Eros was as quiet and still as the marble statues I had seen of him at the historical museum days earlier. I waited, shaking, yet eager for the blade to slice through my skin. For a long while, the only sound in the room was that of our ragged breathing.

The silence broke when Eros asked, “Does Alezzander know—that you’re Creatura?”

“Yes,” I said, with my eyes closed.

“And he did nothing?”

“He tried, but his family stopped him.”

“Tried what?”

“He strangled me.”

“He should have killed you.” His grip on my hair tightened, and I let out a short cry. “Open your eyes and look at me.” I parted my lids. His platinum stare grew wide. “Look at yourself,” he said, lifting the dagger from my throat and placing the blade in front of my face. On the mirrored blade, a pair of green reptilian eyes looked back at me.

“You have no place in this world,” Eros said. “Not even in hell.”

Slowly, I turned to view him. I placed the palm of my hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes. His lids closed for a moment. The creased lines between his brows softened. I reached for his hand, which was still grasping the dagger. I lifted his arm, and with trembling fingers, I placed the blade to my throat. “Then, please, help me stop this.”

Eros pulled his hand away from my hold. “Damn you.” He dropped the dagger beside him and lunged toward me, pushing my back against the cool marble floor. “I want to hate you, to loathe you, to detest you, but for all my attempts, the need to touch you is ten times more powerful.” His fingers grazed the curve of my jaw and traveled down my neck, stopping at my collarbone.

“Don’t,” I said, trying to push him off me. He locked my wrists in his hands and restrained them against his chest.

“I can’t kill you, my sweet. You’re the only person that, like me, is a misfit. With you, I’m not alone.”

“Get off me, Eros.” I writhed under him. I twisted my hands, trying to pry them free from his grip.

Eros gave me a wicked smile as he looked down at me. “You’re by far the most sickening Creatura I’ve ever come across. I want to throw up every time I look at you.”

As I fought harder to loosen his grip, Eros yanked my arms, pulling me to a sitting position. “Let me go, you schizophrenic ass—”

Before I had the chance to verbalize the key syllable in my insult, Eros pressed his lips to mine. For a moment, my head swirled and my body tingled with tiny shocks of delight. His lips were so soft, so inviting, and so… No! My conscious screamed loud and clear. I jerked my head back, and then thrust it forward with all my strength. My forehead hit Eros on the mouth, full on, sending him flying back. I stumbled onto my feet with my hands on my head, dizzy from the head-to-mouth collision.

Eros wiped his bloody lips with the back of his hand. His eyes were wide-open. “Did I not warn you about the consequences of striking a deity?”

Uh oh. I remembered the flesh-eating maggots. Being eaten alive by worms wasn’t on my top three picks of how I should die. Still, it was death and a sure fire way to end what was happening to everyone around me. Resigned, I sighed and sat on the chair that Camilla had used to take vigil when I was ill. I looked to the floor, thinking of the only person on my mind at that moment.

“Tell my mother the truth, would you?” I said to Eros. “Tell her I died. It doesn’t matter what lie you make up about it. Just don’t leave her with the hope that I might be alive somewhere.”

“You’re not going to die,” he said.

“I have to.”

“Well, maybe I don’t want you to.” Eros walked to the bathroom and returned with a small towel in his hand. “I know how to forgive. I’ve been around for a very long time.” He pressed the cut on his lip with a corner of the cloth.

My head dropped back on the chair, and I let out a breath of both relief and disappointment. From the corner of my eye, I noticed the bright reflection dancing on the silver dagger on the floor. I moved closer and appraised the fine craftsmanship. It was ancient and elegant. The handle looked like it was made of ivory, shapes resembling gold thorns encasing it. One red tear-shaped ruby was placed at the tip of each thorn, simulating blood.

“If you want something done right…” I said.

I picked up the dagger and held it with both hands, the blade horizontal on the side of my neck at the main artery. I breathed deep breaths as I counted, “One… two…” From behind me, Eros pulled the dagger away from my throat and tried to force it from my grip. My elbow dug into his ribcage, and he drew in a gasp of air. I raised the dagger again, but this time Eros came at me from the front and held an arm around me as we struggled.

“You’re getting very strong, my sweet, and very, very stupid.” His thumb dug into the inside of my wrist and I let out a short cry, but I didn’t let go of the dagger.

“Release it,” Eros said, pushing me back.

I gritted my teeth. “No.”

My back hit the wall, and Eros slammed my hand against the hard surface, making me drop the blade.

“Why won’t you just let me die?” Tears rolled down my smoldering cheeks. I slapped Eros’ face more times than I could count. Each time my palm hit his face, a snapping sound bounced off the walls. I wanted him to fight back, but all Eros did was take each strike and turn the other cheek, waiting for the next.

By the time my hands ached from the blows and my rage had died, Eros’ face had turned a bright shade of red. My finger marks were painted raw across his cheeks. I saw what I had done, and I wanted to apologize. But how do you apologize for something like that? I opened my mouth, not really knowing what I was going to say. Eros put his finger on my lips.

“It’s okay,” Eros said. “I won’t let you die.”

“You’re making a mistake.”

“That’s what you believe.”

“But you were ready to slit my throat just a few minutes ago.”

“What did you expect? Your eyes changed when I threw the journal at you. I thought you were going to attack me.”

“So what am I supposed to do? Wait until I turn into a monster so that you can kill me then?” I shook my head. “I can’t wait. I need to stop this.”

“Okay. So ask for my help again.” The back of his hand trailed down my neck, and I slapped it away.

“I don’t trust you. You can’t help me.”

“I can take you to Kyparissia. That’s where you need to go to find your father, isn’t it?”

Surprised at his offer, I looked up at him. I could tell by the slight smile on his lips that he saw hope light up in me. There had to be a catch.

“In exchange for what?” I narrowed my eyes.

“You.”

“Excuse me?”

“You were going to leave Dahveed anyway.” He shrugged. “You wanted to die, remember? It’ll be noble on your part to save him. So, if I help you and stop this change,” he tapped my chest with his index finger, “I keep you.”

“I’m not a piece of real estate.”

“I know, but you can be a part of my estate, oui?”

“You said I made you want to throw up. Why would you want me?”

Eros cocked his head to one side. “You don’t think much of yourself, do you, my sweet?”

My mouth tightened. He was right, and it upset me that he knew this about me.

“I have to confess something,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “I’m not disgusted by you. I like to see the ferocious creature that stirs inside you. I can read your hormone levels and vitals so much better when you’re angry. Even your body temperature rises.” He swept my cheek with the back of his hand. “You’re beautiful, Isis. But when you let your feelings run wild, you’re gorgeous.” He pulled me against him.

Blood raced up my neck and face. Eros had been playing a twisted mind game with me all this time to reassure himself that I might be crushing on him. I tried to move past his toned, lean body, but he didn’t budge.

“Let me through.”

“You haven’t answered me.”

I stared at the red streaks my fingers had left on his face. I didn’t trust Eros, but I also didn’t have a lot of other options. Was this deal such a bad one?

“I’ll think about it,” I said.

He took a step to the side and bent over to fetch the dagger. “I would tell you to take your time, but you know better than I do that you haven’t any to waste.” Eros opened the balcony doors and smiled back at me. “I think you already know what a man says after he willfully lets a woman beat the living crap out of him, oui?”

“What?”

His face turned serious. “I’m in love with you.”

I took in a breath and held it while I blinked at his words. In love? That was impossible. Eros’ silhouette disappeared as he stepped onto the balcony and into the night. The wind caught a single white feather that danced with the current. I watched it twirl and spiral into my bedroom and land on the floor next to my journal.