Chapter Thirty-Three

Nick's initial kiss is tender, bearing none of the savagery I'm accustomed to when his mouth is on mine. Even the moment his tongue seeks entry is gentle, and I let him sweep into my mouth with a soft moan.

A throat clears, disrupting our impromptu make-out session. Nick and I break apart, finding five pairs of eyes on us, all brewing with different emotions. Cronus appears territorial, judging by the crease of his blue gaze, and I want to laugh at the audacity that the Titan thinks he can stake any fatherly claim on me.

Circe's expression hasn't changed from pensive yet tension riddled, and the Atropos appears visibly annoyed while her sisters share identical expressions of boredom .

"We still have the matter of Circe's punishment," Clotho says.

The witch cackles. "You punished me already. Long ago. I still suffer for it. Shall we call it even?"

Atropos smiles wickedly. "Still pining for your long-lost lover?"

Circe's face is a mask of neutrality. "Something like that."

It dawns on me then: The Moirai have no idea that Circe has reunited with Lyncus. Which means she must have cloaked his Thread, as well.

"I would have assumed you'd discovered him by now, judging by the power you possess," Lachesis says matter-of-factly, no hint of malice in her tone.

Circe levels a searing gaze at the sisters. "In due time, he will come to me. Until then, I must be apart from my own soulmate. I ask again, isn't that punishment enough?"

The sisters of Fate glance at each other, clearly having a conversation telepathically.

"For now." Atropos' silver eyes glisten with sinister promise.

Circe gives the Moirai a curt nod before the sisters turn their different colored gazes on me.

"Your Bargain is fulfilled," Clotho says.

"Nicholas will live -" Lachesis starts, but Atropos interrupts her.

"But remember, there are many ways to live, Rhiannon." A shudder ripples through me at the unclear meaning behind her words. Before I can ask her to elaborate, which I doubt she would have anyway, the three sisters disappear.

An awkward silence settles upon our group, with Nick doing nothing except staring at me starry-eyed, Circe glancing at both of us with something akin to sorrow and Cronus again staring at me with a wistful expression.

The events of the last few days barrel into me all at once, a violent stampede of emotions and sensations that tangle themselves into a wicked knot of confusion. It begins with Nick's declaration of being the Crown Prince of Hell and ends with the revelation that this dark god is now my soulmate. As with everything, it all begins and ends with him.

"I need a minute alone," I blurt out.

A spark of hurt flashes in Nick's eyes, but he otherwise nods.

"There is a beautiful grotto through that corridor," Cronus gestures to the sliver in the western wall. "Do not be intimiated by the narrow pathway. It is merely a glamour." He places a hand on my shoulder. "You will find peace there, daughter."

A flicker of gratitude zaps through me, and I thank the Titan as I make my way toward the narrow opening that leads to the grotto. Just as I'm about to slip inside, delicate fingers wrap around my wrist. I glance down, finding my wrist encased by long, black painted fingernails. My eyes meet sharp green ones.

"Circe."

I don't know what to make of this woman. This witch. Everything I thought I knew about her evaporated in a destructive cloud of smoke upon the discovery that not only is she Nick's aunt, but my mother's best friend, and half of the pair responsible for protecting me. It was simpler when she was Circe, the witch who cursed my ancestor. Now, she's Circe. The woman who I might consider family.

"I meant what I said earlier. You and I have much to discuss. Not just about your mother, but Nicholas as well. Come to Strega when you can. I will be there."

"You don't seem enthused that Nick and I are soulmates."

Circe shakes her head. "Believe me, it's not that. Finding your soulmate in any lifetime is rare, so am I thrilled for you both. But it is going to hurt so much more when…"

For the first time since I met her last year, Circe avoids my eyes.

"When what, Circe?" I probe.

Unease trickles through me. It's unlike Circe to be indirect. Hesitant. The seconds bleed into an entire minute before she again meets my gaze, hers brewing only with sorrow.

"When you lose him."

I mull Circe's words over in my head, sitting with my arms wrapped around my knees beside a sparkling blue lagoon. Cronus undersold the grotto when he simply called it ‘beautiful,' because it is, in fact, breathtaking.

The stalagmites are candescent, as though freshly plucked stars cling to their surface. Soft green moss covers the area I sit upon, as comfortable as sitting in my own bed.

You will find peace there, Cronus had said, and he would have been correct, if not for Circe's parting words.

When you lose him .

