Chapter 16

16

L averna slowly came back to consciousness with a warm hand stroking her hair. It felt so damn good. The rest of her, not so much.

"She seems to be breathing, and the wounds have shut," Romulus's voice whispered softly above her.

"Maybe Claudius's theory on you being able to heal her because she is your mate was correct then," Hermes replied.

Laverna wanted to wake up and shout that she wasn't his mate, but her body didn't seem to want to move.

"Perhaps. I still don't know if she will turn, and the full moon is only two days away," Romulus replied.

Hermes made a dismissive sound. "Divine power fights off all disease, and that will probably include lupism. The bigger issue is Remus being alive again or some version of life. When Laverna wakes, we will need more information."

" If she wakes," Romulus corrected, his voice cracking. "I can't lose her, Hermes. I love her. I've always..."

"I know, Rom. I know. She will wake up. Her body is just healing. Maybe it's finally time to tell her how you feel?" Hermes suggested softly.

Rom's laugh was sad and bitter. "She's too smart to have me. I will call you later."

There was silence, and Laverna had gone from drowsy to wide awake. She hadn't opened her eyes because she wasn't sure her imagination hadn't made that little chat up in her head.

Romulus couldn't love her. He had always hated the very sight of her. That wasn't love. And she sure as hell wasn't his mate. She would know, wouldn't she?

Romulus resumed stroking her hair, and she enjoyed it a little while longer before daring to open her eyes. He was looking straight ahead, his eyes glassy and unseeing.

"Hey," she whispered, not wanting to startle him too badly. He was sitting cross-legged with her head on a pillow in his lap. He looked down and saw her awake, and his whole expression crumpled.

"Oh, thank fuck," he breathed before dragging her up into his arms. "Don't you ever scare me like that again."

"I can't promise that," she said, her face squished into his chest. She remembered the fall and the feeling she was about to die. She had been so scared, and that was a whole new emotion for her. She started to shake, the shock hitting her.

"It was Remus. It was Remus. I'd never forget his voice. He was always crazy, but he's not right, Rom. She's done something to him..." she babbled.

Romulus rubbed her back. "We can talk about it later. We need to get you warmed up."

"Take me to the baths," she said and winced. "I smell terrible."

"You do, but I don't care. I can't leave you alone right now."

Laverna reached up and touched his face. "You misunderstand. I want you to take me to the baths, Rom. You are included. I need someone to wash my back because I'm too tired to do it." It was a weak excuse, but he didn't argue with her. She didn't even complain when he picked her up and carried her out of the temple.

Roberto and Claudius were arguing in low whispers outside the door. Both jumped out of the way.

"I'm okay," she said, looking at Roberto. He had tears in his eyes and quickly bowed to her. "Don't get sappy on me. I just need a bath, and I'll be fine."

"I've got her. I might be tempted to drown her for worrying me so much, but I won't do it until she's recovered," Romulus told them.

Claudius only rolled his eyes. "We will go and see about food, seeing how the goddess doesn't believe in keeping any in her kitchen."

Laverna didn't have the energy to deny it. Romulus carried her through the apartments and into the warm, wet heat of the bathhouse. He sat her down on a marble bench and crouched down to take off her boots.

"This is a bit weird," she said, fighting to stay upright.

"You can fight me about it later. Just let me take care of you now. My wolf is losing its mind and will take me with it if you don't let me do this," Romulus replied, peeling off her socks. He helped her stand before undoing the clasp on her dirty, wet jeans.

"Because it thinks I'm its mate?" she whispered, hardly able to form the words.

Romulus's hands paused. "What makes you ask that?"

"Remus. I'll tell you everything when I'm warm again," she said. She needed the time to put her thoughts together, and she was starting to shiver. Romulus didn't waste any more time. He stripped her off and made her sit on a soft towel while he got rid of his own muddy clothes. There were stains of golden ichor on them too, and Laverna swallowed hard.

"You found me?" she asked.

"I did. We will talk about it when you've warmed up." He pulled off his shirt, and a goofy smile lit up her face. "What?"

"Seeing you naked is helping my healing process," Laverna replied. He really was a beautiful brute of a man with scars and muscle all over him.

