He continued to tease her, continued to caress from the inside, slower with each stroke until the aftershocks left her body. Then he squeezed her right cheek and pressed a gentle kiss to her left.
She breathed deep, seemed to have trouble focusing. As she blinked several times and stared into the flames dancing in the fireplace, a thrill rushed through him at the knowledge he’d done that to her. He’d left her breathless and foggy. As breathless and foggy as he’d been since the first moment he touched her.
She turned quickly, found her footing, gripped his shoulders, and pulled him to his feet.
“Maelea—”
Then she closed her lips over his, licked into his mouth, ripped open his jeans, and pushed them down his hips.
Desire rushed through his body, so much more insistent than ever before. He groaned, pulled her close.
She tore her mouth from his. “Sit.”
The cushions dipped under his weight as she pushed him down. She immediately dropped to her knees, tugged the jeans the rest of the way down his legs, and dropped them on the floor. She stripped him of his shirt, and when she had him naked, when he was so hard he hurt, she finally bent and took him into her mouth.
Ah, gods. He dropped his head back against the couch. Threaded the fingers of one hand into her hair as her lips closed around his shaft and her tongue ran along the underside his cock. After a week alone together, she knew exactly what he liked. Which strokes made him shiver. How much suction could leave him weak. Just how deep he liked to press into her mouth.
She took him as deep as she’d ever done, cupped his balls, raked her nails across the sensitive flesh until the wicked sensations erupted in every inch of his skin. He groaned again, thrust up to meet her. And just when the first twitch of his orgasm barreled close, she let go with her mouth, climbed over him, straddled his hips and slowly lowered.
They both groaned as he filled her. His eyes opened, locked on hers. He closed his arms around her hips as she took him as deep as possible. “Maelea—”
She leaned forward until the tips of her breasts brushed his chest, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and flexed her hips, rocking slowly on his lap, grinding against him until he saw stars. “I love you, Gryphon. Nothing else matters to me. Nothing from before can change that. This…you and me together now…this is all that matters.”
Emotions overwhelmed him. So many he couldn’t speak. He cupped the back of her head with one hand, closed his mouth over hers, kissed her with all the urgency inside him.
A groan fell from her lips as his tongue swept into her mouth. And when his other arm tightened around her waist, when he turned her on the couch and pushed her to her back, then braced one knee on the floor, she dug her fingers into his shoulders, kissed him as if she couldn’t get enough.
“Maelea…”
He wanted to tell her what was in his heart. Couldn’t seem to get the words out. His thrusts picked up speed. His fingers gripped her thigh and hip. And his cock grew even longer and thicker inside her.
She pushed up on her hands, thrust back against him, and tightened everything. “Take me, Gryphon. I’m yours. Only yours.”
His release consumed him, overwhelmed him, shook his body so hard he gasped. She shuddered with her own release, and before he realized what was happening, electricity shot down his spine and exploded in his hips as he came all over again. Something he never thought he could do so soon.
Electrical shocks still rippled through his cells as he groaned and fell against her. She wrapped her arms around his sweaty shoulders, kissed his temple, ran her fingers through his hair, and just held on.
Love—her love—was more than he’d ever expected. More than he’d dreamed of. More than he deserved. But he wasn’t about to waste it.
Long minutes passed before his muscles came back to life, but when they did, he lifted his head, looked up at her dark, mesmerizing eyes, at her face flushed from her orgasm, at her skin slick with sweat. And knew from the bottom of his heart that even if she wasn’t his soul mate, she was worth living for. She was everything he was fighting for.
He brushed a lock of hair away from her face then skimmed his thumb over her cheek. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Gryph—”
“But I want you,” he said before she could protest. “I’ll always want you. You are the heart that beats inside my chest. That gives me life.” His throat grew thick. “I love you too, Maelea. Without you, I am nothing.”
Tears filled her eyes, and she kissed him. His lips, his nose, his cheeks. “Show me,” she whispered, lifting her hips and drawing him deep all over again. “One more time.”
With lips that devoured hers, he did.
***
Hades knew how to bide his time. He was a patient god. One who’d spent thousands of years waiting for his moment to shine. This, like so many others, was just one more step along the road to ultimate control.
He waited in the trees outside the city of Tiyrns in the Argolean realm. Because he wasn’t an Olympian, he could cross into the blessed realm, wasn’t limited to the same rules Zeus had saddled the other Olympians with. Which was lucky for him.
Unlucky for him, though, was the fact he couldn’t enter the queen’s castle. Some power there kept him out. Even when he used his cap of invisibility. Life would be so much easier if people didn’t fuck with the laws of nature.
Of course, then it might not be as fun.
Twigs cracked, and he looked through the dark trees toward the sound. Silently rejoiced when he saw the source. The boy was just as Hades’s spies had told him. Young, naïve, as blond as his father, and with those Argonaut markings on his forearms, the perfect prey.
He waited until young Maximus grew closer. Then finally called out, “Do they know you’re out here alone?”
Max’s head darted up, and his silver eyes narrowed. “Wh-who’s there?”
