Page 66 of Queen to the Sunless Court (Brides of Myth #2)

Blissful in Hellenixia

Theron

Theron awoke at the whisper of dawn, that sweet, brief time when the goddess Eos poured her pearly-pink brilliance into the still-sunless sky.

The night had been as hot as any other late summer night, but this morning felt cooler. He enjoyed the breeze on his back and the rosy, velvety light filling up their room, melting on Calliste’s body.

To wake up holding her in his arms, his heart filled with radiance and quietude, with everything in perfect alignment—he was fully aware of how precious that moment was.

He took a handful of her hair and let it slip through his fingers, admiring its dawn-kissed gloss now that the remnants of the night had seeped away.

He had been honest with her—although he’d loved the previous color, this one was unique, perfect for her: uniformly and otherworldly white, reminding him of fresh snow on the mountain peaks, enhanced by the faint iridescence that shimmered across it in the sunlight.

My sweet nymph and my salvation. You’re mine.

She stirred, her body pressing against his. Her eyes opened, still hazy from dreams, but her face softened in a warm smile with vulnerability shining underneath—a light he’d protect at all costs.

He still stroked her hair, unwilling to disrupt the quiet with words, savoring the fact that they had all the time they wanted—and waited for her answer.

Her lips brushed against the skin of his neck. “Yes.”

He had hoped for it, but still couldn’t believe it. “Did you say yes ?”

“That’s what I said,” she replied and suddenly her stomach rumbled with such desperation that it made her blush.

Chuckling, he sat up to get her an apple from the bowl, the kind they could only find in this region of Hesperis. Ripe yellow, it shone like molten gold in the morning light. His mouth quirked. “For the most beautiful,” he said, handing her the apple.

“Eris was behind that quarrel, too,” she observed, turning it in her hand. “All the blood shed over a single golden apple. Isn’t it sad that she always knows where to strike?”

“It is,” he admitted. “But this is just for you. I’ve already passed my judgment, and there’s no other woman I could give this apple, or my heart to.”

“Stop it.” Her blush was deep and delightful, as always, but it also made him a little sad, because he could see how her eyes dropped to the scar between her breasts and snatched on her hair. All right. I’ll keep telling you this until you believe it.

After they’d eaten all the fruit from the bowl and shared a single cup of cold mint tea between them, Calliste started to climb out of bed, but he caught her wrist and shook his head. “Aren’t we forgetting something ?”

She froze, her pupils glistening as they dilated, and in a blink, it was as if he’d caught her transforming into a wild nymph—that secret, sensual creature known only to him. “I’m not certain,” she said, her voice dropping to a smoky tone. “Are we?”

“There has been a definite oversight.” He reached to her sash and tugged it loose. Before he could do more, she rose from the bed and turned to him, outlined by the rosy glow from the window. Her sash slid to the floor, and the rest of her robe followed.

His towel was still around his hips, having somehow stayed put through his sleep.

Now he shook it off in seconds: a minor challenge because he was already hard, and also amused by how his body reacted to hers—almost as if he were some youth with no self-control.

But then, if he went by her ravenous gaze sweeping over him and the way she swallowed and then bit her lip, he wasn’t the only one on fire.

Which was a consolation. He patted the space beside him. “Come and claim what’s yours.”

Calliste lowered her knee onto the edge of the bed. He took her hand and pulled her back where she belonged.

Shivers coursed over her skin as she trailed her fingers along his side, then to his hips, smoothing them over his shaft.

“You move fast,” he chuckled but then had to stifle a moan.

She grasped him with both hands, her moves pure, stirring seduction. “I can’t help it. I want you so badly.”

“Naughty nymph.” His mouth descended onto hers, their tongues tangling before he trailed his lips down her neck, pausing in the warm hollow between her collarbones scented with that addictive blend of vanilla and bergamot, then dragging his mouth to her breasts as his fingers found the heat between her thighs.

She already flowed for him, swollen and eager, spasming in anticipation.

“Theron.” She made that sweet, pleading sound he knew he could never get enough of. “ Now .”

“Now?” he whispered.

“Don’t make me wait.”

He knelt and parted her thighs, then, on a whim, lifted her ankles to rest them on his shoulders.

The corner of his mouth curled at her puzzled expression.

“If you don’t like it, we’ll try something else.

But I think you’ll love it.” He paused to gaze at her, satisfied that she was more than ready, undone, as she ought to be, and filled her in one slow thrust. Her gratified gasp was the sweetest melody. “Like it?”

She bit her lip, her eyes wide and misty. “Keep going.”

The way she took him in—that blend of shyness and desire—mesmerized him, and he marveled at how much he ached for her, how she seemed to be made just for him, with her genuine reactions addictive enough that he wondered if he’d ever have enough of them.

