Desperation fueled him. With strokes of his tongue and the rough thrusts of his cock, he stimulated her every way he could. He wanted her to remember what he could do to her.
Too soon, the peak reached them. Her body stiffened, and her sex clenched around his shaft, pulling him deep. On a throaty groan, she came apart for him. The endless waves of her orgasm triggered his. He thrust deep once more and let go. Each jerk of his cock filled her, and for the first time in his endless existence, he beseeched the Triad to answer his mate’s plea—to conceive a child.
Their joint release eased, and he knew his prayer had gone unanswered.
All he had left was the guilt that had landed hard in his gut.
He eased back and met her drowsy and sated eyes. The time had come to share his plan and destroy their love.
He slipped from her body and rolled to his side. After several minutes, he dragged in a strengthening breath. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
She propped on her elbows and stared into his face. “That sounds ominous.”
He shrugged.
“It is about Dagda, isn’t it?”
Eyes closed, he nodded. “Yes. He must be stopped.”
“But how? He is loose upon the mortal world. Gods we might be, but we cannot walk there. By the Triad’s own words, it is forbidden, and the angels are powerless against the fairies.”
“Just as it was impossible for you to gain access to Hell?” He met her gaze, and she glanced away. “Tell me of the deal you struck.”
She pillowed her head on his chest. “I cannot.”
“To circumvent the deity’s law you must have sacrificed something precious.”
“I did.”
He waited a moment more. Only the sound of her rapidly beating heart filled the chasm that had grown between them. He sighed. “And I must do the same in order to stop the fairies from destroying everything.”
She glanced into his face. “You have a plan?”
“Yes.”
“What will you do?”
He took in the flush to her cheeks and mussed hair. The sick feeling in his gut grew. Their bed, immediately after the intimacy they’d shared, wasn’t the right place to discuss his decision. “Bathe, and then I will share it with you.”
The warmth in her eyes faded, but she didn’t demand the truth now. She climbed from their bed and walked away. The door leading to their bathing chambers closed with a click, and he was left alone.
He couldn’t help but wonder if he would face eternity the same way.
Chapter Three
Arms crossed, Arawn leaned against the wall and locked his gaze on the door leading to Minerva’s bathing chamber. Sometimes he joined her in the deep pools. Those encounters ended with them tangled in passion. Rarely did he have time to indulge in endless hours of loving his mate, no matter how much he longed for it. His duties and hers demanded their attentions.
Despite the pain it caused her, he hoped she embraced her obligations and their time apart would pass quickly. The less she dwelled on what he was doing, the better chance he had of gaining her forgiveness.
The rich, melodic sound of her singing reached him, pulling him back from his grim thoughts. Eyes closed, he allowed her voice to soothe him. She sang of true love, betrayal, and the broken souls left behind.
Her song ended on a long, sorrowful note that pierced him as deeply as a knife. He pressed a balled fist to his chest, half expecting to feel blood soaking his tunic, but the wound wasn’t one she’d caused. He’d delivered it himself.
The tinkling sound of her silken, metallic hair announced her approach. He dropped his hand. The door opened, revealing his personal goddess. She stood wrapped in a shimmering silver gown. Head to toe, she sparkled.
He let his gaze roam over her. “You are beautiful.”
She inclined her head. “Thank you.”
With slow steps, she closed the distance between them. A few inches away, she stopped and met his gaze. “You told me you have a plan. What will you do that has caused you to feel guilt and worry? I see it in your eyes, felt it in the way you loved me, and heard it in your voice.”
He’d been careful to block his thoughts, but it didn’t surprise him that she’d picked up on his unease. She knew him well.
“I need you to open a portal to the heavens.”
She licked her lips. “You plan on visiting the Triad.”
It’d been several millennia since he had. After accepting his role, he’d been cast into the Underworld and forgotten by all save the Archangels, who sometimes came to retrieve souls.
Until Minerva, that was.
“Yes. I need the deity’s help.”
“To defeat Dagda.”
He nodded.
She tipped her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. “And how will you do that?”
He opened his mouth. No words came out. He’d planned their conversation and had prepared his arguments. Voicing them, however, proved harder than he’d anticipated.
“Tell me.” Minerva stepped closer and laid her palm over his heart. “Please.”
“I will create an army capable of hunting him on the mortal world.”
She frowned. “You already have your hounds. They track those humans and fairies corrupted by Dagda’s chaotic taint.”
“Yes, but you have pointed out their greatest weakness by refusing to allow my dogs near your handmaiden. They hunt and kill without judgment or reasoning. They need someone to direct them.” He covered her delicate fingers. “Hunters who will act as my hand in battle and carry out my orders both in the Underworld and on the mortal realm.”
“And you want the Triad’s permission to select humans to become your handlers?”
“Not humans.” He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles and forced himself to utter the
