Chapter Nineteen

There are flowers in hell.

There are flowers, trees, bushes and even animals all around the black stone mountain where Thanatos and his brother lived. For the next few days, he took me around the area of his home and let me explore.

The nature down here wasn’t the same as it was on earth. Deep, dark petals, of various deep shades of color. The branches of bushes with other sorts of coverings besides leaves I couldn’t describe. It was interesting, new, and different.

Thanatos told me I could go on my own, that I was free to roam wherever I wanted in his and his brother’s space.

But something clicked during the last few days the more I spent time with him.

I longed to stay close to him, cherishing every moment we spent together, though. His touch, especially the gentle brush of his hand, ignited a desire within me. Since that day he lit up my skin, it’s as if he deliberately withholds his touch from me. He only made contact when absolutely necessary, always keeping a barrier between us, my clothes acting as a reminder of the distance between our bodies.

Which was annoying.

His words were strong enough to let me know he cared for me. Now I thought maybe it was only for friendship since he has not touched me since he has lit up my soul on my skin. I was just a pet, or someone to talk to like his wallow, Fluffy. He required someone to have conversations with and act as an oversized nightlight.

His anger had subsided since that night. He didn’t watch my every move, command me as much, anyway. He wanted to know I’m safe, and secretly, I liked it a lot. I’ve never had someone want to spend as much time with me in the past.

I enjoyed the days that progressed since becoming a walking lantern. He’d shown me the animal that resembled black dwarf rabbits that nibble on his small garden he liked to grow. They had long ears that touched the ground, no eyes, and long fingers for front paws. I was able to catch one, and as weird as it looked, they were cute in their own Underworld way.

Thanatos took special care of his garden. Even if he was known for being the God of Death and said he couldn’t give life, he very much had a green thumb. He said it wasn’t him that helped the plant grow, but the soil. The Underworld has a special soil, especially in the darkest part where he lives, that soaks up the riches of nutrients from under the mountain. Instead of gathering their food from light, Thanatos said when his army of reapers bring the souls to the Underworld, bits of their bodies are sprinkled over the mountain, thus making the soil rich.

Ew.

He said it so ominously; I thought he might be joking, but I don’t really think Thanatos knew how to joke.

Thanatos only helped one goddess regularly, and that was Hecate. With his quiet love of gardening, he planted nightshade, mint, echinacea, yarrow, comfrey, and dandelion. The soil itself brought the potency of the herbs near one hundred-fold, and Thanatos gathered it for both him and for the goddess.

I didn’t ask about the relationship he had with Hecate, the Goddess of Witchcraft. Part of me was jealous, and I didn’t want to pry into his private life. He’d lived a long time, and I didn’t need to know his relationships with any of his past.

Something told me though, he hasn’t had a relationship in quite some time.

As the days went on, Thanatos had become easier to talk to about daily life. We hadn’t dug into our pasts in the slightest. I was thankful for that. I wasn’t ready to spill what my past was and about how I came into the strip club, but I knew it was coming. We were on day five of this routine, and Thanatos was quieter than usual today.

Hypnos, who usually joined us for dinner, wasn’t present. Another clue that something was coming. When he said to set the table for only two, I knew he heard my heart stop.

“Juni, please don’t.” Thanatos stirred the large pot that had simmered all day.

I swear if I had a friend back on Earth and I told them that the Grim Reaper was actually fully domesticated and could party like Martha Stewart, no one would believe me.

I shrugged my shoulders and put the plate away. “I-I don’t know what you are talking about.”

The glow on my skin faded when there was more light in the room, but if I became nervous or excited, the gold shimmer danced across my skin and the green trails of sparks fluttered around my cheeks. I couldn’t tell if Thanatos liked it or not, because the hood still shrouded him.

I wanted to beg him to take off the hood; I wanted to see what was under the darkness and why those blue eyes shine so brightly sometimes.

But then he might ask questions about my past. Not that it matters, because I think he was about to do it now.

“My treasure, what do you think I am about to ask you?” He hung the ladle over the soup and took the pot off the fire.

Crap, does he have to call me his treasure? That’s my weakness. I’ll tell him whatever he wants if he calls me that.

His eyes glowed brighter beneath the hood.

Oh hell.

“I am happy you have the gift of telling me what is on your mind. Better than me having to read it.”

I put my hands on my hips. “Gods can do that?”

He chuckled. “A lot of us can. I can read minds through souls if the soul is open to it. It’s difficult when they fight it. Athena can crawl in a human mind easily but she finds it primitive. She likes to figure out what is wrong with someone without using that method.”

