Chapter 46
Chapter forty-six
THANATOS
For Thanatos, flying with Iliana in his arms was a welcome distraction from his foul mood.
His sisters had always been stingy with their knowledge—half-truths and riddles vague enough to irritate and let worry burrow under his skin.
Then Anubis had questioned whether Thanatos could keep her safe.
He knew it came from concern for her, but the doubt lodged in his chest. Centuries ago, it would’ve eaten at him.
Not anymore. After all they’d been through, he knew better.
He could protect Iliana. He wasn’t just a shadow of death, but someone she trusted.
His circling thoughts fell away the moment Iliana wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. At first, her hold was tight, as if bracing for impact. The tension from the Fates and the secrets she held kept her rigid in his arms.
He launched them skyward in a single sweeping motion.
For a few seconds, Iliana was silent. Then the wind caught them, and he felt the moment she let go. A delighted squeal burst against his skin where her face was still buried. It wasn’t just joy; it was relief. Release. Freedom from whatever weight she’d been carrying since leaving the Fates’ cave.
He could’ve teleported them to his safe house in the Gobi Desert, but he didn’t.
Instead, he flew in erratic, unpredictable patterns.
They teleported mid-air from one continent to another.
For her, it must’ve seemed like a breathtaking sky-bound tour, but for him, it was a way to lose any potential pursuers.
And a selfish excuse to hold her longer.
Somewhere, people plotted to harm the woman in his arms. Instead of hunting them down, he held her—pretending they had all the time in the world.
But this mattered too. Maybe even more than fighting the dangers she faced.
If he couldn’t give her these brief moments, when she wasn’t just a prophecy or a problem to solve, what was the point of protecting her at all?
When he finally slowed, Iliana’s breathing was ragged, and her cheeks were pink from the icy wind and adrenaline. Her eyes were clearer than they’d been on the ground outside the cave. The flight seemed to have blown away the worries that had latched onto her after meeting his sisters.
He’d given her this reprieve—one where prophecies and curses didn’t matter. Just them, the wind, and the world spread below.
She stared at his wings, her eyes shining in the moonlight, fascinated and unafraid. That expression warmed the cold facade he’d worn for centuries.
He touched down before a solitary yurt in the desert. It was a simple circular hut, similar to those used by the area’s nomadic tribes.
The guarded wariness in her eyes eased, curiosity slipping back into place.
He saw the effort it took her to smile and the stubborn set of her shoulders.
She chose joy—chose to be present with him, even knowing their conversation about the Fates would have to continue.
He wanted to keep her in this moment for a while longer.
“You are going to love this,” he said, placing a hand on the small of her back. He guided her to the decorated double wooden doors and opened them.
“It’s like the TARDIS in here!”
Thanatos stiffened. “The what?”
Iliana snorted, trying to hold back laughter. “It’s bigger on the inside.”
“Yes, that’s how it appears. The exterior is masked by an illusion.” He frowned down at her. “But what is a ‘tardis’?”
The word was strange and awkward. He frowned, trying to understand. “And how would one pluralize that? Tardises? Tardii?”
She broke, laughter bursting out of her in waves. Her whole body shook with amusement that appeared cathartic.
This was how she coped, he realized. She didn’t dwell on dangers she couldn’t control, but comforted herself in the absurd human moments even gods could share.
She used levity the way he used flight—a challenge to what they couldn’t control. It might’ve been temporary, but it was theirs.
Thanatos wasn’t offended by her amusement, as some gods might have been. Watching her laugh dulled the edges of his pride. The blush on her cheeks was irresistible.
She wiped her eyes and tried to explain. “It’s from a TV show, Doctor Who. The Doctor rides around in a blue police box called the TARDIS. I just—it’s a human thing.”
He arched an eyebrow. “A police box that is larger on the inside?”
“That’s what you’re focused on?” she asked.
He huffed. “How does that—”
“Never mind!” she interrupted, grinning at him like the sun itself.
Thanatos decided he didn’t care about this ‘tardis’ anymore and pulled her into his arms, capturing her mouth with his.
Her laughs were muffled by his lips before turning into a sigh. The world outside the yurt faded away until all that existed was Iliana. She tasted like honey and spicy cinnamon. She fisted her hands in his shirt like she never wanted to let go.
When he pulled back, her pupils were blown wide. Her lips were parted, swollen from the kiss, and her breath came in short gasps.
He watched her with a lazy, appreciative look. “Still amused?”
She swatted his chest. “You’re cute.”
He, the god of death, had never been called cute in his existence. He tilted his head. “Cute?”
Iliana bit her lip. “My explanation might’ve made more sense if you’d seen the show, but I imagine you have better things to do than watch human television.”
He brushed a windblown strand of hair away from her face. “Perhaps. I would be interested in watching it with you.” He pointed at the television beside a comfortable couch on one side of the room.
“Really?”
He wanted more than duty and the eternity he’d resigned himself to. He wanted her—her humanity.
Kissing her forehead, he released her. “Absolutely. Now, if you are done laughing at my expense, I can show you where you will be staying so you can rest while I make you some dinner.”
She looked as if she wanted to argue, but didn’t. She strode into his bedroom, her steps lighter than they were before they’d left Switzerland but still weary.
Iliana collapsed onto the bed with a happy sigh. He couldn’t tell if she was trying to convince him or herself that she could relax after everything that had happened. He understood the impulse to compartmentalize. It seemed that was how she survived.
