West of Want (Hearts of the Anemoi) by Laura Kaye Page B

pier. A short moment later, his caustic voice came from behind. Zeph whirled as Eurus ranted. “I did not imagine you insinuating yourself into Chloris’s life. I did not imagine you taking her away, joining your godhood with hers.” Thunder rumbled around them, shaking the boards beneath their feet.
    “For the thousandth time, she did not love you—”
    “Because you interfered and never gave her the chance!”
    Rain slashed down in stinging, jagged lines, chasing away the last of the daylight. “Don’t you ever tire of this merry-go-round? I didn’t know you felt something for her. And whatever wrong I might have done, you inflicted your vigilante justice several times over. She left me, remember? You blackened something good and true until she broke under the weight of it.”
    Eurus had accused Zeph of abducting Chloris from him, raping her, keeping her hostage in their new home. He’d run right to their father, Aeolus, and when the powerful storm god wouldn’t take the charge seriously, Eurus spread the lies to any god who would listen. After a time, Chloris couldn’t stand the whispers and furtive glances, and she’d left in tears, unintentionally giving credence to the rumors. Zeph didn’t blame her, and still couldn’t bear the memory of her pain. Muscles rigid, he shook the rain from his face. “Truth be told, at the time I didn’t even know you to be capable of love. The way you treated her proved I was right.”
    The wind howled around them, dueling cold and warm drafts driving the rain sideways. “Any goddess who would stand between two brothers was not worthy of either,” Eurus spat.
    “Do not speak as if you ever felt the least fraternal affection toward me. I blame Father for much of that. But what you do—what you’ve always done—serves you and you alone.”
    “You will not mention him in my presence.”
    Zeph shook his head and swore under his breath. All gods excelled in stubborn righteousness, but perhaps none more than their father. Grieving over his beloved’s death in childbirth, Aeolus had blamed Eurus for her loss and refused to show him the least parental affection ever after. As much as anyone or anything, Aeolus’s treatment had seeded the resentment, bitterness, and hair-trigger rage so central to Eurus’s godhood. And he’d rubbed salt in the wounds by showering his new wife’s youngest son, the Anemoi Chrysander, with love and acceptance.
    Zeph got it. He did. But none of it was his fault, and he was tired of paying for it. “He did you wrong, Eurus. There’s no questioning that—”
    Eurus scoffed, a black light flashing from his inhuman eyes. “I don’t want your false pity.”
    “And I’m not offering it.” Zeph tugged his hand through his wet hair. “Enough of this. It’s the same shit, different century. Nothing I say or do makes any difference. You will not dictate my life to me. You will not dictate who I love.”
    The buffeting wind caught the length of Eurus’s coat, furling and unfurling it around him, giving it the appearance of a live being struggling to break free. “Perhaps if you didn’t spread your love”—his fingers curled into air quotes as he sneered the word—“around so indiscriminately, I wouldn’t have to step in. For the love of the gods, first Owen cavorts with human vermin, and now you. At least his indiscretion can be excused by his lack of true pure Anemoi blood. You, however—there’s no excuse for your dalliance here. Humans are beneath even you. Do not sully our godhoods with any more of this nonsense.”
    “Your view of humans is an abomination.”
    He released a sigh, like he was unjustly tormented by Zeph’s defense of humanity. “No, my view upholds the natural order of things. Fuck her and get your rocks off if you must, then leave her.”
    Lightning slashed across the sky, highlighting in stark relief the roiling clouds their confrontation had unleashed. Zephyros’s hands curled into claws and he nearly