Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

A lexis didn't let Penelope go until they stood in the bathroom and the sunken tiled pool was steaming.

"The labyrinth shouldn't have taken you anywhere physical. That's not how the magic works," he said, staring at her wet chiton .

"It does if the goddess of the labyrinth summons you," Penelope replied.

Alexis's eyes flared with magic. "I'm going to need you to explain."

Penelope struggled out of the wet chiton , Alexis helping her get it over her shoulders. "Get in the bath with me. I need to get my mind straight and body warm."

Truth be told, Penelope's brain felt like it had been through a meat grinder, and she was left to sift through the pieces.

They settled in the warm water, and Penelope nestled safely in Alexis's arms. He was worried. She could feel it radiating through their bond, and he kept in physical contact with her like he feared she would disappear on him again.

"I don't know where to start," she admitted.

Alexis rested his hands on her shoulders and gave them a gentle massage. "How about from when you entered the labyrinth? I know it might be uncomfortable to share what you saw because they are your fears, but it might help to understand where the magic went wrong."

Penelope reached up to touch his cheek. "It's not your fault. It wasn't your magic. It was... I think it was mine." She took a deep breath. "I woke up in my old university cubicle."

The story tumbled out, and she told Alexis about her parents, when she called the storms, the encounter with Tim and Carolyn, and finally, the beach on Atlantis.

Alexis was squeezing her so tightly by the end of it that she had to wriggle to get him to loosen his grip. She turned in his lap so she could face him.

"I don't know what to do," Penelope admitted. "Did you ever hear of a vault full of objects of power?"

"There were rumors of a great treasure buried somewhere but they were fairytales to entertain children with," Alexis said thoughtfully. "I'll look through the Archives and see if I can find anything about it. If Nereus knew, she didn't mention it. That's not saying much considering all the secrets she kept about time magic...and you."

There was still a touch of hurt in his voice when he talked about Nereus, and Penelope didn't blame him.

"She wasn't exactly specific when she called me Heir of Gods either. Fuck, do you think this past life stuff could actually be real?" she asked.

Alexis's head tilted a little as he considered the question. "It would explain a lot about you. Even the Living Language saw you as a viable host for it when you touched it."

"You aren't freaked out by this?" Penelope asked, her fingers tightening on his wet biceps. "Because I don't know if I should be."

"Magic is strange. This we know for certain." Alexis pulled her closer, and she wrapped her legs around him. "What I was worried about was that you had gone somewhere I couldn't reach. Do you want to know what I saw in the labyrinth?"

Penelope nodded, her fingers toying with the ends of his hair.

Alexis said, "I saw what I would have turned into without you in my life. I saw you never finding the tablet in the sea. I saw you dead on the floor instead of Nereus. Not having you is my biggest fear."

"And then you came out of the labyrinth, and I was gone," Penelope said, realization hitting her. "Oh, Alexis. Not even a goddess can keep me from you." She kissed him hard, her hands burying into his thick curls. His fingers stroked down her spine to her hips and pulled her closer up against him. Hot desire bloomed through her, just like it always did. Only Alexis had ever made her melt with barely a few touches.

"Take me to bed," she said against his lips.

Alexis's grip tightened, and he lifted her out of the water. He didn't stop kissing her as they walked through the apartments that Penelope had made her own. His magic caressed her, drying them both before he laid her back on the soft green of the bed sheets.

"My Penelope," he murmured as he kissed his way down her neck. He reached her breasts, making her back arch up to meet his wandering mouth. "I don't like gods thinking they can steal you away from me whenever they choose. You are my Penelope, not theirs." His hand dropped between her thighs, making her breath stutter.

"Always yours," she stammered, struggling to form words as his longer fingers teased her. Alexis kissed her, and his magic pulse through his fingertips and into her. Penelope groaned, her own magic rising to meet his like it always did.

"Oh, gods, get inside of me," she begged, needing to be as close as she could to him.

They had both had a scare that night, and she needed him to make her feel grounded and safe once more. Alexis must have needed it too because he lifted her hips and guided himself inside of her. Penelope wrapped her legs around him, pulling his perfect weight down on top of her.

"More."

Alexis grinned, wild and beautiful. "You always know exactly the right words to say to me," he said. She let out a yelp of surprise as he slung her legs over his brown, broad shoulders and thrust harder into her. His fingers found her clit again, and she shattered, unable to hold out under the intensity of everything she was feeling.

Alexis wasn't about to let her go. He moved backward, taking her with him so she was straddling him. The music sang through their connection, and love burned through Penelope's veins.

Demons, serial killers, and disapproving friends and family couldn't separate her from her beloved. She would face them all again and whatever new challenges the goddess threw her way too. The beautiful man between her thighs, who was looking at her with such love and devotion, would always be worth the cost.

Alexis drew her into a kiss that had them both breaking, the song so loud in Penelope's ears that the fear and terror of the night finally burned away.

"We will figure out where this vault is and how to keep it closed," Alexis said a short time later. They were sprawled across each other in a lazy bundle of limbs, his fingers slowly combing through her mess of curls.

"At least now I have some kind of answer for the call I've been hearing under the water," Penelope replied drowsily. "Although I have no idea how to keep the vaults locked or what they contain."

Alexis hummed. "The goddess wouldn't have told you about it if she didn't think we could work it out together."

Penelope was still thinking about it when her phone buzzed on the nightstand. "How did that thing get in here?" she muttered. "Surely the villa knows I don't want to be anywhere near it." Penelope reached for it to turn it off when she saw the message that had come through.

Buon Natale, Penelope.

I hope the magicians are treating you well, K.

Kreios . He was checking in and had done sporadically since the fight with Thevetat.

And to you, Kreios. They made me walk the Dark Labyrinth.

Dear gods, and they say I am a monster.

Penelope huffed out a laugh. The dread of the labyrinth seemed to be universal. She typed back. You wouldn't know anything about a vault of powerful treasures or relics that was on Atlantis?

Maybe as a king, Kreios would have been told the truth of what lay at Atlantis's heart.

I know it should never be found.

Penelope showed Alexis the messages. "He clearly knows about it."

"I don't know how to trust anything he says," Alexis replied. To say the magicians had a complicated history with Kreios was a vast understatement.

"We can think about vaults and forgotten fairytales tomorrow." Penelope turned the phone off and snuggled back into Alexis's side. "Now that was a Christmas I'm not going to forget.

Alexis chuckled as he pulled her close and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Ah, my darling, Penelope. Haven't you learned that life with me is never going to be normal?"

"I have," she said, resting her cheek over his heart. "And I wouldn't change it for the world."

Thank you so much for coming for this trip back into the world of the magicians with me! If you enjoyed it, please don’t forget to give it a rating or a little review on Amazon.

Need something more to read? Keep turning for sneak peek chapters from my upcoming book, ‘A City of Hearts and Feathers’! Trust me, if you loved the magicians… you will adore the Order of Anubis. You can check it out on Amazon here, or keep turning for exclusive chapters.