He closed his eyes. Although she’d been more than willing to accept the sex he’d offered, mating her hadn’t been discussed. As was his right, he’d claimed her, giving her his body and soul.

  Giving her everything and knowing his devotion might never be returned.

  “Look at me.” Her command slammed into him. He couldn’t deny her. She was his equal. He glanced at her face. Love shown in her eyes, along with desire. “Do not forget I have my own selfish reasons for choosing you.”

  “Yes, but is it because of your love for me”—he narrowed his eyes, a flicker of doubt taking root—“or was it the deal you made with Lucifer that demanded you finish our bond?”

  “My deal with Lucifer has nothing to do with mating you. I did not have to complete our union to benefit from your healing touch.” She yanked one hand free of his hold, then cupped his cheek. “I could’ve returned any time I needed you, and you would’ve welcomed me. Do not forget that.”

  Because the mate bond, even a partial one, would demand he comfort and care for her, no matter what.

  “Maybe not welcomed.” He leaned into her touch. “I would’ve been bitter.”

  “But you would’ve healed me.” She lifted her bottom, and his erection slid along her slick lower lips. “Loved me.”

  “Lust and sex are not the same as love. You’ve said so yourself.” And that difference was the only thing that would save him from the sin he’d soon commit.

  “No. They are not, but I do love you.” She pressed her lips to his. “And mated to you, I never have to exist without you.”

  A mere thought connected them, allowing him to take her pain into himself whether she was across the fortress or in the heavens.

  “Yes.” He dipped his head. “We complement each other.”

  “In more ways than one.”

  “In all ways.” A tilt of his hips, and he pushed his length into her on a slow, steady thrust that threatened to steal his sanity. His breath escaped on a hiss, while hers caught.

  Carnal desires hadn’t existed before Minerva. She’d awakened him, accepted his wildness, and met his every demand.

  His first and only lover.

  He brushed her hair from her cheek and stared into her eyes. “I love you, my goddess.”

  A small smile graced her lips. “And I love you, my dark lord.”

  Her words wrapped around him and caused a lump to form once more in his throat.

  No regrets. If he allowed them to take root, the world would suffer.

  He dragged his length through her gripping muscles, then drove forward. She sucked in a breath, and he repeated the controlled, full thrust, again and again, urging her to experience the wonder of their union.

  “Arawn.” She lifted her ass. Their groins met on a rough smack. “Harder.”

  “Patience. Let me love you.”

  “Yes.” She kissed along his jaw to his parted lips. “Show me how much.”

  He took her mouth in a deep kiss and slowed the strokes of his cock. He wanted to enjoy every moment of being one with her. Each time, he experienced heaven.

  He twined their tongues and ground his hips against hers. Although their souls were joined, and she carried a piece of his essence with her always, it wasn’t enough. He wanted more. Always. An eternity in her arms wouldn’t satisfy his craving for her.

  He’d make their loving last all night before giving her relief.

  She had other ideas. She fisted his hair, holding him in place and kissed him harder. Their teeth banged and tongues dueled, but he didn’t quicken his pace. He rocked into her, slowly and gently. He wanted to commit each second to memory.

  A frustrated sound escaped her. She turned her head, breaking their kiss. “Please, Arawn. Harder.”

  He stilled with the head of his cock lodged at the mouth of her womb. A nudge of his chin to hers, and he urged her to look at him. More black than gray, the stark desire displayed in her eyes pleased him. She needed to know how much.

  “You are my heaven.” He rubbed his thumb over the corner of her mouth. “My personal goddess. No other female can take your place.”

  She flashed him a smile. “I am glad, but considering I am the only lover you’ve ever taken, I don’t know if that’s a claim you can make.”

  “You are the woman I love—today, tomorrow, for an eternity.” He held her gaze. “Sex has nothing to do with love. Tell me you understand this.”

  Brows pinched, she stared at him for a long moment before she nodded. “I understand. It is the same as I feel. I slept with many males before you, but none had touched my heart.”

