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Styx tried to stifle her groan, and in my periphery, I saw Caius approach. His ceremonial attire was black, a kilt of sorts, coming down to his knees. A white belt wrapped around his waist, and he wore a necklace I’d never seen before. While I had a skimpy top, he had none, and it didn’t escape the notice of several women that had surrounded the stone circle.
A hint of jealousy tickled me, and it quickly mingled with the pain of our argument. Envy and I weren’t friends, so it was a new experience. A whisper in the recesses of my mind said he was mine, and again, the heated words we’d shared questioned if we were anything at all.
He’d said we were going in circles. Maybe that’s all we knew how to do...
When he came to stand before me, he met my gaze with a forced smile. A tightness formed around his eyes, and I looked away, feeling the slightest prick of tears. Stupid feelings.
The healer nodded, smiling gently, handing a wooden tray with small bowls of paint for Styx to hold.
My heart skipped a beat and my eyes shot up to meet his. “We're supposed to paint each other?” I asked, and he gave an apologetic nod. I mumbled under my breath. “You've got to be kidding.”
“Ironic, isn't it?” he said quietly.
Cruel was more like it.
As instructed, we took paint and covered our palms, each pressing a hand onto each other. My red handprint marked the planes of his muscular chest, and his marked my sternum, reaching all the way to my collarbone.
A symbol that we had been claimed by the other.
I felt my stomach tighten as the shaman healers and Styx left the circle while the entire audience began to chant. Caius and I stood face-to-face, silent, holding each other’s hands.
It felt like an eternity had passed when a steady drumbeat was added to whatever song or prayer they were saying on repeat.
“We need to talk,” I whispered.
“Not right now.” His voice was barely audible.
“Please.” The increased speed of drumming sent fear through my veins.
Caius stayed silent, holding my gaze. His non-answer wasn’t helping my anxiety. We should have talked more before doing this. We shouldn’t have ignored each other.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to take deep breaths as my heart jumped into my throat.
I’d finally asked Styx to fill me in on more details. The unknown was killing me. Better to know what was coming. Knowledge was power, and all that. If I knew what to expect, I was equipped to handle anything. That was my mindset. How wrong I was. Regret was an understatement. Instead of feeling prepared, I was fucking terrified.
I was supposed to take off running into the forest. He was supposed to wait, then chase me. Stalk me. Hunt me. Mate me.
That was the tradition here. A way to announce to the people of Tartarus that you were taken.
On Earth, we had weddings or wore rings, or both. This was too much. People here go into the woods, hoping to catch a glimpse of the couple mating. I was in a realm full of voyeurs, and I didn’t have an exhibition to give them. Maybe this was Hell.
What was going to happen? We weren’t actually going to fuck against a tree or on the forest floor. I was a terrible liar. No ... Oh gods, no ... Was I supposed to fake sounds of an orgasm?
We didn’t talk about this. We didn’t plan this out. We’d barely spoken to each other and now we were about to put on some show, and I didn’t know my lines, so to speak.
I couldn’t do this.
The rapid, thunderous thumping of drums and the vociferous chanting reached a crescendo, my heart pounding in unison with the beat. I was going to throw up.
Then it abruptly stopped.
Deafening silence reigned.
Only my heartbeat and the sounds of my erratic breathing filled my mind.
I looked at Caius, not knowing what to do.
He leaned down, his lips grazing my ear, the heat of his breath sending goosebumps along my skin. Releasing my hands, he said a single word, the deep timbre of his voice reverberating.
