Page 17

Chapter Seventeen

Asha

“ T his is the only place that’s safe. I need to take precautions. Every angel and demon will be after you now that they know your face. So, you can’t stay in the human world while I’m away. Nowhere will be safe until I get that mark removed. But if you didn’t want to be here, you wouldn’t be.”

Here?

“I’m pretty sure you know how insufferable you’re being right now. Ever heard of vague-booking, Mr. Killer?” The raised eyebrow he gave me suggested he hadn’t. “It’s pretty much the worst thing you can do on social media. Ramble vaguely and make everyone else reach out for clarification. It’s a dick move. So, do us both a favor, talk to me like I don’t really understand anything you’re saying, ‘kay? Thanks so much.”

I’d taken a risk by mouthing off to the only person on my side right now, but by the little smirk he gave me, he wasn’t bothered by it. Thank fuck for that.

“My realm.”

“Your…realm? As in, you own it? Am I hearing you right?”

His eyes scanned the distance. “Yes. It’s a place no one can enter unless I’ve personally permitted them to. You could say I’m the ruler of the space between life and death.”

“Sure thing,” I replied, brain in complete overload.

I figured it didn’t matter what I understood about this supernatural stuff. I’d probably be dead in a week. But I was a little surprised that an angel would agree to help us. One that seemed more or less like a big deal. Whoever’s soul she was after, it was a huge fucking deal. Like something they shouldn’t be doing at all. Yet, here we were, about to piss off the God of the Underworld. Wait, did that make him Thanatos’s boss?

Nothing made sense anymore.

One thing I did know for sure was that Thanatos didn’t intend to listen to me. After he'd all but broken Michael’s couch to make a statement, he made it crystal clear that he’d do whatever it took to make good on his promise to save me. I was still going to argue my case. I didn’t agree with putting anyone else in the middle of whatever was going on with my soul.

Because whether it was love or attachment, I didn’t want Thanatos to spend the rest of his eternal life paying for a crime I never asked him to commit. I liked him enough to want him to continue to do his thing. He’d punished five assholes better than I ever could, and maybe that was my service to the world—five less douchebags out there preying on innocent women.

Ravens cawed loudly in the distance, but the landscape was essentially an uninhabited gothic paradise. Desolation to the max. Or what Emily would call Addams Family chic. I couldn’t see anyone or anything for miles, just a rolling landscape of dead trees and grass. Total isolation. Everything was painted in blue and black. No moon. No stars. No sun. My feeble human brain couldn’t make sense of what I was seeing. All I could gather was we probably weren’t in Kansas anymore, Toto.

So, this was his own slice of paradise? This barren and cold world where everything looked haunted and endless? Ironically, it fit him. When I’d met him at least. Now, I wasn’t so sure. The man I knew was warmer than this place. Warmer than any person I’d ever met. Scary as fuck but soft in the middle.

“So, is this it? Are we going to camp out here, or…?” I remarked before shadows swept out from where he stood and built up from the ground.

Thanatos folded his thick arms over his chest and watched the towering estate form out of shadows at breakneck speed. I was too awestricken to make a snide comment about how I should’ve expected his house would not only be made of shadows, but overstated and grossly large. It was castle-like and reached high into the blue-grey sky.

Ravens flew overhead, circling the four towers, and I had to angle my head back just to trace each tower’s length. An innuendo that wasn’t lost on me, but I didn’t have time to giggle about it because I was too engrossed in how incredible everything here was.

I couldn’t see where the towers ended, and it made my stomach churn thinking I might be asked to climb thousands of stairs to the top, just to be locked in one while Death conducted his business. I couldn’t pull a Rapunzel with only a few days left to live. Not when I had a list of things I wanted to do before I croaked. Well, several I couldn’t do now that I’d crossed over to Death’s realm, but still.

“You’re not locking me up in one of those cock-shaped towers of yours, Death. I’ll smite you.”

His laughter eased the uncomfortable pressure in my chest. “I hadn’t considered it, but now that you mention it, I wouldn’t mind locking you to the bed for a bit. Bet you’d look absolutely ravishing chained to my headboard, little raven.”