Thanatos pulled out my chair and gestured for me to sit. I sat obediently and watched as his wings scraped across the floor and he sat across from me. He took a long drink from his goblet and set it down.

My knee bounced up and down under the table, my finger tapping on the surface of the wood.

Thanatos reached across the table and grabbed my trembling hand with both of his. I stared up into his hood, and I never felt more naked now than I ever had, even when I worked at Fuzzy Bunnies.

“My treasure, you should not worry or be afraid. I will protect you from all of your enemies.” His voice grew dark, and the light of the room fell into darkness.

As the light danced on my radiant skin, his hand gently rose to caress my cheek. A rush of warmth enveloped my body, sending tingles cascading across my skin, erasing all traces of fear from my mind.

“What I wanted to ask was your permission,” he rasped.

“My permission?”

To touch me in places where I should never ask?

He rubbed his thumb across my knuckle, and I melted. Who knew the angry Grim Reaper was such a softy?

“To enter your mind, to see every face that entered the club while you were at that prison. It will give me a lead who might be in charge, who may know the owner, it will help me who I can question.”

My heart jumped into my throat.

To have someone enter your mind, all your private thoughts, feelings. That was a lot. What if he was going to read my thoughts about him now?

What about my past?

What about how I survived while I was there?

I was pathetic.

My ears roared. I couldn’t hear but the beating of my heart. Suddenly, two muscular arms picked me up and lifted me into his giant lap. His wings surrounded us and my body glowed within our little cocoon.

“My treasure, breathe. It’s alright, if you do not feel comfortable, I will not do it. This is why I asked. It is a lot.”

I shook my head, my shaky hand rubbing my lips. “You have to do it. Those other women depend on it. I’ve been here, enjoying everything you have to offer, I nearly forgot about them. Help them, they’re miserable.” I sniffed.

I couldn’t be selfish. Not now.

“Will you just look at those four years, or will you see my whole life?” I turned to him, his blue eyes dim.

“Only the four years you were there. I give you my word, on my honor.”

I bit my lip and nodded and wrapped my arms around his neck. At first, he didn’t return the hug. His arms were frozen, hovering in the air.

“Hug me back,” I mumbled into his shoulder.

“Uh,” he mumbled, and slowly brought his arms around my body. He patted my back slowly, and I rolled my eyes.

This guy needed some guiding if he was into me, if at all.

After dinner, I tried to tend to the dishes. I wasn’t a freeloader, but every night he waved his hand, and they were done. If I had some magic powers like that, I wouldn’t even cook, but I guess to each their own.

He ordered me to get washed up for the night. It wasn’t unusual for him to tell me this. He liked me to feel comfortable, and he gave me new things to wear each night. He even asked me what I liked to wear, what things make me comfortable. It’s hard to explain and describe. I think he explained his dilemma to Hypnos one evening, because the next day a laptop computer was set up in the living room and he asked me to show him what clothing I liked to wear.

Poor thing didn’t know how to turn it on, though.

And to be honest, it had been years since I’ve been on one. Luckily Hypnos was there for breakfast and showed us both how to use it.

I didn’t think Thanatos liked it because his wings were tense, and even Fluffy was huffing and puffing, pacing back and forth between Hypnos and me to make sure Hypnos kept his distance.

Once we set up the laptop, I realized we would need to have internet—how was that going to work?

Does the Underworld have a service provider? What do they use for Wi-Fi?

I found it is best not to ask questions and just go with it. Hell, I’m glowing in the dark here, and my head just hurts, thinking about how none of this makes sense.

Gods are real, there are flowers in hell and now we have internet.

Anyway, I’ve got a wardrobe full of clothes that I may never even wear while the God of Death still wears the same black robe everywhere. Even Hypnos changes it up sometimes.

It still surprised me when he told me to get my pajamas on and get ready for a surprise because I thought he was going to get inside my head. I figured I’d leave my regular clothes on for that. Things might get messy. What if I pee my pants from fright? Maybe I might cringe so hard I throw up that outstanding stew he made from the meat of some yeti in the lands of gods knows where.

I’m delightfully surprised when I come back though. Thanatos is wearing not the same black linen robe he usually wears, instead it is a black robe but made in a fluffy consistency, like a snuggy.

Baby steps.

“It”s different, isn’t it? Hypnos suggested it.” There was a shyness to his voice I didn’t normally hear, and I liked it, I liked it a lot. He was putting in a different type of effort, one that was obviously out of his comfort zone from the last few days. He showed me what he and his home was like to make me feel comfortable, but this, he was doing this for me.

And it was adorable.

