasn’t until Tae Hyun caught her mid-fall and steadied her on the maze did she realize the “battle” had begun. He didn’t even give her any warning!

  Tae Hyun grinned at the outrage on her face. “This is the threat you were worried about?”

  Anger rose inside her. Yoori knew he didn’t mean anything by it, but it infuriated he
r all the same. She wanted him to know what she was capable of. She wanted him to know that she was not to be taken lightly.

  It happened before she could register it. Yoori clenched her fist and with all the force within her, she punched him clear across the face. He stumbled back, nearly losing his footing on the maze while he gaped at her in astonishment.

  Yoori smiled in the cunning way that only a powerful Queen could. “Was this the first time the King of Serpents got his ass handed to him in this maze?”

  Tae Hyun chuckled. Despite his reticence with battling her on this maze, she could also see that he was intrigued with this challenge. This was truly a monumental moment—even he could not deny that.

  “Let’s have some fun then,” he declared before charging at her and setting the battle into motion.

  Yoori smiled. This time, she was ready for him.

  He swept the foundation with his leg, and she jumped in time. Unfortunately, she lost her footing when she landed on the ivy-covered brick. Yoori tilted to the right, nearly face planting into the inner portion of the maze when Tae Hyun reached out and caught her. He pulled her tight against him and smirked, stroking her hair with amusement. “You can’t beat me, Brat. Let’s stop this before you actually get hurt.”

  Yoori’s face flushed red. After all this talk about him watching out for Soo Jin, she couldn’t let this night end with him taking the threat any less seriously. More importantly, she could not lose—especially not when he was this smug.

  She smiled sweetly at him, throwing him off guard when she propelled her head forward and pounded him right on the forehead.

  Bam!

  She nearly blacked out from the impact.

  Tae Hyun did not fare well from the sudden attack either.

  “Fuck!” he cursed, stumbling away from her in disbelief. He was so discombobulated that he nearly toppled off the maze. He was able to steady himself in time to look back at her in complete shock.

  Yoori ignored the painful throbbing in her forehead and grinned at him. Something caught her eyes and she looked down. The kendo stick stared up at her, resting on the tip of the maze as if waiting for her to use it. Yoori could not deny its existence. Leaning down, she wrapped her hand around it and stood up tall. What a perfect toy for her to use in this battle.

  “Time to play,” she stated airily, surprised that she was actually having fun. Her competitive blood heaved in exhilaration, and she wanted to win against the almighty King of Serpents.

  She wasted no more time. She charged for him, the kendo stick held tightly in her grasp. She swept the air with the kendo stick, and he jumped out of the way, lunging for the adjacent side of the maze. Yoori chased after him, sprinting throughout the maze while keeping balanced. When she caught up with him, she swung the kendo stick in his direction. Tae Hyun ducked and drew upright, lightly elbowing her away from him.

  He still would not use his full strength with her, and this amused her.

  She would show him.

  Yoori lunged for him, and they both fell, landing hard onto the tip of the maze. Tae Hyun was literally lying across the edge of the wall, his body dangerously close to plummeting down. Just one push and he would meet the ground. The only problem was that she was on top of him. If they fell, she would hit the ground first. She would lose first.

  Yoori tossed the kendo stick to the ground and pressed her hands on his chest. She began to crawl backward in an attempt to put some distance between them so that she could push him off. She barely moved an inch away before Tae Hyun lifted his body and pushed her off.

  “Ahh!”

  Yoori screamed when she fell. Luckily, she was able to latch onto the tip of the brick wall, catching herself in midair. With all the strength she had, she pulled herself up and got back onto the maze.

  By now, Tae Hyun had just stood up. The smile of disbelief was still plastered on his face. He clearly did not anticipate this “battle” to take this long. Although he appeared to be having fun dueling with her, he looked intent on making sure it ended soon.

  “Time for you to be mine again,” he declared haughtily.

  In a huff, he rocketed toward her like a lion on the attack. Yoori widened her eyes. Realizing that there was no way to avoid him if he rammed into her, she lunged for the opposite side of the maze. She soared in the air and thanked the fates when she found a hard grip on the opposite wall. She grunted out loud and hauled her body back onto the maze. Yoori took a moment to gather her breath as she stood up on the other side of the ivy-covered edifice. Her moment of peace was short-lived.

  After re-energizing, she quickly spotted Tae Hyun, who was coming for her at full speed. Prepared for an offense now, she launched back toward him and began to charge as well. Yoori knew she could not beat him by sheer strength alone. She had to use her brain.

