I hadn’t meant to find Gideon by the river, but something had pulled me there… something that wasn’t Cerberus—although he did his fair share of pulling along the way. It would be a lie to say that I hadn’t thought about the librarian while I’d been on Olympus. In fact, during the birth of the first goddess of the new Pantheon, I’d been thinking about how much I wanted to bend Gideon over a stack of books and make him scream while he begged for my cock. I wondered what my dear brother Zeus would have to say about that.

Cerberus leaned his weight against my leg and I reached down to rub the ears of his middle head. “And you, you damned traitor, what was all that puppy shit about?” Cerberus’ third head licked my wrist and panted happily. “Unbelievable.” The terrifying guard of the gates of the Underworld (and sometimes my library) reduced to a snuffling, drooling mess because of a mortal. “Have you even smelled a mortal before?” I scolded him gently.

Cerberus’ tail thumped on the marble stones and he stared at me with three sets of red eyes. Three tongues lolled out of three vicious mouths filled with teeth, sharp and shining. “Unbelievable,” I muttered again. “That’s the last time we go for a walk on earth. If you’re going to act like that with every mortal we meet, we’ll never get anything done.”

I threw three large chunks of bleeding, raw meat in front of my demonic dog and watched his three heads growl and snap over their supper. I thought about Gideon as I watched Cerberus eat.

Gideon had been defiant, challenging me over how I had left him in the library. He was stronger than he gave himself credit for, that much was certain, and he also had a mouth that was going to get him into some serious trouble. Maybe that’s what he wanted.    

Maybe that’s what I wanted.

I had taken the rights of a husband when Persephone was bound to my kingdom, but my ex-wife was a goddess more suited to flowers, candles, and gentle lovemaking. My cravings were darker and more… primal. I’d bedded my share of mortals over the centuries; they’d been terrified of me, which made it all too easy. But, unlike my brothers, none of them were able to slake my lust for something more. But Gideon… Gideon was different. Gideon was a challenge. I chuckled as I remembered how he had blushed in the gathering twilight as he stared up at me.

It was always the quiet ones who harbored the most secrets.

“Uncle? Uncle, are you down here?”

Cerberus growled over his meal and I gritted my teeth. Ever since this damned prophecy had come to light, I’d seen more of my family than I ever wanted to. Interruptions right and left. No peace! And then the children… “Tartarus be damned, will it ever end?”

“Uncle!” There was a slap of leather sandals on the marble stairs that lead up to Olympus and my nephew appeared. His long red hair bounced on his shoulders and his blue eyes were wild and bright.

“What?” I roared. Hephaestus skidded to a halt and leaned against the wall of the library. The god of the forge was a large lad, almost as tall as me and twice as broad. Centuries spent bashing out shields and armor had etched out every single muscle on his bare torso. He was always shirtless, my nephew, but the heat of the volcano where he made his home radiated off his burnished skin, so I couldn’t really comment on his state of undress. I just liked it a little colder.

“My father is asking when you’re coming to see the baby,” he said with a grin. My nephew wasn’t stupid, and neither was my brother. “She’s quite remarkable,” he continued. “Only a few days old and already making little wind storms in her nursery.”

“How thrilling,” I drawled. Hephaestus smiled and pushed his hair out of his eyes. He had always been my favorite of my nephews, if only because of how his mother had mistreated him. He still bore the scars of Hera’s wrath from so many centuries ago, but his limp was only noticeable if you knew to look for it.

Cerberus, finished ripping apart his meal, licked his chops and greeted my nephew by placing his giant paws upon Hephaestus’ shoulders and licking his hairy face with all three tongues. Hephaestus laughed and pushed the massive hound aside.  

“Is my father right?” he asked as he wiped his face with a broad, callused hand. “Is there a spark waiting out there for each of us?”

I let out a long breath. “If your father is to be believed, there is a spark out there for each and every member of the Pantheon, even that lecherous goat you call nephew.”

“You don’t believe it?”

“I have to believe it, nephew,” I said sharply. “The evidence is in Olympus at this very moment, no doubt screaming her divine lungs out.” I shook my head. “Your mother and her minions were very busy on earth, and that means there is a chance for all of us.”

“Even you, uncle,” Hephaestus said quietly.

