Going Thru Hell by T. J. Loveless Read Free Book Online

consequences if you are not careful.”
    “Everything has consequences, Zeusy-baby. Duh.”
    Murmurs ripple d through the crowd. Tweaking Zeus's nose could prove monumentally insane.
    Zeus was larger than most due to the vast amount of power he'd amassed over nearly five thousand years. At nearly seven foot, his frame heavily muscled, skin lightly tanned, opalescent eyes, silver hair and a long gray beard, he looked like a grandfather unable to let go of his prime years.
    He stood in front of me, bending over in an attempt to intimidate. But having dealt with gods all my life, the gesture no longer worked. I smiled, pasted on a serene expression, and met his eyes. Ten shades of red washed over his face. I bit my lip hard, tasting blood, in an effort not to laugh.
    “Do not mock me ,” his voice low and tight.
    “Mocking you? Me? Nooo. I genuinely disdain you and all you stand for.” The threads vibrated, the need to braid becoming almost impossible to resist. The secondary ability rushed to the surface of my skin.
    Co me on, you big bastard, touch me , I thought.
    “Do not doubt that I will hurt you for such disrespect!” Spittle landed on my cheek.
    “Can't disrespect what I never respected in the first place. Thought you guys were supposed to have a superior intellect.” My palms began to melt the plastic ties.
    Come on, come on, before I lose control.
    His hand wrapped around my throat and squeezed. My wrists popped apart and I grabbed his forearm, the power sliding over him as the heat from my palms burned his skin. He jerked, but it was too late.
    He screamed , similar to the sound of a wounded animal, trying to pull his forearm away. Fear flashed in his opalescent eyes. The smell of his skin burning reminded me of the pig roast I’d attended as a young child, I could even imagine hearing the crackling sound as I cranked the heat higher.
    I stood, holding his forearm, letting him feel the consequences of unused power. The fire began a slow burn, sliding through me and over him. I used the anger and rage as fuel and looked over the assembled crowd.
    “Who ’s next?” I met every set of eyes, reveled in the fear. “What? No one want to step up?”
    With a small grunt, I slammed everything I had into Zeus, watched with a cold smile as he flew into a marble column, shattering it on impact. I bent over, undid the tie around my ankles and walked off the dais. The crowd parted, unintelligible whispers floating in the air as I glided past. My palms glowed blood red with heat, the threads clear
,
and the urge to ignore the consequences riding me hard. I calculated every step until they led me to stand next to Zeus. I waited for him to stand.
    I positioned my left foot behind me, palms out and gave him a full hit. The sound of his body shattering another column made me laugh. For the first time, using the secondary ability was fun.
    I turned to the crowd, laughing, every intention of causing harm to each immortal present. Sanity returned when a single thread forced itself to the front of my inner screen, the consequences a linear timeline.
    The crowd smelled of fear and panic mixed with Greek spices. The room stank.
    “No, Kylie!” Bru's voice snapped my head around. She wore a standard Valkyrie warrior gold breastplate, and carried the air of someone heading into battle. Her hair swung in a silky copper mass of various braids, and a sword hilt showed over one shoulder. She carried a lethal air of sexy and dangerous, making a beeline for me at a fast jog.
    I blinked rapidly, tried to step back from the edge. “I stopped ,” unable to keep from stuttering. I tried to breathe, panting, my chest constricting.
    “Concentrate, slow your breathing. You are going to hyperventilate.” She placed a hand above my breasts, making slow, soothing circles. I centered on the gentle slide over my skin, matching the circles to every intake of air. Eventually the vise around my chest eased and I could breathe in a natural