*A few weeks later*
"So, she lives here now?" Minthe asked, sucking her teeth.
Thanatos continued scribbling notes onto his pad, ignoring her exaggerated efforts to gain his attention. His migraines were returning and right now, she was the cause. She sat on his desk, placing her perfectly manicured toes between his legs.
"You're not going to answer me?"
He knew she was trying to seduce him, and any other time it may have worked, but for the last few weeks he'd been distracted. He placed his pen on the table and looked at her squarely.
"Let's get one thing straight, Minthe. I might fuck you, but I owe you no answers, understood?"
Minthe recoiled her foot and pursed her lips together. She knew not to push her luck. Thanatos may be decent to her, but his callous demeanor could rear its ugly head when pushed too far, "I... just never took you for the type to think Soul Ties were a real thing."
That was a fair statement. He'd often heard about supernaturals being Soul Tied and mates. That to have one meant you'd spend a lifetime of pure bliss, yet in his role, he saw the other side of that coin. Soul Ties and mates who've killed and tortured their significant other, all because they knew they could prey on their vulnerability.
*Does Evie even have any vulnerabilities? *
He found himself wondering. After that night in the courtyard, he soon learned quite a bit about her. She was skilled in combat, often besting many of the strongest around the land just for sport. Though she was small, she was rough, wand tumble and he'd bet his life that she could drive seven daggers into a person before they even had a chance to hit her.
*Besides, I'd skin them before they could even touch her*
The thought irritated him immediately, "It's not about her being my so-called Soul Tie, it's about her being the last necromancer. We need to ensure her safety, and if having her here does that, so be it."
Thanatos also knew that reasoning was only half true. He'd worked overtime to keep his distance from her by spending most of his hours working and sleeping with Minthe. Time and time again he reasoned with himself that it would just be easier to ask her to leave his home, and time and time again he'd found himself coming up with every reason why that just didn't make sense.
"Well if that bitch ever thinks about touching you again, I'll rip her arms from their sockets."
"You'd be dead before you got the chance...hello Reaper."
Thanatos looked up to see Evie standing in the doorway. Her shoulder-length auburn hair covered one of her emerald eyes as she leaned on its frame. She wore her training gear. The black latex clung to everything leaving nothing to the imagination, the plunge of its neckline teasing at a hint of her full breast. Thanatos found himself cursing under his breath first at the sight of her, then at the realization of where she'd been.
"Did you wear that shit around my brother's men?" His voice was dangerously low. The steam almost shot from his nose, his eyes already black.
Evie sauntered into the room like a cat stalking her prey, "What's wrong with it?"
"It's trashy that's what." Minthe interjected.
Evie pointed her finger in the air in a dramatic fashion. “That’s exactly the look I was going for and from the looks I got today every time I bent over, mission accomplished." She winked immediately sending Thanatos into a rage.
"GET THE FUCK OUT!" Minthe smiled in resolution, it quickly fading when he turned towards her. "You heard me, OUT!" His voice was cold, his eyes black, and she quickly jumped from the table. Evie turned to exit as well. "Not you."
She froze. Minthe brushed past her, a malicious smile on her face. She knew he was going to rip Evie to shreds, and she would finally be able to get rid of her.
"Shut my door." He demanded, and Evie quietly obeyed.
Thanatos stood and walked to her swiftly the black mist surrounding him making it appear as if his feet never touched the ground. Cornering her between the door and his body, his blackened eyes fixated on her.
"Tell me right now, who the fuck was looking at you."
"Why does it matter?"
Thanatos struggled to keep the little amount of patience he had left, "Do not test me Evie, you have not known a monster until I've shown you one."
Evie's eyes slowly began to darken, their normal bright green hue, a shade almost unrecognizable. A guttural laugh escaped her throat, "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
"Just tell me who the fuck it was."
"So, you can kill them before or after you fuck Minthe again?"
