Page 124 of Thanatos' Craving

Even if he looked older in his body, his eyes gave him away.

Fuck, she better not fucking hug him.

She reached out to hug him and I pulled her back.

Mine.

“Thanatos,” she whispered back at me. “Just a brief hug to reassure him, please?”

I shook my head, burning my head into her shoulder. He almost gave away my mate.

“Pretty please Bone Daddy?” she whispered. “I won’t ask for anything else.”

My head rose, and I stared into her eyes. “I will give you whatever you wish, even if you want to hug the little bastard. But only for three seconds.” I held up three fingers. “Then you’re mine again.”

She smiled and pressed a quick kiss to my lips. “Kay.”

Chapter Forty-One

Juniper

Iwas foolish to think that I was helping.

But I sincerely thought that Loki was on my side, but since that wasn’t the case, I put myself in danger. I should have followed my gut, but of course I was stubborn. I did, however, didn’t sit on the sideline and worry about the what-ifs.

I took the plunge. I actually moved and acted unlike what I would have done in my previous life before Thanatos. I think I would have regretted it if I never went with Loki, so that was one burden lifted, but now I had another.

The guilt of having Thanatos rescue me, a little human that was completely helpless. I was frozen in fear when I saw Medusa. I didn’t expect to see a tail, the scales, the tongue, the fangs. Why I saw more than I originally did was a mystery to me,but I’m sure I would get my answers soon enough. Just like why none of us turned to stone when she looked into our eyes.

Thanatos kept me close when we traveled home. It wasn’t pleasant returning to the Underworld. My body felt weak and ragged, but I was determined to walk and keep my head held high when we returned.

Uriel was sore with me when she jumped down the palace steps. She even stomped her foot and crossed her arms, and demanded to know why I didn’t invite her to come with us. I had to explain it was spur of the moment and she was too busy sucking face with Lucifer to get any signals anyway if I tried.

“We are always going to the bathroom together,” she announced. “No matter what, girls always go to the bathroom together because that is when they come up with these crazy ideas and don’t have their besties to calm them down.”

Loki smirked, but his father pulled him by his collar and lead him into the palace.

Loki would not be joining us for dinner or any other activities for the foreseeable future. Ember and Hades would lock him in his room, or at least behind the palace walls, until they had time to talk with him and have an emergency family counseling meeting with Athena.

It’s great to know that the gods are so willing to go to great lengths to have family therapy.

Thanatos led me further into the palace, his wing wrapped around me, like he was herding a lost sheep. He didn’t speak to me, which was unsettling. I knew he was angry, so I did my best to keep quiet and not let my thoughts filter through.

I knew one thing was for certain, though, and once he wasn’t angry with me, I wanted to bond with him. If he will have me. That was a question I worried about. I made a mistake, a big one. But I had to do it—had to do something for myself.

As Hades and Ember attended to their son, Ares Mariah, Lucifer, Uriel, Thanatos, and I entered the conference room. The room was dimly lit, the soft glow of candlelight casting flickering shadows on the walls. The air carried a faint scent of parchment and ink, mingling with the subtle aroma of Hera’s perfume. The sound of our footsteps echoed through the room. Hera remained seated; her gaze focused on the scroll spread out before her on the polished wooden table.

She tapped the feather on her forehead before she looked up and saw the group of us sitting down at the table. “I haven’t completed my list just yet, I should be–”

“We know who it is–” Thanatos lowered and stared at me. “They are currently in the dungeon, chained to the wall.”

Hera lowered her quill, shock written on her wrinkled-free face. “What? Are you serious?”

I nodded. “And it wouldn’t be someone on your list, anyway. It was Medusa.”

Hera’s lips pursed into a thin line and laid down her quill. “Oh no, Medusa is on my list.”

My eyes jumped from Thanatos to Hera.

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