He moved slowly at first, savoring how she clenched around him, then quickened the pace, drinking in the flush that rose on her cheeks and spread to her neck, watching her lips parting with gasps and moans, sending his mind into a daze.

With her, it never felt like simply making love—it was getting drunk on each other, consuming one another with their mouths and skins and souls while everything else faded into irrelevance.

It had a musicality to it, and to feel that connection again, surging and shimmering between them—to see his wild nymph intoxicated by giving herself to him and coming beneath him in spasms of pleasure shaped into his name while drawing him into euphoric oblivion with her—this was when he knew she was back.

Resilient yet fragile.

A priestess and a nymph.

Back as his queen, the only woman to reign in his life.

***

Afterward, they lay listening to the distant sounds of the waking city as it resumed its rhythm at dawn, but mostly, they listened to their own breaths until Calliste rose on her elbow and whispered in his ear. The words she said rushed straight to his heart, piercing it with light.

He whispered back his own words: a poor and inadequate reflection of what he felt, but they made her eyes sparkle, so he let them fade into silence, watching her and luxuriating in the radiant air between them, holding her hand, their fingers intertwined.

Calliste’s eyes widened. For a moment, she stared at him, her face frozen in shock.

“What is it?” he asked, alarmed.

“I dreamed this moment,” she whispered, her voice tense. “A long time ago.”

“When?”

“When Lykos brought me to your bed in Aganeeios.” Her features were still glazed with shock. “Remember? When you woke up and were angry because I was there?”

It felt like it had happened in another lifetime. “I do.” Then he realized what she meant. “You mean… you already knew that we would be together?”

“No,” she said with a sigh. “I just dreamed of this brief moment. It was more of an image, and I put it out of my mind soon.”

“Why?”

She trailed her hand down his jaw. “Because of how angry you were when you shouted at Lykos… and you said you only needed me for Kalias.”

“Well, I had all sorts of ideas going through my head then—but that was because I was tired of evading unwanted advances and when I found you in my bed… I thought you took advantage of the situation,” he chuckled.

She shook her head in disbelief, her eyes flashing dangerously. “Oh, certainly, I had nothing to do but use my hard-earned skills and divine power to seduce a man I barely knew.”

“In the end, that’s exactly what you did,” he murmured, amused. “And the man in question is delighted.”

She huffed, and he couldn’t resist. He kissed her, pleased as she softened and calmed in response. He traced a finger down her cheek. “I… probably shouldn’t mention this, but—”

Now he had her full attention. “Yes?”

“For some time now, when I look at you, I see not only you.” He inhaled the scent of her skin, searching for the right words.

“Since we first made love, sometimes I see you holding a little girl who looks just like you. And a little like me. But mostly like you.” A chill hit his stomach as he saw the tears in her eyes. “I shouldn’t have said it—”

“No.” She blinked them away. “I’ve known I can’t have children of my own for a long time. Just… tell me more.”

“More?” He paused. “I don’t want to upset you. This is just—”

“A thought.” She sniffed. “A wish. I understand.”

“There isn’t much more to it.” He propped his head on his hand, the other on her waist. “But it had me thinking and… if it were possible, I’d treasure her and teach her to use a sword.

How to fight and land a good punch. How to bargain.

I’d show her how to stand her ground in a world that doesn’t always have odds stacked in her favor. ”

“It’s a beautiful vision. If there were a chance, no matter how small, I’d take it.”

Numb with hope, he pulled her closer. “So if it were possible...”

“Theron,” she said calmly, nuzzling against his chest. “This isn’t possible for me, and I made peace with that a long time ago.”

“We can keep trying.”

“Of course we can, as long as we keep our expectations low.”

“Lysandra,” he said, unable to help himself. “Or Xanthe. Do you like either of them?”

She looked up, her gaze soft. “How about... Dione?”

“Dione.” He paused over it, the name glinting in his mind. “I like it. Why Dione?”

“It’s Leontia’s real name.”

“Oh… I like it. Princess Dione Amyntasides… This is all I need. I couldn’t imagine her without a name.” Silence infused with radiance washed over them again. Then, unable to contain his excitement, he added, “When we get to Aganeeios, I have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise?” she murmured against his chest. “In Aganeeios?”

“Remember when I gave you the earrings? I mentioned they weren’t my original choice because getting the other gift would take longer.”

Her hazel eyes were intrigued as she met his gaze again. “I forgot about that. What is it?”

He opened his mouth to tell her but changed his mind, offering her nothing more than a mysterious smile. “You’ll find out when we meet Kassandros in Aganeeios.”