The question completely caught him off guard and his eyes returned to their pale blue form. Evie reached up and stroked the line of his deeply chiseled face before capturing it between her fingers aggressively.
"That's right, I know you've been banging her like a damn drum. So please spare me with the jealous Soul Tie ordeal."
Thanatos could see the storm brewing in her eyes, and she immediately looked away. Her arms slumped at her sides, and he instinctively brushed the hair away from her face. Her breath hitched in her throat, and her eyes shot up to his. The sadness in her eyes unmistakable, making his dead heart ache.
"Poppet..."
He reached for her again, but she quickly dodged it, releasing herself from his arms, "Save it. I don't need your pity."
Thanatos felt a lot of things whenever he looked at Evie, at times the feelings confusing him to his core. One thing he could say with certainty, however, was that he'd never pity her.
"I could never pity you," he managed to get out, still unsure how to convey the new emotions brewing inside him.
Evie scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Well that's a relief, isn't it? You know, the least you could do is pretend you aren't sleeping with someone else right in front of my face."
He wanted to reach out to her, wanted to say something, but nothing would come out. He ran his hands through his raven curls as he spoke, "I will be mindful from now on."
Thanatos could have sworn a wave of sadness flashed in her eyes again, but just as quickly it vanished. Instead, Evie straightened her shoulders and grabbed the handle of the door. "Right," she said before slamming it behind her.
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*Three Days Later*
"And that's just how you two left it?" Nyx asked her eyes widened.
Evie nodded her head looking past her, "Yup. We've been avoiding each other since."
After the fight with Thanatos, she found herself spending more and more time away from his mansion. Whether it was sparring with the men at Romulus's home or deep conversations with Nyx, Evie worked overtime to make her brain travel to anywhere but to where it made her think of him.
"That damn son of mine," Nyx said through clenched teeth.
"Anyway, I was hoping maybe I could move in here or with Romulus…I think it would be easier that way."
Nyx shook her head violently, "No, go my dear. Your mother wanted you to stay with your Soul Tie, so you're staying with your Soul Tie."
The words hurt before she even managed to get them out, “I honestly don't think that's a good idea. You and Cybrus were right. It's impossible that I'm Thanatos Soul Tie."
Nyx smiled and placed a comforting hand on one of her shoulders, while Romulus placed his hand on the other, "No, my husband and I are nothing but two old fools who couldn't see what was right in front of them."
As they walked towards the table in the courtyard, Evie looked at Nyx's face. Her ivy skin juxtaposed her long black hair perfectly. She may have been older, but her features were still so soft and young, likely aided by her young spirit and happy demeanor. She could see where Romulus got his personality from, and where both sons got their looks.
*Don't think about him*
The entire thing was driving her insane.
"You know, I think it's time to teach my brother a lesson," The smirk on Romulus's face matched that of his mothers. "I think it's time my brother sees how much it would hurt if he lost you."
"As if he would care."
"Trust me, honey, he will."
Evie looked from Nyx to Romulus, and she could see the wheels turning in their minds, "I don't want to play whatever game you guys are scheming. If I must do that to get my Soul Tie to finally notice me, then it's not worth it."
Nyx laughed so loudly the gardener looked at them in confusion, "Honey, life is nothing but playing chess…it's just time for my son to realize that on the board the King may be the most powerful piece, yet he's still NOTHING without his Queen."
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"Tell me you like it," Minthe moaned out on the tip of Thanatos’ shaft before pulling more into her mouth.
He closed my eyes and leaned his head back against the headboard, trying his hardest to get lost in the moment. Minthe sucked deeply, and he could feel the spit cascading down the sides of her mouth. She alternated from her hands to her mouth, taking time to lick slowly around every inch of him. He sighed in frustration.
*What the hell is wrong with me? Why can't I fucking enjoy this? *
Thanatos pulled her upward, "Lay on your stomach."
