“I do not wish to be loved in spite of what I am.”
“What you are isperfection,” I retorted fiercely. “Do not think me naive. Do not think I haven’t agonized over your purpose from the night I first saw your face! You took Lady Helena, as you take every one of us. As you will one day take me. But my time with you has brought me to a truth.”
“And what is that?”
“I can’t say I understand the structure of reality or the scales of existence. But I understand life, and mortality, and...I think I understand you.” I squeezed his hands. “You are the shadow that defines our purpose. Themeaningof a mortal life is a reflection of your beauty.”
He stared at me, blinking slowly, unknowingly flaunting his elegant lashes. “My…beauty?”
“Don’t tell me you’rethisunaware of yourself,” I said sadly. “You are absolutelyruinouslybeautiful.”
Thanatos inclined his head, and the play of the shadows over his cheekbones underscored my point. “Mortals hardly notice my form beneath the weight of my purpose,” he said quietly. “Save for you, that is. But I would do well to remember that your gift of perception is more than just physical.”
“I see you,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “And Iloveyou. All of you. But…”
“But?” The sound fractured in his throat. He settled his gaze on our hands, still clasped together.
“But is itmethat you truly desire, or is it only my sight?” I continued reluctantly. “Would you have felt this way for the first person who looked upon you without terror?”
I almost didn’t want his answer, but I couldn’t stop myself from asking. Not when we were naked together and so emotionally intertwined that I could almost feel the eternal beating of his heart.
Thanatos huffed out a sound that was halfway between a laugh and a sob. When he met my gaze again, his eyes were shining. “I cannot deny the exhilaration of being seen as I am,” he said gently. “But I see you just as well. My curious, clever mortal. Passionate and empathetic. Brave enough to be with me despite all that you face.” He let go of one of my hands to cup my face again. “I would have no other,” he breathed, and he leaned down to plant a kiss on my lips.
“Tell me you love me,” I whispered.
“I love you, my naughty priestess.” He kissed me again, soft and sensual and all too brief. A question laced with fragile hope.
I wrapped my arms around him, and I gave away my heart. “That’s all I need. My eyes are open.”
His next kiss came with such ardor that I fell backward onto the pillows, pulling him down on top of me. We fumbled for each other, gasping for more, and in our haste we were rewarded with an awkward embrace and a kiss separated by a mouthful of his hair.
I burst into a giggle as I brushed the strands off of my tongue. Thanatos joined me, and the heaviness of our worries slipped away on the notes of our laughter.
“You must forgive me,” he sighed, punctuating his request with a kiss free from obstructions. “All of this is so new to me. Exhilarating, yet terrifying. And I…have never been afraid before.”
“Never?” I almost couldn’t believe it.
“Never.” He repositioned on top of me, shifting my legs apart to settle between my thighs. “What had I to fear? But now, I fear both having you and losing you.”
“Have me first,” I proposed breathlessly, consumed by the impulse to grind against him. “Fear later.”
“Yes,” Thanatos chuckled. “I think I will.”
He returned his lips to mine, his tongue exploring, building in intensity. Our hips rocked together, his cock sliding over my wetness, turning me mad with want. We shuddered against each other, and he broke our kiss with a gasping breath.
“There is one more fear I must admit to,” Thanatos confessed.
“What’s that?” I panted.
“That you have opened something within me. A door that cannot be closed. I am afraid that Ineedthis now—needyou. That I always will. Even after…”
“Even after you take my soul?”
“Yes.”
Warmth blossomed in my chest, deepening my blush. Love and sympathy and protectiveness vied for my response.
“One day at a time,” I suggested. “Oneneedat a time. For instance…you seem particularly needy right now.”
