'It frightened me; the fact that something could scare even death himself...'

Whipped Cream

I stood in front of my bathroom mirror with a wet make-up wipe in my hand. I gently tried to remove the little bit of black liner from my top eyelid. The air was cooler than usual, but the sherry I had with my mother outside definitely warmed me right up.

I tousled my wet hair and adjusted the strings to my pink pyjama shorts. It might be cold, but I had the feeling Thanatos would sneak into my room as soon as all the lights in the house went out, and then I'd have my own personal heater.

I smiled at my reflection. Nothing looked different at all, but I knew the real change couldn't be seen. Not only was my appearance still healthy, but now my mind too was healing and shifting back to normal.

Of course, things would never fully be the same. I still felt a linger of darkness, but I embraced it, making it work for me, instead of against me.

I hung the wet towel over the railing and switched off the lights to the bathroom, my eyes focused on the floor. My feet patted against the white washed wood, echoing into the room.

As I ran my hand trough my wet, unruly hair, my eyes shifted up and caught a pair of familiar red orbs.

But not the exact ones I was expecting...

A loud laugh burst from my mouth and my hand flew up to my mouth to stop my noisy giggles before my parents could suspect anything and come strolling in.

I shook my head and crossed my arms over my chest; the laughter still bubbling over; "Well look who it is..." I eyed the black cat lounging on my bed; "Hello, Mortem."

Yes, Thanatos was in the exact same form he'd been the first time he came to my house.

A large, furry, black cat.

I chuckled and rolled my eyes as he stretched out and purred; "Really? Are we having this argument again? Get off the white bedding, you asshole."

Thanatos just meowed loudly and stared at me with the closest thing to what a cat's smirk could look like. I tapped my foot against the wooden floor; "I'm serious. Besides, I'm not into beastiality..."

That made him laugh, but it sounded more like a series of oddly loud meows. I snickered and turned to turn off the light. Just as the switch flicked down and I turned back around, my eyes landed on a much more recognizable pair of red eyes.

Thanatos was lounging on my bed on his side, his head resting on his arm and a wide smirk plastered to his face. He looked smug as his deep voice vibrated through the dark room; "I thought you were a cat person?"

I chuckled and walked over to the other side of the bed, his eyes following me; "I am, but you're more demonic than feline."

Thanatos laughed and turned to face me as I scooted in under the cold covers; "Come on! Admit it! I'm adorable as a cat..."

"Yeah, yeah..." I pulled him closer, the heat from his body too far away for me to enjoy; "Cuddle me and stop talking crap."

Thanatos snuggled in next to me, pulling the duvet up to his shoulders and wrapping me up in his strong arms. I nestled against his bare chest; the black, coarse hair tickling my cheek. "Happy now?"

"Almost." I lifted my lips up and closed my eyes, a sly smile forming on my pouted mouth.

Thanatos chuckled, the tremor sending a shiver up my back. He leaned down to place a soft and tender kiss on my pursed lips. He spoke against them, warming them with his hot breath; "Anything else?"

"Hmm..." I lowered my head back down to his chest and nuzzled closer to him, letting him tighten his hold. "Maybe a bedtime story."

Thanatos inhaled a deep breath and buried his nose in my hair, along with a few sugary kisses. "Let's see... What fairytale haven't I turned into a childhood-ruining disaster?"

I giggled with my eyes closed and imagining what could possibly be better than this? Thanatos' feet stroked against mine, his hairy legs immediately warming mine. "What about Goldilocks and the three washed out game show hosts?"

Thanatos laughed loudly, clearly not caring that my parents' room was right next door. I guess he'd made my room soundproof or something- I couldn't really be bothered at the moment. He was far too comfortable...

"Tempting, but no." Thanatos' fingers played with my wet hair, unknotting it as they went; "What about 'The princess and the pe-'"

"I swear, if you say penis!" I laughed and smacked his arm, bringing my head up to playfully glare at him.

Thanatos gasped loudly and his eyes shot up in mock surprise; "Aurora! Is that what you think of me?"

I rolled my eyes way back and dropped my head back down to his chest. Thanatos' smile was evident in his tone; "As I was saying, 'The princess and the pe- dammit! No, I'm sorry, but I can't top 'penis'. That's brilliant."

