Chapter 4
Enzo
“I’ve got you, little mate. You aren’t going anywhere.” I scoop her off the ground and turn to Dario, who’s holding our nieces back from me.
“Zio, help Ms. Theia!” Trixie’s voice freezes the surrounding people in place with the power she has little control over.
“I am little pup. You stay with Zio Dario.” I take one moment to look at my brother’s eyes before I open a portal back to Nico’s house.
I step through and close it as I rush over to the couch.
“Enzo? What are you doing back? Where are the girls? Oh my God! Ms. Theia, is she okay? NICO!” Abbie rapid-fires questions at me without giving me a single moment to answer one, then calls for my brother in a tone so full of distress that I brace for him to barrel into the room at any moment.
A growl rips through the house, and I raise my eyebrow at my sister-in-law, who’s just realized her error.
“Whoops,” she whispers as Nico crashes into the room fully changed into his hellhound beast.
His jaws are wide open, ready to kill whatever has upset his pregnant mate, which is rather inconvenient at the moment since he thinks that’s me. But he’s not the only hellhound worried about a mate any longer, so I rise up to my full height and mindlink him to calm the fuck down.
Abbie is fine. Help me with my mate, dammit. She collapsed, and I can’t reach her.
Black smoke swirls around him as his fur retracts, and soon I’m looking at a very naked Nico. I roll my eyes and throw the blanket hanging off the edge of the couch at him.
“I don’t need my mate seeing your dick before mine, so cover the fuck up.” I see his jaw work to keep his mouth shut, but Abbie’s gasp breaks our stare off.
“MATE?” I sigh as Nico hugs her to his chest and I return my eyes to Theia.
She looks so pale and fragile lying on the couch. Her black-blue hair surrounds her gorgeous face, but I miss her eyes. They shine like jewels shifting in the light of the sun. I tuck her hair behind her ear and cup her cheek softly.
“Open your eyes, little mate. You can’t run from us forever,” I whisper as I lower my lips to hers.
A sudden wave of pressure shoves me off the couch and across the room, landing hard in the rubble of the mess Nico caused when he came running to Abbie’s aid.
“Ouch,” I grumble as I sit up to see Theia awake and livid.
Those eyes I wanted to see so badly a moment ago have turned bright white with blue streaks that resemble lightning in them. Her hands are glowing with orange flames as her body slowly lifts off the couch to hover a foot off the floor.
“You dare steal affection you have not earned?” Oh boy.
“My beauty was asleep. I thought a kiss from her prince might wake her. Clearly, I was right.” Although I’m not sure our lips even touched, much to my chagrin.
“I am no man’s fairytale princess.” Her voice echoes around the room, and I narrow my eyes at her.
Clearly our mate is not the human teacher she’s been masquerading as, which begs the question.
“So what are you then?” I stand slowly and approach her because I will not allow her to think I am afraid to be close to her.
“I am Theia, Greek Goddess of sight.” Her body glows, and her outfit changes to a toga and sandals from long ago.
Enzo?
Nico’s warning burns through my mind as I step closer to my mate. She could be the mud under my paws, and I still wouldn’t avoid the call of my mate bond.
I couldn’t, and he knows it.
“Theia, wife of Hyperion, has been teaching my girls?” Abbie says in pure shock, but my brain catches on one fucking word, making me roar.
“You’re married?” My throat works hard to get the question out.
“Our relationship transcends those human terms. But to borrow a modern one, it’s complicated. One can not just annul or divorce a Titan. Zeus banishing that fuck was the best day of my entire existence. Hell, he won’t ever let me forget it.” She floats back down and stands two feet in front of me.
I flex my fists at my size, fighting to close the distance but afraid of how she’ll react if I take a single step in her direction. So I bury my growing nails into my palms and lock my knees.
“The universe paired me with the only match available to me at the time. The Titan of Light- why he got that job, I have no idea, since he loved to play in the dark with every available hole he could find. Not that he knew what to do once he found it,” she finishes explaining to Abbie, then turns those jewel eyes on me.
“Tell me what good is the ability to see anything, anytime, but not see your mate cheating his lying ass across the cosmos?” I understand the question is rhetorical, but I let my lips curl into a smirk as I speak.
“We’re hounds, little mate. Trust me. We’ll find it.” Nico curses in Italian while Abbie blushes at my words.
“We’re running late. Do not break my home further.” He grabs his mate and disappears, leaving me standing in the wreckage he caused, alone with my mate.
And for the first time in my long life, I can’t think of a single word to say.
A portal opens, and as Dario exits with the pups in hand, Theia and I step away from each other like teenagers getting caught by their parents.
When had we moved so close together?
Dario takes a long look around the room and clears his throat, speaking to the girls first, sending them to play, then crossing his arms over his chest to address us.
“What have I missed?”