My mouth was suddenly dry. “Uh…that’s also against the rules.”

“And whose rules would those be?” he questioned, turning.

You’d never believe I was just threatened by an angel and on a quest to save my soul by the sexual air that ignited between the two of us at a moment’s notice.

His grey eyes took a very unsubtle path down my body, making it perfectly clear he wasn’t in a hurry to go find Hades. He’d fuck me right here if I gave him a reason. And holy shit, I couldn’t keep up. I wasn’t used to the chaotic blend of sexy and terrifying that seemed to come with being Death’s new favorite toy.

Don’t give in, Asha. He’s baiting you.

I turned away, not rising to the challenge. For once.

The majestic structure in front of us remained black and ominous, but the architectural details were breathtaking. I hadn’t thought they’d care here, but apparently, even the God of Death appreciated a good architectural masterpiece.

“Sort of looks like you’re compensating for something with this obnoxiously large castle, Mr. Killer.”

Thanatos’s lips twitched, but he didn’t give me the smile I aimed to get out of him. Spoilsport. “You and I both know I don’t need to compensate for a fucking thing. But I’m happy to fuck you hard enough so that you’ll never forget it.”

Ugh. Whenever he slipped a growling curse and sexy taunt into his response, the thirsty animal between my legs throbbed with renewed lust. Guess even being on my death bed couldn’t curb my sexual appetite.

“So…Hades,” I said, voice cracking. My chest was tight again, and I coughed a little to relieve the pressure. My clever pivot had done its job. The mood was instantly snuffed out.

Brushing angry fingers through his hair, Thanatos sighed. “I guess I can’t expect you to understand if I don’t tell you why I came to you in the first place.”

My heart hammered against my breastbone, attempting an escape. “I might be a meaningless human to you guys, but even I deserve to know why I’m being hunted like a goddamn animal.”

I dared a look at him. His piercing eyes were already on me. “You’re not meaningless, Asha. Far from it. But you’re right. I owe you that much, and there’s no going back after I seek an audience with Hades. Whatever favor he asks in return…well, it’s important that this doesn’t fail.”

Searching his face, I finally relented. “Do you have any food or drinks in that grossly large castle of yours, or is this size just for show?”

Chuckling, he took me by the hand and yanked. I was suddenly lifted into his arms. “Sure, but you’ll have to satisfy my hunger first. I’ve been desperate to fuck you since we were rudely interrupted. You’ve kept me waiting long enough.”

“Hey now, I seem to remember you starting it,” I argued. Everything that happened in that alley was entirely his fault. I planned to lay into him, but he kissed me so possessively that all I could do was try to keep up with his mouth and tongue.

Before I had time to blink or get my bearings, we’d already entered the shadow castle. His movements didn’t follow the usual human pattern. As in, the gorgeous killer wasn’t walking at all. The dude was fucking gliding over the floor. We ascended countless stairs and floors before reaching a door that looked like every other one we’d passed on our way to it. But when he entered, I got the sense this was where Thanatos spent most of his time. It felt like him. I couldn’t explain it. It just did.

Candle sconces fixed to the walls offered small breaks in the darkness every so often, but otherwise, I couldn’t make out much else about the room. The only thing I knew was that the bed was impossibly large and didn’t appear to take up much space. It could easily fit twenty-plus people on it, and I idly wondered if it had at some stage.

No shame in it. Death was…well, Death, and he’d probably explored every version of sex there was. I just had to hope that I hadn’t completely bore him up to this point. No matter what experience I had, I couldn’t be twenty people at once. Granted, he’d mentioned earlier that he hadn’t brought any humans here, so demon sex? Ghost sex? Who did the God of Death sleep with?

I was suddenly on a bed with him over me, staring down into my eyes. “Now, where did I put my cuffs…” he pondered with a smirk.

I huffed, suddenly worried that he’d lock me to the bed like promised. Or threatened, depending on who you asked. “Don’t you fucking dare.”

His thumb swept across my lips before he dropped a kiss on them. “So, my shadows are fine, but cuffs are where you draw the line?”

He had a point. “It’s different.”

