by Lazu, Sotia
“Thetis made sure these are on all of the entrances to the palace, so nobody’s sensibilities are offended,” she said with a smirk as she wore one too. She twisted the water from her long, golden locks and held the door open. “Shall we?”
Chapter Fifteen
Pherusa was thankful they ran into none of her siblings or any of the palace staff on their way to her room. Nothing should delay their lovemaking.
The moment her door was closed behind them, though, butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Why was she so nervous?
Perhaps because she’d dreamed of this moment so often but never expected to experience it. Now it seemed her long life had always been leading to this.
Prometheus was about to make love to her in her virginal bed—the same bed in which she’d fantasized about him a million times while she pleasured herself, never reaching the peaks he took her to.
She stood on her tiptoes, to lay a soft kiss on his lips, then held out a hand to him.
He gazed at it reverently, before closing his large palm around hers and letting her lead him to her bed.
Her fingers trembled as she undid the sash of his robe, as if she hadn’t touched his body mere hours ago.
He stopped her and tilted her chin up, so she’d meet his eyes. “There is no need to rush this.”
Right. Because the world wasn’t hanging on the balance. She forced a smile that turned real when she saw the laugh lines around his gorgeous black eyes.
“Let me,” Prometheus said, and she sat on the bed, waiting for him to undo his robe.
Instead, he gently nudged her to lie back and stretched beside her on her narrow mattress. “Are you sure about this?” he asked.
What? Making love?
He sombered, studying her face. “I understand if you don’t want to bind yourself to me for—”
“I do.” Did she sound too eager? Who cared? “It’s all I want. Please make love to me, my Titan.”
His smile was dazzling. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply. “You smell of home. Of the ocean and the dawn and creation itself.”
His new beard tickled her sensitive skin, yet her giggle wasn’t a reaction to that but an expression of pure happiness.
Prometheus’ agile fingertips found the neckline of her robe and slipped underneath it, to trace the valley between her breasts and skim down to her navel. “I love touching you,” he whispered and nibbled on her earlobe. “Your body is so responsive.” He undid the belt keeping her robe in place and continued his trail down her belly and then her thigh, uncovering a strip of skin a couple centimeters wide.
Pherusa wanted the stupid robe to disappear, so he could touch more of her.
Prometheus licked along her collar bone and shoved aside the fabric covering one breast. He teased the nipple with his palm, barely touching the sensitive peak that puckered and tingled with the need for more attention. “See how inviting your breasts are? How can I resist?”
“Who says you have to?” she muttered, tangling her fingers in his hair to bring his head lower until he grazed her nipple with his teeth.
The sharp sensation was replaced by the warmth of his mouth, as he closed his lips around the tender flesh and sucked, sending a jolt of pleasure to her womb.
He skated his palm down her stomach, caressed her hipbone, dragged his fingers up her thigh, and kept sucking on her breast.
Pherusa spread her legs, moisture pooling at her core. “Take your time with me later. Now I need you inside me.”
He raised his gaze to her face. “I didn’t prepare you.” His hand slipped between her legs, and his expression turned hungry when he dipped a finger inside. “Seems I don’t have to.”
She shook her head. “In me. Now.”
He laughed as he rolled his body over hers, and kept laughing as he slowly entered her.
It did delightful things to her nether region, but mostly, it made her heart expand. He was relaxed and carefree and with her. Really with her. This coupling held no trace of urgency or resentment. No fear that he’d cast her aside when they were done.
With every thrust of his hips, Prometheus declared his love for her through their mental link. His eyes blazed gold with desire as he drove in and out of her body, pulling tiny mewls and moans from her lips. “Who do you belong to, Pherusa?” he asked, withdrawing until only the tip of his erection remained in her.
Pherusa tilted her hips. “You. I belong to you. My heart is yours.” In his head, she added, “Forever.”
Prometheus tensed, every muscle in his body coiled. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, his expression pained.
