The muscles of her spine tightened, a chill sinking down to her bones as she slowly turned to stare at him, her own magic stirring at the not so subtle threat. “You will not touch what is mine.”
Her men slowly spread out, making themselves a bigger target, and she wanted to strangle them.
Thanatos studied her, shadows shifting in his eyes like he was judging her resolve.
Or deciding their fate.
A glow surrounded him, like an aura that pierced the magic darkening the room.
Morgan swallowed hard, knowing that if it came down to a fight, they wouldn’t stand a chance. She gathered her magic, wrapping the strands around each of the guys, ready to pull them into the void at the first sign of trouble.
The wards around the coven shimmered, a tiny thrum of power building like a bomb ready to go supernova. It held nothing back, the coven willing to sacrifice itself to protect them. It wouldn’t stop Thanatos, but it would give her precious seconds to get the guys out and allow the shifters to run.
Howls echoed in the distance, more and more wolves joining the song.
Much to her consternation, instead of running away, the wolves headed directly toward danger, and she bit back a curse.
“Such loyalty for one so young,” Thanatos said, his face impassive. “It’s both a blessing and a curse.”
“What do you want?” Morgan felt like a fool for allowing him so close. Not that she really had much of a choice.
“I think it’s time for us to talk, granddaughter.” With a flick of his wrist, magic swept through the room like a dark tornado. The mess scattered around the room vanished, the furniture scraped across the floor as it mended, the marks on the wall slowly faded, until the room actually sparkled. As the darkness peeled away, it was sucked toward him, where he absorbed it back into his skin like he was made of pure magic.
He breathed deeply, his chest expanding, as if he were being filled. Once done, he walked toward the couch, then patted the seat next to him, a tiny smile kicking up the corner of his mouth as he looked at her. “Won’t you join me?”
It wasn’t a question, more of a command, and one she couldn’t refuse.
Morgan glanced at her mates, some of the tension going outof her when she saw that they remained untouched. Shade had a slightly freaked out look on his face, his hands clenched at his side. Her mates looked seconds away from starting a war, barely leashed violence swirling around them. Caedmon was the only one who’d retained some of his calm, giving her a small nod.
He was probably old enough to remember what it was like to live in the time when the gods walked the earth, and that boggled her mind. Feeling very much like she’d stepped into an alternative universe, she sat gingerly at the edge of the couch.
“You’re so young, I sometimes forget how little you know of the gods and our ways.” Thanatos paid no attention as the guys gathered at her back in a protective semicircle.
“Where to begin…” He rubbed his chin, a faraway look entering his eyes.
“How about at the beginning?” She couldn’t stop the bite of snark, and she raised a challenging eyebrow, still miffed that she couldn’t tell if he was friend or foe.
Thanatos gave a soft chuckle, a pleased smile gracing his lips. “You have the same sassy spark as your mother. It was one of the first things that caught your father’s attention. The first time they laid eyes on each other, it was like watching a forest catch fire. They burned so beautifully together. But like all fires, it eventually burns out and turns to ash.”
The smile on his face held such sadness that tears burned the back of her eyes. She was so desperate for information about her past that she had to bite her lip to keep from asking questions, afraid that if she interrupted, he would stop talking.
“Your father was a key like you.” Thanatos chuckled and gave her a wink. “He would slip out of Tartarus any chance he got. It was on one of those trips that he met your mother. They were married in secret less than a month later.”
The soft look on his face melted away, a heavy weight settling over him as he sighed. “Like all good things, it didn’t last. It wasn’t long before his secret was discovered, and hunters began tracking him. He was so in love with your mother that he didn’t want to leave her, so they went into hiding. They had closeto a year together when fate decided to intervene, and they got pregnant.”
Morgan swallowed the lump in her throat, a deep sense of foreboding gathering in her gut like a balloon was slowly expanding. “Me.”
“Indeed.” Thanatos nodded, flashing her a tiny smile that melted away a second later. “They were both ecstatic and terrified. The hunters were on their trail, and your father very much feared what would happen if anyone discovered that your mother was with child. Not many are aware that being a key is hereditary, passed through our bloodlines. Your parents decided it would be best to separate until you were born and came into your magic.”
Thanatos fell silent, lost in his own thoughts as he gazed down at his hands. “Unfortunately, the hunters found them first. Your father ran, creating a distraction, giving your mother time to get to safety. She waited months for your father to return, never giving up hope, but deep down, she knew he was gone. He sacrificed himself to keep his family safe.”
Her hands were clenched so tight that her fingernails sliced through her flesh. Kincade placed a hand on her shoulder, and it was all she could do not to shatter.
“Your mother was smart,” Thanatos said, blinking away the melancholy that clung to him. “She knew that when you came into your magic, they would come after you too. They would never stop. So she had your powers bound. She just underestimated how strong you would become.”
“She died trying to protect me.” Though she was coming to terms with the fact, Morgan still saw flashes of the night her mother died in her nightmares.
“The loss of your parents was a tragedy.” Thanatos slumped back into the couch under the weight of his sorrow. Then his lips quirked, and he gazed up at her. “Your mother hid you brilliantly. It wasn’t until the bindings around you began to fade that I realized you didn’t die with her.”
