44. Don’t Keep The Fates Waiting
Kheos, Theos, Haera
The wouxs had passed in a blur. Haera had spent her every waking moment either with Theos, Kheos, and much less frequently, Regos. She and Theos spent most of their time visiting the Earth, and she never grew tired of watching him work. She and Kheos had spent many houyras at his favourite balcony together, and she’d learned more about how the events of the worlds played out than she’d ever thought was possible.
Tonigh, a ball and a dinner would he held in her honor, and though she should have been getting ready, she was standing next to Kheos, peering over the Earth as he explained how he worked.
“Look,” he pointed. “There is a war brewing in this kingdom; Raendra. It is a long way off yet, but the king and his daughter are scheduled to have the falling out of the century. She is destined to take over the throne. That is the future I have charted for her. That is the future I will guide her to.” Then Kheos had frowned, drumming his fingers against the balustrade anxiously. “But there are many routes for her to take to get there. And they do not all lead to success. Only one road will lead to certain success. Only one of her choices will determine the outcome.”
“How come?” Haera had asked, puzzled by the severity of it all. “Why does only one path lead to her success?”
“For most mortals, there are multiple paths to the same end goal. For her, there is but one. It is the one that I have the most control over the variables for. If she chooses a path that doesn’t involve my option, she will have to deal with unnecessarily spontaneous variables. Other people’s emotions, other people’s kindnesses, luck. Once other mortals come into the equation, I can no longer guarantee her perfect outcome. I cannot wrangle each mortal into doing what will suit her best, for that interferes with free will and agency.” Kheos made a distressed sound in the back of his throat. “If she chooses right, she will still face hardship, but she will never face death.”
Haera stared at the close-up view of Raendra, having never been there before. “How long until she makes this big decision? The one that will guarantee her success?”
Kheos’ eyes had a sparkle. “By the end of dinner, we will know.”
“We?” Haera asked, confused.
The resulting grin from The Fates had been positively chilling. “We.”
***
Theos had whisked her away to the ballroom. It was much bigger than any other room in the castle she had been in thus far, almost three times as large as the throne room. The arm around her waist tightened and he pulled her against him, his hand falling away from her cheek to glide over her back, over and over again. She closed her eyes against the feel of his chest, tears of happiness slipping down her cheek. His kiss on her forehead was light. His thumb swiped across her cheeks her my eyes opened, and his eyes were focused on her.
He pressed his forehead to hers, stealing a kiss, lips deliciously soft against hers. “Dance with me,” he commanded.
Haera grinned up at him. “There is no music to dance to. Will you summon an orchestra just for one dance?”
“I don’t need an orchestra. There is music inside my heart every time I look at you. There always has been.” He answered seriously.
Haera laughed lightly, until a faint strain of music reached her ears. Her mouth fell open as the sounds swelled around them, filling every inch of the room with a beautifully decadent rhythm, perfect for dancing. A gentle smile on his lips as he looked down at her, Theos pulled her closer, taking one arm in his as the other fell on his shoulder, as easily as though she had done this for an eternity.
He stepped forward, pulling her in an arc that sent her dress swirling around her feet. She couldn’t look away from him, and his eyes never moved from hers as they moved across the room, everything outside of each other dimming and fading away until there was nothing but them and the music that carried their movements. Hera’s heart fluttered as he maneuvered her into a dip so low that she could feel the glass floors beneath her though she did not touch it, and his warm breath on her lips. When he pulled her upright and into a spin, the music rose to crescendo, before they finished with a whirl.
Theos’ eyes beamed down at her, joy pouring out of him as their movements stopped, skirts swirling around her suddenly still legs. Theos’ head lowered to meet hers, but before their lips met, there was the sound of a clap, followed by another, and another. Then a deep voice echoed into the room.
“Bravo. What a show,” came Kheos’ teasing voice.
Theos did not pull away from her, but his jaw tensed at the interruption.
“You two make a gorgeous couple; if I say so myself,” Kheos laughed, obviously taking credit for their union.
Theos sighed, obviously irritated, but said nothing. Kheos’ expression shifted into something unreadable when he switched his attention to Theos.
“Will you ever be happy to see me, brother?” Kheos asked, his lips pulled in a strained smile. “May I remind you that I will be hosting a banquet in your honor this afternoon – Haera’s honor, that is, not yours.”
Theos growled at him then and Kheos grinned wider.
“To both your honor. I will anticipate your arrival at eleven thirty tonigh. Command our dear little brother to attend. I long to see him.”
Theos’ eyes narrowed at that, and Haera turned to stare after Kheos’ retreating frame as he continued.
“Do not be late. You don’t want to know what happens when you keep The Fates waiting.”
─── ?? ? ?? ───
Theos & Haera
Theos’ grin was breathtaking. He hummed to himself, heat flaring to life in his eyes. “I need to fill your sweet little cunt with my seed before you wear the dress he had made for you.” Theos replied.
Haera’s thighs warmed from the intensity in his voice. He climbed over her on all fours, reaching between them to free himself from his pants and stroke his hands down the length of his hardness.
“Jealous that I’ll be wearing his choice and not yours?” Haera whispered as he made quick work of hiking her dress around her hips and snatching her panties to the side. Theos’ fingers trembled lightly as he traced calming patterns over her hips and thighs, staring into her eyes so deeply that she wanted to look away.
Notching himself at her entrance, he sighed as he sank into her to the hilt, loving the way her fingers clawed at his skin and how she whimpered as she opened up for him.
“Gutwrenchingly so.” He murmured, thumbing her in time to the snapping of his hips while he filled her to the brim over and over. “I know I have no reason to be jealous, but fuck I want to punish you for it.”
