by elda lore
“Chariot,” Solis barked. “No.” As if the horse understood Solis’ command, she swung her mighty head and pranced toward a seam between the bushes. Her head thrashed as if she longed for control of something, as if she couldn’t forget the freedom of falling off a cliff. Understanding that constricted sensation, I kicked at her haunches and leaned forward muttering, “Yes.” Chariot bolted for the stable, leaving Solis in our dust.
SOLIS
I so fucked this up, I cursed in my head as my hand briskly painted over the canvas. Large, swishing strokes released the anger that welled inside me at my stupidity. However, Veva nearly killed herself racing for the ledge, and just the thought of it sent my heart beating faster than my galloping horse. The relief that she wasn’t hurt had overcome me, and I needed her air to be mine, to reassure me she was safe.
“Stupid girl,” I muttered, as my hand stroked feverishly across the canvas. The blues blended, and the purples pulsed, forcing the forest green to gyrate to the forefront. The painting matched one eye from the multitude spread over her leg and thigh.
“Damn it,” I cursed aloud. Veva had gotten under my skin, furrowing there with her touch, sweltering below the surface with nips and sparks of desire. That kiss wasn’t enough, not even close to being enough of a jolt. Her lips were the sharp prick of a first flame from a lighter, and I wanted the whole bonfire to roar against me, to consume me.
I finished painting and stepped back, never feeling satisfied with my work. The eye stared at me, taunting me, like Veva. Her mouth teased me, but her eyes—there was something haunting about them. A hesitation. A sadness. She’d mentioned a disappearing father and a bitter mother. If only she understood the depth of my tale. Unwanted son, abandoned by mother. Unexplainable power. Yet, somehow I felt like Veva did understand me. Our mouths melding together, hot and fierce, sealed the familiarity I sensed between us. I knew those lips, if only from a dream. The desire to feel such passion haunted me. The feel of them was reminiscent of something I couldn’t bring to the forefront of my mind, but recalled like a distant memory. Had I tasted her before? I’d remember from all my pasts, and yet the refreshing flavor of her juicy lips told me I’d only thirst for her from this day forward. Each drink would be to recall the memory, to savor it, and never forget again who she was to me.
+ + +
June sweltered into the heat of July, which was my father’s month. King of the zodiac signs, Leo the lion was ruled by the sun, and my father roared his power each July by hosting a large celebration for his birthday at the end of the month, lasting an entire week. While we didn’t actually celebrate the passing of another year, it was the perfect excuse to throw a party, and a mandatory call to all his relatives to rejoin him at his estate. We didn’t have as many extra outside guests—especially mortals—for the joyful occasion, as Zeke liked to think his special week should be about family. To my surprise, he allowed Persephone and Veva to remain on the estate. I’d heard their mothers had been invited, but each refused to attend the grand party.
“Let the celebration begin.” At midnight, Zeke raised his glass to the attendees as he stood on the top step of his tiered patio. The pool was filled with floating candles, glittering in reflection to the dark sky overhead. The Olympian pool deck was covered with centuries of family and descendants who lifted their glasses in appreciation and drank to the longevity of our lives. In response, I downed my glass of champagne. I didn’t feel like celebrating.
Veva had been ignoring me for a week.
Mel hadn’t gone to the priestess I recommended.
Letty was in trouble.
I didn’t understand women. When the waitress, dressed in a toga style uniform and a laurel wreath crown, drew near with a tray of champagne, I grabbed two, downing one as I walked through the crowd. As usual, my sister stood near my father, acting as hostess, despite her role as daughter. Her status as the favorite was confirmed each year at these gatherings. I continued to wander, but not mingle. Even though this was family, I felt out of place. I was still newly recognized as Zeke’s son: the prophesized son, board member number thirteen, not part of the original twelve. The old adage of “keep your family close, your enemies closer,” rang true to me.
