Page 48 of Eris

"Fuck, Eris, you just taste so good everywhere," he said and licked her again.

Eris's breath stuttered out of her, the huge emotion inside of her mixing with her building orgasm. Enzo enjoyed pushing her to her limit but was careful not to drive her over the edge.

"Why are you torturing me like this?" she groaned.

"Because I want you nice and wet for me, but I don't want you coming until it's on my cock," he replied, pulling back from her. He stood at the edge of the bed, his gorgeous dick hard, and Eris whimpered with the sheer amount ofwantthat was seeping its way through her.

Enzo pulled her to the edge of her bed and drew her legs up over his shoulders. He had all the control over her, and he knew it. Eris's fingers dug into the sheets as he thrust gently into her. She squirmed, wanting him to go faster, to pound every thought out of her head. Enzo only grabbed her hips and slowed her down with a soft tsking sound.

"So impatient. I'll get you there, goddess," he said, turning his head so he could nip the soft skin of her ankle. He shifted his weight and pulled her down onto his cock in a steady, mind-blowingly deep rhythm that had her almost sobbing with how she could feel every inch of him, how they fit together so perfectly, how he knew exactly where to hit inside of her to make her moan the loudest. Her orgasm was so close. It was just shimmering out of reach, making her pussy throb with an ache only he could satisfy.

"Look at me, Eris," he said, his voice breaking through the desperate haze he had put her in. He looked so commanding, so sure of himself as he held himself deep in her and whispered, "I love you."

Eris broke. "I love you too," she replied, her voice cracking as her body shattered into a million pieces. Enzo released her legs so he could lie on top of her and kiss her deeply. He fucked her through it and another before he finally let himself find his own release.

She kissed him and held him close, a few traitorous tears slipping from her eyes that she hoped he didn't notice.

"I love you," she whispered into his hair, in awe of everything she felt and never thought herself capable of. "And no one, not the ghost of Atana, or even the Fates themselves will keep you from me."

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Enzo eyed the coastline of Turkey with trepidation. The palladium's presence was like a beating heart in the back of his skull. He had taken the time to do some searches on his phone, trying to get an idea of where she would want to go.

Like Crete, Edremit also had a Mount Ida, and it was said to have been the place where Paris had been subjected to the beauty competition with the apple of discord. Athena had been there for it, so it seemed like the best place. If it was up to Enzo, he would have carted Eris off to one of the resorts and taken advantage of the thermal pools and hammams that it was famous for.

Maybe once the curse is lifted, he thought. He wasn't in any rush to get back to Rome just yet, and if the palladium kept making him sick, he might need a week or two to recover.

He didn't voice that to Eris because his goddess was already blaming herself for every minor mishap he had. Nonna Bianca would love that he was getting a taste of his own medicine.

Eris came up on deck looking more refreshed than she had been after her post-coital nap. Enzo couldn't help the grin of absolute satisfaction that spread over his face. She admitted she loved him back, and it was the best day of his life, no matterwhat happened next. They hadn't known each other for long, but it hardly mattered. He knew his own mind and heart, and the latter firmly belonged to his goddess.

"You are looking very happy for a man who is about to get himself pummeled mentally by an ancient goddess trapped in a statue," Eris said, her voice a husky purr as she moved in to kiss him.

"But I just had my dick pummeled by another goddess, so life is good," Enzo replied, his grin widening.

Eris laughed, a deep throaty sound that he rarely heard but could never get enough of. "We both needed it after yesterday. Any idea where the palladium might guide us next?"

"I was thinking Mount Ida, but I can't be certain. Once we dock, it's not a long drive to double-check," Enzo replied, holding her closer. "I've taken some headache tablets already, and have packed some spare plastic bags in case I end up needing them to vomit in."

Eris held him a little bit closer. "I hate that you need them at all. Maybe it won't be as bad because we aren't on Crete, her home soil."

"I guess we will find out, my love," he said.

Her cheeks turned pink at the endearment, and he quickly kissed her before she would wriggle away with embarrassment.

They docked an hour later at Akcay Limani and hired another car. Enzo carried the palladium, and it was silent for long enough for them to drive through Edremit. The mountain, named Mount Kaz in Turkish, was a little over an hour away.

Enzo tried not to think about what he would see when he got to it. He distracted himself by admiring the green national park lands and messaging Bianca to let her know where he was. She wasn't great at texting back, but at least she would read them. He was reluctant to call her because she would want to know all about his visions, and he didn't have it in him to talk it throughagain. It hurt him to think about the young dancer and the despair that Atana had been feeling when she encountered Zeus.

Would he still have this connection to Athena once the palladium had been returned to Troy? Eris didn't know where the other goddess was or how she would react if her curse of ignorance was also about to be broken. He was suddenly very grateful that he had Romulus so adamant that they were family. Maybe Eris and him would protect him if Athena's wrath was vicious.

"I once met Kybele in these mountains," Eris said, bringing him out of his thoughts. "She was ancient already then. She was who the Romans ended up callingMagna Mater—the great mother. The Greeks ended up assimilating her with Rhea."

Enzo smiled. "What was she like?"

"Ridiculously powerful. She had two lions that followed her wherever she went. I gave her my respect and kept moving. I could control my chaos then, but I didn't want to cause any offense to her, no matter how accidentally," Eris replied, her dark eyes looking at the trees. "I can feel echoes of her still in here. There were also oracles who lived on the mountain. Later on, there would be a temple to Apollo, but it didn't matter. All the oracles here belonged to Kybele."

Enzo took her hand and kissed it. "I am strangely grateful we don't have to deal with any oracles this trip, even if we seem to be encountering their sites. The Fates are enough."

---