Chapter 48 #2
Hypnos felt like someone had squeezed his heart. The image of her bleeding on the floor—paired with the peaceful expression in her dream, the acceptance in her eyes—had been imprinted into his mind. He preferred to see the fight in her eyes rather than defeat, and a smile curved his lips.
If provoking her kept her fighting, so be it.
He appeared behind her without a sound. “Quit fighting it,” he said in her ear, placing his hands on her shoulders. She jumped but didn’t pull away. “You’re exhausted. Besides, those dark circles under your eyes will not fix themselves.”
Without waiting for an answer, he teleported them to the bedroom.
She landed on the bed with a startled yelp. “What the fuck!”
“You were resisting sleep. I’m helping.”
She moved from the bed and into his space, jabbing a finger into his chest. “You can’t keep playing the sleep police!”
He smirked. “Watch me.”
She threw up her hands and stalked to the bathroom, flipping him off as the door slammed behind her.
Hypnos bit his cheek to keep from laughing just as Thanatos appeared in the doorway.
“Do you have to be so antagonistic?”
“Absolutely,” he responded, shrugging.
Thanatos shook his head. “You are impossible.”
“She needs sleep,” Hypnos argued, stretching out on the bed. “She won’t admit it, but she enjoys fighting with me.”
“Do you blame her for avoiding sleep?”
“No, I don’t blame her, but she needs more sleep with the stress and nonstop training.”
Iliana returned in shorts and a tank top just in time to hear him say, “She’s human.”
Her face fell. Just slightly, but enough that he noticed. Shit. He didn’t mean it like that.
Before he could fumble an apology, she walked to the bed and sat, facing away from him. “I’ve been more tired lately. I thought it was just training, but…”
Thanatos placed a hand on her shoulder. “You are still recovering from all the sleep you have lost.”
Hypnos kept his mouth shut. The curse was growing. They all knew it now.
Anubis entered the room, grinning. “Bedtime? I call dibs.”
She looked at him. “It’s not a competition.”
“Oh, it is always a competition,” he said, plopping onto the bed and dragging her down with him.
“A friendly one. Since you called dibs like a pre-pubescent boy, I’ll make room for you.” Thanatos waved a hand to adjust the bed’s size, causing it to grow a few inches wider.
Anubis settled into the bed, content with her in his arms. “Why, thank you. I will be an adult and let this little one use me as a pillow so you both can join us.”
Hypnos rolled his eyes from the edge of the bed as Iliana curled against Anubis’ chest. He didn’t fight the sleeping arrangements, not when she looked that peaceful. As his fingers touched her arm, her eyes popped open. She didn’t pull away but stared curiously at him.
“I should make you both leave the room, you bed hogs,” he said, watching for her reaction.
Iliana’s eyes brightened, and she giggled. The sound was incredible. Pride filled him, knowing he’d caused that happiness. It made him want to do it again and again. He frowned. That line of thinking needed to stop.
Anubis kissed the top of Iliana’s head and winked at Hypnos, speaking in his mind. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For not kicking us out of the bed,” Anubis explained.
Hypnos shrugged, trying not to let the genuine gratitude from his friend affect him. As long as he could keep a hand on her, he didn’t care who else shared her bed.
It was a lie, but he wasn’t ready to dwell on those thoughts. Those feelings.
As the room grew quiet, Hypnos sensed Iliana slip into sleep. And with it, the curse surged, pulling at him harder than before.
He focused on it and sent a mental request to Thanatos. “Touch her.”
His brother looked confused but complied. The tension eased immediately, causing Iliana to relax even more.
“What is going on?” Anubis asked, stroking Iliana’s back with his large hand.
Hypnos shook his head, trying to sort out his thoughts before answering. “Our touch lessens the curse. Alone, I can keep her asleep—but it gets harder each day.”
His brother and his friend shared a worried glance.
“Is there something more we can do?” His twin looked at the sleeping human between them.
Was there anything they could do? Breaking the curse was the only way to save her. But if the touch of the others eased it, could they buy her some time? Would another god’s touch improve it even more?
“We need Hermes.”
Thanatos and Anubis both stiffened.
Before they could argue, Hermes appeared at the foot of the bed. “I am not going to hop in there and snuggle.”
“Just touch her,” Hypnos commanded.
Hermes arched an eyebrow, then reached out, placing a hand on Iliana’s ankle.
The tension in Hypnos’ chest eased again.
“Satisfied?”
Hypnos gave a tight nod. “Your touch helped.” He refused to tell Hermes how much the strain had eased. It wasn’t wise to give him ideas about taking Iliana away from him.
Away from his brother, he corrected himself.
Hermes shook his head and released Iliana, leaving the room without another word.
Iliana moaned in her sleep before settling back down.
“What the fuck does that mean?” Anubis asked, confusion and frustration in his tone. “Why would multiple gods touching her ease the curse?”
Hypnos watched his friend tense, even as his hand never stopped rubbing Iliana’s back, protective and helpful.
“Maybe it’s not about easing it,” Hypnos said slowly, working through the implications. “Maybe our energy is countering it. Holding it back.”
“Or maybe,” Thanatos added quietly, “it has something to do with the prophecy. With whatever she’s not telling us.”
“Let us focus on something we can test,” Anubis said, placing another kiss on the top of Iliana’s head. “At least until she gives us more information. Like Hermes. Does a touch from any god help you keep her under? Or just the ones closest to her?”
Hypnos exhaled. “We can ask Panacea to see if she can help. But right now? I have no fucking idea.”
He continued to think about the problem Iliana was facing. The prophecy involved them somehow, but was it related to the curse? And if divine touch helped her, what did that mean for breaking it?
Or keeping her alive?