  He hoped she remembered her words. “And I am grateful to have been the lucky male to have claimed it.”

  She squeezed her inner muscles and squirmed under him. “Good, now fuck me. I need you.”

  “And I love you, Minerva.” He slipped his hand under her and held her close. “Always, my mate. Always. Don’t ever forget that.”

  She linked her arms around him. “I won’t, but why—”

  He dragged his cock back and slammed forward, stopping her question. They fell into the dance they’d shared for over a century. Fast or slow, sex with Minerva always satisfied him.

  He took her exactly as she’d demanded. Each stroke, he delivered harder than the last. She gripped him tighter, digging her nails into him. The bite of pain enflamed him more.

  Harder, faster, he gave her everything.

  Tingles spread across his skin. The pressure in his shaft built. His balls drew up.

  No, not yet. He wasn’t ready. He bit the inside of his cheek, hung his head and concentrated on the act of their bodies coming together, but the slide of his rigid cock through her gripping core threatened to undo him.

  Wet, warm, and inviting—she offered him everything a woman could give a man. Her caresses and kisses, however, showed him more. She treasured him, loved him, and accepted him.

  She was his home.

  “Arawn.” She widened her legs more, letting him sink as deep as he could into her body, then opened her soul to him. Her love swept through him, touching him as completely as her body welcomed him. “Fill me, my dark lord, complete me and maybe this time the Triad will grant my wish.”

  To bear his child.

  He dropped his head to her shoulder. “Maybe, my mate. Maybe.”

  It’d be there their last chance. In his gut, he knew it wouldn’t happen. He pushed away the regret and gave himself over to the sex they shared, fucking her until her gasps shortened and her inner muscles tightened around his shaft. Waves danced over his cock. She’d careen into ecstasy the moment he stopped moving. He wasn’t ready. The future loomed before him. He didn’t want to face it without her.

  Desperation fueled him. With strokes of his tongue and the rough thrusts of his cock, he stimulated her every way he could. He wanted her to remember what he could do to her.

  Too soon, the peak reached them. Her body stiffened, and her sex clenched around his shaft, pulling him deep. On a throaty groan, she came apart for him. The endless waves of her orgasm triggered his. He thrust deep once more and let go. Each jerk of his cock filled her, and for the first time in his endless existence, he beseeched the Triad to answer his mate’s plea—to conceive a child.

  Their joint release eased, and he knew his prayer had gone unanswered.

  All he had left was the guilt that had landed hard in his gut.

  He eased back and met her drowsy and sated eyes. The time had come to share his plan and destroy their love.

  He slipped from her body and rolled to his side. After several minutes, he dragged in a strengthening breath. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

  She propped on her elbows and stared into his face. “That sounds ominous.”

  He shrugged.

  “It is about Dagda, isn’t it?”

  Eyes closed, he nodded. “Yes. He must be stopped.”

  “But how? He is loose upon the mortal world. Gods we might be, but we cannot walk there. By the Triad’s own words, it is forbidden, and the angels are powerless against the fairies.”

  “Just as it was impossible for you to gain access to Hell?” He met her gaze, and she glanced away. “Tell me of the deal you struck.”

  She pillowed her head on his chest. “I cannot.”

  “To circumvent the deity’s law you must have sacrificed something precious.”

  “I did.”

  He waited a moment more. Only the sound of her rapidly beating heart filled the chasm that had grown between them. He sighed. “And I must do the same in order to stop the fairies from destroying everything.”

  She glanced into his face. “You have a plan?”

  “Yes.”

  “What will you do?”

  He took in the flush to her cheeks and mussed hair. The sick feeling in his gut grew. Their bed, immediately after the intimacy they’d shared, wasn’t the right place to discuss his decision. “Bathe, and then I will share it with you.”

  The warmth in her eyes faded, but she didn’t demand the truth now. She climbed from their bed and walked away. The door leading to their bathing chambers closed with a click, and he was left alone.