Scanning the expanse of the pool deck, searching out only one person among the crowd, two exaggeratedly shadowed turquoise eyes found me. The ultra-sheer material of Veva’s ankle-length dress exposed the full length of her peacock tattoo, climbing her leg with its beak outstretched to an area I coveted. A hand on her hip emphasized her slender waist and curvy hips. My eyes travelled the rest of her as I approached, like a hunter narrowing in on the hunted. Two strips of fabric started at the waist, and veered outward and upward, cutting deep and exposing skin between her lush breasts. I hardened as I walked, imagining all the things I’d love to do to that skin from waist to neck. My eyes squinted, attempting to find underwear lines under the transparent fabric. They shot to hers in question as I drew closer.
“Heph.” I nodded at another unfavored offspring, looking highly uncomfortable in a button down shirt with dark jeans, his dressiest attire.
“Persephone, lovely as ever.” I reached for her hand and bowed to kiss her fingers. Dressed in a white, ankle length, halter dress, she looked virginal and innocent, but I knew the truth from Hades. Releasing her hand, I turned to Veva. With a clenched jaw and twisted lips, Veva watched me approach her.
“You shine brighter than the sun, Peacock.” I didn’t bother with her hand. I stepped into her space, wrapped a hand around the nape of her neck and leaned into her cheek. My lips brushed her warm skin, and I inhaled her after-rain scent. The muscles of her face relaxed and curved, despite her attempt to suppress a smile. Stepping back, I quickly swallowed the remaining champagne in my glass as my hand slid down her back, discovering the exposed warmth from neck to waist along her spine. At the base, my hand came to rest.
Heph nursed an amber liquor, and I decided it was time to switch alcohols. My heart raced with my hand on Veva’s skin. My mouth dried at the thought of what I wanted to do to her. Reaching for Heph’s glass, I rose it in the direction of the wait-staff and signaled for four glasses. Shots arrived shortly.
“Here’s to another year,” I said bitterly, clinking my glass against each one of my friends. I drank heartily, letting the sharp bite of whiskey enflame my insides. So many years lost before I knew who I was or what I was. Veva still held her crystal and stared at me.
“Get ready for the big announcement,” Heph muttered, his eyes avoiding me.
“Heph, if you could join me.” Zeke waved for Heph to come to him, as if calling a dog forward. Something didn’t sit right with Zeke’s tone or Heph’s muttering.
“What’s going on?” I questioned both girls. Persephone shook her head and Veva shrugged a shoulder, distracting me, and forcing me to wet my lips for the kiss I planned to steal from her skin.
“Family, if you could please raise your glass and join me in the announcement of my son’s engagement…”
My head shot upward and I held my breath. He wouldn’t.
“Hephaestus has agreed to marry the beautiful daughter of Aphrodite, Lovie.”
My brow pinched as my brother struggled to force a smile. The wording of this arrangement was not spoken in congratulations of a mutual joining, but an agreement of some type. Zeke was not above arranging marriages and for the briefest second relief that he hadn’t done that to me washed through me. Then my insides turned to stone at the reality of what he’d done to Heph.
“Heph’s engaged,” Veva interjected, as if clarifying the news. “I didn’t even know he was in love.”
Liquid sprayed from my mouth and I turned the best I could to prevent showering Veva.
“He’s not.” I choked.
“But he’s engaged to Lovie.” Persephone’s sweet voice carried to my ears, but all I could focus on was the intense glare from my brother. How could our father do this to him?
“That doesn’t mean he loves her
, or furthermore, that she loves him.” I took note of the awkward embrace of Heph’s large hand around Lovie’s slim shoulders. She was a stunning girl, flirtatious and fun. Her disposition was completely opposite that of Heph, not to mention her beauty compared to his mug shot. The cruelty of my thoughts pinched me. The alcohol throwing its own party.
“What, you don’t believe she could love him?” Veva asked, defensive and protective in her tone. Their new bond included instantaneous friendship, and I didn’t like it. I didn’t understand it.
I turned in the direction of Heph’s gaze, taking note of the dark-haired beauty with a slender form, who stood staring over at War. The intensity of clenched jaws and stony faces spoke volumes to the impossibility of Lovie being attracted to Heph. The match between Heph and Lovie was a terrible arrangement.
“I didn’t say that,” I backpedaled. “I’m certain anyone could love Heph, but the point is, she doesn’t, and I don’t think he loves her.”
“Heph mentioned falling in love with the one, that he was waiting for her,” Veva commented as she raised her glass to her peachy lips and then sipped her shot.
