I recommend listening to this song when you start reading :)
It's absolutely beautiful and really sets the mood.
Also- any Assassin's creed fans here? :D

"My body reacted to things I never thought I would..."

Sour Strawberries

Aurora's eyes began to flutter awake.

I grinned as a look of confusion etched itself onto her face. She was utterly adorable when she looked so groggy and bewildered.

"Good morning..." I meant it. It was a bloody fantastic morning, and the evidence to prove it was right there; on her neck and her shoulders.

A few light marks to remind her of last night; just in case she wanted to forget again.

Aurora mumbled something incoherent and sat up lazily in the big bed. "It's far too early to be smiling..." 

"It's eleven."

"What?" She attempted to jump out of bed; her eyes the size of plates, but I quickly intervened. I clasped a hand around her arm and her waist and hoisted her over me and onto the other side of the bed. 

She yelped in surprise and her arms momentarily stiffened.

"What are you doing? I need to get ready-" 

"You worry too much." I said as I threw a leg over hers and trapped her in my grasp by placing my arm onto her waist. The soft silky material of her dress sending shivers down my arms.

I remember its feel so mouth-wateringly well from last night.

My eyes glazed over and I could feel the blood surge to her cheeks as she gaped up at my face.

She was quite the sight...

Something down below hardened. I chuckled; "How did you sleep?" 

She paused. Her brows knotted in confusion. Aurora seemed momentarily confused and relieved, but quickly recovered and thoughtfully said; "Fine. Pretty good, actually..."

I'm not sure why she seemed so reassured; did she think I might take advantage of her during the night?

She must've noticed last time that I cannot sleep? Silly girl, I rather like the chase- what would the point be in taking her when she had no say in it?

I've also come to notice that I rather liked her sharp tongue.

Well, now for more reasons than before...

"Good." I grinned eagerly and hungrily leaned into her mouth, but she quickly evaded my attack.

I lifted a brow in annoyance. She did warn me last night not to expect her to conform to my advances, but the sudden rejection caused something to snap inside me. I pretended not to notice.

"And you?" I tilted my head. She rolled her eyes at me. "How did you sleep?" 

"I didn't."

She bit onto her lower lip and I had to stop myself from crashing my tongue into her mouth. So innocent. Although, last night she wasn't all that innocent.

"So you can't sleep? Or do you just choose not to sleep?"

I had to tear my eyes away from her moving mouth to register what she was asking.

"The gods can do everything mortals can- we sleep, drink, eat... But there is no need for it. If we do not sleep, we don't get tired. Likewise, when we don't eat, we will not be hungry. Although, there are different types of hunger."

Aurora raised a suspicious eyebrow at me and I couldn't help but chuckle at her wariness.

"Relax, angel. That's not what I mean..." I trailed a finger down her neck; examining my work.

"For instance; I am a god of death and life. Therefore, to satisfy my 'hunger', so to speak, I must consume death or life. This applies to all gods, in one way or another."

Aurora nodded slowly. Her mouth parted slightly. I tried not to think about how swollen her lips looked. "So then, for example, what would Dionysus or Demeter need to, um, satisfy their hunger?"

I smiled down at my little angel. She was so curious; it made my blood boil.

"I see you know the basics. Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility, would either need a continuous supply of wine, or sex."

Aurora blushed and nodded while trying to avoid my gaze. I smirked at her innocence. I wonder what it would be like to hear her say dirty things?

My pants tightened at the thought.

"Demeter, as the goddess of the harvest, would need some form of nourishment from the earth; such as grain, corn, nuts... Really anything from nature."

"So you eat, um... Do you eat human flesh?"

My mouth exploded with laughter. I couldn't help but chuckle at her embarrassment as the blush on her cheeks grew deeper. The thought of me actually eating a human was rather comical. How disgusting! Didn't she know how vile some humans were?

Just the thought of devouring them made me want to gag...

Well, except for her, of course. I could eat her out- I mean, up- right now.

"Oh gods, no!" My laugh rang through the room and the young girl rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. 

Aurora clicked her tongue in annoyance; "You have really sharp canines; excuse me for making a rational deduction."

