by Tee, Marian
I have become immune to the sight of crumbling empires and entire cities buried under molten stone.
Although his words portray a frightening picture of power on the surface, all I can think about at that moment is how hard it must've been for him, to bear such sights for countless millennia, and his next words prove it.
Time and time again, man revealed himself to be fickle and weak, selfish and cruel.
Such words might have made another girl hesitate, but all it does is make me curl up against his massive flanks so the god can feel the warmth of my skin and hear how my heart is beating for him.
"It's all water under the bridge now. Stop letting it get to you—-"
I knew of the prophecy even before you were born.
But because I was an arrogant fool, I simply dismissed their words as drivel...
And you ended up paying the price for it.
Pulling back, I muster the courage to take hold of the beast's head and turn its gaze towards me. "Look at me. Do I look like I'm still blaming you for anything?"
A haunted look further darkens the beast's gaze, and my heart aches for it.
Can you not see what I'm getting at?
Even now, even knowing that the prophecy has come true—-
My breath catches. Is the god saying...he's fallen for me?
It still doesn't make a difference. I am still unable to reveal myself to you because—-
I press my fingers against the beast's lips, and its soundless words come to an abrupt halt. "I get it. I really get it."
Do you really?
"You're telling me you're halfway to falling in love with me—-"
That is not the point—-
"Even as you're still unable to trust me."
A ragged sound fills my mind, and I quickly shake my head to let the god know I'm far from hurt. "Silly, silly beast."
The sound quickly turns into a growl, and I can't help giggling. "It's true!"
Take care, moraki mou. Countless beings have died for far less graver offenses.
"Whoever those countless beings are, I'm sure they deserved it, and more importantly—-" I smile into the beast's eyes. "You won't ever be able to hurt me. You love me, remember?"
Surprise flickers in its gaze, and I struggle to keep myself from laughing. Silly, silly beast indeed.
You are taking this far better than I imagined, moraki mou.
I make a face. "Just goes to show you should spend less time trying to get in my pants and more time getting to know me."
The beast's body rock with silent mirth, and I wrinkle my nose at it. "I'm serious, you know. If only you took the time to get to know me just a little bit better, then you would've realized from the start all you had to do was be honest with me. That's it."
That's truly it? You are not angry that...
"You don't trust me?"
Are you?
"I only had my biological parents' deaths to make me distrust the divine," I point out, "while you had thousands of years to distrust humanity."
You are being very rational about this.
"Well, duh."
Duh?
I throw my hands up and grumble, "Are you really going to make me spell it out loud?"
I truly do not understand—-
Grrr!
"I'm saying I have no choice," I mutter under my breath. "Of course I need to be rational about this because I want things to work between us and mmph—-"
The beast disappears, and the next thing I know I'm being pushed to lie against my back as an invisible mouth crushes mine in a blazing-hot kiss. I moan in surrender, my brain shutting down as his tongue thrusts inside of my mouth.
Every stroke of his tongue drives me wild, but when my body instinctively arches up, his fingers tighten around my waist to keep me down.
Be mindful of your wound, moraki mou.
I can barely concentrate on his words, with his tongue still exploring my mouth. I want the kiss to go on forever, and it's this need that drives my hands to move on its own, my fingers digging into the unseeable panes of his back.
Suck on my tongue, my love.
A whimper spills past my lips, but I'm not sure if it's because of what he's commanded to do...or how he's just called me. And when I think about it again - My love! He just called me my love! - I feel even more lightheaded, and I whimper anew even as I tentatively do his bidding.
I suck hesitantly at first, but then I hear the god's rough growl in my mind, and blood rushes to my head with a feminine sort of thrill. It's the first real sound I've ever heard from him, and knowing that I've caused the god to make any kind of noise when I'm not supposed to hear such a thing at all—-
My fingers dig deeper into his muscles as I start sucking harder on his tongue, and pleasure bursts inside of me as I'm rewarded with another growl.
Little troublemaker...do you think I am not aware of what you're trying to do?
A little laugh escapes me, but it quickly turns into a gasp when the god wrenches his mouth off mine, and not even a second has passed when I suddenly feel his large, strong hands parting my legs open. My breath hitches as I feel his hands push both my coat and nightgown up to my waist, and cold air begins to tease the inner side of my legs.
The way his gaze devours me is mortifying and exciting at the same time, but the thought of resisting doesn't even cross my mind when I finally feel his fingers skimming over the scrap of silk that's covering my core.
He pulls them down oh so carefully, and so, so very slowly that I'm a shuddering wreck by the time he tosses my underwear aside. All of this is so new to me, but when a mixture of shyness and instinct makes me try bending down to cover my flesh, the god captures my hands and gives my fingers a punishing little nip.
"Ouch!"
That should teach you. Never cover what's mine, moraki mou.
He lets go of my hands, and this time I can only tremble in acute self-consciousness as I feel the god start pushing my legs further apart. I'm practically spread-eagled, and I feel so terribly exposed that I can feel myself start to blush...all...over.
