Queen of His Heart (2 page)

“You think I should feel bad about my dalliances yet be understanding about yours?”

“You want me right now because I’m not interested.”

He stared at her a while. She knew he couldn’t deny her words. Sighing, she crossed her arms and leaned against the railing. “If you were truly angry, you would’ve sent Dionysus away instead of thrusting him upon these unsuspecting mortals.”

Zeus grinned. “They’re enjoying themselves more than they ever have at one of these gatherings. Would you like to go back and watch?”

“If I’d wanted that, I would’ve stayed put.” She looked past him and watched a new couple entering one of the rooms. “Why did you sent Iris instead of appearing yourself?”

“I knew you’d listen to her. Me? You’d have snapped your fingers and run away, like you did this morning.”

Hera frowned. “I did not run away.”

“You did. I only suggested we slip away from the others for a while. What’s wrong with that?”

She tried to think of a reason since she didn’t want to reveal the real one. A few weeks earlier, she’d been with a mortal man. He’d been able to please her quickly, and she’d sensed something different about him. She’d used her powers to find out who his parents were, and she’d been correct in her assumption. Zeus had been his father. Running across his offspring in almost every century and every city irked her in a special way. He’d be angry she let it get to her, and at the same time, he’d use it against her. Knowing his affairs got to her always made him three times as arrogant and annoying.

“Being alone with you is boring. I miss my sons and my sisters.” She patted his cheek, being purposely condescending to
irritate
him. “We fuck a few times, and then the party’s over. There’s no point anymore.”

Zeus grabbed her arm as she tried to walk past him. “You don’t stop loving me when you fuck others. The same goes for me. We are not mortal. I’d never deny you your freedom.”

She pulled her arm away. “You did exactly that just ten minutes ago.”

“He wasn’t pleasing you. And I had plans for us. I miss you. You’ve been distant for weeks. You don’t even sleep in our bed these days.”

“You know I’ll come back. Just wait like a good boy.” She stalked down the hallway, snapping her fingers and changing into a simple cotton sundress like the ones women wore in the 1990s. She wanted to be comfortable and didn’t care if anyone saw her. This was a masquerade, and the mortals would simply think it was something avant-garde or risqué.

But Zeus grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her to him, his cock pressing against her ass. “You’re my queen. I want you by my side and in my bed.”

He transported them away from the party, and after a moment of resistance, she went along with it. She could break away from him if she wanted to, but she’d at least see what he had planned. It took her a minute to orient herself once her vision cleared. She frowned and shook her head as she turned around. They stood on a private beach in St. Lucia. She wore a skimpy white bikini, and he wore about the same amount of material, his erection barely contained.

“This is the best you can do?” she asked. She walked away to rinse the sand off her feet in the water. “Sand isn’t romantic. At all.”

“I was going for seclusion and a beautiful sunset.” He approached and put his arms around her.

She gazed across the water. The sunset did cast a beautiful array of colors across the sky, and the water sparkled before her, but she wasn’t impressed. “We’ve both seen many sunsets.”

“But not this one.” He kissed her neck.

She relaxed into his embrace because she didn’t feel like fighting, but she said, “I’m simply not in the mood.”

He transported them again, and this time they ended up in a rose garden. The grass beneath her feet was soft, and the air was fragrant. Roses of every hue surrounded them, and warm sunlight heated her skin. She drew away and moved to recline on the grass, seeing he’d dressed her in her sundress once more.

“A nap would be better here. Perhaps an hour with a good book.” She lay on her back and sighed. The fluffy clouds above her moved by slowly.

He reclined at her side but didn’t touch her this time. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I don’t know why you get like this at times.”

“Because there’s a difference between you straying for fun and you dallying for some kind of vengeance or, I don’t know, catharsis.”

Hera wiggled on purpose. Whenever she went still, he knew he was right. She’d been working on fighting the instinctive reaction for centuries. Now, she only hoped he hadn’t caught on to her trying not to go still. “And what am I seeking vengeance or catharsis for?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I’m trying to find out.” He leaned closer. “Most of the time, after your little excursions, you come back to me needier than ever. You even let me warm you up sometimes, since no one gets you going the way I do. I know something’s wrong when you exclude me completely.”

“You never come to me right after having another woman.”

He ran the tip of his nose over the shell of her ear. “That was your rule. You said to never come to you smelling of another woman.”

She looked up into his eyes. “Do you have to keep having children with so many of them? It’s a damn good thing most of them don’t know they’re demigods.”

He propped his head on his hand and dug his elbow into the grass. “Has someone annoyed you?”

“I fucked one of them. Can’t remember his name honestly. I felt he was different.”

“It bothered you?”

She sat up. “I’m tired of stumbling over them constantly!”

“Oh.”

She waited for him to sit up and apologize. Or make excuses. Or try to placate her. But he didn’t do anything. She turned to look back at him. “I only had one child without you.”

He remained quiet.

“You remember how angry you were when you met Hephaestus? You thought he was just a new pet, some mortal I’d taken a fancy to. But then you felt what he was and threw him—”

“Hera, stop!”

She pressed her lips together. Though everyone thought Ares was her favorite—and deep in her heart, she knew it was true—her love for Hephaestus had caused a rift between her and Zeus for many years. He’d had to grovel to earn her forgiveness, especially since his wrath had left Hephaestus scarred. The wound reopened between them every now and then, and she calmed herself now to avoid a far worse fight.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I’m simply using that to make a point. How would you feel if that day happened to you over and over again? I’ve caused some mischief, and even worked against them, but I’ve never lashed out at any of your offspring in that way.”