I smirked into his warmth; "Fine. I'll allow you to use my genius."

"Wait! I have one! I'll tell you the classic story of Aladdin and the genie's lamp."

"Ohh!" I smiled broadly; "My favourite!"

"But it has a slight twist..."

I lifted my brow and raised my eyes to meet his; "I'm listening..."

Thanatos' smile turned seductive, his red eyes deepening into a sexy black filled with lust. His fingers in my hair started to massage my head, pressing down on the tender areas with precision.

I parted my lips as he leaned down to huskily growl against the side of my mouth. "It's not the genie's lamp that will require a thorough rub down."

I giggled as his hard stubble grazed my cheeks, leaving the hair on the back of my neck standing its end. "Will I get three wishes?"

"That depends on how well you rub..."

Casually, my hand stroked down his bare chest and to the border of his black briefs. They were tight; his need already hard and ready to be stroked down. I slipped my hand underneath, causing a low moan to escape his mouth. Thanatos' eyes shut in pleasure.

My smirk grew with confidence as I kneaded him hard; "Then I guess I'll just have to put some effort into it."

"Hmm..." Thanatos hummed and muttered, his voice growing huskier by the second; "Keep doing this and I'll give you every fucking wish you can think of..." I squeezed hard and Thanatos groaned; "Twice."

We were seated on the deck of a very popular restaurant in Caneyville. The Pier restaurant was famous for its delicious crayfish and wholesome seafood platters. Naturally, it was my mother's favourite- she couldn't get enough of fish and fresh oysters.

I laughed as she and Thanatos eyed the last oyster on the ice-covered silver tray in the centre of the wooden table. We sat outside under a large umbrella, the ocean air crisp and fresh and the sun hot.

My mother laughed and gestured to Thanatos to go ahead; "You can have it, Thane. I won't deny I've had about ten already."

"No, no!" Thanatos chuckled and pushed the tray closer to my mother across from him, "Please, I insist."

My father and I grinned knowingly at each other; my mother couldn't say no to an oyster.

She smiled and hesitated slightly, but quickly her resolve broke; "Okay, fine!"

Thanatos laughed and handed her a slice of lemon and some black pepper. I brought the icy glass of white wine to my lips and took a generous sip. The smooth flavour swam down my throat, leaving me a little bit cooler in this hot weather.

It might've been winter here at the coast, but that rarely spoiled a Sunday afternoon. The sun clearly didn't care...

Thanatos and my father each had a large beer mug in their hand, the rim wet with condensation and water droplets dripping down the sides. Thanatos took a big gulp and shot me a smile as he filled up my wine glass with some more ice.

My mother's eyes popped up and widened, but her mouth was still full of oyster, so it took us a few seconds to figure out that she was trying to tell us that the food had arrived.

The waitress smiled as she placed our orders on the table, the white plates filled with a delicious buttery and lemon sauce. Thanatos licked his lips as our seafood platter for two landed on the table. I giggled and quickly stole a piece of calamari before he could grab a fork. Thanatos tried to slap away my hand, but I was too quick for him.

My father laughed as he dug into his salmon; "Seems you two need a platter for four..."

"It's not my fault Thane eats like he's having triplets." I smiled and ignored Thanatos' side glare; "I need to grab what I can before it's gone..."

"Well..." Thanatos laughed; "Life is about survival of the fittest."

"True!" My father chuckled as a piece of salmon hung from his fork; "And you watch her-" He pointed to me with the salmon; "She's a sneaky one. Never leave your food unattended."

"I'm hurt!" I tried to act as offended as I could, but the smile on my face was fairly obvious. My mother laughed as she bit into her crayfish.

"Don't pretend!" Thanatos grinned down at me from the side; "I think I know you by now..."

My mom's voice was playful as she spoke; "Did you know she used to eat grass when she was young?"

"Mom!" I exclaimed and shot her an embarrassed look. Thanatos laughed loudly, his smile too angelic to be real; "What?"

"Yes! And I think at one stage you used to love eating uncooked pasta..." She eyed me with a smile, doing her motherly duty of embarrassing me in front of my boyfriend.