The god chuckles, and I gasp out loud as his breath tickles the inner folds of my core. It's only at that moment I realize how close his head is to my womanhood, and the thought makes me react instinctively. I reach blindly for his head, but the moment my fingers manage to grip the silky locks of his hair, it's also at that moment his head bends down and I feel his tongue slowly tracing the lines of my folds.
I moan and shudder—-
Remember your wound.
"Then don't kiss me there!"
What is it you humans say? Just lie back and think of England?
"That only applies when you're Brit—-aaah!"
My grip on his head tightens instinctively as I feel his tongue thrust inside my womanhood.
Sweet. Greek. Heavens.
The god starts tongue-fucking me, harder and faster until all I can do is moan and tremble. My world begins to spin faster and faster with every forceful thrust of his tongue, and it spins even faster when I glance down my body.
I can see my legs parted wide open, but even though I feel every hot, wet stroke of the god's tongue, there's nothing - there's absolutely nothing visible, and the surrealness of it has me panting. The reality of a divinely invisible head muff-diving between my legs is weird and fucked up, but it also makes the pleasure inside of me intensify to the point it becomes agonizing and excruciating in a way that I never want to end.
I try my best to control myself, but when the god also starts teasing my clit with his thumb, I end up clawing his back, and oh sweet Greek heavens, to hell with my wound—-
My body arches as I reach my peak, and as I start to shudder and cum, it's then I find myself crying out a word I have never used before—-
"Kyrios."
It's the Greek term for 'master', and it's what my heart has decided to call my god while I wait for him to trust me with his name.
Chapter Eighteen
I
'm still trying to catch my breath when invisible arms lift me up, and a hard, unseen chest cradles my head. He obviously still means to hide his face from me, but I no longer find the thought hurtful or distressing. It's just what it is, and once I've made up my mind about wanting to make things work, I'm simply the type to focus on the bigger picture and let the minor details go.
He gave me his word that I'll eventually see him, and that's good enough for me.
But in the meantime...
A faint smile curves over my lips as I tap on his shoulder.
What is it, moraki mou?
"You can just ask me to close my eyes the next time, you know. I promise not to peek."
While I would normally trust you to keep your word, on that aspect,
allow me to borrow a very human response by saying...
Yeah right.
I burst into laughter, not at all offended since the god's assessment is absolutely...spot on. If there comes a time he'd need me to sacrifice my life for him, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But to not peek at his face if I'm suddenly given a chance to?
It's just like he said. Yeah right. The old me would probably be too nice to break her word, but since I'm all about Halyna taking care of Halyna now...
"You're lucky I'm no longer the type to sweat over the little things."
Indeed, I am.
"Like, really lucky," I make sure to stress. "Most other girls wouldn't be as understanding as I am about your conditions. They probably wouldn't even bother to wait for a chance to peek at your face. They'd scheme and—-"
There is no need to remind me of your worth, moraki mou.
I can feel him smiling as he speaks, which I find secretly cute, but then his lips touch my hair, and the cuteness factor is just way off the charts now. Gods are not supposed to be cute, dammit!
You are and will always be irreplaceable.
The words catch me off guard, and my heart flutters away even as I quickly bury my blushing face in his chest.
Did I embarrass you?
There's an unmistakable purr in his soundless voice, and my cheeks turn hotter as my mortification grows. "You must be an outcast among the other gods," I grumble under my breath. "Divine isn't supposed to be synonymous to sweet and nice!"
It was in my time.
Even though the god's voice feels entirely casual, I have a feeling there's more than a kernel of truth in his words, and I'm unable to contain my curiosity. "How old are you anyway?"
Why do you ask?
I still can't see him obviously, but the vibes I'm getting from his words has me struggling to keep a straight face. Who knew a god could actually feel so defensive about his age? "There's no need to keep it a secret. Age is just a number—-"
Then I can safely assume you will survive not knowing it.
This time, I'm no longer able to hold myself back from grinning. "Come on," I cajole. "Just tell me—-"
I plead the Fifth.
My grin widens. "You can't. You're not American."
I will be, when you marry me.
I sputter and choke, and the way I feel him smirking makes me beat his chest in a fit of irritation. I really hate it when—-
We're here.
It's the stone cabin from my dream of course, and I can't help feeling like a bride on her wedding night as he carries me over the threshold. Inside, it's even more enthralling than I remember, and..mm...the candles blazing from the chandelier seem scented this time, and I think that's roses of the Erotes perfuming the air.
The god takes me straight to the bedroom's en-suite, a luxurious abode with porcelain floors and a glass ceiling that allows moonlight to play around the dozens of candles floating in the air. Although the existence of this kind of magic is already a proven fact in the Post-3rd world, being able to glimpse it in action is still quite rare, and when I hear the lyre from the living room play on its own—-
Oh my gosh!
The candles actually start waltzing in synchrony, and I'm unable to keep myself from gasping and laughing.
You like it?
I throw my arms around his neck and give him a quick, hard hug. "I LOVE IT!"
