Chapter 72 : Excitement

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•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

After completing trivial tasks,

Psyche became immortal and lived with her husband Eros.

Together they had a daughter;

Voluptas, meaning physical pleasure.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

A panicked feeling overcame me, causing my insides to twist in an unsettling way.

I couldn't do it.

And I had enough reasons to back it up.

According to Hypnos, Liam always gains something every time he feeds, heals, or merely touches me.

Dread crept in when I realized I had broken most of those theories in one night. There's no way I'm making it worse by being his dinner.

Thinking about it now, getting injured is one of the trademarks of being human. I couldn't avoid Liam even if I wanted to.

But what if his goals towards me were harmless?

Liam has proven countless times he'll never hurt me. What if Hypnos' words were false?

"She has zoned out." Eros drawled, snapping me back to the present. He watched me with curiosity. A look that expressed his wish to know my inner thoughts.

"Just leave, Eros."

At Liam's words, the god tentatively released my chin. He stood upright and pulled two white gloves from his pocket, slipping them through his fingers. "I know you're willing to protect her, Liam. But I ask that you tread carefully."

His heterochromatic eyes veered to me. The scar on his cheek prominently stood out. "Dear Poppy, my disregard for your consent is nothing but pure concern for Liam." He touched his chest. "I'm a good guy. Honest."

I bit my lip. That'll be very hard to believe.

Liam shifted behind me. "Eros--"

The god of love rose a hand to cut him off. "I'm going, 'kay? No need to get pitchy." He walked out of the room. His pink bunny flip-flops slapped against the tiled ground.

I remembered those flip-flops.

The mahogany door pulled shut and we were left once more in silence.

"Are you okay?" Liam's calm tone brought me back to reality.

I tried removing his arm but it stayed still. "Let go."

There was a pause. "No."

My scuffle became frantic. "I need to see Pedro and Zion."

In seconds, I was pushed to my back, Liam hovered over me. His hands propped him up so there was ample space between us.

"And just like that, you're afraid of me..." His jaw shifted. "...again."

I tried dropping my rising anxiety. "What do you expect? You make it pretty hard to trust you."

He released a sigh. "Gem--"

"Why didn't you do it?"

The question took him off-guard. "Do what?"

Being in close proximity got me a good whiff of his rosy scent. I shifted nervously on the comforter. "Feed on me. You said I was your main source. You could've saved yourself from all the trouble."

Liam sat back and glanced away with trepidation. "I'll never try to feed on you." His human eyes met mine. "Not unless you want me to."

I slowly sat up, hugging my knees to my chest. Why will Zion leave me alone with Liam? I thought he disliked him. But maybe, Zion trusts him to a certain degree.

I turned to find Liam watching with curiosity. "If you're wondering where Zion is, he had to take care of Pedro." He gave a small smile. "But he did threaten to disembowel and hang my skin on a pole if I so much as do anything wrong."

Typical Zion.

My fingers rubbed the smooth texture of my sweat pants. "I couldn't use my ability when Wyatt attacked."

Liam furrowed his eyebrows. "Why? Did he do something to block it?"

He doesn't know.

The greek mark on my wrist begun its annoying buzz, prompting Liam's closeness and how his touch could quench it.

I ignored it. "Wyatt said I draw and activate my abilities from someone."

He bit his lip, looking half-puzzled. " I never knew that."

I shrugged. "My first thought was you, then Zion. Now I'm not so sure. Maybe I could confirm Wyatt's notion in the Garage while we train."

Liam smirked. "That would be advisable. Forming a portal here will only mess up the place, creating extra work for Trent apart from fixing a broken lamp."

I managed a small smile, still not sure why Eros keeps giving the dwarf a hard time. "So how did you and Zion find us?"

He made a lopsided smile. "That'll be up to Pedro to explain."

I nodded and tucked a lock of my hair behind an ear. My skin prickled with nervousness as an idea surfaced through my thoughts. "I need to ask a favor."

For a moment, I thought he'll refuse or ask for something in return, but oddly he obliged.

"What is it?"

I took a deep breath and played with the loose strands of my sweatpants. As long as he's clueless about my next course of action, it's a big plus. 

I contemplated my next words, having a goal in mind. "I need you to take off your shirt."

His eyebrows shot up with a look completely comical. "Heh?"

My tone never wavered. "Take off your shirt."

Liam narrowed his eyes. Doubt slowly morphed into a half-smile. "Just my shirt?"

My thoughts instantly drifted somewhere inappropriate and I quickly nicked it. My cheeks, on the other hand, had a mind on their own. "Yes."

Liam gave a heart-racing smirk before grabbing the hem of his redshirt. With his eyes fixed on me, he pulled it over his head -- roughing up his hair a bit -- and tossed the cloth off the side of the bed.

My eyes instinctively locked on his chest. His pectorals expanded with every single breath. I drew closer and sat on my heels, clenching my hands to suppress the inch to touch him.

I knew what I was aiming for, but decided to dodge the main point...for now. "What happened to the real Liam when you gained consciousness?"

He frowned in thought. "I don't think the original soul exists after Ascending."

My mind immediately drifted to Zion and Pedro. We had to find a way to stop the gods from awakening. Or better yet, eliminate them.

Even with the same position as me, Liam was a foot taller, reminding me about how short my height was.

"And his parents?" I asked.

"Had to wipe out their memories with the Phantom ability."

I hesitantly splayed my hands over his chest, directly over a beating heart. He tensed beneath my touch but I couldn't look him in the eye.

Instead, I watched my hand glide up his warm skin to his sternum. "So all this time you stayed in Star-Crossed Inc?"

"Yes." His tone was hoarse when I felt him slightly shudder beneath my fingers.

"When you mentioned your first encounter with Henry at a club, you meant here. Didn't you?"

"Yes."

I could feel his burning gaze on me. "Is Eros your brother?"

The god had referred to Liam as his sibling on many occasions. And according to Mr. Metallicbutt's Greek class, Eros has other brothers.

Could Liam be one of them?

His hand grabbed my wrist when I made a slow trail down his abdomen. I inhaled deeply and met his cat-like gaze.

He leaned forward, warm breath tickled my cheeks. "Why did you want my clothes off?"

I sucked in a lower lip, trying to contain my racing heartbeat. "The scar."

Liam rose an eyebrow, his hand kept mine to his bare front. "What scar?"

He was too transfixed to notice my other hand inched up his side -- over his ribs -- and to his back.

"This scar."

His breath hitched when I touched one of the two long gashes that ran from his shoulder blades to his waist. I remembered seeing a glimpse of it during training.

Another secret.

"Gem..." Liam's glowing eye met mine as he practically growled. "Don't start something you can't finish."

"What happened?" My fingers trailed down the wound and like a trigger, he moved. Before I knew it, my back had slammed against the duvet.

Liam pinned one arm to the side of my head. His eyes found mine, black slits so thin it was nearly engulfed by his green irises. His nose brushed me, lips inches away as we shared the same warm breath.

"Touch it one more time..." His free hand weaved through my hair and tugged, angling my mouth towards his. I met his heated gaze with an unwavering challenge. "...and I won't be blamed for what happens next."

My chest heaved with tension and excitement. The gash on his back wasn't just a scar but something different.

Something else entirely.

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