Was he having second thoughts?
“Never.” His answer rang in her head, and he opened his eyes again, to look at her with a near-tangible intensity. He inched back inside so agonizingly slowly, she buried her nails in his wide shoulders and pushed her heels into his buttocks. When he was seated all the way inside, he said, “My heart is yours. Forever.”
Nothing snapped in place. No supernatural string sprung between them. But Pherusa knew the bonding was successful, because of the sense of completeness that spread throughout her body. She was where she was meant to be.
With Prometheus. Forever.
She caressed his mind with her thoughts and was filled with wonder. Even now, he was amazed she was his.
She pumped her hips and urged him on. They’d done their service to the world. Now they were going to have fun.
Prometheus gave her a feral grin and dug his fingers in her hips. He knelt on one leg, the other planted firmly on the floor, the adjusted position both changing the angle of his strokes and adding to his momentum.
Her body bowed the way he held her hips, Pherusa’s pulse thudded in her ears as he drove inside her in a steady, measured tempo, stoking the ball of fire in her belly. Her head was light. She tried to bring her hand to her mound, to touch her clitoris and add the friction she needed to orgasm, but her limbs wouldn’t follow orders. “Need...”
Without slowing his thrusts, Prometheus splayed his hand over her belly and dragged it down her body, to where they were joined. “I love seeing you like this, wild and ravenous for me.” He drew his thumb along her lower lips and to her clitoris, to circle the sensitive button in ever tightening loops. As he added pressure to his touch, he slammed inside her harder, without changing his rhythm. He kept her on a plateau of pleasure, not letting her fall over the edge.
“Say please.” He pinched her clitoris between index and middle finger, making her groan.
“Please. Now.”
Her eyelids were heavy, but she kept them open long enough to see his satisfied smirk, as he thrust inside her in a frantic pace, twisting his thumb on her clitoris. The combination of sensations made her feel like she was the one unraveling, pleasure splitting her open for the fire inside to consume the world.
Prometheus kept pistoning into her, until he reached completion with a roar that made the room shake and a fresh rush of heat spread up her neck to her cheeks. Everyone in the palace must have heard that.
She tugged on his hand and used her tongue to lick his fingers clean, feeling him harden inside her once more.
Pherusa was sated and pleasantly sore, and wouldn’t say no to a couple hours of sleep, but when Prometheus waggled his eyebrows, she decided rest could wait.
Eros obviously couldn’t.
She saw his head appear behind Prometheus’ shoulder.
“About time, people,” he said and clapped his hands.
“This time, I’ll fucking kill him,” Prometheus roared. He blinked behind the god and was fast enough to get him in a choke hold. Prometheus’ gaze zeroed in to between Pherusa’s legs, and he scowled.
Gods, she was exposed for Eros to look his fill. Nereids weren’t inherently shy, but this was a private moment, and Eros was intruding. She crossed her legs and scooted higher on the bed, covering herself with her robe.
“Speak your piece and take your chances, godling,
” Prometheus growled.
“You’re not the thankful sort, are you?” Eros harrumphed. “I’m here to congratulate you on your bonding and let you know Hyperion is up and running. Naked. In a hotel somewhere.”
Prometheus adjusted his grip, glaring daggers at Eros. “Has he found his mate?”
“She’s who he’s running after,” Eros said with an exaggerated sigh. “Let’s just say he’ll need less prompting than you did.”
Looking at Pherusa, Prometheus said, “I should go to him. Help him—”
“You’ll do no such thing.” Eros’ voice was so amplified, Pherusa winced and covered her ears, though she still heard what he said next. “Unbonded Titans are unstable, and the proximity of their siblings can exacerbate their unraveling. I’ll bring him to you when it’s safe.”
Chapter Sixteen
Bring Hyperion where, though? Would Prometheus and Pherusa live in the palace?
She must have read his mind, because she said, “I’d be as happy in your cave as I’d be here, as long as I’m with you.”