Thanatos in a blanket sweatshirt-thing.

“It looks so comfy! Do I get one?” He pulls one from behind his back, his wings sway from where it hid and I get a beautiful purple one.

“I wasn”t sure on the color–”

I grabbed it and gave him a quick hug and put it on. “It”s great! I’m a little curious about what we are going to use this for. This isn’t your normal surprise.” I grinned at him, and he looked away, clearing his throat.

Thanatos’ surprises usually comprised books that he called tomes of far-away lands, written in English. One is called Bergarian and their kings and queens. Others are of the Celestial Kingdom, the gods and goddesses and angels that live there. My favorite might be the god Poseidon’s story because his was the least known.

“I thought we would have a movie night? You liked it with my brother. Maybe you would enjoy it with me as well.” He scratched the back of his head.

I bet he was blushing under that hood.

He motioned me to follow him, and we walked down the long hallway. It’s dark, no torches to light the hallway, and I think he purposefully didn’t since I glow now. He checked on me to make sure I’m following him until we reach a curtain at the end of the hall.

He effortlessly opened the curtain with a single, swift swipe. As it swung open, the room revealed itself in all its glory. Luxurious dark crimson couches beckoned, their velvety texture invitingly soft to the touch. The faint aroma of freshly popped popcorn teased my nose. Positioned on either side of the couch were two large goblets, filled to the brim with refreshing drinks. The room offered ample space for two people to relax and unwind, a sanctuary of comfort and intimacy.

Oh, my gods it”s a date!

A wide smile graced my lips and before I could say anything, Hypnos appeared behind us and pushed us out of the way. “Wow, this is a great set up! You did a great job, brother!” He sits down in the middle of the couch and the popcorn he brought spilled all over the cushions.

As soon as I glance at Thanatos, his eyes ignited with a vibrant intensity, casting a shadow that caused the room’s illumination to diminish. Simultaneously, his wings unfurled, expanding to their full span, while his hands clenched into tight fists, radiating an air of profound determination.

Crap, he’s going to break everything in here.

“Hey Hypnos, I think Thanatos and I are going to have a date night.”

Both men stop breathing and slowly look at me.

“What?” Hypnos asked. “You’re having a what?”

I cleared my throat. “A date night, a movie night. Date usually means two, and Thanatos put all this work into this. I’m not trying to kick you out or anything, it”s just—it’s a date.”

Hypnos narrowed his eyes at me. “But you’re watching Harry Potter. That’s our thing.”

I pursed my lips together. It was true; we watched Harry Potter together first. Not unless Thanatos was jealous and trying to erase that memory or something. Ha! He wouldn’t do that would he?

Thanatos crossed his arms.

Shit.

“Hypnos–it”s just a movie.”

“He is trying to break our bond, Juniper. He is breaking our bond.” Hypnos shook his fist.

“You have no bond!” Thanatos roared. He leapt over the couch and put his hands around Hypnos’ neck.

“It’s a friendship bond!” Hypnos said through the choke hold.

“Thanatos!” I screamed back and pull on his robe. “Please stop or we can’t watch the movie! I’ll just go to bed! All alone and sad! Please don’t make me sad! I wanted to cuddle!”

The cuddling caught his attention, as delicate feathers, plucked from Hypnos’ wings, gracefully drifted down amidst the rough housing between brothers.

“Cuddle?” Thanatos eyed me through his hood.

“I never got to cuddle during the movie.” Hypnos pouted.

Thanatos growled at his brother and punched him in the face.

Ouchie.

Thanatos removed himself from the couch and let his brother stand. Hypnos brushed off his white silk pajama set and gave a wide girth around his brother.

Hypnos stared at me, looking me up and down. “How dare you watch our marathon?”

I gave him an apologetic smile and shrugged my shoulders. I can only win so many battles. Getting Hypnos out of here, and not beat up, was the only option right now. I really didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

“Hypnos, I’m sorr–”

“Dobby dies.”

My eyes widen and I gasp. “No! You bastard!”

Hypnos laughed and darted down the hallway. I went to run after him, but Thanatos grabbed me with his arms and wrapped them around me.

“I’m going to kill him, I’m going to make him eat the nightshade, that dirty, lowlife, that stupid littl—”

Thanatos burst into laughter. It rings into my ears until I forget entirely what I was even mad about.

The God of Death was laughing.

The vibrations ran down my back, my nipples pebbled through my shirt as I heard his deep voice echoing in my ear. Why does his laughter have to sound so sexy?

Thanatos’ laughter subsided. “I believe we are to go cuddle now? Correct?”