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“What the?” I said, trying desperately to pry open the door to no avail.

I turned around to check the cart, smelling the most sweetly decadent, rich cocoa scent there ever was.

“Oh shit,” I said, looking at the dessert cart that she had wheeled in.

There were heaping bowls of stew to the side in elegant gold- and-white dishes, cheeses, and every kind of nut imaginable, but the real star of the tray were the small plates of desserts with whipped cream, chocolate, and caramel drizzled over top.

Having not eaten at the last tier with the others, I was hungry.

Time for fae was already difficult to understand or explain, but time in the tiers was out of my grasp.

Fae could go quite a long time without eating and, I assumed, being dead, I could probably go forever, but my stomach was growling at the heavenly scents that rose from the tray.

I grabbed a couple plates from the top, as well as a sparkling silver fork, and took my food to the bed, moaning and groaning with every bite.

“Seriously?” Anna said.

I looked up, wondering what she meant.

“I can’t get you to leave the door or open your eyes, but the second dessert comes in, you’re practically fornicating with it on the bed.”

I realized she was right and that I had been sitting on the bed I swore to stay away from. “You have to have some,” I said. “The taste of this dessert goes beyond the situation we’re in.”

“I don’t like dessert,” she said, and I about dropped my fork. “I’m more of a savory person.”

“Take it back. It’s impossible,” I said. “Savory as in, what? You’d like a plate of nachos to curb your cravings?” I said with a scowl.

Her mouth turned down in contemplation. “Actually, that sounds amazing. I don’t know what it is, but if it’s got cheese in it, count me in. ”

“There’s cheese on the tray too,” I said, watching her eyes light up. I’d never wanted to make cheese in my life, but seeing the excitement in her face made me think a fromager might be a reasonable career.

I laughed at her as she threw off her boots and sat cross-legged on the opposite corner of the bed, munching on a large triangle from a wheel of cheese. She reminded me of a cute yet dangerous mouse nibbling away.

“So what do you think the tier is? To see that we can resist each other?” she said with a smirk.

I shrugged. “What’s the definition of lust?”

“I don’t know, undeniable physical attraction. A craving for physical or sexual gratification,” she said, taking a bite of her cheese.

I raised my brows at her. “That’s exactly our problem.”

“I don’t think it’s a problem,” she said. “Just because I’m attracted to you doesn’t mean I have a problem with lust. I could fuck you right now and it doesn’t mean I’m getting stuck in this tier. I don’t have a problem with lust. I’ve been with, like, one other man.”

The thought of her and another man sent enough fire through my veins that I had to look at my arm to see if my powers had been restored. “What other man?” I asked, suddenly feeling my knuckles crack as I gripped my fork and plate tightly.

She raised her brow. “What does it matter? You’ve been with other women.”

I remained silent. It was true. I had been with other women over the years, but none of them made my pulse quicken like her. None of them meant anything more to me than a night of fun—and none of them blushed like she did.

I was back at the door, trying to get out. “This really isn’t a good idea.” I told her as my hands threatened to break the knob.

“Maybe it is a good idea,” she said.

I’ll be damned if my hand didn’t stop of its own accord. “This may be our last time alone together before you leav e

Tartarus and go to the Elysian Fields. If—if you leave and we never see each other again, I’ll always wonder. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life regretting that we didn’t have this night together,” she said in a soft voice.

I had no choice but to turn around and look at her.

She had put her cheese down, which obviously meant that this was serious.

I rubbed my face. “Anna, please don’t do this to me. I pride myself on being a good man and a good man doesn’t just fuck you and leave, not if he cares at all about you.”

“Then, don’t fuck me—make love to me.” Her soft femi- nine voice had taken on a sensual, pleading quality that went straight to my cock.

I needed to figure a way out. “That’s not what you want,” I said sincerely. “This isn’t what you want.”

“How would you know what I want?”

Somewhere in the back of my head, my stomach was flipping.

She was arguing with me that I should make love to her.

“Because, Anna,” I said, turning and taking a few strides toward her.

“No matter what wild connection is between us, it’s not going to work out.

It can’t,” I said as I stood tall over her where she kneeled on the bed.

The way she looked up at me sent another thrum to my manhood that I tried to ignore.