“That’s destiny, this is something else,” I snorted, but instantly knew I’d gone too far. Heph’s shoulders slumped as I watched him. He would never be happy with Lovie.
“How do you know?” she snapped next to me. I hadn’t even realized the flat of my hand had slipped inside the side of her dress. My palm cupped around her waist and I pulled her closer to me, as if I feared my father would marry her off next. I turned to face her, realizing suddenly how close we stood, as her face was only inches from mine. Our breaths mingled as Veva’s agitation grew.
“Because I believe in destiny. I believe in finding the one. The one who will complete me. The other half of me. The one opposite and whole for me.”
Veva’s breath hitched at my words, and my mouth leaned for hers, ready to prove to her with my lips that she might be that destiny. The only way to know for certain involved joining together again, letting the rediscovery happen, if it will, as I hoped. I’d battled all week with the thought. I recognized Veva in that first kiss because she was the other half of me. She made me whole.
“Lovie isn’t that person for Heph,” I whispered, but a sharp cough told me we were not alone, and I turned to face a weary-faced Heph.
“I’m sorry, man,” I muttered, attempting to mend the spirit I broke in my tender brother. “If you love her, then congratulations.” His response came in the form of swallowing the full shot and raising the glass for another.
That’s what I thought, I mumbled in my head. Veva stepped forward to comfort him, but a raised hand told her to step back. The instant hurt in her eyes made me want to punch my brother. Our little foursome had fallen somber, despite the call for celebration. Veva stared at me, her eyes unnerving me. The intensity proving I’d said too much about my position on love. It’s like she wanted me and wanted to throttle me, at the same time. I needed to do something to break the tension.
“We should swim,” I blurted. “Liven this party up a bit.” I pulled the hem of my shirt from my pants.
“You can’t be serious. We don’t have on suits.” Persephone delicately sipped the hard alcohol in her glass.
“Oh, come on. We don’t need suits.” I pulled my dress shirt over my head and kicked off my flip flops. In the heat, I drew the line at dress shoes. My head cocked for Veva to follow my lead.
“Follow me,” I urged. Veva’s adamant shaking head fueled my desire to swim.
“You wouldn’t,” Veva gasped, as I reached for her. It was all the temptation I needed. I bent and swooped her up at the waist, hoisting her over my shoulder.
“Solis!” she screamed, beating my back. The loose, sheer material felt less than paper thin and swished over Veva’s skin at the back of her knees.
“Gotta live a little, Veva. That’s what your name means.”
“Put me down!” Her hand smacked my ass, and I sprang to life with the delicate sting.
“Do you have on underwear?” I groaned, slowing my pace as I neared the pool’s edge.
“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” she yelled with another swat at my lower back. “Put me down.”
“What kind of bra do you wear with a dress like this?” I asked, ignoring her plea. As I neared the edge of the pool, I slid her down my body, but not far enough for her feet to reach the ground. Her toes kicked at my shins, but I refused to release her. Her body trapped against mine only reinforced my growing excitement. She squirmed and screamed, but I wanted an answer to my questions. From the feel of those firm globes pressed against my chest, I’d say no bra constricted those precious breasts. My hands slipped under her thighs and she willingly wrapped her legs around my hips in an effort to prevent me from releasing her into the pool.
“I’m waiting for an answer,” I teased, hitching her body higher against mine. The thin material was so silky under my hands, if I inched them upward, I’d discover the answer for myself.
“I’m warning you. Put. Me. Down.”
“Or what?” I threatened playfully. I twisted at the waist, swinging her away from the pool before twisting quickly, motioning as if I’d toss her into the tempting bath water.
“Okay,” she screamed. I inched closer to the edge, feeling for the tile with my toes. I balanced on the precipice, knowing Veva did as well. I shifted her away from the water, still holding her under her thighs while her legs clamped around my waist.
“So?”
“You’ll never find out if I wear underwear or not.” Her threat only encouraged me. I spun, swinging her over the pool’s edge. Only something happened—her weight shifted, and the momentum of the false toss tugged her outward from me. Instinct to protect her kicked in, and I grabbed onto her. We moved in slow motion, her eyes opening wide, as did mine. She fell backward as she held fast to my neck, and I was going down with her. I turned my body, angling to hit the water first, but it didn’t matter. Within seconds, we submerged in the tepid pool. I held onto her and watched as her dress billowed outward in the warm liquid. It rose as we sank and I caught a peek of what I questioned.