I'm glad.
The god brushes a feather-soft kiss over my lips before carefully lowering me down to my feet.
You still have about an hour to shower and have breakfast.
Although his thoughtfulness makes it seem like I'm the master between us two, no way am I going to point that out. I'm no martyr, so if this god wants to pamper me, he's free to do so...oh!
All thoughts fly away when I feel the god start undressing me, and all I can do is squeeze my eyes shut as he efficiently gets rid of my coat and my nightgown.
I want to watch you bathe, moraki mou.
His lips brush my ear as he lays his thought out in my mind, and my senses are still tingling even by the time he releases me from his hold.
I slowly open my eyes, and my heart hammers against my chest when it's already his bestial form that greets me. I can't help feeling sinful and decadent, with my body completely exposed to a creature so monstrous and savage in appearance.
The beast has settled in a couchant position next to the doorway, and its eyes of gold and blue blatantly devour the sight of me as I step into a tub that's already filled with foamy, bubbly-hot water.
It watches me in silence as I shampoo my hair, and I can feel its gaze narrow as I start soaping my body. A memory stirs in my mind, and I find myself scrubbing just a little harder. Now is yet another good time for me to talk about the possibility of someone divine framing me in the past, but...what if this only makes my god feel guilty? What if he'll end up leaving again?
The thought alone makes me shiver, and I quickly urge myself to think of something else. Something nicer and less dangerous like...the god telling me it's possible for him to make love to me in its bestial form?
Eeeep!
I quickly duck my head under the water to cool my suddenly-red cheeks. Stop being such a perv, Halyna! Just stop it—-
Stop...what?
Realizing in horror that it's actually possible to accidentally blurt something in one's mind, I straighten back up, and water splashes over the tub as my head emerges from the water. "It's...uh...nothing," I prevaricate quickly. I know the god's more than aware I'm sexual putty in his hands, but for him to also know I have it so bad that I'm this close to saying yes to furry hanky-panky?
The thought has me swiftly reaching for a towel, but the god beats me to it, his bestial form disappearing in the midst of his transformation.
Let me.
I struggle to stay still as he briskly works the towel down my body.
It's a pity you have class today.
The seductive purr I sense from his words makes me shudder, and my lips part in a silent moan. I think...I think I'm ready to play truant if it means being able to spend the rest of the day in his arms. But just as I'm about to say this, the god's next words are already filling my mind—-
All done.
I bite back a groan even as I let the god lead me out of the en-suite, but my disappointment quickly turns into curiosity when I realize I finally have some time to look around his bedroom—-whoa!
"That bed is massive!"
A necessity, I'm afraid, as I sometimes prefer my other form when sleeping...and fucking, of course.
THE GOD IS STILL LAUGHING his invisible head off an hour later, and I think it's the only reason he's insisted on walking me to class. Being the divinely beastly creature that he is, he doesn't seem to have any plans of letting me forget how his words freaked me out to the point of making me run...straight into the still-closed door of his bedroom.
You should think about getting a job, I grumble in my mind. You clearly need something better to occupy your time.
I do have a job.
Seriously?
Of course.
Well, what it is?
Making sure no man steals you from me.
Swoon.
I mean,
ugh.
Did that make your heart skip a beat, little bird?
Nope!
We both know it's a lie, but sometimes, you just have to do what you can to save face.
Up ahead, we both see Anise Building coming up, and as my steps slow down, the god's words unroll in my mind.
Are you sure you don't want to skip classes today?
I take out my phone so I can pretend I'm reading a text while I speak to my god. I think it's better if I don't. If I do, it might turn into a bad habit.
Resting for another day after someone stabbed you is not a bad habit.
Thank you for worrying about me, but I promise, I'm going to be fine.
And...uh...thanks for walking me to class.
We can, um, part here—-
Is that so?
Uh...yeah?
I was thinking I could keep you company in class.
I nearly drop my phone at the god's words. That's a very bad idea.
Is it?
Professor Luscious—-
SHIT.
I mean, Professor Lucious. I practically trip all over my tongue in my hurry to correct myself. Sorry about that. I totally do not think he's luscious or anything, but it's because everyone calls him that so the name just kinda stuck. That's all.
The god doesn't answer this time, and I start feeling uneasy.
Uh...hello? You're still there, right?
Instead of answering, the god suddenly covers my breasts with his hands, and I almost trip over my own feet as I struggle to walk normally while a divinely beastly being clutches me from behind.
Remember who you belong to.
He squeezes my breasts hard, and I scramble to cross my arms over my chest even though I know there's actually nothing for anyone to see, since the god's still invisible.
There's no need to be jealous of him!
Isn't there?
You know how I feel about the divine, but I still chose you, didn't I?
A moment passes, but when I feel him start to pull his hands away, I find myself reacting instinctively and perversely. Instead of letting his hands go, I actually end up keeping his hands in place, and I hear the god suck in his breath in response.
You asked me to trust you, and I did.
No questions asked.