I snorted in derision. “Death needs no consort,” I spat.

Hephaestus shrugged and reached down to stroke Cerberus’ long noses. “As you say… but it would be a shame if Olympus were filled with the sounds of children and you were left down here alone.”

“Would it?” I said stiffly.

“I think so,” he replied. “When my father married me to Aphrodite, I was thrilled… how could I not be? The most beautiful goddess was mine forever—”

“It was a cruel joke,” I interrupted him sharply. I didn’t need to hear this story again.

Hephaestus nodded. “And punishment for her. But the prophecy… it makes me believe that there is a mortal somewhere that was made for me. They don’t have to be perfect; they just have to be perfect for me. No tricks, no punishments. If I could find that, it would make all these centuries of pain worthwhile.” He fixed his bright cobalt eyes on me, his expression wistful. “Don’t you wish you could take away all the hurt that Persephone gave you?”

“Careful nephew. You are my favorite of your brothers, but I am losing patience with this conversation.”

This was why I liked the dead better.  

Hephaestus shrugged. “Come and visit little Alkira,” he said. “But be careful, she has a habit of pulling on beards. Cameron would like to see you too, I think.” I harrumphed and walked away from my nephew into the maze of bookshelves. “I’ll tell Cameron you’re coming,” Hephaestus shouted. There was a clatter and a happy chorus of barks as my nephew threw a giant bone for Cerberus before jogging up the marble stairs again.

He was right, I could admit that. I should visit my new niece. But everything else he’d said—ridiculous. I didn’t need any of that. I didn’t need a clingy mortal who demanded my attention and sent me on impossible errands to bring back exotic foods for their cravings as my brothers had done. They had done it willingly, eagerly… Zeus, Thunderer, standing in line for a triple caramel macchiato because Cameron had demanded something special from his favorite Brooklyn coffee shop—utterly ridiculous. Poseidon, lord of the seas, running through Olympus’ marble halls with a seaweed salad.

I laughed loudly and the sound echoed through my empty library. This was where I belonged. With my books, my secrets, and my memories. That was what the dead were good for, and this was my domain.

I plucked the leather-wrapped book Gideon had given me from its place on the shelf and unwrapped it carefully. I had given it a cursory examination in the library, but my mind had been on other things. Now I could look closely as the work the young mortal had done. The stitching was intricate and well spaced in the new binding, and the paper he’d chosen for the inner cover complimented the deep wine red of the freshly repaired leather beautifully. He was skilled, that much was certain, but with Signore de Sarno as a mentor, he would have no choice.

I hadn’t thought of claiming a mortal in centuries. Especially not since my brothers had been going through this fever to find the ‘sparks’ that had been scattered through the mortal world. I knew what the consequences of coupling with them meant. I would have to be careful.

When the curse was first discovered, Zeus had hammered down my door and demanded I bring him the shade of his lover so that he could be resurrected… but when I went down into the depths of my kingdom to do my brother’s bidding, the young mortal’s shade was nowhere to be found. Hera’s curse was so complete that when the mortal died, she made sure that their soul was obliterated and that she could not be defeated.

I couldn’t do that to Gideon… but I did want to possess him, claim him. I wanted to sink my teeth into the bruises I’d left on his throat. I threaded my way through the stacks of books to where Cerberus lay, gnawing on the ancient femur Hephaestus had thrown for him. “No one comes in,” I said.

Cerberus growled happily and his tail whacked against my leg three times before I willed myself to earth—to Rome.

To Gideon.

I stood in the shadows, invisible to the mortals, watching them at their revels as I used to do in the old days. The thought brought a whisper of a smile to my face as I remembered the murmurs that had run through the crowd about ‘death lurking in the shadows.’ They were right, I was always watching. Not out of jealousy, but a perverse curiosity at how these mortals chose to spend the precious moments they had been given.

I hadn’t expected to find Gideon in a place like this, a wine bar ablaze with light and stuffed with awkward-looking tourists and unwashed backpackers from all over the world. Gideon was sandwiched between two girls. The one with dark hair pushed glasses of beer towards him, but when she wasn’t looking he gave them to whoever came near. He was no fool, my librarian.  

