Page 30 of The Death God
“Dreams.” It was Minerva who answered. “Or for me, it’s dreams.” Jaki and Prophecy nodded, and she continued. “And I think Thanatos has it worse than we do. For one, he was almost always booked for private sessions since he’s so sought-after, and then he had to watch people die over and over again. Has to mess with your mind.”
“Where is he now?”
No one replied, and Gregory wanted to snarl. “Did he eat?”
Minerva shrugged. “He’d already left when I got here.”
Gregory ate a quick breakfast. The bread tasted great, but he couldn’t appreciate it when he was worrying about Thanatos. He went back into his room, brushed his teeth, and took a shower.
Rufus was still in the kitchen when he got back out, but the others had left.
“All good?”
“Yeah.”
He hesitated. “Something you want to talk about?”
Rufus shook his head. “Something you want to talk about?”
“No.” He took two steps then focused on Rufus again. “I fucked up. I told him he was weak and fragile and nothing but a blip on my timeline.” A few quick steps, then he dropped onto the chair. “The mate bond should be gone by now, but I feel…” He rubbed his chest. “Fuck, I don’t know, but seeing the expression on his face when I said those words was like twisting a knife in my heart.”
Rufus smiled, and Gregory gave him a silent snarl.
“The bond is gone. No partial mate bond lasts for two months.” Rufus sounded sure, but he didn’t feel what Gregory felt.
“It’s still there. What if I accidentally swallowed some of his blood when he was hurt?”
Rufus shook his head. “You didn’t.”
No, he hadn’t. The scent of Thanatos’ blood when he’d cut himself wasn’t like anything he’d ever tasted. “What’s wrong with me then?”
Rufus had the audacity to chuckle.
“Asshole.”
“Mmm.” The sparkle in his eyes made Gregory want to throw something at him.
“Something isn’t right.”
“Or maybe you’re too stubborn to admit you like him.”
“I don’t like him. I don’t know anything about him.”
“You don’t?” Rufus looked into his cup and judging by the disappointment taking hold of his face, it was empty.
Gregory didn’t answer.
“Saturday is getting closer.”
“I know.”
“Maybe we should cancel. If it’s something important, Alaric will come to us.”
Gregory considered it. “No, we’ll go.”
* * * *
Thanatos woke up to someone shaking him. His hand shot out before he could halt himself, smacking the form in front of him in the face.