"You can stare at me later," he said with a soft snort of laughter. He picked her up and carried her into one of the medium-heated pools. Laverna's freezing skin pebbled and ached, but she grew used to it in a few moments and then sighed happily.

Romulus made sure she was sitting upright on one of the marble benches before he went to get some of the bottled water she always kept in there.

"You need to rehydrate," he said, opening a bottle and placing it on the lip of the pool beside her. Laverna took it without argument and drained half of it.

"Are you going to hand-feed me too?" she asked.

Romulus tilted his head thoughtfully. "Would you let me? The wolf likes the idea."

Laverna laughed and then winced. Fates, she was aching. Romulus climbed into the pool beside her. "What is it? Are you hurting?"

"I'm okay. Just my back. I think he might have broken some bones. They are healed, just tender," she replied, trying to get the worried look off his face. It didn't work. He made a strange whimpering sound of anger and distress. Laverna moved through the water and took his face in her hands.

"Rom, I'm okay." His eyes were blazing gold, so she pressed her lips lightly to his. "I'm fine. Just a little tender."

The gold of the wolf seeped out of his eyes, leaving them back to being whiskey amber. Romulus's hands slid to her hips and gently turned her before putting her in his lap again. Slowly, he began to massage her shoulders.

"You really have gone crazy, haven't you?" she said, leaning into his touch. "I knew it."

Romulus's hands paused. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me, Rom. My night has been traumatic enough." Laverna's heart was aching, but she pushed on. "You have been acting weird ever since I broke into your bathhouse. You've always hated me, and now you're being all kind to me and laughing and not being a raging dick, and I don't understand what's changed. My only conclusion is you've finally lost your damn mind."

Romulus began his massage again. "I've never really been sane around you. I just stopped fighting against myself when it came to you. I've always told you I wanted you under my protection."

"No, you've always wanted me under your control. You've always been all macho with your "Become part of my pack and surrender to my ruling over you" bullshit," Laverna said, trying not to let her anger rise. "The first day we met, you smiled at me, and then it was like you realized who I was, and I became something you scraped off your shoe. I don't fucking get you, Rom. So yeah, I do think you've lost your fucking mind, and I'm just waiting for you to come to your senses and start acting like an asshole again."

Laverna hadn't realized that her arms had come up and wrapped tightly around herself again. She was shaking, and it wasn't from the cold; it was all the messy hurt that she had never let loose pouring out of her.

"I'm sorry, Laverna. For everything," Romulus said so softly that her heart broke just a little. "I've always been afraid of you, and that has made me act aggressively. Part of it is the alpha wolf clashing against another alpha in his territory. Mostly, it's been that when I look at you, all I see is my weakness."

Laverna moved away from him, and he let her. She sat down on the other side of the pool before looking him in the eye. He looked crushed and vulnerable in a way that she had never seen before in their long, long history. He looked...broken.

"Remus said that I was going to be his mate and not yours," she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "Am I your mate, Rom?"

"My wolf has always believed so," he replied and let out a tight sigh. "Yes. You are my mate, and Remus, or whatever that thing is, will never have you."

Laverna rubbed at the bridge of her nose. Maybe she had hit her head when she fell because she was struggling to believe any of this. "And I have no say in the matter?"

"You are the only one who has a say, Laverna. No mating bond is permanent until we both agree to it. I knew you would never agree to it, which is why I never bothered trying to tell you about it," Romulus replied with absolute resignation. "I've tried to get you under my protection all these years, not to control you, but protect you. You seem to be very confused about what I mean by surrender too. Surrender isn't giving over who you are or changing who you are. It's a trust in knowing that I will be there for you, always."

Laverna threw her hands up in frustration, splashing water everywhere. "But you have never let me get close enough to trust you at all, Rom!"

"I've never had the courage to," he admitted.

"I can't even... I don't..." Laverna didn't know how to respond to any of that, so she sank under the water. Within seconds, strong hands were gripping her and pulling her out again.

"Are you okay? Fuck, Laverna! I knew you weren't strong enough yet," Romulus said, pushing the wet hair from her face. She went to push him away from her, but her hands landed on his hard chest and seemed to stick there. She really did have a weakness for his chest.