Without hesitation, she did as she was told. Laying his body on top of her, he entered her, and she tugged the sheets tightly. With her face pressed into the folds of the silk sheets, he thrust deeper and deeper as his mind began to wander.
*"Do I look innocent to you?"*
*Evie's blood-red dress that clung to her body, her lip resting between her teeth. Those green eyes staring innocently at him, while she alludes to the dirtiest things. *
*"I thought you said this was the part where my Soul Tie totes me home and fucks each and every hole I have?"*
Screams of ecstasy, the crashing of bodies, the feel of his eyes blacken. His pulse quickened, as he thrust deeper, pulling himself closer and closer to the brink of his release.
*Black latex leaving nothing to the imagination, small soft hands running through his hair, threatening to be his very undoing. *
Thanatos tightened his eyes, and in a whisper finally, said what he’d been wanting to for weeks, "Fuck...I want you so badly Ev-"
"OH GOD...I'M ABOUT TO CUM. I WANT YOU SO BADLY *REAPER*."
His eyes shot open, and he looked down to see Minthe in the throes of ecstasy, "What the fuck did you just call me?"
Confusion spread on her face as he exited her, and she sat up to look at him. "I called you Reaper."
"Nobody calls me that."
She scoffed snidely, "You let her call you it."
"And you're not her." The statement flew from his mouth so quickly it surprised them both.
Minthe eyes darkened, "How dare you say that to me?"
Thanatos let out a laugh, "Don't act so offended Minthe. I've been very clear with you about our arrangement. I fuck who I want, you fuck who you want, as long as when I call you answer." Getting up from her bed, he began to put his clothes back on.
"That still doesn't give you the right to make me feel like trash."
"And I would agree if we both didn't know that the only reason you called me Reaper was because you heard Evie say it." Minthe lips parted as if she was about to say something, but she quickly thought against it. "You're possessive Minthe and I don't like it, especially since I don't belong to you."
She pouted as he walked towards the door, "So, what...you belong to her?"
Thanatos thought about her question for a moment. "Maybe, but again, that's none of your business."
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The water from the shower relaxed Thanatos, and he finally was able to get back to work. It was one hell of a time trying to focus, the conversation with Minthe on repeat in his mind.
*"So, what…you belong to her?"*
*"Maybe…but again…that's none of your business."*
He rubbed his temples. Had he really meant that? Thanatos could admit that lately thoughts of Evie had a way of interrupting everything he did-even sex, but did that mean he was beginning to buy into this whole Soul Tie thing? The idea vexed him. He just couldn't picture forcing another to endure his kind of life just for the sake of being bonded to him. While living in darkness pleased him, he knew he could never subject someone to the type of misery that came with accepting who he was.
*So that's the real truth, isn't it? *
The ringing of his phone interrupted his revelation.
"Hello," he spoke into the phone, allowing his annoyance to show.
"Hey, big brother! I was calling to see if you were coming to my party…I figured maybe you're just running late."
Thanatos inhaled deeply, his migraine starting to return, "Romulus when have I EVER attended one of your parties?"
"Oh. I just thought because Evie's here tha-"
"Evie's there?"
"Yeah…but no worries! Derrick seems to be keeping her good company. Got to go. Love you!"
"WHO THE FUCK IS DERRICK?!" He screamed so loudly, he was certain he almost shattered the glass of his bedroom windows, but Romulus had already hung up. Immediately, Thanatos jumped from the bed and paced the floor back and forth.
*"Who the fuck is Derrick?"*
His mind tried to imagine all the men of Magical Fall.
"Is he new? He's gotta be…"
No Derrick was coming to mind. Thanatos tried to calm myself, but the more he thought about Derrick, the more angered he felt himself becoming.
"So, she went on a fucking date?"
He was seething and talking to himself. How could she go on a date and WHO THE FUCK IS DERRICK? Grabbing his leather jacket from the back of his chair Thanatos headed to the door. Whoever the hell this Derrick was, was about to come face to face with death.