Was that not the entire reason I made a Bargain with the Moirai? I tore myself apart and risked everything so that I wouldn't lose him. Had it all been in vain? I'd chalk Circe's words up to an error. A miscalculation. Or, and this is a far stretch: jealousy. Her soulmate clings to her on borrowed time. If the Moirai ever discovered they'd found each other and were currently living happily ever after, Circe's punishment might far exceed the Prophecy that awaits fulfillment by my own hand.

But the look in Circe's eyes told me otherwise. It was resolute. Unwavering.

Devastated.

I blink back tears. This is all too much, all at once.

The vibrant blue water stirs with a gentle ripple on its surface, beckoning me to slip within its embrace. The idea of submerging beneath its welcoming waters feels like a fantastic idea, given I'm covered in dirt, sweat, and grime. Before I know it, I'm kicking off my mud-caked boots and stripping down to nothing.

The air in the cave is temperate, but nonetheless, goosebumps erupt upon my exposed skin as I dip my toe in the water. Its warmth travels up my leg and wraps around my torso, as if to say: Yes. Come in. Come in.

I sink down to my bottom and slide into the water, which rises only to my chest and is clear enough for me to see the smooth stone at the bottom. A school of tiny silver fish disperses as I move through the lagoon, untying my hair from its tightly wound braid. I massage my scalp, groaning in relief as the tension dissolves, and I finally dip beneath the surface.

When I emerge, I smooth my hands over my forehead and down my hair, pushing droplets of water and loose tendrils away from my face. I tip my head back at the sheer pleasure of it all.

"Fuck." Nick's husky voice settles right between my legs. I open my eyes to find him kneeling at the edge of the lagoon, gold eyes brimming with unadulterated lust. "If you wanted me on my knees, Rhi, all you had to do was ask."

I give him a sultry smile. "Care to join me?"

"Are you sure?"

My heart nearly bursts at the trepidation in his tone. This is him making sure it is what I want. He gave me the space I asked for, and I know he came here now to check on me and see if I was okay. I also know that if I told him to leave, to give me more time, he would do so without question.

Gods, how I love this man.

"You're the only thing I'm sure of," I tell him.

Nick's tongue trails along his lower lip, stoking the fire burning low in my belly. It only grows hotter when he removes his shirt, revealing that beautifully bronzed skin and ridiculously defined abdomen. Michelangelo himself couldn't have sculpted a more beautiful man. But when he finally drops his pants…

My mouth waters.

Nick cuts through the lagoon as smooth and vicious as a barracuda, gliding towards me with a predator's finesse. He halts his movement with only inches left between us, and gods how I want those inches to disappear.

Nick brushes his knuckles along my cheek. "Do I frighten you?"

I shake my head. He'd asked me that once before, at a time when yes, maybe I was frightened of him. But never again.

"Does this…" His eyes dip to the space between our bodies before floating back up. "Does us, what we are, frighten you?"

I slide my hands over his firm, broad shoulders, relishing the way his skin pebbles beneath my fingertips.

"Because if it does," Nick's hands drift to my waist, "tell me. If you need more space or more time, I'll give it to you. It might kill me, but I'll do it for you. "

I close this space between us, pressing my lips to his. "I don't need time or space," I say breathily.

"Then what do you need?" His low baritone rumbles over my peaked nipples, spreading lavishly down my abdomen before caressing my already slick core.

"You," I whisper against his mouth. "Just you."

Nick's answering kiss is fierce and unapologetic. The earlier tenderness is absent, replaced by ruthless strokes of his tongue and sharp bites of his fangs. Shudders ripple down my skin, the lagoon water gently lapping against my lower spine as he moves us back. His mouth laves down my neck, tongue flicking out intermittently between pleasurable bites of my flesh.

The feel of cool, smooth stone settles between my shoulder blades, and I realize Nick has caged me against a rock. He lifts his mouth from ravishing my neck, smirking sinfully as his fingers find my aching, wet heat and wastes no time pushing two of them inside me. I come up on my toes at the intrusion, clinging on to Nick's shoulders for balance. His other hand comes around and grabs a healthy palmful of my ass.

"Do you know the myth behind soulmates?" Nick asks, thrusting his fingers in a slow, tantalizing rhythm.

"What's with your obsession to tell me stories while a part of you is inside me?" I cock my head to the side. "Have you unlocked a new kink?"

