Immortal Rider_ Lords of Deliverance Series_ - Larissa Ione [136]
Maybe, during their wedding ceremony, instead of admitting to how many other women he’d kissed he could have said, “Oh, hey, by the way, Regan is here to fuck your brother and I knew about it.”
Yeah, that would have been good. How many people had died in Greenland because of his treachery? And what kind of consequences were yet to come?
And now, because of The Aegis, Thanatos was incapacitated, trapped inside his own head with only his rage as company.
He lay where they’d left him, on a king-sized bed in one of the smaller guest rooms. Someone had put sweat bottoms on him, and a blanket covered his upper body. A hellhound lay on the bed beside him, and judging by the look Cara gave the hound, Limos figured he was supposed to be on the floor. But really, one didn’t tell a two-thousand pound, man-eating monster where to sleep.
“If we have to keep Than here long, he’ll need an IV to keep him hydrated,” Limos said, her voice betraying her anger so clearly that the hellhound bared its teeth as if she were a threat.
“We’ll also take shifts to keep him company.” Ares wrapped his arm around Carais aoune wers waist, and Limos swallowed, wondering if she and Arik would ever find that intimacy again. “What is it you’re worried about?”
Cara gestured to Thanatos. “See for yourself.”
This couldn’t be good. They all eased close to their brother, who looked as peaceful as if he was sleeping. Except his eyes were open. They stared upward, unmoving but aware. Limos tensed, knowing exactly what he was experiencing and how he felt. At least he was with family, and he knew no one would hurt him. He’d be kept comfortable and safe.
Cara tapped Than’s foot. “Watch.”
Instantly, Than reacted. Not his body… just his upper lip. And… holy hell… his teeth. His canines elongated into fangs a tiger would be proud of.
Ares stepped back, nearly knocking Limos over. “What the hell is that?” He turned to Limos. “Do you know?”
She couldn’t tear her gaze away, even when Than’s mouth went back to normal. “I have no idea. Is his Seal intact? Reseph… Pestilence… he grew fangs when his broke.”
Ares peeled the blanket away to reveal Than’s Seal, which, thankfully, was whole. But that didn’t explain the carnivore hardware. Was Thanatos as confused as they were?
“These past few days have been interesting as hell,” Ares muttered. “And by interesting, I mean fucked up.”
“Yeah, and I’m part of that.” Limos took a deep breath, knowing she had to do this and bracing herself for Ares’s fury. “I’m so sorry for what I’ve done and all the lies I’ve told. I don’t expect you to forgive me, and I understand if you hate me—” She choked up at that, because while she might understand it, she couldn’t bear it.
And then she didn’t have to. Ares hauled her up against him so hard her breath was knocked from her lungs.
“I don’t hate you,” he said, sounding a little choked himself. “I hate what you did, and I hate that you lied for so long, but I meant it when I said I loved you no matter what. I was wrong to have taken that away from you and said you were as bad as Pestilence. Can you forgive me?”
Oh, God. He was asking for forgiveness? How stupid she’d been for ever doubting him. She’d been raised to believe that everyone was only a single word or a single act from hating and betraying you, and it had never occurred to her that love could truly be unconditional.
But then, no matter how angry she’d been at her brothers, she’d loved them. No matter how angry she was with Arik right now, he still held her heart. Why had she not figured all of this out before? Like, a couple of thousand years before?
“There’s nothing to forgive, Ares,” she whispered.
He squeezed her tight, and then gently set her aside. Relief made her legs a little wobbly until