Page 204 of Hekate: The Witch (Goddesses of the Underworld #1)

Thanatos

It was past twilight,

my favoured time of day.

The moon was already glowing.

I was up in my onyx tower,

feeding an injured white owl

that had found its way to me.

As I brushed the ointment

on the underside of its wing,

I heard a voice behind me.

‘That one will live long.’

I turned to see Thanatos

at the top of the stairwell.

He wore his usual cloak,

his scythe by his side

and had the same tired, kind eyes,

but there was something

different about him.

I must have been staring

too long because he asked,

‘Have I got bone dust on my face?’

I laughed at his question

and shook my head,

‘No. Your face is perfect.’

There was a pause as we

both realized what I had said.

‘What I mean is…’ I fumbled

for words to cover

my stumble, ‘I meant…’

Thanatos’ eyes shone

with mirth as he responded.

‘I know what you meant.’

He gestured to the owl

watching us in annoyance.

‘If you are finished helping

your friend there, perhaps

you would like to join me

for a meal?’ My cheeks burned,

and the owl hooted impatiently at me.

I turned to begin bandaging

its wing and when I was done,

it hopped onto its perch.

I turned back to Thanatos,

whose eyes were still shining,

and we moved towards the stairs.

Before we started walking down

he looked at me

and said softly,

‘You should know,

I think your face

is perfection too.’