Chapter 24
Chapter twenty-four
THANATOS
Thanatos inclined his head toward the healer. “Thank you for coming.”
Panacea stood at Iliana’s side, her dark curly hair tied back. She wasn’t in her usual white robes, but pale-blue scrubs patterned with cartoon snakes.
She acknowledged his thanks with a nod but didn’t take her eyes off Iliana. “You know that was self-inflicted.” No judgment, just the cool certainty of a diagnosis.
“I know,” Thanatos said.
Her piercing lavender eyes met his. “Then I’d like an explanation. Don’t think a simple ‘thank you’ is going to be enough.” She turned to Hermes. “You all know I don’t leave my patients unless it’s urgent.”
Hermes forced a grin. “Would you have believed me if I said the knife slipped?”
Panacea narrowed her eyes. “You called me away from dying children, Hermes.”
His smile disappeared from his face. “I wouldn’t have if it weren’t serious.”
“Don’t test me.” She turned back to Iliana, softening her tone. “Does she need counseling? I know several excellent therapists.”
Thanatos cleared his throat. “She did not do this willingly.”
She was silent for a beat, as if running through every explanation. “I see.” She looked at Hermes. “Remember your promise. I expect those medicines to be released within the week. Too many are dying.”
Before she could leave, Thanatos placed a hand on her shoulder, keeping his touch light. “I know we pulled you away from something important, but this place must stay secret—for her sake.”
Panacea scoffed. “You know I won’t say a word. She’s my patient now, and I take her privacy seriously.” After a moment, she asked, “Is there something else wrong with her besides the injury?”
Thanatos hesitated. “Yes. It’s tied to a curse on her bloodline. Not a physical ailment. Tonight, the curse compelled her to pick up Anubis’ dagger and stab herself.”
She absorbed the information, likely cataloging the implications. She didn’t ask for details. No doubt she’d seen stranger things in her centuries of practice.
“We owe you,” Thanatos said.
She grinned and motioned to her outfit. “You’d better. I was in the middle of a shift. Call me if she needs anything, even if it’s just for some girl talk. I imagine she’ll need a break from the lot of you before long.” She winked, the fragrance of herbs lingering as she vanished.
Thanatos barely had time to let out a breath before Anubis spoke. “We need to move her to bed.” His friend’s eyes were locked on Iliana’s still form—bloodied, but breathing.
Thanatos knelt next to her and reached for his brother through their bond. He’d failed her twice now by not being ready for the attacks. Guilt choked him, but beating himself up wouldn’t help her. If he wanted to keep her alive, he needed to anticipate the danger.
With a conjured wet towel, he began cleaning the blood off her face.
Anubis rested his hand on his shoulder. “She is alive. That is what matters.”
For now.
A bitter taste filled his mouth, anxiety driving off the brief relief. Part of him considered finding someone else to protect her, but he wasn’t ready to let her go. And there was still Athena to consider. If he abandoned this task, her wrath would fall upon him and Hypnos.
He shook his head. Despite his doubts, he had to see this through.
Hermes broke into his thoughts. “I think your job will be harder than expected.”
Thanatos huffed. “You think? We have to worry about keeping her alive from a curse, from whoever placed it on her, and now from whatever the Fates believe she’s meant for.”
The messenger god sighed, glancing at Iliana. “I’ll see what I can find out about her family. If we understand why they were cursed, we might find out who did it. In the meantime, you focus on keeping her alive.” His look softened before saying in a puzzled voice, “She’s stronger than I expected.”
Thanatos tensed. “She almost died.”
Hermes didn’t flinch. “Obviously, but she’s still here.” He disappeared.
Anubis gently touched Iliana’s cheek. “I should not have left the dagger near her.”
Thanatos studied his friend, waiting until their eyes met. “If I am not allowed to blame myself, neither are you.”
Before Anubis could respond, Hypnos inhaled sharply, breaking the quiet. He straightened from his hunched position over Iliana, pulling his hands away from her.