He lingered, watching her. Soft, relaxed, and in his space.
She trusted him enough to drop her guard. To believe he’d keep her safe. The trust she offered was staggering. She’d been showing it slowly, but increasingly after she’d stopped trying to escape her brother’s home. She gave him her vulnerability—but what had he given her in return?
Protection wasn’t enough, especially not after taking her from everything she knew. Before heading to the kitchen, he made himself a promise: he would keep her alive and let her live.
He conjured a ready-to-bake moussaka from his favorite Greek restaurant, then slid it into the oven. He could’ve snapped his fingers and stolen something fully cooked, but he wanted to spend as much time as possible with Iliana. The other gods would return soon. They had limited time alone.
When he returned, she was still on his bed, her limbs splayed, and her eyes closed. He bypassed walking entirely and teleported onto the mattress, making her squeak.
“I am going to strap bells to every single one of you,” she groaned.
Thanatos chuckled, thoroughly entertained by the way she glared at him.
She propped herself up on one elbow, her eyes sparkling with something other than amusement.
Desire.
He hesitated momentarily, thinking of Hypnos and Anubis in Switzerland, of Hermes’ warning and his sisters’ riddles. But Iliana was here with him, choosing this moment despite everything else weighing on her. She trusted him. She wanted him.
He hadn’t realized how badly he wanted to be chosen by her. The pull to go to her was strong. He surrendered to it, leaning in and kissing her. She moaned. Soft and welcoming, her body sank into his.
It was supposed to be a simple kiss, but it never stayed that way with her. She moved against him, the press of her body sending a wildfire of need through his veins and igniting his nerves.
Thanatos rolled onto his back, expecting her to follow.
But Iliana pulled away and straddled his hips instead.
For the first time in his existence, Thanatos felt almost mortal.
And Gaia help him, he wanted it. He stared at the beautiful woman on top of him.
Her plaited hair slipped over her shoulder, exposing her neck.
Her lips parted, kiss-swollen and red, her breaths coming faster.
Hunger didn’t begin to describe what he saw in her eyes. There wasn’t just desire burning in them. He saw her determination. Her choice.
He gathered the silky braid in his hand and pulled her down to him. Iliana didn’t resist. Her mouth brushed his, then deepened, pouring all of her desire, her need, and her trust into the kiss.
The last of his control gave way, and heat spiked through his blood. His hands grasped her hips, fingers pressing into soft flesh as he pulled her flush against him. Her body rocked, rolling against him, his hardness straining against his pants.
He needed her. Not as a god. Not as Death. But as a man who’d found something worth living for beyond duty.
He flipped her over effortlessly and pinned her beneath him. He stared down at her beautiful face, too far gone to question his actions any longer.
Iliana grinned at him, breathless. “Impatient?”
He growled, admitting to himself that she was absolutely correct. He wanted her naked and wanting; begging for him with that raspy, needy voice. “I will show you impatient,” he said, using his powers to make their clothes vanish with a thought.
She gasped, her hands stroking his back. “Now, that’s a power I can appreciate.”
He leaned down, smirking against her neck, and inhaled her scent. Sweet and musky, and uniquely Iliana. “There’s more where that came from,” he said in her ear.
Her hips jerked up, causing his cock to slide against her slick heat and making them both gasp.
She was ready for him, her wetness and warmth inviting him in, but he paused, letting anticipation grow and delighting in each moment.
Her nails bit harder into his back, leaving marks that would be gone shortly, but he was sure he’d always remember the feel of her need.
Thanatos returned the prick of pain with a nip to her earlobe, his teeth catching the soft flesh, making her shiver and arch beneath him.
He trailed his fingers over her sides, ribs, and between the valley of her breasts before cupping one mound and squeezing lightly, testing and learning her reactions.
He brushed a thumb over her nipple and circled, listening to her moans.
Gasps. He let those sounds guide him in his quest to give her pleasure or deny it.
When he tried to pull back, to move lower, she didn’t release him. She kept her hands tangled in his hair, holding him close. He could’ve easily broken her hold, but he didn’t want to. Not until she willingly gave him that control.
“Do I need to tie you down, or will you allow me to make you feel good?”
The question was playful and teasing, but he was asking her to trust him; to let him take control. To surrender something when she’d been fighting so hard to have some control over everything else—her curse, her fate, her life.
Iliana bit her bottom lip, clearly fighting a smart-ass response.
Her eyes searched his face, and he let her see everything.
His desire for her. The promise that he’d take care of her.
He saw the moment she understood what he was really asking.
Saw the decision form in her eyes when she chose to trust him.
She nodded and released him, her hands falling to the bed. Surrendering.
Trust.
It was a gift, and he would cherish it.
Thanatos grinned and moved lower, taking his time as he left kisses across her stomach and navel, avoiding every place that would push her over the edge too soon. She squirmed underneath him, goosebumps rising on her skin as he mapped her body, tasting her with his tongue.
When he bypassed her breasts again, deliberately kissing around the mounds, she growled, frustrated and aroused.
He looked up at her and tried to hide his smile. “What is it, Iliana?”
A fire blazed in her eyes. “Either make me come or let me do it myself.”
A bolt of raw desire shot through him. Her needy challenge nearly made him forget his plan to take his time.
He let a smirk come to his face as he settled between her thighs. He locked his eyes with her, holding her captive. “I am fully capable of making you scream. Have no worries there.”
Then, he feasted on her.