Page 33 of Thanatos' Craving

“What is your pet’s name?” I shoved another piece of meat into my mouth while I watched the strange animal hum happily as he licked the remnants of food I offered to him on the floor.

“Fluffy,” his deep voice said.

I took in a gasp of air, along with my food, and it went down the wrong way.

He named his pet, Fluffy? The God of Death named his pet Fluffy?

I stand, coughing, choking.

Shit, I’m going to die again.

Chapter Eleven

Thanatos

Ifelt my boned eye sockets crack when I saw her hands reach for her throat. My chair fell behind me when I leaped forward and grabbed her shoulders. Her face was red but quickly flushing blue. She was losing oxygen, and fast.

Humans are so fragile and delicate, it enraged me how quickly their bodies deteriorate.

She grabbed her throat again and panic swelled inside me. Fluffy whined, his paws and teeth pulled at my robes to move.

Instantly my shadows clamored forward and opened her mouth. They seeped inside her body, wrapping around the food inside her throat and pulling, latching upon the substances. It pulled it from her body and her lungs took a large gulp of air.

She coughed, pulling in large gasping breaths to fill her lungs.

All color returned to her face, and my body relaxed instantly.

Fuck.

“Are you foolish, mortal?” I sneered, my voice a venomous hiss that echoed through the room. The sharp, acrid scent of fear hung heavy. It mingled with the salty tang of tears streaming down her cheeks. With trembling hands, my bony thumbs brushed away the wet trails, feeling the warmth and dampness on my skeletal fingertips.

After she finished coughing, she grabbed my arms and stared up at me. “You’ve saved me twice!” She held up two fingers. “I’m thinking you can’t hold up to your reputation.” She winked.

How dare she.

I want to let go of her body, but my body doesn’t get the message. Instead, I held her, checking her throat and making sure she doesn’t have bruises along her neck. I held her cheeks and made her open her mouth, and she watched me with amusement in her eyes.

“What are you doing?” she laughed, pulling my hand away.

“Making sure you are alright; I don’t need Athena visiting my domain again.”

I didn’t need to bring any attention to myself, and Athena coming back to the Underworld would do just that. I’m sure it has sparked some speculation already.

Juniper patted my hand and coughs again. “I’m fine now. You got it out. Those shadow things are pretty awesome. I wonder what else they can do.” She whispered the last sentence under her breath.

She tapped her finger to her lips and smiled. “Fun devilish things, I bet.”

This female was strange, yet I have not been around a living mortal for so long. When I arrive to take a soul, the body has usually already passed or is in the process of ceasing to exist. She was so lively, so charming, and her soul was full of so much light even in the surrounding darkness.

She wasn’t dull; she wasn’t annoying, but I feared she put herself in more danger than most. How had she come to the Fuzzy Bunnies? How had she survived for so long if she could just choke on a small piece of food?

I hummed low and pulled out her chair, pointing to it for her to sit. She obeyed and sat close to the table. I gathered mine and pulled it next to hers, and she watched me intently when I pulled her plate over to me and took her food.

“What are you doing?” She reached over to take her plate back, but I slapped her hand and she shook it. “Owie, your bones are hard.”

I scoffed. “Of course they are, they are bone.”

I took a knife and fork and began taking the meat off the bone, cutting her food into smaller pieces. I gathered more vegetables onto her plate, fruits, and potatoes, making sure I cut them into smaller pieces. Then I kept the plate close to me and placed a small portion on the fork. “Now open,” I commanded and lifted it to her mouth.

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