He nodded right away. “You’re right. You haven’t.”

She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. “Can we go somewhere else?”

The air around them shimmered, and the sky darkened. A cool breeze brushed her skin. She looked around and saw they sat upon a cloud. Zeus sat behind her, and after a brief hesitation she leaned back into his arms. Being held by him always felt good, much to her vexation at times.

“Anything specific bothering you lately?” she asked.

“So hard to believe I simply miss you?”

“A little. I simply thought some affair might’ve gone wrong.”

“No, there really haven’t been that many lately. I’ve been traveling the world and taking in the sights. Watching things change.”

His fingers rubbed her arm, and she watched them. “It’s interesting sometimes, revisiting old haunts.” An idea popped into her head, and she chewed her lower lip as she considered it. “I’ll make you a deal.”

“When you say that, it’s always interesting,” Zeus whispered in her ear.

He loved her, and she loved him. Yes, they both strayed, but it didn’t change how they felt about each other or the connection they’d had since the day they’d met. But she didn’t say those things. She’d always shied away from saying she’d always forgive him. It made her feel weak to actually put it into words. He always forgave her, no matter how angry he became, but he likewise rarely said it
explicitly.

Except at times like this when he was the one who wanted them to spend time together. She sighed and turned to him. “You can have me,” she said with a smile, “if you can catch me.”

“And what are the rules?” he asked, looking intrigued.

“You’ll be given clues. I’ll go somewhere, and you have a certain amount of time to find me. Let’s say five minutes. If you don’t make it in time, I’ll only linger long enough to give you the next clue.”

“This sounds like some sort of marriage counseling exercise,” Zeus said with a laugh.

She raised one eyebrow. “I could just go somewhere else and order Iris and Hermes not to reveal my location.” As the messengers of the gods, they were the only ones who could always use their powers to find the other Olympians.

Zeus sobered. “Very well. What’s my first clue?”

Hera thought of half a dozen places, weighing each one. She pictured a field in her mind. “The site of one of Ares’ greatest victories.”

Zeus frowned. “Five minutes? Even if we agree on his greatest victories, there are dozens.”

She smiled. “I know.” She snapped her fingers and transported herself to the location she’d picked. They had always called it Rhea’s Field, but mortals called it something else. Hera couldn’t remember at the moment. She walked over to a large rock to sit down, shaking her head at the penises someone had drawn on the rock with a black marker. She waved her hand and cleaned the rock before sitting down. The sun beat down, and the tall grass swayed before her. Closing her eyes, she could hear the battle and feel her son’s blood deep in the ground beneath her. Here, Ares had fought alongside Otrera, one of the queens of the Amazons, to save their daughter Hippolyta after she’d been taken in a raid. They’d been victorious in battle, slaying thousands, but the conflict had also yielded Ares a personal victory. He and his daughter had been arguing for years, and his swift rescue had softened her heart. Hera wondered if Zeus would remember that. He rarely did much to nurture his relationships with his immortal children. He’d never understood why Ares and Hephaestus meant so much to her.

Sighing, she opened her eyes and glanced around. Clouds had moved in, and the breeze picked up. Zeus had one more minute. As she ran her hand along the stone beneath her, she thought about Zeus and Ares. She laughed when she realized she’d probably get jealous if they became too close, and of course she didn’t really want him doting on any of his other children. A bird flew overhead, and she watched it wing its way to a tree branch.

Zeus had run out of time, so she considered where to go next. She’d purposely made this one difficult. He’d robbed her of an orgasm earlier in the evening, so she was going to make him wait for his fulfillment.

Ten minutes later, Zeus appeared beside her, looking vexed. “That one was a bit unfair, my love. I thought I was going to have to start consulting scrolls to find you.”

“This one wasn’t that much of a challenge. Ares fought alongside his favorite warriors and freed his daughter. You could’ve been here at least six minutes ago.”

Zeus crossed his arms. “Where to next, then?”

“The place Ares was conceived.” She stood up and vanished, not giving him any time to say anything.

The grotto was cool and quiet. Moss grew over the stone where they’d made love that night. She smiled at the memory. She’d never quite understood why the Fates had given her and Zeus no other children, though she didn’t care too much. Ares was perfect, combining the best of hers and Zeus’ good qualities without having too many of their bad ones. She moved to sit on the smooth stone and gasped when Zeus appeared beside her.

“I win,” he said, his arm going around her waist. “Give me my prize.”

She blinked as he kissed her, and after briefly returning the kiss, she drew back. “You actually remembered?”

“Of course I did. I think of that night often.” He leaned in for another kiss and pushed her back on the stone. “And the way you trembled when you came.” His lips moved softly over her neck and down between her breasts.

She arched as he toyed with her nipple through the material of the sundress. It had been a very long time since they’d made love, and his touch affected her just as it always did. “Rip it,” she said, wanting to feel his mouth on her bare skin.

He obeyed within seconds and drew her nipple into his mouth. Raking his teeth over it, he glanced up at her, a question in his eyes.

“What?” she asked.

He moved down her body and parted the material of her dress until it fell away from her body. She wore nothing beneath it, and he spread her thighs to touch her. His hands caressed the soft skin of her inner thigh before he lowered himself to lick her. He parted her labia to taste her and then he sucked on her clit before finally answering.

“There’s something I’ve been keeping from you. A reason I grew so jealous today.”

At his first statement, she’d stiffened, worrying what bad news might be coming. His second statement baffled her. “What is it?”

“I want another child. I asked the Fates. They said if I could get you to sleep with me within twenty-four hours, we’d be blessed with another child.”

“How long ago was that?”