Could he possibly love her more?
Eros aww’ed. “That’s adorable, but Big Guy can afford a mansion to house your love now. The credit card I gave him?”
Prometheus nodded. It was in the pocket of his shorts, somewhere on the floor of his cave.
Eros went on. “I told you it has no limit. It’s linked to a rather hefty bank account, and everything else you need is here.” He somehow slipped from Prometheus’ grasp. When he snapped his fingers, a large brown envelop slapped the floor by Prometheus’ feet.
As Prometheus reached for it, the god said, “We’ll be in touch,” and disappeared in a cloud of sparks.
Prometheus flicked through the envelope. Birth certificate, ID card, driver’s license, passport, and a handful more credit cards, as well as a cell phone.
“What’s in it?” Pherusa asked.
He tossed the envelope on her dresser and crawled into bed next to her. It was a tight fit, but it’d do till they found the perfect place. “Nothing important,” he said. “All that matters is in this bed with me.”
She turned in his arms and draped a leg over his, her wet center pressed against his cock. “I believe we were in the middle of something.”
He claimed her mouth and pushed inside her slowly, until he was fully sheathed.
Pherusa sighed. “I like this.”
“Good, because it’s going to be happening a lot.” He rocked against her, holding her gaze. “I was thinking we should get a big place. Many bedrooms.”
“For visitors?” She bit her lip as he twisted his hips.
“Or children.” He watched her face for any signs of distress. They’d never talked about this before, but there was no rush.
The smile that blossomed on her lips made his heart race. “Sounds good.”
They made love until Pherusa’s eyes drifted shut. He curved his body around hers, without withdrawing from inside her. This was what he wanted for eternity.
He ached to follow her into slumber, but the image that had flashed through his mind the moment of their bonding wouldn’t let him. Glimpsing the face he thought he’d never see again had chilled him to the bone. Epimetheus. Prometheus believed his twin dead, not trapped. He’d seen him turned to dust by Kronos, before the Titanomachy. Was there hope for him yet?
He touched his lips to Pherusa’s temple and watched her sleep. He had his soulmate, and now his brother might be returned to him too. He wouldn’t tell her anything, but once they’d settled in a place of their own, he’d talk to Eros. The thought soured in his gut. He hated admitting it, but he already owed the little god more than he was comfortable with.
Call it restitution for what the Olympians had done to him and his brothers.
He kissed the tip of Pherusa’s nose and closed his eyes.
He awoke to something pressing down on him. Was he still under the seabed? Had the past couple days been a dream? Panic sliced through him at the thought he was still in stasis. But no, this wasn’t cold mud covering his body. It was the supple form of his little Siren.
Prometheus blinked away the last dregs of his sleep and folded his arms under his head. “You feel like going for a ride?” He pumped his hips.
Pherusa wiggled and planted her hands on his shoulders, her face centimeters from his. “I just wanted to take a good look at you.” When she sat back, her heat was pressed to his shaft, but she made no effort to take him inside, and he was happy to lie here, gazing into her adoring eyes.
“Talk to me,” she said. “What was it like, where you were?”
He rolled back his head and brought his hand to her thigh, to caress the silky skin. “Dark. Wet. Cold. I could feel the pressure and the cold, but nothing else.”
She swallowed audibly. “Did you... Were you aware, the entire time?”
Was he? He drew circles with his fingers on her bare back. “I’m not sure. I think I swam in and out of consciousness. Dreamed of you a lot—or it was fantasies. Might have been part of Zeus’ curse. Sometimes we had this. Others...” Others, he made her pay for betraying him. He made her cry.
Pherusa sprawled on top of him, her fingers idly playing with the hairs in his armpit. “You were living but dead. Like...” From her mind, he picked up the rest of that thought. “Like me.”
His first instinct was to protest the belittling of his ordeal—she’d been at home with her family and friends—but moisture gathered where her cheek lay on his chest. He’d made her cry again.
