.•45•.

.•45•.
She felt nauseous. She'd tossed and turned on that bed for what felt like forever, tormented by her incessant thoughts. The fact that she was alone again did not help at all. If anything, it only added to her restlessness. Her conversation with Ares had left her thoroughly confused and disquieted. She had to choose whether to trust him, to put her literal life in his hands, or die by Nicholas'.
She had to admit that Ares' offer sounded tempting. It was way better than dying, anyway. The only issue was that she didn't trust him. At all. He'd tampered with her mental integrity before. Not to mention that that part where he'd told her that he would gain access to her thoughts and emotions hadn't sounded that appealing, either. She didn't like the idea of it, of having to share so much of herself with him. It unsettled her. He hadn't told her how long she would have to remain bound to him, or what the process would be like. Did it involve anything painful, or lewd? Was it quick, or tediously long? There were so many questions revolving inside her mind. And the clock was ticking. She had to make a decision, and that sooner rather than later. She shot up from the bed, ignoring that bout of dizziness that gripped her head. She had to know more before anything. So, she would seek him and ask.
She knew that the doors leading to the corridor were unlocked now. She'd checked after Ares' departure. It would seem that the palace was not keeping her hostage anymore, after allowing Ares to visit her. She was free to roam its hallways again. It didn't make her feel any safer, though, now that she knew that Helios had sought her out. She was more wary now, and less...trapped.
She stepped into the corridor, taking a nervous and thorough look around. It felt weird to be out there, all alone. Scary, even. She dreaded the idea of having to roam the palace alone in her search for Ares' quarters. Wait. She quickly remembered that there was another, much more effective way of finding Ares.
"Wolf?" she tentatively called out, gazing around at the walls. She didn't even care that she looked kind of crazy.
"Wolf!" she called out a little louder, wincing at the way that her voice carried through the hallway. She waited for a minute or so, her nervousness increasing by the second. The golden knight didn't hesitate to appear, and she let out a relieved breath.
She stepped closer to him, desperate and embarrassed at the same time as she quietly asked, "Take me to him. Please."

.••.

Secluded in the dark emptiness of his bedroom, Nicholas sat alone by the window. A moment of quiet. Solitude. It did so very little to appease his grief; this haughty void that seemed to consume him little by little, with every moment that passed.
His gaze was lost, spacing out as the cold rays of a full, bright moon caressed his face. In his eyes, there was the image of a girl with caramel tresses wandering through the rose briars in the garden. Smiling, radiant like the moon itself. His moon rose. In his imagination, she was turning to look up at his window, her gaze finding his. She would smile and wave.
His hand pressed against the cool glass, the image disappearing from before his eyes. He couldn't understand why he kept torturing himself like this, why his own mind kept taunting him with the memory of her. She was lost to him. Gone for good. A fantastic dream that had ended the very moment he left the gods' realm. She would be safe there, taken care of, whilst he would endure however long this sick cunt had planned to keep him here, shackled to her.
He could hear the loud music booming from all the way downstairs, along with the voices of those many unfortunate souls that Adelaide had plucked from the human world. She was stocking up, apparently. For the Blood Moon. It was to happen in three days. It sickened him, for he did not want to take part in such debauchery. He was aware that she would force him to. To feast with her, that is. He had not fed from another. Not since his last taste of Diana's. He knew that any other would pale in comparison. There was no other he yearned to taste. They all smelled awful to him now. Repulsive. Her blood had been like a potent drug to him, a taste that lingered even now, on his tongue. A scent that he could not remove from his memory, his nostrils. He was obsessed with her. Infatuated with the human who had managed to capture his dead heart so easily. His moon rose. His soulmate. His precious gift from the fates.
At least she would be safe, now that she was there. He did not want her anywhere near the human realm. Especially now. He knew that he would not be able to stay away from her. Not under the influence of the Blood Moon. He would be a danger to her, no matter how great his love for her was. The hunger would be too strong. Much too painful for him to resist. He would follow that exquisite scent of hers to the end of the world.
"Nyktos,"
He closed his eyes, the hand that was resting against the window balling into a tight fist at the hearing of the feminine voice uttering his name so quietly. That pang of hurt returned in his hollow chest, followed by a bitter sensation.
He did not respond, offering her nothing but his turned back. His silence. He could not bear to look at her. Not anymore.
A beat of silence followed, but he could sense that she was still there. That she hadn't left.
"You'd better make yourself scarce, Niraxis," he uttered, dangerously low. She was nothing but a traitor in his eyes. She had fooled him, tricked him into believing that Dan and Momma Jeane were in danger just so that he would fall right in Adelaide's trap.
"I-I just wanted you to know that there's been no sight of her around her house or at the coffee shop, so far. B-Brighton and Laurel are checking constantly, so it should be all good, at least until after the Blood Moon," she spoke rapidly, her voice shaky and meek.
"Good," he replied. He'd asked the palace to protect Diana from all evil, to keep any god with malicious intent away from her, but he knew that the palace wouldn't be able to hold her trapped in there if she truly wished to leave. And neither would Wolf. It was against the rules, to keep a human in there against their will. He could only hope and pray that she wouldn't think of it; that she wouldn't utter those specific words that triggered the realm into returning her to her motherland.
"If that is all, I will ask you to leave now, for I do not wish to look upon you. Your presence is already starting to annoy me," His jaw clenched, still staring through the window. His former guardian left without another word. A shattering sound followed. Nicholas flexed his hand, looking at the damaged skin on his knuckles that was already mending itself before his eyes.