I don’t know how long I waited, but the crowd got progressively louder, and so did the music. Gideon had drunk the equivalent of one dark beer, and seemed to be looking for a way to escape the conversation he was having with the dark-haired girl. I thought I recognized her, but I couldn’t be sure. Someone from the library, perhaps. And then she turned her head and peered into the shadows, her dark eyes searched the darkness as she stared right at me.

The shadows around me intensified, and the girl’s eyes narrowed before she looked away and poured another glass of beer from the seemingly endless jug at her elbow. She hadn’t touched a drop the entire time I’d been watching, but she seemed intent on getting Gideon drunk.

Where had I seen her before?  

I concentrated on the pair and focused on their conversation.

“So, Gideon… tell me about that guy.” The girl leaned in, tugging on his sleeve playfully.

“What? What guy?”

“You know what guy,” she said. I watched as she slid closer to him and pushed a perspiring glass of dark beer into his hand. “The one with the tattoos… do you think he’s tattooed everywhere?”

I grimaced and flexed my fingers.

Gideon laughed and pushed her hand away. “That’s a silly question. And I still don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You know exactly who I’m talking about. Vittorio told me he’s a patron of the library… very rich, very influential. Very sexy,” she said with a wink.

“Uhhh… I guess,” Gideon’s voice sounded wary, and I felt a little sting of pleasure at his response.

“Don’t be shy, Gideon, you can tell me.”

“There’s nothing to tell,” he said.

That was a lie.

He took a quick sip of the beer and then pushed it away. The dark haired girl didn’t seem to notice that someone else picked it up as they whirled by the table.

“Come on, Gid… Vittorio told me everything.”

Gideon didn’t flinch. “Oh, really?”

The young woman nodded. “Yup. He’s seen you two talking… How did he describe it? Oh, yes… a heated argument. A lover’s quarrel perhaps? You can tell me, Gideon. You know how much I love juicy gossip. A rich patron dallying with a lowly librarian? It’s practically ripped straight out of a romance novel! Except, he’s married and you’re… well… you’re you.”     

I watched Gideon shift in his seat. Shit. She was playing hardball. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t take it personally,” she said in a rush. “I just mean that it all sounds a little... ridiculous, don’t you think?”

Gideon didn’t answer, but the dark haired woman pressed on. “Has he said anything to you?”

“Said anything?” I saw his throat bob as he swallowed, hoping she wouldn’t notice. “Like what?”

The girl shifted in her seat playfully. “I dunno… anything weird? Rich people are always so eccentric. He looks like the eccentric type, don’t you think?”

Gideon shook his head. “Nope… sorry to disappoint you. Nothing weird. He’s just a guy who likes books.”

I couldn’t take it any more. Her questions were becoming too personal; too pointed. I appeared out of nowhere, out of the shadows and closed my fingers around Gideon’s arm. He looked up at me with wide, sober eyes, his expression one of surprise and the barest hint of arousal. “It’s time to go,” I growled.

“Gideon, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” the girl called out in surprise.

Insolent mortal. I drew myself up to my full height and glared down at her. The lights in the bar flickered ever so slightly, but she didn’t move. There was a defiant curve to her lip and her eyes were as black and hard as lava rock.

Eris.

In an instant, the goddess was gone, and in her place was a bewildered looking girl with brown eyes who stared at me in surprise.

“Gideon, are you leaving?”

“Yeah, it’s going to be a long night… I only meant to stop for one drink anyway. Signore Agesander needs to talk to me about some manuscripts he brought in… we’re going to meet Signore de Sarno.” He smiled and tugged on one of the girl’s dark pigtails. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Em,” Gideon lied easily to the girl and I almost smiled.    

“Sure… sounds good. Don’t stay up too late. I’ll see you in the morning!” The girl still looked confused as to how she had gotten there, and I wondered how long Eris had possessed her—and what she’d done before I’d arrived.

Gideon pulled his arm out of my grip and pulled his bag over his shoulder. “I guess I should thank you,” he said somewhat begrudgingly.

“She asks a lot of questions.”

“That’s Emilie for you... she’s not usually so nosey, but I guess we’ve been talking a lot more lately.”

