The War of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 3) (23 page)

He smiled, finally turning around and staring straight at Yoori. Some of the initiates followed his gaze and smiled up at her as well. They knew his acknowledgement of her meant one thing: the initiation was over.

“Now enjoy yourselves,” Tae Hyun whispered warmly, his smile growing wider when Yoori smiled back. “You’ve earned it.”

Cheering commenced throughout the estate and from her vantage point, Yoori could see a slew of black and white colors converging as the active Serpents rushed over to welcome the new initiates with opened arms.

Yoori shared in the same excitement as she rushed down from the roof and onto the grass. She excitedly moved through the jovial crowd, thrilled to not only witness such a glorious event, but to be included in this secret world of Tae Hyun’s. She sped over to the maze, eager to get to him.

Now that the King of Serpents was done with his duties, she was ready to be with her silly Snob again.

“But you are raised to be a God.
”

10: The Duel of Gods

Tae Hyun was still atop the maze, waiting for Yoori and watching over his Serpents when she reached him. He glowed under the moonlight, looking positively divine as he rested his attention on her.

Yoori peered up at him, unable to keep the smile off her face. As silly as it sounded, after bearing witness to such an epic initiation, she felt like she was in the presence of a celebrity rather than her BFF. Yoori couldn’t stop beaming. She was ecstatic to be in his company again.

“Do you normally initiate with your shirt off?” she cooed, bashfully playing with the foliage of the maze.

Her heart raced when he favored her with a smile.

“No,” he said with a laugh. His melodic laughter rolled over the peaceful gardens, triggering her heart rate to accelerate even faster. “I wanted the chance to flex my muscles for you.”

Yoori laughed, her cheeks turning scarlet red at his teasing reply. She definitely enjoyed seeing those beautifully sculpted muscles flex. After her laughter died down, she tilted her head, no longer wanting to be so far from him. He looked like a God standing atop that maze, and she wanted to see what it was like to be up there with him.

“Can I join you up there?”

Tae Hyun did not waste time. He swiftly moved over to where she stood and lowered his hand to hers. Yoori shimmied off her heels and took his hand. He easily pulled her up, carefully making sure she was safely balanced on the maze. Once she became acclimated, he pulled out his charms.

“How did you like the show?” he whispered, cradling an already spellbound Yoori close to him. He feathered a kiss over her lips as his way of greeting her.

“It was
. . .
amazing,” she told him breathlessly, overwhelmed by the surge of euphoria that rang through her. She quickly surveyed her surroundings from her new, elevated height.

Yoori felt exhilarated. While on the estate roof, she felt like a Queen overseeing her people. While on this maze with Tae Hyun, she felt like a God who had descended onto Earth. From this vantage point, the mansion resembled a shrine created to honor the Gods. This labyrinth made her feel like the God that was being worshipped. There was an otherworldly quality to this maze that excited her. She felt powerful at this elevated status, untouchable. It was like she was a mountain that towered over everyone else—everyone else except Tae Hyun.

Yoori repressed any competitive feeling that could rouse inside her and focused on answering Tae Hyun’s question. She took her eyes off the mansion and faced Tae Hyun. Any thoughts of being a “God” vanquished when she saw his beautiful eyes. How surreal it was to be held by him with such love after witnessing such a spectacular event.

“I couldn’t believe how elaborate and how grand it was,” she added, the wonder having yet to leave her voice. “In the last minute, I wanted to take the place of those initiates as well.”

Tae Hyun nodded as though that was the intended effect. “That’s the point. The existing Serpents—primarily one of the Reapers—must want to do the same.”

“What if a Reaper doesn’t volunteer?”

“Then none of the prospects have proven themselves, and they will not be initiated,” Tae Hyun simply stated before he gently pulled her with him. He led her along the maze, sauntering across the ivy-covered labyrinth like they were strolling on the beach.

“Why does it have to be a Reaper who volunteers?” asked Yoori, very much enjoying the view from atop this maze. The gardens had a majestic quality now that it was only the two of them. She especially loved how the moonbeam kissed every square inch of the gardens. It was also exceptionally amazing because she had the King of Serpents holding her hand and guiding her around the maze like he was introducing her to another part of the world. It was tranquil and it felt magical.

“The Reapers will be their guides throughout their entire life cycle as Serpents,” Tae Hyun began to enlighten over a delicate breeze. “They will be the ones to show the initiates how cruel this world can be, they will show the initiates the light, and they will be the ones who will keep the initiates strong in the face of human weaknesses. Every aspect of the initiation embodied all these points. The Cobras were there to remind the initiates of the cruelty of the Underworld if they are weak, and I was there to remind them that no one could survive if they choose to go against their King.”

“And the Reapers sacrificing themselves to battle you mean that they have given you their assurance that these initiates have what it takes to be a Serpent,” Yoori contributed, following along with this symbolism. “They have what it takes to be worthy of entering the Kingdom.”

“It’s the way it should be,” Tae Hyun said proudly. “They may be here to serve me, but they joined for a family. The existing Serpents do not take kindly to newcomers, but when the initiates have proven their worth, they would never turn their backs on them.”

Yoori inhaled deeply, loving the meaning behind everything. A curious thought came over her that she had to playfully voice. “Do you think I can last one minute with you?”

Tae Hyun appraised her appreciatively. His sensuous gaze did not conceal his desire for her. “I’m sure you can, but know that I’ll give you more than one minute, baby.”

Yoori cracked up and lightly smacked his back. “You know what I meant!”

He laughed at her reaction before turning back around. There was a sultry quality to him when he pulled her closer. “Do you want to help me clean up?”

Yoori wrinkled her nose dubiously. “Huh?”

Undeterred, Tae Hyun motioned his hands up and down his body.