.••.

Diana thanked Wolf and then took an encouraging breath, watching the doors open before her. She stepped past the threshold, her gaze landing on the imposing silhouette standing between the wide-open French doors of the balcony. Ares' back was turned to her, casually sliding a freshly-ironed shirt over his broad and muscled shoulders.
He quickly turned around, and she rushed to avert her gaze as soon as she noticed that he'd left his shirt unbuttoned.
"Made up your mind already?"
She swallowed, daring a peek in his direction from the corner of her eye. He was actually halfway done buttoning it up, so she turned to face him again.
"I have a few questions," she uttered timidly.
He kept working at those buttons, appearing unbothered. Relaxed, even.
"Let's hear them, dulcet."
She took a step closer, struggling to smother that nervousness that seemed to grip her whenever she was close to him. She inhaled a breath, and dared to finally ask, "You're not tricking me into anything, are you?"
At that, Ares' piercing gaze lifted and found her. His brow rose, and he let out a small chuckle. "Trick you?"
Her cheeks warmed. She remained determined, nevertheless.
"Diana, I am offering you a piece of my power. My godly grace. You will have your soul tethered to me, access to my very essence. If anything, I'd say I am the one getting a bad bargain here," He expressed a small shrug, shoving his hands into the pockets of his dress pants.
She blinked, a little bewildered at the sound of that. She would...receive a piece of his power?
Her hands balled into fists at her sides after a second, preparing herself for the next question. She cleared out her throat, willing herself to remain focused. Obtain what she had come for. Answers.
"What do you seek in return? What's in it for you?" She gauged his reaction. He simply smiled, his gaze trailing over her from head to toe.
"Companionship. In a platonic sense of way,"
"A few crumbs of your precious time, is all I need," he offered, bouncing once on the balls of his feet. A sign of impatience. Or maybe restlessness. She had no idea. Either way, she decided not to think too much about it. Not when there was so much at stake.
"Nothing more?" She prodded.
"Nothing more, dulcet," he assured with another smile. She chose to believe him. For the moment.
"Right. So how are we going to do this?"
His smile widened. "Easy. We perform the ceremony, and then we will travel to the mortal realm during the Blood Moon and lure him out, and then you will let him suck you dry," he explained, sounding so casual, as if he were talking about the weather. Her lips parted, and she blinked, staring back at him a little shocked.
"Just like that?"
"Just like that," he confirmed.
She remained silent for a moment, mulling it over.
"Okay." She was willing to do it. She'd made up her mind a long time ago, anyway. From the moment that Hecate had told her that she would have to sacrifice herself in order to release Nicholas from the demon's claws.
"And then what?" She asked.
"Then, after you come back to life, you and I will spend a little time together," He took a few steps closer in her direction. She fought to remain still, craning her neck so that she could look him in the eyes.
"That's it?"
"That's it," he answered, his gaze roaming over her features. He was standing so close to her now, that she could feel the heat radiating from his body.
She licked her dried lips. He followed the action.
"And how much time are we talking about?"
"A year. Maybe," His head tilted to the side, still focused on staring at her like that.
She was starting to feel faint again. She took a slow breath, struggling to remain focused. Standing.
"What about Nicholas? My mom? Dan? Will I get to see them?"
She could feel her limbs trembling. His gaze found hers again, his expression growing serious.
"You can see them as much as you wish. I will not keep you away from them," he expressed a small frown.
"You will not be my prisoner, Diana. You will keep your free will," he raised a hand, using it to tuck a few rebel strands behind her ear.
"Think about it as an open marriage," he offered, letting his gaze fall to her lips for the briefest moment.
"Minus the sex, of course," he added with a wink and a smile, and she felt her cheeks warm, growing uncomfortable at the mere mention of that word. She hoped not. Maybe she had yet to understand exactly how this temporary "binding" was to work between them, but that was something that she was absolutely certain she wouldn't do.
"What does the ceremony entail?" She asked with an awkward clearing of her throat. If she were to do this, she wished to be aware of everything that was to happen to her beforehand.
"Does it matter?"
She frowned at the sound of that. Of course it did!
"You are willing to die by your lover's fangs, Diana," he pointed out with a raise of his brow as if reading her thoughts. "I would say that an evening in my presence, surrounded by candles and an ancient spell shouldn't be too painful for you to endure," She peered between his eyes, her cheeks growing warm again.
"Now, would you kindly accept an invitation to have dinner with me? Not that I am actually keen on smelling human food right now, but the sight of your deathly pale skin is starting to bother me, and I would very much prefer a healthy and live-looking 'bride'."