Page 72 of Summer's Seduction

LARKSPUR

Everyone had gone. Artemis vowed to harness Apollo’s influence to gather as many gods to our side as possible. At the same time, Hecate used her magic to return to The Dark Palace with the promise of mobilizing Hades’s army.

I’d chosen to stay, taking refuge in the healing waters of the ancient streams before wandering through paths in the mountainside and finding a familiar ledge. It was large, bordered by granite boulders and surrounded by the upper branches of pine trees. A thin layer of mist hovered above the stone, and the slab of rock was cool against my skin.

My clothes were below, set to dry on the heated rocks alongside the hot springs. I didn't mind my nakedness. There was nothing up here except the trees, sun, and comforting mist. It was a small bit of peace among the chaos that was in my mind. Pieces of jagged memories surfaced momentarily only to be ripped away in the next breath.

I was a fucking princess. As ridiculous as it sounded, I felt the truth of it in my bones. But maybe the princesses of The Underworld weren’t the same as those in The Realm of The Living because every memory that had returned from my time in The Scarlet Palace was horrible.

And then there was Morpheus.

He’d known where Psyche was—had helped imprison her. Hypnos was a piece of shit. Iknewthat. Just like I knew, the manipulation and exploitation that Morpheus suffered wasn’t his fault.

People did horrible things to survive. They lied to themselves and justified unforgivable things… but what if Morpheus had been right? What if Psyche had intended all of this to happen?

A gust of wind stirred the mist, causing it to kick up in swirling loops as Morpheus dropped in front of me. His dark hair was damp, fat droplets of water dripping over his bare chest, gliding down the hard planes of his chest. He’d left his boots below, looking as if he’d only managed to throw a pair of pants on before coming to see me.

Hungry, golden eyes dragged down my body, taking in the way my nipples pebbled under the crisp morning air as I sat on the sheet of rock. His look alone already had my pulse racing, but so much had transpired in the last few hours.

We stared at each other, the silence growing heavy with all of the things left unsaid. I wanted to cling to my rage, as I had done every other time I’d felt wronged. There were no second chances when it came to my pride… but I was so tired of fighting. Of feeling like I had to do everything on my own.

Hypnos was a rotten bastard, but Morpheus shared some of the blame. He’d fucked up. But hadn’t I? How often had I betrayed someone—had I convinced myself it was the only way?

Morpheus may not be perfect, but neither was I. And maybe that was the whole point. We werefucking royaltyand easily two of the most disturbed individuals in The Underworld. Perfection wasn’t something achievable. It never was. But peace, happiness… love. If I could find the courage to let go of my pride—to admit that I, too, was flawed—maybe we’d create something better than perfect.

I wanted the unsavory parts. The corrupt. The forsaken. I needed to know that Morpheus also had stains too dark to scrub clean. I would never be a pristine white canvas, but maybe—just maybe—we had a shot at painting in color.

“My mother abandoned me,” I said. Morpheus’s brows furrowed as his chest heaved, but I wanted him to know it wasn’t his fault that I was taken. “She ran when Egerius found her in the forest, but Hypnos emerged from the mist in front of her. I can still hear the sound it made when the tip of his sword punched through the back of her cloak.”

Morpheus took a step forward, dropping to his knees beside me as his wings surrounded us.

“And all I remember thinking is that I was mad at her for dying,” I whispered, the truth stinging my tongue as the words tumbled forward. I drew my knees up, wrapping my arms around them as Morpheus inched closer. “For leaving me and then getting herself killed. Because that meant I couldn’t even hate her.”

“I’m so sorry.” His warm arms came around me, drawing me into his chest.

I breathed in deep, inhaling his scent. My fangs descended, my gums throbbing as my nipples pressed against the hard planes of his chest. Doing my best to ignore the hunger gnawing away at me for both his body and his blood, for the peace that both would bring, I looked up at my dark prince until his golden eyes met mine.

“It wasn’t your fault, Morpheus.”

“There’s so many things I wish I could change.” His face crumpled like a mountain of snow breaking into an avalanche. “I knew there would be a day when I’d have to challenge Hypnos for the throne, but I never expected Egerius…”

His head fell forward, dark strands of hair concealing his hurt as his wings drew in closer, cocoons us together. Risingon my knees, I gathered him to me, sharing the pain of our shattered childhoods.

We couldn’t turn back time; even if we could, it wouldn’t change anything. I used to think that if I just listened a little better, if I was quieter or better at being who they wanted me to be, that they would be better too. Surely, if I was doing everything to be the perfect daughter, my parents would care. I could earn their love.

But I’d been wrong. No amount of good behavior could make our parents be better versions of themselves, because who they were was never something we could control.

We’d loved them, despite the shitty things they did. Regardless of my mother offering me up to save herself, I still wished she would’ve lived. And I knew Morpheus was going through the same cyclone of emotions right now, grieving the family he wished he’d been born into.

“I’ve got you,” I breathed into his neck, echoing words he’d once said to me. My tongue lashed out, tasting the skin just over the place of his rhythmic pulse. “For as long as it takes.”

He drew back, his hand cupping my cheek as his thumb played over my bottom lip. “I don’t deserve you, little monster. But I’m far too selfish to give you up.”

“What makes you think I’d let you?” I asked, letting the hint of my fangs show.

A deep rumble sounded in his chest as he leaned down, capturing my lips with his. The kiss was wild and hungry, our bodies already moving against one another. It had been too long, far too long since I’d last had him.

“Lie with me, Larkspur.” Morpheus trailed kisses down my neck, grazing the top of my breasts with his fangs. “Tomorrow, we’ll face our demons, but for now—in this moment—let’s forget the world and all of its problems.”

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