Page 39

CHAPTER 39

AURORA

E verything rushed back as Manere appeared around her. The heartbreak, the sadness, the truth. But all those things could wait. Right now, she wanted to breathe in the night air. Right now, she wanted to be Aurora .

“Gods below, I have missed you.” Thane cupped her face between his hands.

There was so much they needed to fix between them. All the hateful words would need to be unsaid and replaced with others. And they would. Just not now. “ Are you going to show me how much?” Aurora stepped closer, nuzzling his neck. Mortal men couldn’t hold a candle to a god. And she had missed this god. They had been apart for too long.

“Yes, but first…” Thane stepped away, looking down at her. “ We should talk.”

“No. I have lived too long amongst mortal men to wait for anything.”

“I know, and for that I should?—”

Aurora pressed a finger to his mouth. “ Don’t say another word. If we talk, we’ll fight. Can we please just fuck away our problems like the gods we are?” The mortals did. Ella had done it. And William , if he was honest with himself, had done the same thing. Sex might complicate things, but it also hid the truth. “ I want to forget about the curse, all the shit we’ve been through. Please .”

“You sound like a mortal.” Thane kissed her fingertips, then the palm of her hand, stopping at her wrist. “ Shall I stop time?”

“Yes,” Aurora whispered. Time was an odd thing for gods. A heartbeat in her life here could be a year in the mortal realm. So if Thane stopped time, maybe too much wouldn’t pass in the mortal world.

“As you wish,” Thane whispered, bringing his mouth closer to hers. Everything around them stopped. His first kiss was soft. His touches were featherlight on her skin. He looked at her as if he was trying to memorize all the planes of her face. He took an unsteady breath, running his thumb over her bottom lip. “ Gods above, you are perfect. Everything about you.”

“I won’t break.”

Thane pressed his forehead to hers. “ I have been without the dawn for too long. Let me enjoy you.” Thane kissed her neck.

“You? I’ve been without the love of a god for an entire mortal year.” Aurora worked the buttons of Thane’s shirt and pushed it off his shoulders. She had forgotten how perfect he was. Ella had tried to fill the abyss Thane left with William . William’s gentle touches couldn’t compare to the fire Thane ignited.

“Tell me, Darkness , how did you fill your time while I was away?” Aurora slowly undid the laces of her gown, watching Thane .

“I read a book.” Thane’s voice was tight.

“A book? Which one?” she asked, pulling the last lace free. Thane’s breath hitched when she let the dress fall.

“One you wouldn’t like.”

Aurora undid the clasp of his trousers and pushed him down onto the bed. She didn’t have to play coy with Thane . She could take what she needed from him. He wasn’t threatened by her or her desires. Mortal men were. Even William . As much as he loved her mouth on him, he didn’t like it when she took control. But Thane loved it. His desire tumbled out around them, wrapping itself around hers. “ Why would I not like the book?” she asked, kneeling before him and tugging down his pants.

“Because it was about me.” Thane’s voice was strained as he watched her kneel.

“Oh, really? Are you so vain?” she teased, kissing the inside of his knee. Aurora watched Thane’s jaw tighten as she ran her thumb over the tip of his cock, spreading the moisture. His gaze slipped to her mouth as she stroked him a couple times. She enjoyed this as much as he did.

“Yes. I’m a god.” Thane’s breath caught in his throat as he watched her.

“Yes, you are, and a very pretty one too.” She understood now why Ella dreamt of Thane . It would be hard to forget the way he looked right now in the low light of Manere . His bottom lip between his teeth, the muscles in his jaw tight. But what she loved the most was the way he looked at her. She had missed being desired. Love was nice. It was soft and warm. Desire burned bright and made life exciting.

She ran her tongue around the tip of his cock, savoring the way his breath hitched and the way his hands twisted into the sheets as she swallowed him, taking in a little more each time. And each time Thane lost a bit more control. And she loved watching him lose control.

“Aurora.” Thane wrapped his hand in her hair, pulling her mouth from his cock. She looked up at him, using her thumb to wipe her bottom lip. His silver eyes were dark with his desire, his chest rising and falling with each breath he took.

“Yes, love.” Aurora stood, then straddled him. She watched the muscles in his shoulders and neck flex as she lowered herself onto him. Aurora placed her hands on his knees and rolled her hips forward.

“Stop.” Thane exhaled, grabbing Aurora’s hips. He pressed his forehead to her chest. His breath was ragged as he struggled to remain in control.

“I don’t think you want me to,” Aurora whispered, tilting his chin so she could look at him. He was beautiful like this. An almost pained look in his eyes. His jaw tight, his lips parted. “ Tell me, Darkness , what pains you.”

“You.”

Her mouth hovered over his. Aurora rolled her hips forward, riding him slowly. His fingers dug into the soft flesh of her hips. There would be no room for the curse if they were fucking. Maybe they should do that until the end of time.

“You are a wicked god,” Thane growled as he flipped her over.

His mouth crashed down on hers. She arched into him, needing him deep within her. She had missed the way his skin felt pressed against hers. Aurora tightened her legs around his waist, pulling him deeper into her. She didn’t want room for anything in between them. Thane nipped the sensitive spot just below her ear, whispering all the things he wanted to do to her. He found the bits of sadness that he had caused and replaced them with his soft darkness.

Her climax rolled through her body, loosening a year’s worth of tension and longing. Thane kissed away the tears that fell, not from pain, but from too long of not being Aurora . Too long of not being with the god she was created for. The god she had loved all her life. Her name sounded like a prayer on his lips as his climax shuddered through him.

Thane lifted his head, caressing her cheek. “ Don’t ever break for me again.”

“That is what the dawn was created for. She must break for there to be life.”

And the dawn would break once more before the curse was broken.