We walked casually for a few minutes and I allowed Gideon to lead the way. “I didn’t come here to talk about books,” I said finally, pausing at a corner. Gideon walked a few more paces and then stopped and turned to look at me. He was beautiful. The soft glow of the streetlamps played over the dark waves of his hair, and his eyes looked almost black. I wanted him, this mortal, and I could feel that he wanted me too. If I asked him, if I commanded him—

Gideon surprised me by closing the distance between us quickly, our chests almost touching. “I know,” he said and before I could say anything, his arms were around my neck and he was reaching up to kiss me. With something more like a growl than a groan, I wrapped my arms around the mortal’s waist and lifted him the rest of the way.

Our mouths crashed together, and I was stunned by how much I’d wanted this. Gideon’s eyes were closed, and his lips were hot; insistent and hungry against mine. His tongue explored my mouth boldly, taking me by surprise again.   

I leaned against the warm stones of the building behind me, enjoying the feel of Gideon’s mouth on mine and the way his fingers curled tightly into my hair.

All at once, it hit me. Slow at first, like the first tendrils of smoke from a funeral pyre, and then in a rush of cold fire that thundered through my veins. I stiffened, unsure of what was happening.

Gideon’s mouth opened under mine as I pulled him closer and he moaned deeply as my fingers dug into his hips. I could feel the growing hardness of his cock against me; he wanted me just as much as I wanted him.

Was this what my brothers had been talking about? Was this how they had known their spark from among all the others?

Gideon dragged his lips from mine and stared into my eyes. His pupils were wide and his gaze was full of lust. “Do you… want to see my apartment?” he asked quietly. He licked his lips, and I could almost hear his lascivious thoughts. He was remembering how I had dominated him in the library, and his cock pulsed against me as I held him easily with one arm. I reached up to trace a finger lightly over his jaw and trace the faint outlines of the bruises I’d gifted him with.

“Is that what you want?” I replied.

“Yes.”

It was barely a whisper, and I pressed my lips to his firmly, knowing that my kiss held the promise of what I could do to him… it was everything he wanted.

“But you’ll have to put me down,” he said with a chuckle. He rubbed his thigh against my crotch and arched against me. “Otherwise we’ll never get there.”

I set him on his feet. “Don’t get used to ordering me around,” I said through gritted teeth.

“I’ll take what I can get,” he said with a cheeky smile.

Trouble.  

---

We walked quickly through the Piazza Navona and I followed Gideon to a nondescript stone building and through a battered wooden door. He almost ran up a set of narrow stairs, pausing at each landing to make sure that I was following… higher, and higher, in the ancient building until we reached an even smaller staircase that led to Gideon’s apartment. If it could even be called that. I raised an eyebrow as the door creaked open to reveal the loft space he called home. There was no bathroom that I could see, and one wall of the room was made entirely of windows. His bed was on a makeshift platform in front of them. Very bold indeed.

“A shared bathroom?” I commented blithely.

Gideon laughed as he walked to the small kitchen and pulled a bottle of wine and two mugs from the cupboard. “It’s not ideal, but it’s cheap, and the Vallicelliana covers some of it… I wouldn’t want to be too much farther from the library. I spend most of my time there.”

He pulled out the cork with a practiced motion and poured the wine into the mugs with a smile on his face. He picked one up, leaving the other on the narrow kitchen counter for me to retrieve.  

“Besides… unless you’re a pigeon, this is the best view in the city.” Gideon unlocked one of the tall windows beside his bed and stepped out onto a tiny balcony that looked as though it was hanging on to the side of the building by a thread. He was fearless, this librarian. Or maybe just stupid.  He stood there, staring out across the Piazza Navona with a contemplative look on his handsome face, waiting for me.

Even though the sun had set, the Piazza was still bustling. I imagined what it would look like in the daytime, crowded with tourists snapping pictures and buying useless souvenirs, trivializing the ancient city’s beauty for the sake of a few Facebook likes. They would go home and tell their friends how lovely it was here, how romantic—but in reality, they had barely seen the city at all, except through a camera’s lens. And when their fleeting lives had passed and they tried to look back on these precious moments where they believed they’d been happiest, they would realize that they had never truly lived them at all, and would weep bitter tears at their loss. I’d seen it before, a hundred thousand times over. Mortals were all the same. And their afterlife would be no different…  

But Gideon… Gideon saw the world for what it was, because he took the time to really look.

