Chapter 158 Doused With Obsession Over This Aphrodite
Chapter 158 Doused With Obsession Over This Aphrodite
P E R S E U S
I’m in my room, seated on the edge of the couch, when Eleanor approaches me with that smile—the one that still unravels me completely. How did I even get here? Her hair is down, falling in smooth burgundy waves that send a familiar thrill straight through me.
Her body is barely covered in that favorite pink nightdress of hers, the one that hugs her curves perfectly, especially the gentle swell of her growing belly.
She is so beautiful. Enthrallingly beautiful. I let out a shaky gasp as she settles onto my lap, straddling me, her warmth seeping into my skin.
“I miss you, Perseus. I really do…” she whispers, and a single tear rolls down her cheek. I catch it with my thumb, my touch gentle as I caress her face.
“I’ve missed you too,” I whisper back, my voice wavering with each word. “So much.”
“Then come home to me. To us.”
“I will. I’m trying to figure something out, I promise. This woman, Athena… she has me locked in her village. She wants me to marry her, but I won’t. I’ll come home. I swear it.”
She rests her forehead against mine, her eyes closing. “Promise?”
“I promise.”
Then her lips are on mine, soft at first, almost hesitant, but quickly deepening into something passionate and desperate. I shift us smoothly until she’s lying beneath me, her head resting against the pillow, her eyes full of love and longing.
I wake up wrapped in heat, my body tense and aching. It was just a dream. Again.
I curse under my breath, throwing off the damp sheets. My briefs are wet; I came undone just from the thought of her in my sleep. It’s insane, the things she does to me even when we’re worlds apart. Just a memory, a dream, and I unravel completely.
I stand up from the bed, my movements stiff, and stalk into the bathroom to clean up. I can’t keep living like this—like some sex-deprived lunatic losing his mind over a fantasy. But it isn’t just the sex I miss. It’s her. Her voice. Her presence next to me in bed. The way she grounds me just by existing. Not having that is breaking me piece by piece, ruining my appetite, stealing my sleep.
The serpent shifter healers have been helpful, at least. Their treatments brought Ezekiel back from the brink. I could shift right now—burn this entire village to the ground until nothing remains. But they did help me, even if their motives were selfish. I can’t leave here with a new enemy at my back. I can’t risk my people. I can’t ask Eleanor to fight another war, not while she’s carrying our children. I need another way out. A smarter one.
I change into clean trousers and a plain white shirt just as the door creaks open. Instinct takes over. I grab my dagger from the bedside table, poised to attack whatever—or whoever—decided to slither into my room uninvited.
“So much for choosing peace,” Ezekiel chuckles dryly in my mind.
“Just focus on what I asked you to do,” I grunt, lowering the blade.
I’ve been pushing him daily to reach Eleanor through our mate bond or the pack link, something that’s felt increasingly difficult lately. The serpent shifters must be blocking us, dampening our connection. When I pull the door open, I don’t find Athena on the other side.
It’s Thomas.
“Perseus?” he says, his voice quieter than I’ve ever heard it. “It’s… it’s wonderful that you’re alive.”
I don’t answer. I shove the dagger into my belt and stride forward, my fist curling before I even decide to swing. The punch lands hard against his cheek, knocking him to the ground.
I don’t wait for an explanation. I don’t let him speak. I just keep hitting him, blow after blow, releasing weeks of rage and helplessness. He doesn’t fight back. Doesn’t even cry out. He takes every hit, even when his skin splits and blood begins to flow.
“Bastard,” I snarl, finally shoving him away from me. He coughs, spitting blood onto the stone floor. “None of this would’ve happened if it weren’t for you!”
“You…” he chokes out, wiping his mouth. “You’re right. And I’m—”
“Don’t,” I cut him off, my voice cold. “Don’t you dare apologize. It won’t take me back to Bloodthorn. It won’t take me back to Eleanor. So don’t.”
We stare at each other in heavy silence as his wounds begin to slowly knit back together. I run a hand through my hair, heaving deep breaths, pacing the small room like a caged animal. I wish he were dead. I could kill him right now. I should. But I hate that he looks remorseful. I hate that he knows I’m his son. It complicates everything.
“You remind me so much of her,” he says quietly.
“Who?” I snap, not slowing my pace.
“Your mother.” A faint, blood-stained smile touches his lips as he sits up. “I admit… I was a fool. But I felt it. Some part of me wanted to believe it was you, but I blocked it out. We’ve been enemies since you took the throne. You carried the name from the prophecy, but I thought it was Marcus playing tricks on me.”
“I don’t want your apology. I don’t want your explanations. I want to leave this place. That’s it.”
“And you will.” His voice grows steadier. “Athena must marry in two days. It solidifies her rule and extends her lifespan. She’s shortened hers considerably through… indiscretions. It’s part of a curse, she told me.”
“I’m not marrying that snake. What happened between us was a mistake. A night I regret. She can die for all I care. I am already married.”
“You’re not going to marry her,” Thomas says, a sly smirk returning to his face. “I proposed she take another groom in your place. Her own council agreed—she cannot legally marry a man who is already bound, especially not a dragon shifter. We have two days to find her someone willing.”
“And how do you plan to—”
“Let me finish.” He holds up a hand. “My youngest son… he admires Athena. Always has. He has portraits of her in his room. He’s unmarried. I believe he would be willing.”
“You’re not even sure,” I say, my voice low and skeptical.
“I know my son. Let me try. Let’s get you home.” He meets my eyes squarely. “We leave for Eretria tonight. We have two days.”
“Then I can go home? To her?”
“Yes, Perseus.”
That’s all I needed to hear.