"The fangs are simply to scare people off. And for sex-appeal, of course..." I winked at her. "I don't eat humans, angel. I do, however, drain their life-force when they die."

Her face scrunched up in confusion. "Their souls, honey. Like the grim reaper."

"Ooh..." Aurora seemed momentarily nervous. I lowered my face above hers and gave her a sly smile; "Would you like to see?"

"No!" She pushed me away with force and stood up from the bed; her face twisted in horror and anger. 

I laughed in amusement as she scolded me like a child; "You're a psycho!" 

"I was only joking!"

I was- surprisingly. I would never in a million years want to show her that. It wasn't pretty and for someone like her it would be scarring.

Not to mention my chances of getting close to her would be down to nothing.

"And by the way," I quickly added on to my previous explanation. "I don't technically have fangs. Like you said, They're just sharp canines and only protrude in certain situations."

"Why do you even have them?" She asked with a frown.

"Perhaps a default, primitive setting from an older generation of gods? Who knows?"

Aurora nodded, soaking in the information. "Get dressed. I need to say goodbye to my parents and get going." The sadness in her voice was clear and my teasing attitude faded as she uneasily fiddled with her packed suitcase.

I sighed and realised that the 'good morning' was coming to an end. The warmth from her body underneath mine was replaced with cold air.

It was time to get back to reality.

A reality where Aurora and I weren't meant to be close.

She headed downstairs to greet her parents, and at first I thought I'd leave and head back up to her room to wait for her, but when I saw the glimmering of tears threaten to spill from her eyes; I knew I had to stay.

I leaned around the corner and tried to make myself as invisible as possible from her eyes. I'd told her that I'd meet her upstairs, where the portal waited, so as to give her a private farewell, but I couldn't.

I stayed put and observed. Her mother cried the most; her cheeks black with runny make-up. Her father was the stronger one- he just gave her a firm hug and kiss before telling her that he was proud and happy for her.

Aurora began to cry instantly at his words. I lowered my head.

Aurora spoke with them for a few minutes before saying her last farewell; "I'll be home soon, I promise! Just a few months until it's the first holiday, okay."

I turned around and walked up the stairs slowly while still listening; "I have to go now though, but I'll be safe, I promise. I'll send you some postcards!"

They laughed and I opened the door to her room.

It was time.

A few moments passed until Aurora walked into the room. Her eyes were reddish, but her face was controlled and didn't show any emotion. She was stronger than I thought she was at first.

"You'll make them think they took me to the airport, right?" 

"Of course."

I'd already planted the seed in their minds; they would remember Aurora leaving on a plane while they watched from the terminal building, tissues in hand.

Aurora picked up her satchel and walked over to her heavy suitcase. I stepped in front of her and took hold of her hand as she reached out to push me aside.

"My reapers will get it." She relaxed slightly. The house was strangely quiet. "Thank you."

Aurora turned around, but I kept her hand held to my stomach. She stopped midway and gave me an irritated look.

I could see she was in no mood for games. I gave her a serious look; one which hopefully showed her that I wasn't trying to tease her.

"Come here..." I said it softly; hoping my intense gaze wouldn't scare her off. She blinked at me and clenched her jaw. 

"What?" She asked almost impatiently, but I could see the vulnerability in her eyes as she unconsciously took a step closer.

I didn't bother to reply; instead I slowly tucked my arms around her waist and pulled her closer. She didn't try to refuse or resist; and as I crushed her against me, she pulled at my black cloak and nestled her head into the base of my throat.

I breathed her in.

Aurora moved closer to me and tucked her hands under my cloak for warmth. The air outside was cold. Last night there were no clouds in the sky and it felt like a summer's night, but today it was misty and overcast. It began to drizzle.

My cloak hummed from her touch and I could sense it coil around her hands

I ran my hand through her hair and kept my other arm around her middle; keeping her close.

She rubbed her face against my shirt. I guessed she was rubbing away spilled tears. We didn't speak; only embraced one another in comfortable silence.

My mind raced at my sudden change in character. The monster inside me howled in confusion and my fangs ached to burst out, but I tried to fight the urges that churned within me.

