Page 69 of Thanatos' Craving

“But I like those,” Uriel replied.

“Not the one that’s coming,” Lucifer snapped.

Hades forcefully slammed his enormous fists onto the wooden table, causing it to splinter and crack right down the middle. The deafening echo reverberated throughout the vast dining hall, filling the space with a resounding boom. Simultaneously, the flickering lights above cast sporadic shadows, enhancing the dramatic atmosphere. As the lights wavered, my skin seemed to radiate, absorbing and reflecting the ethereal glow, as if trying to capture and hold on to the luminosity within the room. “Silence!”

I think I peed myself.

Thanatos yanked me forcefully from the chair, causing me to straddle his lap. As I settled onto him, his massive wings cocooned me, their velvety feathers brushing against my skin. Despite their comforting embrace, my body continued to tremble uncontrollably. The overwhelming aura emanating from Hades filled the room, a palpable force that sent an unwanted chill down my body.

Thanatos’ shadows hovered around us, like a haze. “My Lord, I don’t mean to overstep, but you must realize we have a human in our presence. I will not hesitate to protect her and her wellbeing.”

I quivered at Thanatos’ words, despite being utterly terrified. He was protecting me, shielding me. Everything was going to be fine. I peeked over his wing that slacked, letting me see the man that scared the crap out of me.

Hades’ face softened, and he loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top of his collar. “I apologize, Juniper. That was irresponsible of me.” Ember grabbed Hades’ hand and squeezed. “I have forgotten my presence can be uncomfortable for a mortal.”

I didn’t want to think about anything. I didn't need to have a slip up accidentally now.

“We must be swift,” Hades cleared his throat. “We need to catch the demon and angel quickly. I’m hoping we can find out the name of this owner before it’s too late. The demons that work for Thanatos have yet to find the identity of the owner of Fuzzy Bunnies. It doesn’t sound like they leave their office.”

“And,” Hypnos added, “We don’t know if there are operations elsewhere, which may be likely if she supposedly never leaves the office.”

Hades hummed in agreement. “Uriel, Juniper, you will remain here, along with our children Lilith and Loki—wherever the fuck he is.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Ares and Mariah will watch over you once they arrive.”

I swallowed. “Ares? Like the God of War?”

Hypnos laughed. “More like the God of War and Porn.”

Uriel shuddered beside me. “Don’t ask about the birds and the bees… Just so you know they are not about the birds or bees,” she said.

Hades sighed heavily and looked at his watch. “We will leave in an hour. Everyone gather your things, say your goodbyes.” Hades stood and took Ember’s hand.

Ember stood and smiled at everyone. “Thank you everyone, for being so willing to help to fight this. It means a lot to me and to Juniper.” She nodded her head toward me.

Hades and Ember walked hand in hand toward the archway leading out of the dining hall, and before they were fully out, Hades was pinning her to the wall, making out with her.

Damn.

Lucifer and Uriel stood, about to leave as well, but Uriel turned to me. “We have to go practice making babies real quick. We have to practice a lot. Luci must not be good at it, because he says we can’t have babies until we are absolutely amazing at it.” Lucifer rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand to twirl her and gave her a swift slap on the ass.

Hypnos chuckled, grabbed his plate, and headed to the kitchen. “I’m going to grab another plate. I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone to say your goodbyes.” He winks at the both of us before he’s gone as well.

I’m still straddling Thanatos, his shadows engulfing my lower half so no one could see my thighs that were exposed from my dress riding up. I twirl the sucker in my mouth and he sighed heavily.

The gods were nothing what I thought they would be. They really were like family, but also weird. A good weird, but different.

“When will you be back?” I asked, suddenly shy.

I wondered if we were going to do stuff, because I wouldn’t be opposed to it. If it was anything like last night, I was all for it.

“As soon as I get the information I need. I’m not sure how long it will take to extract the information from an eight-hundred-year-old warlock.”

I nodded and twirled the sucker in my mouth. His hands gripped my thighs, and I thought back to Uriel and Ember with the twinkle in their eyes as their men dragged them out of the room.

I wasn’t really worried about Thanatos, he was a big guy. He could handle himself. Kicking a warlock’s ass seemed pretty easy for him. Right now, he just looked tense.

Could I give him a little goodbye gift? Would Thanatos even make the first move? He always seemed so hesitant at first. And everyone else was doing something fun to say goodbye.

“Juniper, there is something I want to tell you,” he began.

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