“Not dating. Married.” Eros’s tone shifts, and the small hairs rise on the back of my neck. “I suppose that makes Eurydice my sister now, doesn’t it?”
Orpheus sways a little. I can’t tell if he’s drunk or just that afraid of Eros. Maybe if I was a better person, I wouldn’t get a petty thrill from the fact that he’s nearly peeing his pants, but I want him to suffer. I turn to Eros and press my hand to his chest. “That’s definitely what it means.” I smile, letting an edge work its way into my expression. “I know how protective you are of your family, darling.”
“I am. I really, truly am.” He leans down a little, not quite getting in Orpheus’s face but the threat is there all the same. “I’d be exceedingly put out if someone were to harm sweet little Eurydice. You understand, don’t you?”
Cassandra stirs to life. Her dark eyes, enhanced with black eyeliner sharp enough to cut, narrow. “Are you threatening Apollo’s little brother?”
“If I am?”
Her lips curve. “Don’t let me stop you.” She pushes off the wall and waves an idle hand in Orpheus’s direction. “Good luck with that.”
“Wait—”
I shake my head, anger still overriding my control. “Learn to read the room. You’re not wanted here. Get out.”
“Helen invited me.” Even his sneer is attractive. If anything, the knowledge makes me angrier.
Eros looks over his shoulder. “Helen.”
She appears at our side as if by magic. I half expect a cloud of glitter to cascade from her body and dress, but it all stays in place. She has a carefully neutral look on her face. “Is there a problem?”
“Orpheus has overstayed his welcome.”
“Oh, that.” She laughs, a merry tinkling sound. “Leave now, Orpheus.”
He draws himself up, but if he thinks he can intimidate these two, he’s more of a fool than I thought possible. “My brother will hear about this.”
“Will he?” Helen cocks her head. “Is he also going to hear about the fact that you were chasing Cassandra around like a creep who doesn’t understand the word ‘no’? Because personally, I think Apollo would be very interested to hear about that.”
Ah. So the rumors about Apollo and Cassandra are true, at least when it comes to his interest in her. From what I’ve seen, she’s given him about as much attention as she gave Orpheus—as in only enough to escape his presence whenever he shows up. The fact that they work together only seems to complicate the issue.
Orpheus seems to realize he’s outmatched and glares. “You can’t treat me like this.”
“Sweetheart.” The softness in Helen’s tone hides a vicious dagger. “Look around this room. Every one of us is related to the Thirteen in some way. You’re not special here. Go play with your groupies and don’t bother showing up for one of my parties again. It will be horribly embarrassing to require security to show you out.”
He curses but turns and leaves, the eyes of every person in the room on him. It’s only when the door shuts behind him that Helen flips her hair off her shoulder. “Gods, he’s such an asshole. Why did I even invite him again?”
“Because you said he’s an asshole whose face you’d like to ride,” Eros says mildly.
“Ah. That.” Helen snaps her fingers. “Right. I forgot.” She gives me an apologetic look that seems genuine. “Obviously I wouldn’t have touched him while he was with your sister, but I have horrible taste in men and better than questionable taste in women. It can’t be helped.”
“I…see.” I don’t hold it against her. Why would she care about Eurydice’s emotional health? They don’t know each other, and it’s every person for themselves in this city—especially in this crowd. I paste a smile on my face. “No hard feelings.”
“It’s cute when you lie.” Her smile goes sharp. “I meant what I said just now. He’s dead to me. No more parties, no face-sitting. You’re practically family at this point, and family sticks together, for better or worse.”
I can’t trust her. I can’t trust anyone in this room, including Eros. But as I let Helen tow me to the dining room table to start a drinking game, I find myself wishing that I could.
25
Eros
My wife is drunk. Exceedingly drunk. She leans against me as I try to wrestle her coat on. Psyche is cute even while sloshed, and the irritation I might have felt if she were any other person is nowhere in evidence.
“I like her.”
Psyche rests her face against my chest and smiles at Helen. “I like you, too.”
Helen’s relaxed for the first time since we arrived. Everyone is gone, even Eris, and she’s let her frenetic alter ego dissipate. “You two can crash here if you want to.”
It would be safer, but unfortunately, I have to weigh the small danger of traveling back to my penthouse against the sheer amount of damage staying could cause. I give her a look. “And when we’re photographed leaving in the morning, they’ll run a story about how we were engaged in some sordid threesome because the spark has already gone out of our marriage after only a week.”