Nick adds a third finger, eliciting a pleasurable hiss through my teeth. "My only kink, little liar, is you. Do you want to hear the story or not?"

I nod, my lips curving secretly. "Only if I get to play with you, too."

I fist his hard erect cock, wicked delight running through me when Nick throws his head back and slams his palm against the rock, letting go of my ass. Bits of it crumble beneath his fingers, and I again marvel at the brute strength of this man, how the same fingers that bring me pleasure can easily break me in half.

" Fuck." His fingers curl inside me, quickening to a punishing pace. I tighten my hold on his cock and pump my hand faster.

"You were saying…" I tease, though my own voice is shaky.

His golden eyes flare with challenge, and he drops his hand from the rock and roughly palms my breast.

"The myth is that humans originally had four arms, four legs, and two human faces, but Zeus split us in half - gods-" He chokes when I use my other hand to massage his balls. "Split us in half," he continues, his voice cracking, "as a punishment for our pride."

"Sounds like Zeus, always fucking up someone's day - oh fuck. " The heel of Nick's hand presses against my clit, the friction of his palm and his fingers creating spine-tingling pleasure.

Nick groans, the muscles of his abdomen tensing. Before I can drive him to oblivion, he knocks my hand away and removes his fingers from my throbbing center, lifting me by my thighs. I instinctually wrap my legs around him, and his firm erection presses against my stomach.

"The only place I'm going to come is in your tight cunt," he grinds out, moving us through the water and lowering himself down on a smooth ledge within the lagoon. He lifts me so my entrance hovers right above his crown. "And the only place you're going to come is around my cock."

Nick thrusts his hips up and pulls mine down in one violent movement, and I scream as he enters me with savage force. This position drives him deep into me. My eyes flutter shut, and I groan, tossing my head back from the unbound pleasure assaulting my entire body.

His lithe fingers collar my neck and wrench my head forward. My eyes spring open. "Eyes on me, little liar."

I once again cling to his shoulders for balance, rolling my hips to match his ferocious rhythm beneath me. Nick keeps one hand on my neck and snakes another up my back, pressing my chest to his, fucking me at a more sensuous pace.

Noses brush. Lips hover. And my gaze is held hostage by his own, the overwhelming amount of love and adoration within them enough to almost send me over the edge.

"What happened?" I whisper against Nick's lips. "To the two halves?"

The hand on my neck moves to my nape and softly tangles within my hair. "They were cursed to roam the earth searching for one another."

"But not us." I place one hand on his tattooed covered heart and curl the fingers of my other hand into the dark tendrils at his nape.

Nick shivers beneath my fingertips. "No. I found you." He places his hand over mine on his chest. Each time our hips join and rock in this steady rhythm, my lips brush lightly over his. "This is yours, Rhi. Dig those monstrous claws through my chest and take it. Break it, if you need. Break me . Because you're the only one that can put the pieces back together. "

His vulnerability, his admission, has me unraveling, and this time I'm the one that sets a relentless pace, bouncing on his cock and grinding against him with complete abandon. My mouth finally claims his in a possessive, soul-shattering kiss.

"Take what you need, my love," he purrs into my mouth.

I come apart around him, thighs clenching against his and my core tightening and pleasure rippling in explosive waves. My eyes never leave his, just as he instructed, and I watch onyx edge the gold as I ride him through the final aftershocks of my orgasm.

Nick snaps up as though something severed the last of his restraint and shifts our positions so that I lie on a soft bed of moss out of the water. He plunders into me, pinning me in place with a firm hand on my hip.

"My soulmate." Thrust. " My love." Thrust. " Mine. " He pounds into me, chasing his own release, but when he lifts my right leg and presses my inner thigh wide, angling himself deeper, I come again.

"Oh fuc- Nick. "

The sound of his name on my lips must be his undoing, because warmth fills my insides as Nick comes with a guttural groan. He pauses for a few breaths before sliding out of me, then scoops me in his arms and lowers the both of us back in the water .

I loop my arms around his neck, again toying with the tendrils that curl at his nape, knowing how much he loves when I do that.

I can stay here forever. The thought is fleeting, but it brings with it a burst of happiness and floods my veins with boundless joy. Just him and me. No gods or monsters. No prophecies or birthrights. Just us.

My soulmate.

The bliss comes crashing down when ominous words rear their ugly head, spoken only moments before Nick and I came together in passion.

It is going to hurt so much more when you lose him.