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Now that I’d seen Bahamut in the flesh, seen him change from a man to a demon, I wondered if Wrath was the same. “Areyou…are a monster like Bahamut?” Was the man in my bed just an enticing projection? “I saw him change. I saw him suddenly appear two feet taller with horns and talons…”

“No. Bahamut was one of the Covenant before he became King of the Dead.”

“The Covenant?”

“The beings who rule the underworld.”

“But you’re the God of the Underworld.”

“I’m more of a servant than a leader. If I were truly that powerful, then I would have left my post a long time ago.”

“So…this is who you are?”

“Yes. My appearance is the same as when I was alive. The underworld is home to all sorts of monstrosities.”

I was relieved that Wrath was unlike Bahamut. And if he were, I’d rather believe Wrath’s lie than know the truth. “What is your life like down there?”

“Work never sleeps.”

“Have you…had relationships down there?”

“No.”

“So, you’ve just been celibate? Or do you only sleep with the living?”

“I’m not celibate,” he said as he looked up at me. “And I told you I’ve never done this before.”

“I thought you hadn’t taken a woman to that island before.”

“I haven’t been with a mortal woman since I joined the underworld. My intimate encounters have been with others down below.”

My heart suddenly raced in dismay. “Have you been with others since we met?” We’d never outlined the expectations for this entanglement. We were supposed to sleep together once, but then it kept happening, and we never discussed the ramifications of that.

His eyes narrowed slightly—and he was angry. “You insult me.”

“I didn’t mean to insult you. We never actually talked about it?—”

“You’re the only woman I want,Xivin. All those down below are heartless traitors and narcissists. They’re a means to an end when I grow desperate. You’re the first woman I’ve actually wanted in three hundred and seventy-seven years. This is the first time I’ve felt alive since I’ve been dead.”

“I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“I won’t ask you the same question in return because I don’t need to. I don’t need to outline the terms of our relationship because I feel the commitment between our hearts. I spend every spare moment I have with you or watching you because you’re the soul that’s been taken from me. You’re the joy that’s only been a memory these last hundreds of years. You stepped on my shores, and my life was forever scarred by the marks you left on my heart.” He didn’t raise his voice, but it felt like he did when he spoke so eloquently and so passionately. He lifted himself on his elbow to meet my stare, his eyes ruthless and authoritative once more. “You’re the only woman I want—and don’t ever question that again.”

Wrath never left before I awoke.

It was noon when my eyes opened to the enormous man beside me, rivers of veins down both of his arms, his body a living mountain. His presence in my life had made me forget my obligations. Instead of helping villagers or spending time with Zehemoth, I was in bed with the sexiest man I’d ever laid eyes on.

The moment I was awake, he moved closer to me and kissed me, his big hand cupping my cheek.

It was such a nice way to start the day.

“I need to depart.”

A wave of disappointment struck me and nearly made me drown.

He could clearly read it in my eyes. “I’ll return this evening.”

“Can we go to the island?” I asked, wanting warm sand underneath my feet. Wanting to listen to the sound of the waves as they washed up on the shore. To know it was just the two of us and the tropical breeze.