It was only Veva and I underwater for that moment. Nothing else existed. Nothing else mattered with my arms wrapped around her waist, drawing her close to me. We pushed upward collectively and sprang from the water. I whipped back my hair, noticing Veva’s fell in limp strands over her face. Her make-up trickled down her cheeks. That strange sense of only the two of us in the world surrounded me. There was no sound but our breaths gasping for air. Reaching out to wipe away the unnecessary paint on her face, she swatted at my hand. The moment abruptly burst.
“Don’t touch me.”
“I’m so sorry, Veva. That wasn’t meant to happen.”
“Of course not. Dangling me over a pool, threatening to throw me in because you want to know if I wear underwear, would never lead to me going in the water.” Her sarcasm flowed deeper than the liquid around us. Ignoring her battling hands, I brushed back her hair, wiping down her face to remove the streaks of make-up. I stepped closer to her.
“You ruined my dress.” Her hands futilely attempted to pull out the formerly billowing material. In doing so, one strap fell off her shoulder and dropped precariously low, threatening to expose her. I stepped even closer, but Veva stepped back. My eyes drew to her chest. Round, ripe globes outlined in sheer wet fabric highlighted the peachy center.
“Veva, I…”
“Forget it,” she huffed, smacking the water as she released her dress. “I’m freezing.” She stepped toward the edge of the pool, but I blocked her way. Freezing or not, the wet material enhanced her assets and I didn’t need the whole party to see what I desired.
“Just stay put a second.” I muttered, my eyes diverting from her chest, but the force too strong, they roamed back.
“Oh, now as if dumping me in here isn’t enough, you want to keep me in the pool. What’s next? Drowning?”
“Veva
, no, it’s not like that…it’s…Heph?” I called out. His attention hadn’t left the spectacle I’d made, and I motioned for my dress shirt. Not taking my meaning, Persephone brought the shirt to the edge of the pool. Before she reached me, Zeke appeared.
“Veva, honey, are you all right?” The concern for our guest weighted heavy in his tone, and on my heart. He’d mysteriously reneged his threat to send me to nowhere Nebraska, but this stunt might spark a new deal.
“I’m fine; I just want to get out of here.” She stepped again for the edge of the pool, but I blocked her, turning my back to her to face my father.
“If you wouldn’t mind?” I reached upward for my shirt from Persephone, and Zeke stepped back. I turned to face Veva, but Zeke still had the final word.
“Meet me in my study. You have some explaining to do, son.” The endearment demeaned more than comforted. I placed a hand on Veva’s upper arm to guide her toward the grand staircase. She shrugged her shoulder, yanking her arm out of my grasp.
“I’m so sorry, Veva. But you’re more than cold at the moment, and I need you to put on my shirt.” This direction stopped her, and she looked down at herself before glaring up at me. I held out my button down.
“Why? Why cover it all up?” She waved a hand up and down her soaked dress. “First, it’s ruined, and second, isn’t this what you wanted? To embarrass me? Show the party what I had under the dress, which you clearly know now is very little?” She huffed, and my heart sank. Exposing her to the party had not been my intention. I wanted her all to me.
“I’ll replace the dress,” I offered, but the words were wrong. She swiped the shirt from my hands and threw it in the water, releasing it to float away from us.
“Forget the dress. I just want to get out of here.” She twisted away from me, dragging the water laden fabric of her dress behind her as she walked through the pool. When she reached the edge of the first stair, she stepped upward, took a deep breath and continued forward. Her uptight shoulders and straight back told me—she’d had enough of me. The dress clung to her as she exited the water. There wasn’t a curve to be discovered or a crevice to be hidden. She continued forward, holding ramrod stiff as she regally left the pool. Persephone met her at the water’s edge, arguing she should have taken my shirt, but Veva held up a hand at her friend. Shaking her head, she dismissed Persephone and walked toward the house, letting everyone get a glimpse of what I’d never experience.