It was difficult, but Aurora's strong hold on my waist kept the demons at bay.

She was vulnerable- it wasn't right.

The voices in my head told me otherwise.

"I need to go." Her voice was soft and child-like. The monster in me licked his lips. "Conrad's probably waiting."

She let go of me and took a step back; her head still lowered to the ground. I clenched my jaw. My hands brought her closer again, and this time she did resist, but only a little.

My lips quickly found hers.

At first I thought my passion would quickly overpower her, but to my surprise and utter pleasure, Aurora pushed back with force. Her hands grabbed the back of my neck and her tongue darted into my mouth with so much impatience that it caused me to moan with elation.

I crushed her against me. My hands gripped her hair and my tongue quickly dominated hers. A small whimpering travelled from her mouth.

I squeezed her harder.

I quickly kissed her senseless.

She was gasping for air as she took a step back. I fixed my ravenous, red gaze on her face. We stared at each other.

I couldn't take my eyes off of hers. The air was filled with a stuttering tension; unlike anything I'd ever felt before.

It was mind-numbing.

"Thank you... For the distraction."

Yes, I'd wanted to distract her from her pain, but that wasn't the only intention behind my actions. I wanted her. I wanted her attention. Like a little boy I wanted her to focus on me; whether it was to scold me or to tease me- I wanted it.

This craving I've had for her these past weeks had gradually gotten more unmistakable; and while I thought last night would quell my thirst- it had only made me want her more.

Much more!

Aurora kept her eyes focused on mine; waiting for some sort of reply. I only stared; not sure of how to carry on from here. I'd never quite felt these kinds of emotions before and they were heavy.

They weighed me down.

Neither of us made a move to leave. 

Almost simultaneously we latched onto each other again and shared one last deep, knee-numbing kiss. Our lips were smashed together in brief desperation.

Time for reality.

I stepped past her; my breathing heavy and my thoughts jumbled with desire and confusion.

From my leather belt I took hold of my scythe, and held it out. It grew triple in size and with a loud clank I tapped it against the ground. "Ready?"

My back was to Aurora. She made no attempt to move. I couldn't tell whether it was from fear of my weapon or from fear of the future. She spoke with determination; which caused the fire inside me to swell. I tried to ignore it.

"Yes."

With one big swing I ripped open the air and a black, white-specked abyss flowed forth.

The silver flames licked around the edges and the tear expanded into a gash big enough for both of us to move through comfortably. Aurora's eyes grew large and full of apprehension, but her mouth was set in a firm line. It was clear she was a fighter.

I extended my hand towards the portal; "Ladies first."

Aurora tapped her fingers against her leather satchel that hung over her shoulder and smirked; "And they say chivalry is dead."

"Death, actually..." I flashed her a dazzling smile; the normal banter and sarcasm between us a comfortable feeling. When we gave into our instincts and we let our masks drop- that's when the trouble started. That's when these new emotions took hold; and neither of us knew what to expect from them, or from each other.

She carefully stepped half-way through the portal; momentarily forgetting how scary the ride was the first time she sped through it.

My portal compared to that of Conrad's was much faster and darker. It took some skill to navigate it considering it was more connected to the underworld; whereas Conrad's was more connected to the sky.

With a look of horror she turned around just in time to scream; "Wait! How do I land?"

I laughed and quickly grabbed her hand before the energy of the abyss sucked her into the portal. We sky-rocketed through the dark heavens.

I could feel her long fingers latch onto my waist and I felt a surging heat at the thought of her looking to me for protection.

How strange my thoughts were lately?

My body reacted to things I never thought I would...

The end lit up and I prepared my stance for the landing. It was pretty rough on the joints; even after centuries of practice.

I grabbed her waist and lifted her up by a bit; just enough to make sure that she wouldn't twist an ankle when we hit the ground. With a loud crack the portal opened and we sped through onto the other side. The slam of my boots onto the hard tile rang through the small dome.

I gently dropped Aurora back onto her feet as she let go of me and swung her arms out to steady herself.

Grey smoke blew up around us. I waved my hand in the air to clear the smoke away from my face and ran my fingers through my hair.

Can't look dishevelled now, can we?