  And this time, she knew what tactic she had to use.

  Let’s see how you react to this one, she thought expectantly.

  They launched for each other on the maze like speeding trains. Just as they were about to collide, Yoori swooped down and rammed herself into his gut, causing a surprised Tae Hyun to lose his balance because he was too tall to swoop down that low.

  “Ugh!”

  Tae Hyun fell with a groan, but not before he held on to the tip of the maze and pulled himself back up. Yoori barely had time to run away from him when he held on to her stomach from behind, performed a jujitsu move, and tipped her backward.

  “Ah!”

  Her back hit the tip of the maze with brutal force, her left leg hanging off the brick. When she saw Tae Hyun stand before her, ready to push her off, she hammered a kick onto the side of his body, nearly causing him to topple off. In the midst of this, she regained her bearings and crouched on the maze, watching with hope that he would tip over.

  To her disappointment, he did not lose balance. He stabilized himself and in an instant, was in front of her once more. Tae Hyun caught her arm and tugged her toward his hard chest. She attempted to pull herself free, but he held on to her.

  He cracked a smile, clearly impressed with the resilience she was showing. However, that was not enough for him to show mercy. He wanted her as his girlfriend, and if that meant he had to push her off a maze, then so be it.

  “I will make sure your fall from grace is a gentle one,” he promised before he pushed her off.

  Yoori could not have that. In retaliation, she tried to hook an arm around his neck to use him to regain her equilibrium. However, in the process of doing this, she tripped over a loose brick, lost her footing, and fell headfirst toward the ground.

  “Yoori!”

  In fear of Yoori landing on her head, Tae Hyun jumped after her and caught her before she collided with the ground. He wrapped his arms around her and fell backward, allowing her to fall onto the cushion of his body instead.

  A few moments of silence perused between them as they caught their breath. Shortly after, Tae Hyun laughed when he realized he was the one who hit the ground first.

  “I think I just lost,” he whispered in amusement.

  Calmly, he stood up, pulling Yoori with him. He smiled at her and pinned her against the wall inside the maze. He assessed the rustled look in her eyes and saw the fear within them.

  “Soo Jin is not a threat to me,” he told her with conviction, sensing that she was still bothered by that fact.

  Yoori looked at him and then threateningly pressed a loose brick against his neck. Tae Hyun instantly froze.

  “She may not be a threat, but I am,” she countered, realizing now that it was never Soo Jin that Tae Hyun should be concerned with. After the battle that took place, it was clear that it had always been Yoori who was the true threat.

  “Where did you get that?”

  “When we laid on the ground a second ago. I saw it and grabbed it before you pulled me up.” She exhaled, looking at him with disappointment. “You underestimate what I’m capable of.”

  Tae Hyun smirked while pulling the brick away fro
m his neck and tossing it to the ground. He continued to stare at her in amusement.

  Yoori further explained, knowing he had not fully processed her point. “Now I know why they do not want you to be distracted by me. You are not careful around me.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because you jumped after me when I fell. You could’ve won, but you gave it all up and jumped after me. You lost because you wanted to save me.”

  He exhaled patiently. “This is just a game.”

  “Tonight it is,” she whispered. “But what about next time when we actually fight?” She tilted her head. “What if next time, it is no longer a game and it is Soo Jin that you’re fighting? Will you purposely lose to her in order to save me again?”

  Tae Hyun smiled calmly. “There are five weapons buried in the wall you’re standing in front of. When you pressed that loose brick into my neck, I could’ve reached for any one of those weapons and killed you before you could even blink.” He touched her face, his features displaying no fear. “We are both a threat to each other. I am not the only one distracted here.” His gentle smile remained. “I know you are a threat to me and my existence, but the difference here is that I want you to be my distraction. I do not fear you because I trust that despite whatever power you have, you will never harm me.”

  He stroked her cheek when he saw hope seep into her once severe gaze. “It is okay for us to be in a relationship where we are a threat to one another. It is not a bad thing; it is called trust.” He leaned in, his words breaking through all the fear that held Yoori captive. “I trust you, baby. That is why I brought you here, that is why I put you on that throne for the rest of my Serpents to see, and that is why I’m opening up to you right now. You threaten everything I’ve worked my entire life for, but you are still here because I want you to be. I’ve had a taste of what it’s like to be without you, and I do not want to go back to that life.” He moved in closer, his loving eyes holding hers. “Will you be mine now?”