Perhaps that was why he’d seen me, pursued me, even before I could see him for what he truly was.

I took the mug of wine that he’d poured me and sniffed at it delicately before taking a sip. I grimaced at the taste. It was worth every cent of the two euros it had been purchased with. I stood in his pathetic excuse for a kitchen and admired the sharp silhouette Gideon’s body cut against the velvety darkness. He didn’t look up as I stepped out onto the balcony with him; his eyes were fixed on the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in the distance.

“There are a hundred and forty statues of saints in the basilica,” he said, gesturing toward it with his mug. “That’s a whole lot of virtue under one roof.”

I took a disinterested sip of my wine. “I’ve never been much for virtue. Vices are more fun. This is terrible.”

Gideon shrugged and drank from his own mug and made a face. He tapped his fingers against the ancient railing of the balcony. “Which are your favorite?” he asked after a moment.

“Oh, a little of this, a little of that. I could show you if you like.”

Finally, he turned to look at me, and I could see the desire in his eyes. But his brows were curved in a sardonic frown.

“Just to be clear… we’re going to have to have some boundaries. I’m not going to be some kind of pet. I work at the library, you’re a patron… you can’t just do that whenever you like.”

“Oh, no?” I asked with a cold smile, enjoying the way he shivered at the change in my expression. “You seemed to enjoy our last interlude. You spilled all over yourself like a schoolboy catching his first glimpse of his crush’s underpants.”

He took a step toward me. I stood my ground, and took another casual sip from my mug and observed him coolly.

“I won’t deny that I like it a little… rough,” he said, his jaw twitching at the admission. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll beg.”

“I had you begging before,” I reminded him.

“Yeah, and you showed me just how far that’ll get me with you,” he countered.

“It wasn’t the right time,” I said graciously. “But I’m willing to reevaluate.”

“Oh, how thoughtful of you. I suppose you want me to get down on my knees and suck you off right here... Right now.”

“The thought had crossed my mind.”

He wet his lips. “Fine. But only because I want to.”

I put one hand on his head and brushed my fingers through his dark curls before pushing him down onto his knees. “Works for me.”

He reached to unbutton my pants; I helped him by stepping out of them as he slipped them down my legs. He mouthed at my cock through my briefs before removing those as well. I reached for my wine and drank deeply as he took me in his mouth, still soft but quickly filling out as he licked and sucked. My fingers stroked through his hair—then I snatched a handful of it and yanked him back so he could look up at me with those hungry eyes.

“You like it rough?”

“Yes,” he said, through clenched teeth.

“Good,” I breathed, and pushed him back onto my cock, forcing him to take me deeper than before.

He gagged almost at once, and I let him draw back and take a breath before pushing into his mouth again. His hands came up to clutch at my thighs—not to shove me away, but just for something to hold on to—his nails dug into my flesh almost deep enough to draw blood and I stiffened as that same cold fire rushed through me once more. I cradled his skull, directing him as I pleased, forcing him to swallow down another inch of my cock even as the tears rose in his eyes and drool spilled down his chin and onto the tile below.

He gagged again and almost choked, and I made a small sound of pity, holding him in place as he tried to draw back.

“Careful now, librarian. Relax,” I said softly.

He blinked, the first tears running down his cheeks—but he did as he was told, and eventually I pulled my cock out of his mouth and let him savor a gasping breath of air.

I continued to use his mouth roughly for several minutes, looking out across the view of the Piazza as I finished my wine and enjoyed the obscene, wet sounds Gideon was making against the backdrop of the city’s nighttime hum. The cold fire coursed dully through my veins, and the tendrils of smoke began to wind themselves around my brain. When my mug was empty, I set it down on the railing and let go of his hair.

He drew back to catch his breath, and wiped the saliva from his chin before massaging his jaw.

“Go inside and get naked,” I commanded.

He huffed out a laugh. “You can’t boss me around my own apartment.”

“Can’t I?”

Gideon climbed to his feet and stepped towards me, his hand dropping to stroke my cock, but I caught his wrist before he had the chance.