Hades smiled. Any of the Argonauts would know him for who he was, but young Maximus was too green. He might sense power, but because his father, in an attempt to protect the youth, had yet to begin his Argonaut training, he couldn’t distinguish one god from another. And thanks to Hades’s very clever disguise, that was another point in Hades’s favor.
“I think you know exactly who I am,” Hades said without rising.
Max stepped through the trees, his eyes widening. “Oh my gods, you’re a Fate.”
Hades smiled, and a sick thrill rushed through him at this little ruse. “Call me”—the bitch—“Lachesis.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Waiting for you, boy. I know why you wander in these trees alone. Why you don’t tell your mother where you’ve gone. Why you distance yourself from others your age. I know about your time in the Underworld.”
Sickness spread over the boy’s face. He looked down at his feet, kicked a twig with his sneaker.
“I also know,” Hades went on, “that your parents don’t understand you. That they think you’re nothing but a weak child.”
Max’s head darted up, and his eyes flashed a stormy gray. “I’m not weak. And I’m not a child.”
Oh, he was, though. Only eleven, maybe twelve. And though he had powers yet untapped, he was still nothing but an inexperienced, albeit haunted, child.
Hades’s smile widened, the diaphanous robe like the one Lachesis normally wore all but glowing around him. “There is a way to prove them wrong.”
“How?” Max asked with curiosity.
“Oh, I think you know, child. Whom do they protect you from? Whom do they think you’re not strong enough to face? Who holds power over you, even here?”
Max’s eyes darkened, and his jaw clenched under his smooth skin. “Atalanta,” he whispered.
Children were so fucking predictable.
“So face her,??
? Hades said, fighting the smile. “Prove yourself to them.”
“I—I can’t. I’m not strong enough.”
“You were strong enough to escape. You were strong enough to stay alive. How did you do that, if you were nothing but weak?”
Max stared at the base of a tree, and Hades could practically see the wheels turning in his blond head. “The Orb of Krónos.”
Bingo.
Hades smiled, careful not to give too much away. “With it you can do anything.”
“But how—?”
A little nudge was all the kid needed. Hades faded into nothing. “Good luck, child.”
Back in the Underworld, Hades grinned from ear to ear. Take that, you fucking Fate.
He looked down at the inventory list on his desk that he’d put off too long. He had to keep close tabs on which souls went where. His father, Krónos, was continuously sucking souls into Sin City, promising them things he could never follow through on. If he ever got out…
Hades’s jaw clenched at that thought. Krónos could never get out. No matter what. Which was all the more reason it was so important he got his hands on the Orb. If one of the other gods—if Atalanta, that bitch—released Krónos, then not only the human realm but the Underworld as well would forever be altered.
Altered? Forget that. It’d be fucking ruined.
No, Krónos would not get out. Because Hades was absolutely sure the boy—Max—would do exactly what he wanted him to do. Within a matter of days, the Orb would belong to Hades for good.
A shuffling sound echoed from the hall. Feeling better than he had in days, Hades turned from the desk and called, “Orcus! Just the troll I’ve been looking for. Where’s the stain?”
Now that he had one issue dealt with, it was time to refocus on another.
Orcus dragged his limp leg into the room, his pointy ears twitching forward and back. “I—I bring news, my lord. About the stain.”
“And?”
Orcus rang his scaly green hands together. “She—the hellhounds picked up her scent. Somewhere on Vancouver Island.”
“Well then, have them kill her,” Hades said between clenched teeth, trying not to let Orcus’s incompetence ruin his good mood.
“There’s a problem, my lord.”
“What problem?”
“They…they can’t find her. It’s like she disappeared. Even though her scent is still strong.”
Hades looked out the open window to the swirling red sky beyond. So Maelea was using the therillium to hide after all, thinking it would protect her. “How many pieces of ore did that kobalos say they took from the tunnels?”
“He thinks only one, my lord.”
One…
“And how long has she had it?”
“A week. Slightly more.”
Depending on the size of the piece, its power could begin to drain or it could last several more weeks. Until she either came out of hiding or the ore finally failed, she’d be invisible.
He turned back to Orcus. “Send hellhounds to the area her scent is strongest. She can’t stay hidden forever. As soon as she shows herself, have her killed. And the Argonaut, if he’s still with her.”
Orcus bowed and backed out of the room. “Yes, my lord.”
Things were finally starting to go his way. As he rocked back on his heels and enjoyed the view, Hades clasped his hands behind his back and smiled. He couldn’t wait until his wife returned from Olympus. Couldn’t wait to tell her he’d finally killed that fucking stain of hers and that he had the Orb.
Couldn’t wait to enjoy her reaction.
***
Morning light streamed over Gryphon where he lay with his head propped against the headboard, one leg kicked out of the covers, the other pinned to the mattress. He hadn’t slept. His chest still vibrated with too many emotions, his head with a thousand thoughts and memories. Some he didn’t want to remember. Some he wanted to experience all over again.
