Page 42 of Thanatos' Craving

I strode up to him and flicked his bare foot that lay hanging on the arm.

He shook his head. His wings nearly hitting my Juniper. I grabbed one wing to make sure she didn’t wake. “What are you doing here?” I hissed at him. “Why are you near her?”

Hypnos lazily looked over at Juniper and scratched his head. “She had trouble sleeping. I was keeping the nightmares away, but she wasn’t sleeping peacefully, so I took her to the Dream Realm to watch Harry Potter with me. She’s going to wonder where I went, though.” He scratched his chest where his robe had fallen open.

I swore and put my hand over her covered leg. I shook her, whispering her name. “Juniper, you must wake.”

Hypnos ran his hand over his face. “She won’t wake since you woke me up. I didn’t take her out. You know the rules.”

Damnit.

“How many times have I told you not to take mortals into the Dream Realm, brother? Remember what happened the last time?”

I growled, pulling the covers back from the bed.

Hypnos rolled his eyes. “Yes, and the last time you woke me up as well. However, this time, you can wake Juniper. We don’t have to wait for someone that cares deeply to kiss her. You can just do it.” He gave a smug smile.

Fluffy yawned and licked his maw and jumped off the bed. He paid no mind as we bickered.

“I don’t know if it has crossed your mind, Hypnos, but I do not have skin, nor lips, and that would be a violation against her!” I yelled at him.

In the dim light, my shadows and wings enveloped us, embracing both myself and Juniper. With a gentle touch, my bone thumb glided across her cheek, eliciting no response from her serene slumber. The rhythmic sound of her even breaths warmed my feathers, and her lips rested in a subtle pout. Her long, red hair cascaded over my robes, adorned with beautifulblonde strawberry highlights. I’m sure they were soft to the touch.

“Why do you fear your real self?” Hypnos whispered. “Why do you fear your true body? You could easily change into your skinned form.”

I hummed as I lifted one of Juniper’s eyelids and stared at the clover-colored eye and gazed into the soul I feel so deeply for.

“Perhaps it is because with skin, blood, and muscle, I feel too much. There was a time I was like you, brother. I longed to belong like the other gods, but being an empty shell became so much easier. Being alone—”

I dug deeper into Juniper’s soul. The outermost part, where her memories brought up from her past often still lingered and easy to see without having to pry too deep. And there, I saw her as a little girl with toys on the floor. But she wasn’t playing with her toys. She was looking into the kitchen with a mother and father figure coddling a baby.

I couldn’t fully understand the scene. I didn’t know the context, but I could feel the sadness in her soul. I pulled away, and took a deep breath, a long breath leaving my ribcage.

“For me, being alone is easier. I understand that is not the case with others.”

Hypnos stood and stepped forward and put a hand on Juniper’s forehead. With any other male, I would push him away.

“I am sorry. She was having nightmares of her attacker. That was why I intervened. Tell me you took care of him.” Hypnos words were dark, not his norm.

“Not enough. I will ensure that he spends his time with Lucifer wisely. I got enough information out of the bastard. I’ll speak with one of my guards to hunt down a warlock. However, I hope Juniper will give me more information that I need,.”

“About that,” Hypnos nudged me. “Tell her you want her for more than just for information.” He gave me a side eye. “The total lying, the angst, the long drawn-out chase scene is just plain boring. Tell her you want her, tell her she is yours, that you want to consume her, want her for keeps.” His eyes grew dark, and he squeezed my shoulder.

I held Juniper tighter to my body and stepped away. “What in Tartarus have you been watching?”

“Porn.” My brother said simply. “Ares lent me some. In fact, he and his mate even star in some. I haven’t watched that stuff yet. I put some on your desk. He also gave me some books on how to woo a female. I would take it with a grain of salt though. The god is dense, but he has a general idea how to take charge. Chocolate always seems like a great idea. And flowers, dates, and—”

“Shut up!” I snapped. “I will do it my way.” I looked over Juniper’s body. “My time, my way.”

Hypnos shrugged his shoulders. “Fine, well, get to it and wake her up. I don’t want her to watch the whole Harry Potter marathon without me.”

My brother stared at me, waiting. It has been years since I’d transformed my body from a skeletal form into that of skin and muscle. I didn’t know if I had the strength to do it. Strength of my mind, that is.

I pushed my shoulders back as I held Juniper. Feeling her against my body would be for the best. I could gain my strength from her. I couldn’t let her stay in the Dream Realm. She might never want to wake up, or worse yet she would like my brother more than me.

That was terrible though, for her to like him more? For her to fall in love?

Fuck, I didn’t even understand love, and I was worried she would feel this emotion toward him?

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