“Ah,” he hummed, a devilish smile lifting his mouth. “If you say so.” His shadows crawled over the bed and latched onto my wrists, pinning them to the mattress. “As you wish, little raven.”

My pulse raced as I tried and failed to put up a fight. He still hadn’t told me why I was a target. I didn’t want to get lost to the sexual air again. I was weak to his touch, but I was determined to find out why we’d met that night. He owed me that much.

“You’re stalling. You promised to tell me the truth. I deserve to know why you came looking for me in the first place, Death.”

His eyes seemed to bleed color. “You’re right. It’ll change the way you see me, but I beg you to give me a chance,” he whispered, his thumb swiping over my bottom lip again. His other hand worked its way under my dress. “Whatever this started as, it’s different now. And whatever I have to do to keep you by my side, I will. Trust that much, Asha.”

It was hard to breathe with how intensely he was staring down at me, daring me to argue. But his hand worked the usual magic, and I’d already given in before the thought of fighting even registered.

“You act like the last two weeks haven’t been a supernatural upheaval of epic fucking proportions. So, go on, then. Whisper your sorcery, Mr. Killer.”

His eyes danced across my face, his hand already under my bra. My nipple was brushed, circled, and teased until I was forced to suck in a breath. I wasn’t given the chance to complain that he was trying to distract me again because Thanatos’s mouth was already moving over mine.

Our tongues twined, then chased back and forth. He kissed my neck and continued down my body, tearing through the fabric of my dress. He pulled pieces off one by one until my chest was exposed. His long tongue slithered out and traced my nipple. I moaned, legs falling open so he could fit between them. When his head lifted, his fangs caught the nearby candlelight. The inky black veins were back, already reaching his cheeks. I lifted my hand and traced several with my fingers, and he closed his eyes and moved his face into my hand.

It was so odd to think Death was here, clearly enjoying my touch. It was such a powerful feeling to have someone so terrifying reduced to a cute beast at my beck and call. Okay, so he wasn’t exactly at my beck and call, but I’d pretend he was.

“Don’t try to sidetrack me. You’re too good at it, buddy. What is it that you planned to say?”

Turning his face, he pressed a kiss first to my palm, then the mark wrapping around my wrist. “Hades is what you’d call a…brother of sorts.”

“Your brother?” I hadn’t expected to hear that.

Sighing, Thanatos lifted my butt off the bed, squeezing it a few times inside his hands, something I noticed he did a lot, before he fitted his waist between my legs. I swallowed a moan when I felt how hard he was for me. “Yes, in a way. We’re both the rulers of our respective realms. He rules the Underworld, and I oversee the realm between life and death.”

“Like…limbo?”

His hips moved against mine, and I fisted the bedding, biting back another moan because the friction was unreal. It hadn’t felt like this since he drank my blood earlier. Something about being here made my body extra sensitive.

“Not exactly. It’s not important. What you need to understand is that what you are to me…who you are to the Horsemen, I can’t be sure he’ll help. He’ll want a favor in return. He might ask for something I’m unwilling to give. So, I’ll keep you here when I go to him. It’s the only way to ensure your safety,” he whispered huskily, his thrusts rhythmic.

My spine curved, tantalizing ripples of sensation spreading from between my legs to my lower stomach. But I was frustrated and wanted to hear everything. I pushed off the bed, free of his shadows, and got him onto his back. His eyes widened like he hadn’t expected it. Maybe because he was used to being the one in control.

I could get used to this.

I sat up and swiveled my hips experimentally. He sucked in a sharp breath, hissing in that weird snake language of his again. His hands clung to my waist, leading it into harder rolls, and I realized his pants were gone. Probably became shadows like that first night. I wasn’t exactly upset about it.

The piercings were fucking amazing against the sensitive skin between my legs. I slid over him a few times, holding the powerful beast down by the arms, but I never let him inside. And by the way his abs tensed and hardened to prominent mounds, he didn’t like it. He was frustrated I wouldn’t give him more.

Good.

“You still haven’t told me why I’m a target. Who am I to you guys?”