  He couldn’t help but wonder if he would face eternity the same way.

  Chapter Three

  Arms crossed, Arawn leaned against the wall and locked his gaze on the door leading to Minerva’s bathing chamber. Sometimes he joined her in the deep pools. Those encounters ended with them tangled in passion. Rarely did he have time to indulge in endless hours of loving his mate, no matter how much he longed for it. His duties and hers demanded their attentions.

  Despite the pain it caused her, he hoped she embraced her obligations and their time apart would pass quickly. The less she dwelled on what he was doing, the better chance he had of gaining her forgiveness.

  The rich, melodic sound of her singing reached him, pulling him back from his grim thoughts. Eyes closed, he allowed her voice to soothe him. She sang of true love, betrayal, and the broken souls left behind.

  Her song ended on a long, sorrowful note that pierced him as deeply as a knife. He pressed a balled fist to his chest, half expecting to feel blood soaking his tunic, but the wound wasn’t one she’d caused. He’d delivered it himself.

  The tinkling sound of her silken, metallic hair announced her approach. He dropped his hand. The door opened, revealing his personal goddess. She stood wrapped in a shimmering silver gown. Head to toe, she sparkled.

  He let his gaze roam over her. “You are beautiful.”

  She inclined her head. “Thank you.”

  With slow steps, she closed the distance between them. A few inches away, she stopped and met his gaze. “You told me you have a plan. What will you do that has caused you to feel guilt and worry? I see it in your eyes, felt it in the way you loved me, and heard it in your voice.”

  He’d been careful to block his thoughts, but it didn’t surprise him that she’d picked up on his unease. She knew him well.

  “I need you to open a portal to the heavens.”

  She licked her lips. “You plan on visiting the Triad.”

  It’d been several millennia since he had. After accepting his role, he’d been cast into the Underworld and forgotten by all save the Archangels, who sometimes came to retrieve souls.

  Until Minerva, that was.

  “Yes. I need the deity’s help.”

  “To defeat Dagda.”

  He nodded.

  She tipped her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. “And how will you do that?”

  He opened his mouth. No words came out. He’d planned their conversation and had prepared his arguments. Voicing them, however, proved harder than he’d anticipated.

  “Tell me.” Minerva stepped closer and laid her palm over his heart. “Please.”

  “I will create an army capable of hunting him on the mortal world.”

  She frowned. “You already have your hounds. They track those humans and fairies corrupted by Dagda’s chaotic taint.”

  “Yes, but you have pointed out their greatest weakness by refusing to allow my dogs near your handmaiden. They hunt and kill without judgment or reasoning. They need someone to direct them.” He covered her delicate fingers. “Hunters who will act as my hand in battle and carry out my orders both in the Underworld and on the mortal realm.”

  “And you want the Triad’s permission to select humans to become your handlers?”

  “Not humans.” He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles and forced himself to utter the words that would damn him. “Demigods—born with ties to both Hell and the human world.”

  The color drained from her face. She yanked her hand from his and stepped back. “And who will these demigods belong to? You are the only god with a tie to Hell.”

  He locked his knees to stop himself from going to her. “They will be mine, born—”

  “No!” Her eyes widened. “Don’t say it.”

  Arawn raised his chin. “They will be mine, born of humans.”

  “Yours?” Gaze locked on him, she took several backward steps. “You would lay with other females? Get them with child and betray me?”

  “Not betray.” He approached her. For each step he took, she retreated two. He stopped and balled his hands into fists. “Betrayal implies deceit. I am not hiding my plan from you.”

  “Your plan is to sleep with other women!” Her eyes burned with silver fire while blackness bled into the swirling silver around them, and the strands of her hair lifted on a breeze that emanated from within her. “That is adultery and a betrayal of our love.”

  “A love that should not exist.” He waved his arm to encompass the cold, stone tower room they occupied. “Love has no place in Hell. By the Triad’s own words, only suffering and pain should exist here. My purpose is to act as the Triad’s judge, jury, and jailer. I betrayed my duty by falling in love with you.”