Instead of relief on his features, his typical frown deepened.
Thanatos tensed. “What is it?”
His gaze moved between Iliana and his hands as if debating whether to reach for her again. “The curse…it’s resisting my attempts to keep her unconscious.”
Anubis lifted Iliana into his arms, standing with slow, careful movements to avoid jostling her. “Meaning?”
“When she was first brought to me, I didn’t have a problem keeping her asleep without touching her, but now…” he trailed off, placing a hand on her arm, and followed Anubis to the bedroom. “Now, I need contact with her to keep her under.”
“Can you stay with her?” Thanatos asked, meeting his brother’s gaze. “She needs to rest until morning.”
His twin tensed before exhaling in resignation. “Do I have a choice?”
Anubis glanced at him. “No.”
They moved through the house and into Thanatos’ bedroom. Anubis placed her on the bed, trailing a hand over her forehead before stepping back. He lingered briefly, gaze locked on Iliana—then turned and left.
Hypnos slowly crawled in next to her, maintaining a careful distance while keeping contact. He met Thanatos’ eyes and nodded.
Thanatos shut the door quietly behind him.
Anubis was already in the living room, glaring at the bloodied dagger. Thanatos joined him, conjuring a bottle of whiskey and pouring two glasses. He slid one to his friend. “You cannot blame yourself.”
“Then who should I blame?” he asked, not bothering to reach for the drink.
“We all blame ourselves. But if we stay caught up in that, we will be too distracted to protect her.”
Anubis mulled over his words before lifting the glass and taking a sip. “Then I am training her.”
He arched an eyebrow. “You were planning to already, were you not?”
“Yes,” his friend ground out. “But I will make sure she survives. Even if we fail her again. I need to know she can protect herself when we are not there.”
Thanatos considered it. “I’ll teach her about the Greek gods.” He swirled the amber liquid in his glass. “She deserves to know what she’s caught up in.”
“Just the Greek pantheon?”
“For now. That’s where the trouble seems to stem from. You can handle the Egyptian gods.” He pointed to Anubis with his glass.
“And Hermes?”
Thanatos ran a hand across his chin. “If he helps, we take it. We should not depend on him. If he gets bored, he may leave.”
At least for now, Iliana was safe.
He watched the flames, his fingers idly skimming the rim of his drink. Almost to himself, he said, “She’s different.”
Anubis remained still, waiting for him to continue.
“She does not fear me,” Thanatos admitted. “She challenges us. I know I have reasons to protect her, but even if those were gone, I do not know if I could walk away.”
Anubis scrutinized him before nodding. “I feel the same. I had agreed only because of our friendship.”
“And your boredom,” Thanatos tacked on.
He chuckled. “And my boredom. I know this might come as a shock, especially with what Anput…” Anubis swallowed. “I know you are interested in Iliana, but I wanted to make clear that I am as well. If you tell me to back off now, I will.”
Thanatos looked down at the remaining whiskey in his glass before facing his usually confident friend. “You mean to share her as we did the others?”
After Anubis’ marriage ended, they’d shared several lovers. Anubis shrugged. “I want to explore the option if you are willing.”
Thanatos stared at the fire, sifting through his emotions.
Would he be able to handle sharing Iliana?
His few relationships had always been fleeting.
Goddesses either feared him or misread his silence.
The only long-term partnerships were those he shared with Anubis, and even those were about pleasure, not attachment.
He’d avoided mortal lovers entirely, unwilling to risk what time would inevitably claim.
But Iliana was different. She already mattered more to him than the others ever had.
“If Iliana chooses both of us, you’d accept that?” Thanatos asked.
Anubis tensed beside him, seriously considering the question. “If she chooses us both, then yes.”
Thanatos sensed the tension he’d been carrying since Iliana’s injury uncoil.
She slept in his brother’s arms. Unaware of the promise forming between them—to her, to each other, and to whatever happened next.