She pressed her lips to his skin, over his heart. “I breathed and moved freely, but inside, I was in stasis, with you. I drifted through the days, looking forward to bedtime, when I’d hopefully see you in my dreams.”
Prometheus wanted to tell her it was all right, that he was here now, but he felt her need to talk about her pain and exorcise the ghost of their forced separation.
“When you... came to me on the beach, I thought my dreams had come true. That my love summoned you.”
“It probably did, but I was an asshole and didn’t realize it.”
She raised her head. Her eyes were red rimmed, but her expression serene. She scrunched her nose. “I don’t know the exact meaning of that word.”
"A jerk. An idiot. A brute, who hurt you out of his own insecurities.”
“Yes. All of that. But you were hurt too. You lost eons of your life. We have so much catching up to do, and I plan on enjoying everything with you, both under the sea and on the surface.”
And they could heal. Together.
He could love her more, and he did, with every moment that passed. He’d gladly show her again, but a knock on the door reminded him they weren’t alone in the palace. “Hold on,” he called out. Begrudgingly, he rolled Pherusa off his body. He stooped to snatch their robes from the floor, helped Pherusa with hers, and then pulled on his own.
Pherusa sat primly on the foot of the bed, but her meticulously closed neckline couldn’t hide her messy hair, bee stung lips, and flush skin. “What?” she asked when she caught him looking.
“You might as well be wearing a Thoroughly Debouched sign around your neck.”
He left her maniacally finger-combing her hair, and went to answer the door.
Nerites, Pherusa’s only brother, stood outside, a sly smirk on his lips. “You’re alive,” he said. “We were worried when you missed breakfast.”
From behind Prometheus, Pherusa asked, “Is it Eros again?”
Prometheus replied, “As if that little prick would ever knock. No, it’s your brother.”
Nerites arched both eyebrows. “Little prick?”
Taking a step back, Prometheus motioned him in. “Yeah. He’s made a habit on dropping in unannounced.”
“Who has?” Nerites asked with a frown.
“Eros.”
The frown deepened for a heartbeat, and then disappeared. “Father would like you to join his council meeting,” he told Prometheus. “I trust you remember where the council room
is. I heard you made an appearance recently.”
So Nereus still planned to prepare for war. An all-out offense might work against Kronos, but it would destroy much of the human world. They’d need a contingency plan. If the witch could turn Prometheus back to stone lest he unravel, why couldn’t she do the same for his unhinged brother? “Won’t you join us?” he asked Nerites.
The prince of Vythos shook his head. “I’ve been briefed in advance, as per usual. Besides, I’m a lover, not a fighter. Was, anyway.” Pain darkened his gaze so briefly, Prometheus wasn’t sure he saw it.
Right. Nerites had been head over heels for Aphrodite. Her loss must have cost him dearly.
“Don’t mention her,” Pherusa warned in his head. To her brother, she said, “What about me?”
“You, my dear, can come fill our sisters in on your revived romance, before they drive me crazy with questions I have no answers to.”
Chapter Seventeen
Thirty of Pherusa’s forty-nine sisters still lived at the palace, and most of them were gathered in the ball room. Large cushions were arranged in one side of the expansive room, and the Nereids were sprawled on them, oohing and ahing at all the right places, while Pherusa relayed a sex-free version of her reunion with her Titan.
Nerites stood beside a coral pillar in a corner, smiling at her, but Pherusa saw the sadness lurking in her brother’s beautiful deep-blue eyes. Her one true love had been returned to her, while his was gone forever. The Titans wouldn’t be waking if all the Olympians hadn’t faded away, which meant all hope he had of winning Aphrodite’s heart again was lost.
She tried to wrap up the remainder of her story and save him more torture, but the rest of the Nereids would have none of that.
“So he would destroy the entire world if the two of you didn’t bond? That a whole new level of screwed up,” Halie said. “And I thought ignoring Circe’s prophecy came with dire consequences.”
