Touching bare skin.
He looked down at her hands, wanted to groan for a different reason as he saw them resting on his chest, one on each pectoral.
She snatched them back. “I had to check your injuries and you did not seem comfortable in your armour.”
It hit him that he had been sleeping on her thighs, using them as his pillow, and guilt flooded him as he lifted his gaze to her face. She looked tired, dark circles around her eyes. He frowned as he recalled her saying something to him.
Something about watching over him while he healed.
Gods, he was selfish.
Her own injuries were still healing while his were gone. She must have sat for hours with him, tending to him, keeping him safe. He wasn’t sure what to say, not when he remembered other things. Like attacking her.
He cast his gaze down at his knees, his right eyebrow arching as he saw they were bare too. At least she had left him in his underwear. He shoved aside the urge to mention how naked he was and focused on apologising to her, only he couldn’t put together a good enough one to make up for what he had done.
“I’m sorry.”
It sounded weak to his ears, but Enyo smiled at him, the look in her pale green eyes telling him that it was enough for her.
He took in his surroundings and frowned as he recognised them. It had been centuries since he had seen this place, a cavern he had found as a youth during his trial, one that had become his sanctuary in the years that had followed.
He had never brought anyone here before.
“What happened?” His gaze drifted over the surface of the pool, watching the glowing bugs as they whirled and danced, as fascinated by them now as he had been when he had first seen them.
Although part of his current fascination with them was because he couldn’t bring himself to look at Enyo, not when fear was building inside him, sketchy memories of what had come after he had broken his limiters surfacing in his mind.
They were a jumble, but he recalled a few things that had shame and guilt sweeping through him again.
He looked at Enyo, desperate to ask her something but afraid of her answer.
“Everyone is fine,” she whispered and shuffled closer to him, picked up the dark blanket that had pooled around him and pulled it up, draping it over his shoulders. “We won because of you… but if you ever do something so reckless again—”
Tears filled her eyes and she bit her lip.
He cursed himself for making her cry, self-loathing filling him as he reached for her. She welcomed his touch, let him brush his thumb across her cheek to clear her tears away, even let him linger with his palm on her as he looked into her eyes.
He didn’t deserve her.
His gaze fell to her throat.
His hand dropped from her face.
He didn’t deserve to touch her.
She had every right to be angry, as furious with him as he was with himself. He had hurt her again, had attacked her and others, had been consumed by vile needs that had been seductive, had almost lured him into acting them out.
Enyo took hold of his hand and brought it back to her face, and gods, that utterly undid him.
Together with the bracelet he noticed on his wrist, one that appeared to have been woven from the two he had broken. It was strong, helping him control his power as he slowly regained his strength. A gift from Enyo. A gift filled with love that warmed him to his soul.
He slid his hand around her nape and pulled her to him, wrapped her in his arms and thanked the fates they had given him Enyo—a beautiful, strong, brave and kind female to call his own.
The light to his darkness.
She wrapped her arms around him and held him. Just held him. No words. No judgement. Just warmth. Love. It poured into him, filled him with that light he always saw in her, chasing back the remnants of darkness and freeing him of its hold.
Keras drew back and kissed her.
Softly. Tenderly. With all the love he felt for her. An apology for what he had done and a plea to her to forgive him, to stay with him, rolled into one.
She framed his face with her palms and kissed him for a moment, but then she broke away from him and fear rushed through him, chilling his blood.
Only she didn’t look as if she was going to leave him.
She reached to her left and he frowned as she picked something up, and held it out to him.
A neat stack of clothes. Black slacks. Black shirt.
“Your mother brought them.”
His eyes widened.
“Mother knows about this place?”
She nodded. “A mother knows everything apparently.”
He took the clothes from her, looked at them and then back into her eyes.
She read the question in them. “She came here a few times. First to see you were safe and speak with me, and then she brought me food, a blanket and news from the palace, and then she returned a final time to bring you clothes. Possibly because she found you undressed the second time.”
A blush heated her cheeks.
Because his mother had seen she had stripped him to his underwear? He imagined his mother was aware they had done far more wicked things than Enyo seeing him almost naked while he had been in a deep healing sleep. There was no reason for his goddess to be embarrassed.
He dressed anyway. He didn’t trust his legs yet, so he sat on the blanket as he pulled his trousers on.
“Is Father well?” He tugged the trousers over his backside and fastened them.
She nodded. “Everyone has returned to the palace. Thanatos has taken Eris to Tartarus to await trial.”
Eris.
Keras had wanted to kill her too. He recalled that. He had wanted to kill Thanatos for trying to take her from him.
He also remembered trying to kill Enyo’s brother.
He grimaced. She noticed it.
“I’m sorry about attacking your brother.” He pulled his shirt on.
She shook her head. “Don’t be. I think he was enjoying it until I got in the way. He probably wants a rematch in the arena.”
It had been centuries since Keras had set foot in the arena in Olympus, and he had no plans to enter it any time in the near future. Even when he wanted a rematch with her brother too. He paused halfway through buttoning his black shirt and looked at her. Although he had the feeling he didn’t have to fight for her anymore. He had the feeling that she really was his and she always would be.
“How long was I out?” He slipped another button through the hole.
“Perhaps a little over a day.”
He froze. “A day?”
He could only imagine how worried his family was.
Enyo or his mother could have taken him home at any time, but they hadn’t. Enyo had kept her promise to stay in this sanctuary, to remain with him, to watch over him. He was eternally grateful for that. He could remember something about when he had brought her here.
He had feared he would lose his fragile hold on his lighter side if she took him anywhere near another male.
The need to protect her, to keep her as his and his alone, had been strong.
Was still strong.
But his will was stronger now, his mind and heart clear. She was his, and the darker side of him didn’t need to worry about losing her. She would always be his.
“We should return.” Because he was tired of worrying people all the time. He had done that far too much over the last two centuries.
She stood and held her hand out to him, and he slipped his into it.
She hauled him up and into a teleport before he could use his own ability to take her to the palace, another sign of her love for him that warmed his heart and soothed his darker side. She didn’t want him to weaken himself.