He grabbed me around the throat, bucking up into me. Pleasure swept down my thighs, and I bit back a whine. It was too fucking good, but I wouldn’t let him win. Not when I had the high ground. I nearly laughed at the thought, but the head of his cock brushed my clit and explosive sensation hit my hips again.

“Ah, fuck,” I groaned.

But Thanatos finally gave me what I wanted. An answer. “You’re mine. It doesn’t matter who you are to them. Still, you should know the truth. Your soul is one of four the Horsemen can deliver to start the apocalypse. I was meant to take it the day we met, but…” I stopped breathing, listening intently as he whispered his confession. “It doesn’t matter what you were meant to be, Asha. They’ll have to find a way to kill me first because I won’t let anyone else have you. I’ll never stop until you’re mine forever.” His voice was so thick and strong I couldn’t reply right away.

“The soul you’re taking—”

“It’s not what you’re thinking,” he interjected, sitting up and fusing our bodies together. He brushed his fingers through my hair before grabbing a handful and yanking my head back. Licking from my collarbone to my ear, he finally sunk his cock into me. Gasping, I shuddered against him. “The soul is Michael’s lover. God sent her to serve in the Underworld for eternity as punishment for her crimes.”

Crimes? I wanted to ask so many questions, but I was lost to how good it felt for his pulsating length to grind against impossible places inside me. The harder he thrust, the tougher it became to do anything other than moan his name and curse my weakness to pleasure.

“Shit, you’re so tight, little raven,” he growled, driving into me faster. “I promise to tell you the rest, but I need to have you first.”

I couldn’t argue because I wanted the same thing.

Sucking on his lips and tongue, I swiveled and fucked myself on his lap. Neither of us spoke, just moved in perfect, wild sync. I clawed at his hair and traced his jaw’s shape with my tongue. Kissed along his face and enjoyed the way his body felt against mine; how his muscles strained and moved to fuck me the way he and I liked.

He responded by sinking his fangs into my neck and driving me down on his cock harder, angling his body so he could reach deeper. His shadows crept closer, eager to touch, but he sent them away like he couldn’t bear the thought of anything but him touching me right now. His hands bruised the skin of my hips from lifting and dropping me down on his thick length with growing urgency. But before I reached that elusive edge I wanted nothing more than to throw myself over, something burned through my chest and rose into my throat.

Out of nowhere, I started to cough. Dark liquid splattered across Thanatos chest, glimmering ominously in candlelight. He looked down in confusion as I coughed harder, lungs sputtering and failing to take in air. Terrible sensation hit my chest all at once, and I groaned.

“Asha!”

My vision swam and blurred. The world went topsy-turvy. I didn’t realize I was collapsing until Thanatos rushed to keep me from falling back. His shadows swooped in to help. I coughed harder. Liquid sprayed over my hand as I tried to crawl away from him, confused and disoriented.

The feeling in my body was terrifying. I’d never felt anything like it. Swells of pain enveloped every nerve, set my skin ablaze, burned me from the inside out. Dark red liquid poured from my mouth, and I wiped it away to look at it in the light painting a streak across the bed.

Blood?

Another uncontrollable coughing fit struck, crippling me for a second.

“Come here, little raven,” Thanatos whispered. I was lifted into his arms then laid out over the bed. “Fuck. It’s already starting. I need to get to Hades before the coma takes you.”

Was this it? I didn’t even get a final orgasm? Rude.

It was surreal to think that this might be the last time I saw or heard him. I wasn’t sure what came after, but I had to hope it didn’t hurt this much; that the pain was gone and so was the sadness. That’d be nice. What was weird as pain scorched my flesh and I couldn’t seem to catch my breath was that all I could think about was how much I’d miss him.

We hadn’t been together long, but Thanatos made an impression on me. He’d proven that there were good men out there, even if they took souls for a living. It was a shame we didn’t have more time. I would’ve liked to explore what this was between us. What he meant when he said I was his. Or why him saying it didn’t ring of toxic masculinity; it made me feel safe and loved.

His voice was distant. I tried to say something, but another fit hit me, and all I could do was cough. Before I knew what was happening, everything was dark and quiet. I was here but gone. Numb but warm. Safe but alone.