Yoori followed his movements and noticed that although his beautiful upper body was free of blemishes, his white pants had dirt and bloodstains from the initiates on it.

It dawned on Yoori what he was asking of her.

The implication behind the act left Yoori feeling shyer than usual. Declining was probably the proper thing to do, especially since she was his ex-girlfriend. However, she did not have the heart to refuse him. Not when he was standing there half-naked, literally asking her to clean him up. She should not be playing with fire, but Kwon Tae Hyun was too mouthwatering to deny. As long as she didn’t give in, she would be fine. It was that simple—in theory.

Yoori nodded bashfully at her weak reasoning, eyeing the garden soil while her cheeks turned redder.

Tae Hyun rewarded her with a heart-stopping grin and jumped down from the maze. He reached his arms up and caught her when she followed suit and jumped down. Yoori was thankful that her dress was more form fitting tonight. If not, the wind would’ve blown the ends of her dress every which way already.

Hand-in-hand, they wandered over to a more secluded part of the estate. It was hidden behind towering trees and was perfectly veiled from the prying eyes of the mansion. Yoori heard the soft trickling sound of water running and craned her neck to look ahead. A man-made pond sat peacefully before her, housing a rock formation that had water pouring from it like a waterfall. There was also a beautiful red bridge that sat suspended over the glowing body of water, pleasing Yoori’s already awestruck eyes.

On the grass beside the border of the water, Yoori spotted a white towel and new black pants for Tae Hyun to change into. She surmised that this slew of water must’ve been fresh if it was used for the Serpents’ beloved King to wash up in.

“It’s really pretty here,” Yoori commented when Tae Hyun unclasped his hand from hers and advanced toward the water.

She stood beside his new change of clothes, surveying the pretty garden with appreciative eyes. The tranquility calmed her and made her feel safe. It eluded her as to why this wasn’t Tae Hyun’s preferred estate.

“Why don’t you like this estate—
OH MY GOD!
” Yoori suddenly screamed when she turned just in time to see him make preparations to pull his pants down.

She closed her eyes, grabbed the towel, and raised it up in the air to block her view of his naked body.

“What are you doing, you pervert?!” she reprimanded, shaking while struggling to keep the towel up. It took all her willpower to not look at him when she heard his naked body move into the waters. “Why didn’t you warn me before you decided to get naked?!”

His dark, seductive laughter resounded from the water. “What did you think helping me wash up entailed?”

“I don’t know—
a warning
?” she retorted, feeling her hands quiver. The tantalizing sound of the water lapping against his naked physique sent heat coursing over her. She cursed her life. If only he wasn’t her ex-boyfriend. If he were her boyfriend, she would take a peek just to satisfy her desire for him. Since he wasn’t, she was simply stuck in sexual frustration hell. Fuck. This was her punishment for playing with fire—being teased to death by a naked sex God!

“Aw, I’m sorry,” Tae Hyun crooned, his voice moving closer. Despite his words, there was no apology in his voice as the sound of water stirred against his movements. Yoori could hear the water drip from his naked form when his body finally towered over hers on dry land. She felt him tug the towel down slightly to reveal her eyes. Still holding the towel, Yoori looked up. He was peeking down at her with an enticing smile on his face. Water still clung to his hair and face, making him glow under the moonlight. “Luckily we had this towel to give me some privacy, right?”

She nodded shakily, thrusting the towel toward him. “Take your towel and make yourself presentable,” she ordered tightly, keeping her eyes downward.

“You’re supposed to help me,” he combated lightly.

“I am,” Yoori retorted. She pushed the towel toward him again. “Here, take it.”

What he did next nearly had her fainting from shock. He grabbed her hands, which were still holding the towel, and proceeded to dry himself with her toweled-covered hands as the proxies. He moved her towel-covered hands over his muscular shoulders, skimmed them over his hard chest before shocking her even further when he moved them to his backside. Yoori’s heart stuttered to a stop, and she could’ve sworn her towel-covered hands grazed over his perfectly sculpted butt.

My God, you’re so hot
. . .
Yoori thought in a daze, certain she was going to have an aneurysm from all this teasing. It was as if all her naughty fantasies were coming to life. The only pitfall was that she couldn’t enjoy it because this was her reality. 

“Tae Hyun!” she squeaked, gaping at him when he showed mercy and guided her hands upward. He enclosed it around his hips like she was helping to hold the towel over his lower body.

He smiled sweetly down at her, causing her breath to further hitch in her chest.

Sweet Jesus, how was she going to survive this?

“What a big help you are,” he whispered appreciatively, his lips curving up in amusement. “Now hold that towel up. I’m changing into my pants.”

Yoori numbly nodded, holding the towel up. She felt drunk—drunk on Tae Hyun. She could feel her hands clenching while she tried to remember the feel of his beautifully sculpted behind. It was so firm that she could’ve sworn it was possible to bounce a nickel off that as—

“Done,” he announced, dragging her from her perverted thoughts.

Yoori hesitantly lowered the towel. When she peeked out and saw that although he was shirtless, he was wearing his new black pants now, she felt bravery stream through her. A naked Tae Hyun boggled her senses, but a half-naked Tae Hyun was manageable—slightly.

“My upper body is still wet,” he complained, smiling at her as he approached her with his glistening upper body. “Want to finish helping me?”

“No,” Yoori whispered, gathering what was left of her dignity to sound firm. She handed the towel to him. “Finish it yourself.”

Tae Hyun fabricated a groan before putting a fatigued hand over his arm. “Ah, but I’m so sore from the initiation. Those kids did a number on me.”

“You kicked their asses,” Yoori noted bluntly.

“It still took effort to wave that kendo stick around and beat people to a pulp,” he argued. He faked another pained groan. “Come on, Brat. Any longer, I’m going to catch a cold if I’m still wet.”