Accidentally in Love with…a God?(Accidentally Yours #1)(78)
Author: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

“What? They can’t do that!” I said.

“My sweet,” he explained. “Tommaso’s grounds for innocence are undocumented. The Council can only rule according to our laws, and the laws require evidence. There is no hard proof that the jade made him betray us.”

“But this is different. They have to see that,” I argued.

Guy kissed the top of my head and hugged me tightly. “Someone must be willing to stand up for him and appeal for more time to establish the facts. I am not allowed to interfere in such a way; it will be seen as an abuse of my power; you must vouch for him.”

So, that was that.

Guy and I went to Rome. I argued on Tommaso’s behalf and took an oath to watch over him for thirty days while Dr. Lugas and his team observed his behavior and ran tests on his blood. If they found evidence, he’d be released to my oversight for a year—a sort of Uchben parole—and then set free.

It broke my heart when the Council blacklisted Tommaso from being an Uchben ever again. No one truly seemed to blame him for his wrong doings, but no one trusted him, either. The lingering affects of the jade were unknown, and in their minds…once a traitor, always a traitor.

As for Tommaso and I, well, what can I say? When he and I saw each other for the first time after the battle, it was hard for both of us. My mind still saw the man I cared about who later tried to end my life. Even though he couldn’t remember what he’d done while under the influence of the jade, he’d heard every gory detail during his trial. He couldn’t look at me without feeling pain either.

I assured him that I’d get over it, but I could see the torment in his eyes; he’d hurt so many people. He’d lost everything he loved for a second time in his life. If it was the last thing I did, I’d make sure he found happiness, and I had to believe I could help him pull his life back together.

That’s why I asked Guy to publicly decree Tommaso as his brother—a god thing I’d learned about from Xavier. Guy pouted for two whole days, but as a gesture of his trust, agreed. Tommaso wasn’t happy about my plotting, either. Guy was apparently a very bossy brother.

One tiny consolation to this mess—not that Tommaso cared—but he was even hotter now that he’d gained a new pair of turquoise eyes just like mine. Sure, he was no God of Death and War, but nobody’s perfect.

So tonight, Nick, Anne, and Jess were not only coming with my parents to meet my new “man,” soon to be husband, but they were also coming to meet my brother-in-law to be, Tommy. Who knew, maybe he’d hit it off with one of them. If anything, he might have some fun. They were really good at that.

While I finished arranging the trays in the kitchen, Guy slid behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. My knees buckled in response and for the fiftieth time that day as I fought my urge to rip off his clothes, and mine, then throw him on the floor and, well…you know, make the sky shake. Sadly, we had guests, and considering how noisy Guy got, we would have to behave.

“I can’t wait until we’re alone again,” I said.

“I’ve already arranged to have Cimil watch over Tommaso after your family leaves.”

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“I have another villa in Greece.”

Greece? What other secret getaways did Guy own? I’d have to shuffle through Guy’s memories later. There was a lot there, and I’d decided I didn’t really want to remember them all. I knew his heart, and that was enough.

“Not even my brothers and sisters can bother us there,” he added. “Not that they’d have time.”

The gods—who were not really blood relatives, by the way, because that would make Guy my great-great uncle, and that would be gross—were busy locating the other three black jade atom bombs, the Payals, and the remaining Maaskab. Personally, I had an itching to fight some more Scabs now that I was immortal. But Guy—as always—was right. We deserved a little time together, some happiness of our own before we ran off to save the world. That job would always be there, he pointed out.

The doorbell rang, and my heart lit with joy. I turned quickly to Guy. “They’re here!” I clapped with excitement and ran through the great room toward the front door.

As I yanked open the large stained glass door, I heard both Guy and Tommaso scream in unison, “No!”

It was too late.

There, standing in front of me, was an old woman with glowing red eyes, flanked by an ocean of Scabs. She was na**d from her waist up and had thick, black dreadlocks draped over her chest. The smell was nauseating.

I looked into her eyes as I raised my hands, readying to split her in two, but there was something eerily familiar about her.

“Holy, Virgin of Guadalupe. Grandma? Is that you?”

THE END…(not)