"Geez! I don't think I'll ever get use to that thing!"

"Aurora! You're here! Good!"

I pulled an annoyed face at the old man walking towards us. His eyes were bright with happiness at the sight of the unharmed girl. The last time we saw each other he'd try to act my superior.

Needless to say, I hadn't forgotten.

"Conrad." I said crisply.

The old man narrowed his eyes at me; "Thanatos."

Aurora dusted herself off; unaware of the sudden tension.

"So my luggage is on the way to, um- where's my luggage going again?" She turned to me; her face twisted in confusion. I resisted the urge to kiss her. Although wouldn't that be fun to do with Conrad watching.

"To my palace, in the underworld- where you will be staying."

"Right..." She didn't look too enthusiastic. 

"Well, let me just hand you your schedule and your books so you can go and prepare for your first class tomorrow."

I walked towards the back of the dome and lazily leaned against the wall- away from the blinding sunlight. Conrad's annoying cheery disposition made me ill.

Aurora followed him to his desk; her face still full of confusion- "I thought you said we'd have a brief introductory lecture today?"

"Oh, I'm afraid I have to cancel that; seems another one of those meetings has come up and I can't miss it."

Meeting?

Conrad never had 'meetings'.

I had a small inkling this 'meeting' had something to do with Hecate's mysterious death. My blood boiled as I realised that I was being kept out of the loop.

Again.

This was getting rather annoying.

Conrad handed Aurora a large pile of books, causing the young girl to slightly stumble. Her eyes grew large at the sight of the thick volumes of books she had to read through.

I chuckled from the back and she shot me a glare.

"We will start everything tomorrow. I promise."

"I have to read all of this by tomorrow?"

Conrad laughed with amusement at the girl's worried look. "Oh, no, child!" Aurora's shoulders relaxed and she gave a small relieved laugh.

Conrad grabbed a few smaller books and added it to her tall pile. "And these..."

I tried to hide my smile as she pouted at the old man who now walked past her, completely unaware of the fact that she could barely hold all the books- never mind read all of them in less than 24 hours.

I strolled towards her as she struggled to see her step, due to the books covering her vision. Conrad was too busy shuffling through papers to notice the young girl's distress. That man really was clueless when it came to some things.

"Need some help?" I asked with a sly smile. Aurora rolled her eyes at me.

"What does it look like?"

"Hmm..." I said as I tapped my chin with my index finger; "What do I get in return?"

Aurora mumbled something under her breath.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Just help me, dammit!"

I laughed as she almost fell over. I grabbed her arm before she could slip and I carefully took the books from her.

She sighed in relief and massaged her upper arms. I chuckled and held up the pile with one hand. She walked past me and scoffed; "Show off..." 

"Ah! Here it is!" Conrad waved a piece of paper in the air and took off his reading glasses. In my opinion he looked far too thrilled over a bloody piece of paper. With a smile he handed it to Aurora; "Your schedule. We start at eight tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, I won't be late."

"Very well! Have a good day's rest and I shall see you tomorrow."

"Rest... Right." Aurora said as she glared at the books I held.

Finally, time to leave this sunny place. I quickly took out my scythe and slashed the air- the gash grew until the portal was big enough.

I indicated to her to grab my hand, which she shyly did as Conrad watched. He looked on with suspicion. I smiled at him, baring my fangs; "Perhaps tomorrow I could come by for some tea? Have a little chat..."

Conrad raised an eyebrow at me; "And what would you like to discuss?"

"Oh, you know- meetings..."

He looked away and nodded his head. Conrad knew I was no fool. There was some sort of investigation going on behind my back and I wanted to know all about it.

I winked at the old man and turned to the beautiful, nervous girl next to me. I swung my arm around her waist and she blushed. I could feel Conrad glare at the back of my head as I squeezed her closer and whispered into her ear; "For safety."

"Shut up and let's get this over with." She whispered and tucked a loose hair behind her ear. 

I grinned.

Underworld, here we come...

Have you all enjoyed this chapter!
Let me know what you think Aurora's going to do when she finds out about Thanatos' little *ahem* harem ;3

Vote and comments! Love you guys! Xx