“Do you really believe that?” I leaned on Thanatos.
I’ve heard the guards and demons over the past two weeks. They make fun of him. They call him brash, not to be taken seriously. Even Hera helps run the Celestial Kingdom from time to time when he is in over his head, but he’s been doing more than of late from what I’m told. It’s all because of a certain human female that is supposedly his mate that ran from him.
“I do,” Thanatos said with certainty. “For the longest time, I didn’t think I needed a mate.”
I eyed him and poked his cheek. “Oh, really now? Mr. I-can’t-be-out-of-your-cunt-for-more-than-two-hours?”
Thanatos’ face turned bright red beneath his hood as Uriel giggles from the corner of the room.
“I’ve never said such a thing.” He cleared his throat.
“You don’t have to say it, I can feel it here.” I cupped between my legs. “Even for a goddess, I thought I’d heal faster, but I’m still wobbling around like a penguin with ice cubes between its legs.”
“Nooo,” Uriel interrupts. “It’s an egg. Penguins walk around with an egg between their legs. Oh, are you going to have babies now!?” She jumps up and down, clapping her hands.
Thanatos and I both shake our heads quickly.
“No, I don’t want to share yet!” Thanatos wraps a wing around me. “A baby will require sustenance and I do not want to have to–you know.”
“Ah, the boobies.” Uriel nods. “Luci doesn’t want to share the boobies either. They are his human pacis he says. He loves to suck on them to go to sleep. In fact, I don’t think he can go to sleep without them. Sometimes he kneaded them like a kitten like this.” Uriel massages her breasts in front of us, I can’t stop watching while Thanatos looks everywhere but Uriel.
“Uriel!” Lucifer roared from across the room.
She has fantastic boobs.
“See? He doesn’t even like me playing with them and they are on my body!”
Chapter Forty-Five
Thanatos
No candles were lit on the mansion balcony. No torch or artificial light of any kind glowed in the shadow lands of the Underworld. The only light that radiated during the ceremony was that of my mate and the moon that now hung in the darkest corner of the Underworld.
The dimly lit moon of the Underworld cast a gentle glow, illuminating the thriving flora and fauna beneath the mountain. Its soft rays caressed the branches’ tresses, kissed the vibrant flowers of Juniper’s gifted flowered field, and provided solace to the blind creatures that freely roamed these lands, which my brother, myself and now my mate call our own.
Once Juniper became a goddess, the moon rose into the darkened sky, blessing not just the darkest part of theUnderworld, but the entire realm with a natural moon that Hades did not have to conjure.
My mate was the brightest light this night. Nearly too bright for shadows below the balcony, but this was her night to glow for all the gods. This was her introduction to the fold of the gods, as well as our bonding ceremony.
Juniper clenched my hand throughout the meaningless officiation. We became bonded and sealed our commitment. This was all just for looks—a ceremony, a party, and a reason for the gods to get stupid drunk.
I turned out the crowd, their eyes fixed on her as she gracefully made her way down the aisle towards me. With Uriel on one side, my brother on the other, and Fluffy trailing behind, she looked like a vision. Her dress paled in comparison to her radiant skin, emitting a subtle glow. Her hair a vibrant red that nearly looked like fire that cast a warm glow around her.
Once she intertwined her hand with mine, I cursed the tight suit I was forced to wear. I longed for her touch, to feel her soft skin beneath my robes.
But I did it for her. All of this was for her.
The three-piece suit, the decorations… She said she didn't want them at first, but of course, her sweet way of being unable to keep a secret without letting them slip told me otherwise, and that was enough for me to give her everything she wanted. It was easier now that we were bonded. I could gather her feelings on the surface of her soul just enough to know what she was thinking.
I enlisted the help of Persephone herself, and she effortlessly controlled the vegetation of the Underworld. With the presence of Juniper’s moon and Persephone’s temporary stay in the Underworld once before, she was able to manipulate the lush flora and gracefully entwined it around the ominous columns, casting a gothic ambiance over the entire ceremony. It was asif nature itself was celebrating, embracing my partner as the radiant centerpiece of the occasion.
“She fits right in, doesn’t she?” Athena said, swirling her martini in her hand before she took a sip.
I twist the wedding band on my finger. Another one of Juniper’s human desires from her past. The brand on our chest means much more to the gods, but it was a trinket that Juniper wanted for the both of us. I twisted the dark metal around once more before answered, “She does. Like she was meant to be here all along.”
Athena hums, licking her lips. “And I can’t wait to see how her powers grow. Right now she says if she concentrates hard enough, she can see a chest in someone’s soul with a lock. She says she has the master key.”
Juniper’s gift extends far beyond the light of the Underworld and revealing secrets. She will become a powerful goddess, uncovering dark truths even gods who can read minds such as Athena would have difficulty with. Most thoughts were readable by Athena, but some dark secrets bury themselves too deep within the soul.