  Minerva pressed the heels of her palms to her eyes and breathed heavily as her hair darkened but did not respond. The need to go to her, to pull her into his arms, and to comfort her choked him. He couldn’t. All he had left to offer was his reasoning.

  “The suffering of the mortals is my fault. I failed to protect them. If I hadn’t been making love to you, I would have sensed Dagda as he snuck to the lowest level of the Underworld and raped the earth of its power. He should never have gotten anywhere near the Well of Chaos. Those sinners who lived in the deepest pits called out to me, warning me of the fairy king’s plans, but your healing touch silenced them.”

  Raucous pants sawed past his lips, and his fingertips burned from the pressure of his sharpened nails threatening to punch out. He fought the emergence of his alternate form. “Even the damned sensed the danger to the innocent where I did not! Never again!”

  “You blame me for this?” Minerva pointed to herself. A tremor shook her hands. “I didn’t know what Dagda had planned.”

  “No.” He took a step forward. “I blame myself, and I will sacrifice everything, including an eternity in your arms to stop him.”

  “Our love?” Tears welled in her eyes. “You would sacrifice our love?”

  “I will always love you, even if you never forgive me for what I must do.” Arawn held a hand out to her. “Reach out to me through our bond, and I will take your pain. Anytime. Anywhere. You need never to comfort me or look upon me again if that is your wish.”

  “It is not my wish!” She fisted handfuls of her hair and tugged but dropped her hands a moment later on a low groan. “I wish you to forget your plan and stay here with me.”

  “So we can both watch humans being violated and killed? Is that what you want?”

  Without anyone to stop them, the fairies and their creatures caused suffering and pain beyond anything the humans had ever known. Each scream the mortals uttered made them stronger and increased the Triad’s anger with the other gods. Mostly, though, the deity’s wrath focused on Arawn. Only right, he had allowed them to escape in the first place.

  She shook her head. “Of course not, but—”

  “Then I must do this. No god can walk on earth, but my children will have the power to do so.”

  “I understand your need to avenge the wronged. I feel the compulsion to do the same, and if I thought returning to Dagda would stop him, I would sacrifice myself in a minute.”

  A growl rumbled his chest. “You will not. He isn’t—”

  “Sane.” She sighed. “I know this, which is why I have not gone to him. He might want to own me, but the chaos he’s allowed into his soul has corrupted him. Making me his slave is no longer enough.”

  “You have spoken to him?”

  Her dry, bitter laugh cracked on a sob. “I have not entered my realm in all the years we have been mated.”

  “How do you…” Arawn glanced at the circle where she’d sat crying. “Dagda has told your handmaidens his plans.”

  “Yes.” Her shoulders drooped. “Through them I have learned just how demented he has become.”

  “Then you understand why he must be stopped?”

  “I do, but”—she turned her tortured gaze upon him—“you will find pleasure in other women’s arms. And you expect me to forgive you knowing this? How? How can I, Arawn? You will give them the one thing I yearn for.”

  “I do not know how. I can only hope you will.” Unable to bear the hurt in her expression, he closed his eyes. “I wish there was another option, but I have discussed this issue with the angel Michael. He agrees. An army of demigods who answer to me is the only way around the Triad’s law.”

  “Michael?” Venom dripped from her voice.

  He opened his eyes. “He is the wisest of the angels, and—”

  “He is—” She snapped her mouth closed. Anger tightened her features. “It is impossible. The Triad cannot break its word, and it has decreed that gods cannot walk on the mortal realm. You will not be able to step foot upon the earthen soil, let alone bed females.”

  The change in topic stirred his unease, but he wouldn’t push her for the reason behind her animosity toward the angel. He needed her compliance, both to enter the heavens and to keep her heart open to him.

  “Which is why I need the Triad’s help. I will give up my godly powers and take the body of a human while I carry out my task.”

 

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