Haera’s lips parted as peak after peak shattered through her immediately from the reaffirming of their union.
“And I can’t even bring myself to edge you the way I should. Or deny you until you beg, because I’m so fucking desperate to feel you come apart around me. To feel you milk me like you’re desperate for every drop.” His words cracked as Haera tightened around him again. “How are you going to make it up to me, little love?” He asked, sweat dripping down his forehead into his eyes, still not interfering with his intense gaze on her every breath and twitch. “I have a good idea of how,” Theos cooed as she came undone again. “And I’ll show you tonight.”
“Ahh!” Haera cried out as Theos joined them together for the last time as his base swelled to lock them together.
Both their moans filled the room, Theos shuddering as Haera’s tightness milked every drop of release from him.
“I’m going to make you cry tonight, little star,” Theos finished.
Haera shifted, trying to roll over, and earned herself a murderous growl from Theos when he pinned her back into place, forcing into her harder so that his knot swelled to lock them even tighter in place. “No running, little love. Take every drop, then thank me for it.”
Haera whimpered as her belly grew round as Theos pumped her full. Pressing kisses to her cheek, and forehead before settling in to kiss her gently until she came around him again, Theos groaned. “ Gods , you make me want to do unhinged things to you when you tighten around me like that.”
“Yes, please.” Haera whispered.
─── ?? ? ?? ── ─
Haera
Houyras later, after a long cuddle in her mate’s arms, Haera cleaned herself up and prepared to get dressed for Kheos’ special dinner for them. He’d delivered the dress earlier in the nigh, and it was carefully concealed in shadows that he had weaved himself for that purpose.
Her hair was freshly washed and curled with the waxy gel-like products she favoured, after asking Theos to take her back to her cottage a few dahys ago so she could gather her belongings. The white curls were defined as perfectly as she’d ever managed to get them, cascading down her back.
Opening the door to the dressing room, she hesitated, still not turning to look at the dress. It felt like there was a stampede happening in her tummy, and in that moment, her old life seemed so far away. The struggle of staying out of sight of The Shadow, running out of food, being cripplingly lonely and heartbroken, it was all a distant memory. Now, the thing that worried her most was whether or not the dress Kheos had made would be too much for her to feel confident in.
The Fates had extravagant taste, that was apparent from the tattoos and tribal markings he wore proudly on his body, and the way he swaggered through the halls of the castle as though he owned it. She might be sick. Forcing her body into motion, she turned, and there it was. Delicately swaying, though she was sure there was no wind in the room. Her heart rate spiralled out of control. There was immediately a knock on the door.
“My little love, are you unwell? I can feel you trembling.”
She managed to regain control of herself, clearing her throat and turning to face the door. “I’m fine!”
There was a brief pause, before Theos’ voice sounded again. “Open this door, Haera.”
A sound that was half a sigh and half a laugh escaped her, and she did, unclicking the lock and letting him slide in through the crack she opened. He turned on her immediately, eyes sweeping over her, trying to discern the reason for her distress. When he found nothing visible, his shoulders relaxed.
“Kheos insists that I help you get dressed. ”
Haera’s eyes lowered, taking in the gallant white display of finery he was wearing. The white coat and trousers were stitched with a shade of blue that was so close to the main white of the fabric that it was almost indiscernible. It traced the length of his sleeve, where the same dainty shade of ice blue was layered over his hands as gloves. The badges and lapels were the same shade, and the sword he wore on his side looked to be made of ice, its pale velvet grip and transparent blue blade glinting in the silver light of the moon overhead.
She raised her eyes back to his, and the glitter of amusement in his eyes could not be mistaken. “Yes,” he answered, “Your eyes.”
Haera nodded shyly. “ My favourite colour is you .” She felt the bond say the words, and cheeks burning, she turned, gesturing to the dress in the centre of the room. Staring at the fabric of the extravagant white gown for a moment, Theos made an indiscernible noise in the back of his throat, before reaching around Haera to untie her dressing gown and letting it pool at her feet.
Theos’ burning gaze dragged over every inch of her skin, sending butterflies fluttering through her belly. His gloved hand came up to tilt her face up to his.
“I am reluctant to share you with everyone else tonight, but Kheos would never forgive me if I absconded with you in tow.” His voice was a husky whisper that sent chills through her body. “After our guests leave, I will have my fill of your company, and your body.”
He delivered a gentle kiss to her lips, before looking over her head to the dress behind them. His lips twitched upwards.
“Kheos is trying to tell us both something with his choice of both our attire.”
“He made yours too?”
Theos sighed. “He did. It is…mortifying. But I will indulge his enthusiasm.”
Haera smiled, shaking her head. “What’s mortifying about it?”
Theos’ lips flattened into a line, displeasure radiating from him. “Kheos can whisk these clothes away and disgrace us if he so chooses.” He glanced down at a horrified Haera. “He wouldn’t do that to you. He is far to protective of you to do any such thing.”
The silence stretched.
“But you think he would do that to you.” Haera guessed.
Hesitantly, Theos nodded. “I would sense it soon enough to clothe myself with the same outfit that I am wearing, just made of my own powers, my own control. No one would notice. ”
Haera shook her head disapprovingly. “He wouldn’t do that to you.”
“I…I know.” Theos bit out. “It’s hard to let go of millennia of programming. We’ve always been at each other’s throats. Peace among us three is…unusual.” He swallowed thickly. “I’m trying to be more trusting.”
“You’re doing well,” Haera smiled, reaching for his hand and squeezing.
Theos nodded, silently grateful for the encouragement. “Now, let’s get you into this magnificent gown.”