“Would you prefer I bent you over your kitchen counter and fucked you so hard that your screaming would make your neighbors call the police?” I breathed.

He fixed me with a cynical little smile. “If you say please. We are civilized men after all, are we not?” He raised an eyebrow. “Well, at least one of us is... I’m not so sure about you.”

My grip on his wrist tightened, but I knew when to pick my battles with this one—and I didn’t want to invite further discussion about my true nature. “Please.”

I released him, and he turned and ducked back into his apartment, stripping off his shirt as he went.

“You ought to say please more often,” he called back over his shoulder. “My mother always said you’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”

“What I ought to do is put you over my knee,” I muttered, following him back inside. By the time I stepped through the window and latched it tightly, he was fully nude, and lounging on his bed.

“Get on your hands and knees,” I said.

He raised an eyebrow. “What part of I’m not going to be your pet did you not understand?”

“Do you want me to give you pleasure or not?”

Gideon frowned just a little. “Why can’t I be on my back? I’d like to look at you.”

“Because if you’re on your hands and knees, it will be easier for me to spank you until you reconsider your infernal petulance.”

He bit his lip. “That actually sounds pretty good.” He crawled up onto the comforter and got into position. “There are condoms the top drawer of the dresser. The lube’s in there, too. You’re bigger than I’m used to. My jaw’s going to ache for days.”

“All business, librarian,” I said with a smirk.

“Practical…” he replied somewhat defensively.   

I yanked open the top drawer of his rickety dresser. The lube was nestled amongst his neatly folded underwear along with a half-empty packet of condoms. I ripped the wrapper off one with my teeth and rolled it over my cock, still hard with anticipation and the muted fire that rippled through my limbs.

Even if he hadn’t suggested protection, I would have helped myself. I had to be careful; I was still unsure about everything. Including the prophecy. I gritted my teeth and grabbed the lube as I climbed onto the bed.

“Who folds their damn underwear?” I muttered as I stroked the lube over my member. He squirmed as I poured more of the cold fluid down his ass and teased at his hole with my thumb. He was ready for me… eager. And he would get what he wanted. Soon enough.

“I’m sure the customs are quite different where you’re from,” he said, a teasing note in his voice. “Where’s that again? I don’t think I’ve asked you that before… Signore de Sarno doesn’t seem to know either...”

Gideon gasped as I cut off any further discussion on the topic by pushing one long finger into him as far as the second knuckle. He arched his back, adjusting to the sudden intrusion.

“Jesus, give me some warning next time!”

I ignored him and worked a second finger in impatiently, twisting and curling them, getting him ready for me. When he opened his mouth to say something else, I smacked his ass with the other hand, hard enough to leave a vivid red brand against his pale flesh.

“Fuuuuck,” he hissed, hanging his head, his hair falling over his eyes. “You’re a goddamn sadist, you know that?”

I answered with another slap, against his sensitive inner thigh this time. I watched his legs tremble with the effort of staying still. My fingers were still moving inside him, rubbing none too delicately against that sweet spot deep inside, and he was soon struggling to bite back his whimpers as I pushed another finger into his hole and fucked him swiftly with them. When I finally pulled them out, he let out a breathless moan and buried his face in the crook of his elbow.

“Don’t be gentle,” he said; his words were muffled but unmistakable.

I let a satisfied smile that he couldn’t see play over my lips. “I had no intention of being.”

I lined myself up behind Gideon and entered him, giving him just a moment to adjust to the sensation, and my girth, before pressing all the way in—one long, smooth stroke that knocked the breath out of him. I saw his hands grip the comforter tightly; heard the breathy groan that left his chest. Drawing almost all the way out, I slammed back into him with enough force to drive him into the mattress.

My fingers gripped his hips tightly, delighting in digging fresh bruises into that exquisite canvas before the marks around his throat had fully faded—and knowing, despite his protestations, that he’d wear them in secret like a badge of honor.

He’d touch them when he was alone, digging his own fingers into them in a vain attempt to feel what he felt now, this sublime surrender, this ecstasy at giving himself to me.