“We want different things,” I said, turning around and retreating to the door to save myself.

“We want the same thing in different places. So why does that mean we can’t live in the moment?” she asked.

I blew out all the air in my lungs, sending the hair that had fallen on my forehead upward.

“You said yourself we have an undeniable chemistry. Don’t you wonder what else this is?” She had followed me to the door.

“Constantly,” I snapped, turning on her and grabbing her face so it was only an inch from mine.

“That’s all I’ve wondered about since I learned I was tied to you.

Do you think I want to be tied to someone that I can’t stay with?

Shifters dream of being tied to an Artemi they can worship forever.

And what’s worse is I know that the connection we have has nothing to do with the tie, because I’m still tied to the magic in the pendant, not you,” I said.

She took a step back as if this was the first time she was learning this. “So, wait, you’re not tied directly to me? Only the magic that’s in the pendant?”

“Yes,” I said.

She walked back to me and grabbed my arm. “So then,” she whispered, “what’s happening between us isn’t because of the tie?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head.

She reached up and softly put her palm on my cheek, turning my face to look at her.

The second her skin touched mine, my eyes fluttered closed, and I sent a silent prayer to the Fates.

I was being tempted not only by the physical touch of Anna, but by the love of her, and I knew how important it was for me to stay strong and not succumb to the temptations of lust. Gods was I was trying.

With every ounce of feelings and willpower inside of me, I was trying!

But when her skin touched mine, all my thoughts started to fly out the window and were replaced by feelings of belonging and connectedness.

She was like a drug, blurring my senses and heightening them, so they were all directed at her.

I grabbed her hand with the intent to move it away, and I slowly opened my eyes to see her pouting lips open as she watched my face.

With no distractions, no wild monsters chasing us, and no three other people, it was a lot harder for us to ignore the intense feelings between us—or what had already happened that we had been trying to ignore.

“We can’t do this,” I whispered. My fingers reached out, needing to touch her silky brown and pink hair. It was a mistake. The moment the strands were wrapped around my fingers, I couldn’t think of anything other than how good her hair felt tangled up in my fingers .

“What if you pass this tier?” she said, softly grabbing ahold of the front of my shirt, forcing me to look in her eyes. “What if you actually get past the tenth tier? Then you will leave me?”

Remaining truthful, I nodded.

“And you will take the pendant with you?” I nodded again.

“But why?” she whispered, somewhat exasperated. One of her hands had opened across my chest, which was making it hard to breathe.

“Because I can’t be tied to you here. And if you aren’t will- ing to go to Moirai or the Elysian Fields, then we aren’t able to be together, and mostly I can’t bear to be tied to you and not be with you. It will kill me.”

“You’re already dead,” she said.

“You know what I mean,” I volleyed back.

“Not really. Please give me the pendant.” Her voice was raspy as she ran her hand down my abdomen and back up my chest.

Both my hands found the back of her neck. My fingertips trailed along the sensitive skin under her hair. “Are you trying to seduce me so I hand you the pendant?” I smirked despite myself.

“I’m trying to seduce you so that you stay in Tartarus,” she said with a straight face.

I felt my heart crumple into a lifeless pile at my feet.

I removed my hands from her and turned, needing space.

I leaned against the wall with one hand, pressing my forehead against it, feeling the cool wall.

“Why couldn’t I have met you in the human realm with Cal?

” I pleaded when the crumpled-up glob of my heart managed to find words.

“Why couldn’t it have been you that I found?

Instead of Cal,” I said. Saying Cal’s name reminded me of everything else that was going on, and I realized I’d only relaxed as much as I had because I could feel her presence now.

Cal was recovering from whatever had happened, but I didn’t know if the baby had and I couldn’t deal with that right now.

Not when I couldn’t do anything about it .

“Because we weren’t supposed to meet then. That wasn’t our time—this is,” she said as if it was the most simple answer in the world.

“You are the daughter of Kaohs,” I stated, also reminding myself. “You’re going to be the Queen of the Underworld!” I raised my hands in the air. “We can’t be together,” I said, finally saying what I’d been trying to avoid this whole time.

“Why not? And don’t you dare try and tell me that you don’t want us! I can feel it,” she shouted angrily.