God of Ruin (Legacy of Gods #4) by Rina Kent

“Nikolai will kill me if he finds out about this.”

“Which is why he won’t.” I smile at Maya. “Right?”

Her face is red as she fiddles with the strap of her Chanel bag. Maya never fiddles. Seeming to sober up, she releases it and shakes her head. “No way in hell. You’re not getting in the middle of this.”

“I already am.”

“Mia.” She grabs my shoulders. “The whole pig blood thing was reckless enough as it is. You don’t need that guy’s attention.”

I already have it anyway, so might as well use it for the greater good. Including, but not limited to, bringing the asshole down.

Besides, I need to find an explanation for my strange attraction to the bastard. I’m sure the more I find out how amoral he is, the less attractive I’ll find him and then I’ll be happy to throw him to the wolves—aka the Heathens.

“I’ll be fine,” I sign to my sister, then disengage from her hold to face Jeremy. “Do we have a deal?”

“No, Mia. I’m not pushing you into his lethal orbit.”

“I’m already there.” I lift my chin. “He thinks I’m his muse or something like that, so I’ll use that to my advantage.”

Jeremy’s eyebrows shoot too close to his hairline. “Since when?”

“Since I’m getting revenge for what he did to Nikolai.”

“We’re planning that. Seriously, stay out of it.”

“Too late. Remember the blood bath he got at his own club’s party?” I point a thumb at myself. “That was me.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” he says with more bewilderment and pride than anything.

“No god can stop the psycho but I can.” But let’s ignore the fact that I’m hiding in my brother’s mansion because this is the only place where he won’t be able to pull any shit.

I brought Maya along, too, so he won’t be able to threaten me with her either.

“Be careful and retreat the moment you sense any danger,” Jeremy says.

“You can’t possibly be serious?” Maya directs her attention to him.

“You and I both know we can’t stop her once she puts her mind to something.”

I grin like a Cheshire cat and nod approvingly.

Maya points at Ilya, who turned off the stove and is about to leave. “You, talk some sense into him.”

Ilya looks at her as if she’s nothing but the dirt beneath his shoes. That’s the first time I’ve seen anyone disregard my sister’s bigger-than-the-world presence.

“He’s not a you,” Jeremy says calmly. “His name is Ilya.”

“He’s not important enough for me to recall his name, but he has a job of advising you not to make stupid mistakes, like throwing Mia in the middle of a war.”

“Hey.” I push her. “I decided this. Don’t overstep, Maya. Neither you, Jeremy, nor Nikolai get to tell me what to do.”

“But…I’m worried about you.” Maya’s brow furrows.

She’s always been overprotective of me since that incident, even more than our parents and Niko, and that says something since those three could’ve been mistaken for my wardens the first few years following what happened.

Still, Maya needs to learn that I’m capable of making my own choices—mistakes included.

“I can take care of myself.” I shake hands with Jeremy. “Apologize to Ilya on Maya’s behalf.”

He nods silently, but Maya releases an exasperated sound. “I have nothing to apologize for.”

I grab her by the shoulder and push her into one of the guest rooms. She wiggles free from my hold and faces me with an epic frown. “You had no right to do that. And what’s with apologizing on my behalf lately? You’re making me look like a bitch.”

“You can manage that on your own without my interference.” I cock my head to the side. “Besides, you were just being overly defensive to hide your actual reaction. Why were you spying on Ilya and why were your cheeks red?”

Her lips part and she goes a deep shade of red before she stomps her Hermès heel on the ground with the impatience of a toddler. “As if I would pay that loser any attention. I was just keeping an eye on Jeremy because he’s going to be my future husband.”

I give an “Uh-huh” look and she goes berserk, trying to convince me—and probably herself—that there’s nothing to the earlier episode.

She doesn’t realize that the more she defends her metaphorical position, the less plausible she sounds.

When I continue to stare at her, she pretends that she’s gotten an important call and runs out of the room as if her ass is on fire.

Maybe it’s because we’re twins, but Maya is more readable than computer chess. While it’s fun to mess with her sometimes, she’s really flustered beyond saving this time, so I leave her be.

I go to check if dinner is ready. I’m starving and need my calorie fix.

Sure enough, Nikolai didn’t manage to sleep. He’s lounging in the living room, still half naked, and listening to Gareth.

Jeremy, Ilya, and Kill head to the table and call everyone along.

My brother flicks Gareth on the forehead so he’ll shut it, then he headlocks him and drags him to the dining area.