God of War (Legacy of Gods, #6)

by Rina Kent

My name is Ava Nash. Twenty-one years old. I love classical music and reading scandalous bodice ripper novels. I watch cheesy rom-coms or true crime documentaries—nothing in between. I’m kind of obsessed with the color pink, can eat candy floss for days, can’t get enough of salted caramel popcorn, and can survive on smoothies as long as they have strawberries in them.

“I’m high maintenance.” “Just the way I like it.” “I have extremely expensive tastes.” “Good thing I come from old money and I’m rich enough to outshine a few countries’ GDP.” “I’ll drive you crazy.” “Nothing new there.” “I don’t like you.” “That’s because you love me.”

“Do not ever bring another man in my presence if you know what’s good for you.” “Marrying you proved that I do not, in fact, know what’s good for me.” “Ava…” “Yes, darling?”

As I watch her peaceful expression, I almost forget that I’m married to what’s societally known as a madwoman. Worse, she doesn’t even know it. And I’ll make sure it remains this way.

This is unfair. Why are men better in fiction? Petition to transform the entire male population into men written by women. Please and thank you.

Ava is nothing less than a goddess whose altar every man with a functioning dick yearns to burn incense at. She’s a beautiful rose with mesmerizing energy that intoxicates the flies circling her, but like all roses, her stem is crowded with thorns. It’s me. I’m the thorns.

“I…I was going to heat you some dinner.” He walks toward me, eating up the distance in two strides, and wraps his hand around my throat. “Be my dinner.” And then his sinful mouth captures mine.

My husband is a full-blown sociopath, and I’m his insane, completely illogical obsession.

Did she just call me adorable and babe in the same sentence after kissing my cheek? Jesus fucking Christ. Maybe I should be the one who sees a doctor because I want her to repeat what just happened in that exact order. Better yet, perhaps I should have her checked in case the brat behavior underwent some dangerous mutation.

“You’d give me anything I want?” “Within reason.”

However, the more I find, the deeper I want to go. I’ve seen her hide from her best friends just so they won’t witness her at her worst. I’ve seen her smile and laugh while her eyes were screaming for help. I’ve seen her looking in the mirror and reciting her name, age, and her love for cello while seeming as if she were staring through herself.

Like a bird trapped in a cage, I wanted to shatter the bars and fly out, even if my wings were broken in the process and I had to bleed all over the floor.

For two months, Eli ‘Parasite’ King has been dropping by the institute during Ava’s sleep time and spends the entire night watching her through the door like a fucking creep. No kidding. I watched him once as he stood there, both hands in his pockets, for seven fucking hours.

A few weeks ago, the doctor allowed him to sit by her bedside and he started holding her hand. He also reads her these ridiculous romance novels that he doesn’t look to be enjoying one bit, but he keeps buying them because she likes them—her mother’s influence. He bought an out-of-print version for over two thousand quid just because. He times himself and always leaves half an hour before she usually wakes up. Then he comes back the next day for the same routine. He’s never missed a night. Not even when he has dark circles and looks like he could use some sleep.

I want him with everything in me. I love him with my incomplete sanity and my heart that he broke once upon a time, which only mended itself because of his unconditional care and protectiveness.

“I’m so happy, sometimes, I believe this is a simulation and I’ll wake up to my harsh reality one day.” “You’re real.” He brushes his lips against mine and glues our foreheads together. “We are real, baby.” I smile and stroke his nose against my cheek. “I know, but I want more.” “Anything. If you ask for the moon, I’ll lay it at your feet.” “Nothing that excessive.” I hesitate. “I…want children. Our children.” “Then you will have them. All three of them.”