He glanced down at Maelea tucked tight to his side, sound asleep, her legs intertwined with his under the blanket. Her head lay pillowed on his chest, her warm breath heating his skin. Her features were relaxed, her dark hair a fall of black silk around her face. In the hazy light, her skin all but glowed, so soft, so perfect, like the smoothest porcelain. Every time he looked at her, he remembered the way she’d held him yesterday. The things she’d said. He still couldn’t believe, after everything he’d told her, that she wanted to be with him.
He wanted to roll her over, wake her up with his mouth, with his hands, with his body. Knew he wouldn’t, because he’d worn her out last night making love to her and she needed to rest. But it didn’t stop him from wanting, from needing, from dreaming about forever with her.
All I want is you, Gryphon. For a few years, for as long as we’ve got together.
He intended to give her more than a few years. He planned to give her at least five hundred. He’d leave the Argonauts. They could settle anywhere. As long as they were together, that was all that mattered. But first he had to deal with Atalanta.
He tipped his head back against the headboard, closed his eyes. His heart pinched at the thought of leaving her so soon after this bond they’d created had solidified. But he didn’t have another option. He was running out of time. He’d already wasted two months at the colony trying to get his head to work right, a week and a half tucked away in this house here with her. He’d never wanted the Argonauts to know his shame, which is why he’d never told any of them—even Orpheus—about his tie to Atalanta. But now that he was stronger, now that he knew he could fight her voice, he was confident he could find the demigod and destroy her before Krónos’s allotted six months were up. And when he had, when that tie between them was severed for good, then he could come back here. He and Maelea could pick up where they left off. His life could finally start.
He ignored the tingle of doubt that rushed over his spine. Told himself he could handle it. That he’d win. There wasn’t another option. Not when he finally had something to live for.
He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, slipped out from under her, and made his way to the shower. Floorboards creaked under his feet. He flipped on the water to heat, then looked in the mirror.
For months he’d avoided his reflection. Couldn’t stand to see that dead look in his eyes. But this morning…it was like looking at the old him. Before the Underworld. Before all the pain and suffering and hopelessness. This morning, he looked like himself again. All thanks to Maelea.
The water was warm and invigorating. And strength seeped back into his bones. A strength he’d lacked these last few months. He showered, dressed, and was surprised when he stepped into the bedroom to see the bed empty.
He moved to the curtains, pulled them back, and looked out over the beach. Maelea stood ankle deep in the surf, wearing a thin white robe, staring out at the water while her hair floated behind her in the gentle breeze. And watching her in the early morning sunlight, that heart she’d resurrected warmed in his chest, sending tendrils of energy all through his body.
He jogged down the stairs, caught the scent of coffee brewing. When he reached the kitchen, he saw the coffee was only half-done, which meant she hadn’t been up that long. He decided not to wait for it, bypassed the therillium glowing orange under the heat lamp in the corner of the kitchen, and pushed the screen door open.
Night and water. Those were two things he’d learned she loved. Wherever they ended up, it had to be on a beach like this. So she could have the water. So she could spend time out here at night. So they could make love under the stars with the waves rolling gently against the shore.
Cool water brushed over his bare feet as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and nuzzled her neck. “Good morning.”
She reached for his arms at her waist, tipped her head to give
him more room. “Mmm…good morning to you.”
He kissed her cheek, then her mouth when she turned. He loved the way she tasted, loved the way she smelled, loved that she didn’t shy away from him. She shifted in his arms, ran her hands up around his neck. Opened to him when the tip of his tongue slid along her bottom lip. Moaned just the slightest bit as he dipped inside for a taste.
When he eased back, her eyes had that sleepy, dreamy look to them. The one he loved to see.
“You’re up early this morning,” she said as she rested her cheek against his chest and he tightened his arms around her back. “I heard the shower running.”
“I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“It’s okay.” Her lips curled against him. “As long as you let me sleep at least a little later.”
His chest tightened. “Maelea, I need to talk to you about later.”
She eased back and looked up with a furrow between her perfect eyebrows. “Why doesn’t that sound all sweet and sexy like I want it to sound?”
Because she was smart. He let go of her when she stepped back. “I told you yesterday that I only have six months to find Atalanta.”
“I remember.”
“I’m running out of time. If I don’t go now I could find myself in trouble.”
Understanding dawned immediately in her eyes. “I’ll go pack.” She took a step around him. “How long should I—?”
He snagged her arm, turned her back to him, awed by the fact she didn’t even hesitate. “No.”
“What?”
He reached for her other hand, laced his fingers with hers. Tried like hell to find the right words and knew he never could, so he just said what he’d already decided. “I don’t want you to come with me.”
Confusion crossed her face. “Why not? I thought you needed me? I thought last night we decided—”
He tightened his grip on her hands. “I do need you. More than you will ever know. Which is why you have to stay here.”
“Gryphon—”
“Just listen to me. I used you. At first it was to get out of the colony. And then when I realized how you calmed me, I used you so I could think clearly. I was even willing to use you in spite of what might happen to you along the way, but not anymore. All that time at the colony, after Orpheus brought me back, when he’d lost Skyla…I didn’t understand what he was going through, how he could hurt so bad after just finding her. But now I do. I can’t lose you like that, Maelea. I won’t put you at risk.”