"Stop. I'm not drowning. I dunked myself, you ridiculous man!" she complained.

"Stop scaring me for one damn night, woman. Fuck!" he shot right back. "I thought you were going to die tonight, so just..." Romulus stopped himself, but he looked so wet and ridiculous and pissed off that Laverna couldn't stop herself from wrapping her arms around his neck, her legs locking around his torso.

"You always worry this much?" she asked, and he scowled at her.

"About you? Yes," he grumbled and sank up to his shoulders into the water, so they were face to face. "We can talk about mates and everything else later. I need to know what happened at the park tonight before the wolf claws my skin off."

Laverna was going to need time to process the idea of being Romulus's mate, so she welcomed the subject change. She told him about how she had followed Canidia, what she had said about taking Rome from them, and how Remus had attacked her.

Romulus's eyes were glowing, but he managed to stay silent the whole time before he told her about becoming a part of the city to find her.

Laverna punched him in the shoulder. "Are you fucking insane? You know you can lose yourself as the city and fucking never come out again! Why would you do something so stupid!"

"Because you were hurt and dying, and that's all I cared about!"

Laverna gripped him by the shoulders and tried to shake him. She only managed to shake herself. "I am a goddess . I was hurt, but it would take more than that to kill me. My head was still attached and everything!"

"You think I am capable of thinking that rationally when you are hurt? I never, ever think or act rationally when it comes to you, Laverna," he growled back. His big hand cupped her neck and tilted her head back. "You want to know why I'm so crazy? It's because I'm having to be around you at the moment. I can never think straight or act right when I do. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because it's kind of hot to hear you admit it. Maybe I did hit my head," she said and kissed his outraged mouth.

Romulus's hand tightened on her neck, and he unleashed himself on her. She could do nothing but try and kiss him back as tongue and lips tried to steal the soul from her body. She twisted her fingers into his wet curls and let him take all of her fear and pain from the night from her. She guided his hand between her legs, and he broke the kiss to let out a pained laugh.

"Oh, goddess, your body hasn't healed enough for what I am planning on doing to it," he said, nipping her jaw and down the side of her neck. His fingers stroked over her pussy and made a needy whimper come out of her. "You scared the life from me tonight. I owe you for that." He circled his thumb over her clit, adding more pressure and making her legs tighten around him.

Laverna leaned in to nibble on his ear and the warm space behind it. "You're right. My night has been traumatic, so you owe me orgasms."

"I'm half a mind to edge you for the next year and never make you come as punishment."

Laverna sucked a mark on his neck. "If you do that, I'll never let you sit on my face and fuck my mouth."

"Fuck, Laverna," he groaned. "We have things we need to talk about. Serious things."

"But I don't want to talk about them yet. They can wait until tomorrow," she replied. She wrapped her hand around his hard dick and stroked it.

Romulus's hand tightened a little around her neck and jaw. He rang his thumb over her lips, and she opened her mouth to suck on it as she jerked him again.

"Harder," he growled in command, and she did.

She was rewarded with the thick, long finger he slipped inside of her. She thrust against his hand, matching the rhythm with her strokes.

Romulus rested his forehead against hers. "I'm going fuck this tight little pussy of yours until it knows who it belongs to," he said, his voice coming in pants. "I'm going to make sure it never wants anyone else again."

Laverna's inner walls clamped around his finger. "Give me another. Not enough," she begged, heat building low inside of her. Rom turned her to press her back against the tiled wall of the pool and pushed another finger inside of her. Laverna cried out, unable to stop as he stretched her. His whole expression turned so hot and possessive that she almost came, but she managed to wrangle it back down.

"Don't you dare hold it back on me," he hissed, his thumb doing unholy things to her clit as he thrust and curled his fingers.

Laverna rolled her hips, chasing his hand. "Fuck, Rom."

Romulus removed his hand from her, making her hiss in protest. "You weren't really serious about the edging thing, were you!" she squeaked.

Romulus only laughed and lifted her out of the pool. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her. It sure as fuck looked like he was serious, even though his dick was still hard, tenting his own towel in invitation. He ignored her grumbling and picked her up.