That cold fire was muted, but still rippled in the background, begging to be set free; I could feel it with every thrust. Below me, Gideon bit his forearm hard enough to draw blood as I drove into him again and again. His whimpers gave way to gasping cries as my strokes grazed that sensitive spot deep inside him; his cock, hanging hard and heavy between his legs, leaked a steady stream of precum onto the bed. I doubt he even noticed.

From his lips tumbled a desperate invocation, a babbled orison of “harder,” “more,” and “please!” I had a reputation for turning a deaf ear to prayers, but how could I now, with such a fine offering laid before me? I obliged him, pushing his body until I’m sure he felt he was reaching his breaking point. And as I looked down upon this willing sacrifice, this honey-sweet libation poured out beneath me, I felt myself loving him helplessly—and on the tails of that love, a tempestuous desire to tear him apart.

All at once, I had to know; I had to know if that cold fire would consume me if I gave in to my curiosity. If I was wrong, he would be gone forever. But if I was right, if the oracle had not lied...

He was too far gone in pleasure to notice when I pulled out and tore the condom from my cock and tossed it to the floor. I stared down at his beautiful, writhing form. He looked so mortal. So breakable.

But if he was the one…

I entered him then, bare, before my foolish hopes could creep into my mind. Gideon was so open for me now, so slick, that it felt like his body had been molded perfectly to fit mine. As soon as I thrust into him, that same cold fire that had only rippled in the shadows of my mind ripped through my veins and I groaned in ecstasy as my limbs shuddered with it.

Gideon moaned as I picked up my pace again, and soon he was gasping that his orgasm was close. I struggled to regain control of my faculties, and since I’d recklessly thrown him into mortal danger without his knowledge, I decided, for a change, to show mercy.

I leaned forward and wrapped one hand around his cock, smoothing the other down his trembling back; I began to stroke him in time with my powerful thrusts. This beautiful man, this mortal, he was waiting for my permission—whether he realized or not—I gave it.

“Cum for me,” I whispered.

He did, and with a deep groan I watched his climax ripple through him. His semen striped the comforter in copious ribbons just moments before he collapsed onto them, boneless. I did not give him time to recover, and braced one foot against his shoulder for better leverage as I fucked him hard and fast. That cold fire rolled over and through me, consuming me like nothing I’d ever experienced before. It was heady and intoxicating. Ethereal. Gideon was too exhausted to help, merely moaning as I came deep inside him.

“Asshole, I told you to use a condom,” he mumbled as I strode to the kitchen to clean myself up in the small metal sink. I ignored him. My heart was racing, my limbs vibrating with sensations I had never experienced before.

My lover slumped on the bed, but he wasn’t dead.

I supposed I should have been relieved, but I wasn’t.

I was terrified.

When I turned back to Gideon, I saw that he’d managed to roll onto his back, but sitting up still seemed beyond him. I could see smears of his semen on his chest where he’d laid on it. And my own divine seed was still inside him…

I crossed over to the bed and stretched out beside him. I ran my fingers through his hair and then gathered him against my chest, unsure if I was trying to comfort him or myself. My expression was unreadable, but my mind was reeling.

It was him… my spark. Any doubts I’d had before seemed absurd now in the bright light of the afterglow. I felt as though a veil had been lifted from my eyes; I was seeing Gideon clearly for the first time, and the truth was blinding.

“That was the best orgasm I’ve ever had in my life,” he murmured, reaching up to catch my fingers in his own. He squeezed them gently and rested his head against my shoulder, his body fitted perfectly against mine. “It really does feel like you die a little… doesn’t it?” he said softly. “But I’m sure you know all about death.”

I snatched my hand away. My skin prickled where he touched me. The sensation was almost unbearable in its intensity. What was I doing?

In a second, I was on my feet and striding for the door. Gideon struggled to sit up and grimaced from some bruise or other I’d given him.

“Where are you going?” His voice was strangled and confused, and I couldn’t meet his eyes.

“Away,” I said shortly. “Don’t look for me.”

“What the fuck?” he cried. “Your pants are on the balcony!”

Before he could say anything, I pulled the shadows forward to envelop me and willed myself back to Olympus. I couldn’t bear the touch of his skin any longer or the way I felt when I was around him. It was too real, too mortal. And if the way my own body had betrayed me was any indication, I did not know what I could trust anymore.

I needed time, and that was one luxury I didn’t have.