Page 47 of Thanatos' Craving

My mouth dropped. “What do you mean, because I owe you my life, for saving me?” I growled at him.

Thanatos chuckled, a deep thunderous chuckle that ran right up my spine and wrapped around my breasts. My torturous body was betraying me. There was no way I should like this, not in the slightest.

I couldn’t help it. That one hand did something. It was a switch that turned on my body at full max wanting to jump his bone—okay not literally his bones, but his body.

But still I was furious.

How dare he say I could never leave? I left one prison for another. I’ll never be able to see the sun again. The one thing that I wish I could see before I almost died.

“No, my sweet Juniper, you do not owe me your life.” He bent at the waist, his eyes a bright blue inside his hood. I swore I could almost see the outline of his sharp nose, but the darkness was too deeply black. “Your soul is mine.”

Chapter Sixteen

Thanatos

My mate shot me a piercing gaze, her fingers tensed against the cold porcelain of the toilet. A surge of unfamiliar sensation coursed through my body as my long-dormant appendage stiffened against my thigh. Grateful for the thick, weighty robes enveloping me, shielding my form from her prying eyes, I silently thanked the fires of Tartarus. It was imperative to conceal my erection, for I doubted she would find my attraction to her fury acceptable.

She was absolutely stunning.

With her cascading crimson locks, her velvety bosom, and curved thighs, she exuded irresistible allure. It came as no surprise that she held the title of the top earner, embodying the epitome of every man’s fantasy. And she was mine, our souls fated to entwine in an eternal embrace.

Our carnal desires would be met.

I sensed a trickle of my essence escaping from the tip of the head, a subtle warmth spreading. Suppressing a groan of delight became my utmost priority, as my partner was battling illness. The guilt weighed heavily on me, knowing that I was the cause. Yet, my body betrayed me, unable to conceal this intimate detail.

Juniper. Was. Mine.

“What did you say?” she growled. “My soul belongs to you? I haven’t given it to you!”

“I saved you,” I reminded her. “You had the will to live. You wanted it, craved it, and I gave you life.”

“T-that doesn’t mean I would have wanted to stay in the Underworld! With you and—and your skin gloves!” she spat.

A sharp dagger plunged directly into my heart, causing an intense ache that I had long forgotten could be so excruciating. I instinctively reached for my chest, desperately attempting to alleviate the piercing sting. Despite my efforts, the pain stubbornly lingered, residing within me. As I lifted my gaze to meet hers, her countenance softened, and I could almost feel the regret in her words.

Does she feel the pain too in her words against me?

“I said your soul is mine, but—”

“Get out!” She stood and leaned against the wall.

My shadows encompassed her, steadying her body so she didn’t fall. She was still weak, her face pale from being ill. I stepped forward to put my hands on her, to make her feel better. The bond would take care of that, right?

“No! Get out! Right now! I don’t want to see you, go away! Leave me alone!” She stepped forward, both hands pushing against my chest. Instead of feeling bone, her face grew pink and her fingertips dug into my skin beneath my robes.

“Oh muscly.” She whispered and shook her head. “No, get out, you cunt-cake!” she screamed again like a howling demon.

I recoiled, stunned by her ferocity. Her words cut through me like a thousand daggers, each one twisting deeper into my soul. This was not the way I had planned for our reunion to unfold. Not at all.

The shadows that had embraced her retreated, sensing the turmoil within her. I watched as she struggled to catch her breath, her anger giving way to exhaustion and despair. The sight broke my heart, but I knew I couldn’t force myself upon her. If she didn’t want me here, then I must respect her wishes.

“I…I understand,” I mumbled, my voice tinged with sorrow. “I’ll leave you be.”

With a heavy heart, I turned away from her and slowly made my way toward the exit of her dimly lit apartment. My footsteps echoed in the silence, each one a reminder of the chasm that now existed between us. The weight of her rejection hung heavy on my shoulders, threatening to crush me under its unbearable burden.

She was my mate; she was supposed to want me.

With heavy footsteps, I raced out of the bathroom, out of the bedroom, and into the living quarters. I slung the tomes, the busts, and the trinkets onto the floor. My rage consumed me, my shadows inconsolable as well as they copied my every move.

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