It was pointless, though. The fragrance of Iliana’s arousal was now engraved on his memory.
He should leave, return to his cave, and pretend none of this mattered. But he couldn’t. Not just because of Zeus or his promise, but because of her. Iliana. The curse grew stronger daily.
Hypnos shook himself, trying to shut down his thoughts. It should have been easy. He had centuries of practice keeping others away, pretending not to care.
None of it was working.
His thoughts circled back to her. She’d faced him without fear. She held Thanatos’ hand and kissed Anubis with no hesitation. Thanatos was always practical and logical. The one who never thought attachments were worth it. Yet he looked at Iliana as though she meant everything. And Anubis? The god who’d sworn to never allow another woman to hurt him? He was already hers.
That could be you.
No.
He slammed the thought down hard, burying that hope somewhere dark and out of reach. He wasn’t ready for this. He might never be. Not after Pasithea had taught him what wanting someone could cost.
“Is Hypnos okay? Did I go too far saying that to him?”Iliana’s question drifted in from the other room.
It would’ve been easier if she’d written him off as an asshole and moved on as everyone else did, but she noticed. She cared. Even after he’d been deliberately cruel, she still gave a damn about whether she’d hurt him.
He felt trapped between wanting to retreat further and wanting to close the distance. She made it so hard to keep his walls up when she kept looking for cracks to slip through.
No, restless one. You didn’t go far enough.
Her fire made him want to test her more. If he pushed, would she crumble or would she fight? He wasn’t sure which he wanted.
“No. I reprimanded him harshly.”
Hypnos ignored his brother’s mental nudge. He wasn’t ready to hear an apology he didn’t deserve.
“What happened tonight?” Thanatos asked.
When the conversation moved on to the failed trap, Hypnos reappeared in the kitchen and leaned against the counter. He wanted to be a part of the discussion, even though he felt like an outsider among them.
Anubis shook his head. “It was a Kabeiroi.”
His brother stiffened. “Really? So not the threat Hermes believed it was.”
“It did not attack or even try to hide. It watched.”
Iliana frowned. “What is aKabeiroi? Should I be worried?”
“They do not interfere. They observe,” Thanatos said, placing a comforting hand on her back.
It wasn’t all they did, but it was what they were best known for. He trusted Anubis’ instincts. They only watched, they waited for her to return—and left when she didn’t.
“Then why does everyone look so tense?” Her eyes moved between them.
Anubis answered carefully. “Because they only observe important events that have the possibility of reshaping fate. Wars. Falls of empires. Changes that can be felt centuries later.”
“So, their watching me means…” Iliana trailed off.
“It means that whatever they were expecting to see at the safe house was significant. Important enough for them to let their presence be known,” Thanatos finished.
Hypnos stretched his senses, finding no lingering eyes. No threats.
“They probably caught wind of the Fates speaking to a human. Mysteries like that would attract them,” Hypnos said, shooting a glance toward Iliana. For once, he kept the mockery out of his tone. “And you may be the biggest mystery of all. The question isn’t whether they’ll interfere, but what they’re expecting to witness.”
The Kabeiroi might not harm her, but they still didn’t know what they were waiting for. Her death? Or something else entirely?