I blushed and took a sip of my wine, ignoring Thanatos' bubbling laughter. "Do tell more!"

"There is no more! I was a pretty normal and boring kid, okay?" I grumbled, but my small smile remained.

My dad shook his head; "Darling, I don't think normal toddlers have a pet garden snail."

That really caused Thanatos to laugh out loud! He nearly choked on a piece of prawn as he doubled over, my mother holding her hand in front of her mouth to stop her from spraying her wine everywhere. I myself couldn't hold in the laughter.

"Hey!" I giggled; "Leave Frederick the snail out of this!"

"You named him?" Thanatos asked, his smile huge.

"Don't tell me you didn't have a weird or imaginary friend when you were young?"

He giggled and his eyes dropped down in admittance. "Uh... Well-"

"You see!" I chuckled, "What was it?"

He opened his mouth to say, but hesitated a bit; his smile suddenly shy; "It wasn't really a 'friend' more of I had an unhealthy obsession with it. I carried it around everywhere and wouldn't let it out of my sight."

"What was it? A blanket?" My mother's eyes lit up with interest. I leaned in too.

I noticed something immediately- Thanatos' smile faded slightly and a look of realisation crossed over his eyes. He closed his mouth and smile politely, but not with earnest. Something was wrong, but no one else seemed to notice.

I knew his childhood wasn't ideal. I wondered then whether talking about it at lunch was such a good idea...

"Um... Yeah. A blanket." He laughed falsely; "How did you know, Denise?"

My mother laughed, clearly missing his blatant lie. "Aurora used to have a favourite pillow back in the day. I thought it might be something like that."

He merely smiled and changed the subject to something else, but I could sense his lingering discomfort. This was no time to ask him though, so I left it for the time being.

After our meal we had another drink and finished up.

On our way to the cars, I quickly spoke up, the convertible's keys already in my hand; "I think I'm going to show Thane around town a bit- we'll be back home later."

"Sounds good! Try the local museum! They have a great harbour exhibit." My father smiled and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. We waved as they left in the large rover.

I quickly unlocked the car and we both climbed in, Thanatos turning to clasp on his seatbelt. I covered his hand with mine and his gold eyes shot up with surprise- his mind was clearly far off.

"You okay?"

He nodded quickly; "Of course." He smiled; "Where are we off to?"

"Thanatos..." I tilted my head and waited for him to put away the mask. It was only me now- no one else. He could be honest.

Thanatos sighed and fixed his head to the front; "Aurora, I'm not in the mood."

That angered me. "Fine." I rolled my eyes and started up the car. With a silent hurricane forming in my head, I reversed the car back and drove out of the parking lot, the ocean view right next to us as we drove along the sea lane.

Thanatos looked at me from the side, his eyes filled with regret. He sighed and shouted over the noise, the convertible's roof down and making it hard to hear anything but the waves and the wind; "Don't be like that!"

"Me?" I shot him a glare; "Oh sure, I'm the unreasonable one."

"Look!" He said loudly and rolled his eyes; "Can we talk about this later?"

"I said fine, didn't I?"

"Yes, but you also look like you're about to throw me out the car."

"I might..." I muttered over the rush.

Thanatos furrowed his brows; "Huh?"

"Nothing. Let's just forget it." I turned on the radio and put the volume on high, ignoring his questioning gaze.

I'm not sure why I got so annoyed with his closed-off behaviour, but at some point I'd thought he'd trust me by now. Then again, I was probably over thinking it and we were both in the wrong.

I knew it was hard for him, but I expected a little more openness by now.

Thanatos left me to stew and we didn't speak the whole drive through.

Later that evening, after spending the night at my house, barbequing with my father's work colleagues and business partners, we headed up to bed.

Thanatos was too exhausted and perhaps a little too tipsy to care about formalities as we reached the top of the stairs. He just flicked his hand, casting a spell on my room to soundproof it and to prevent anyone from entering, before he lazily pulled open the door and crashed onto the bed.

His charm for the night was all but used up. My father had boasted about 'Thane' all night long. Thanatos had to grin from ear to ear and listen to about fifty different court cases and give his opinion on each. My father's friends loved him, offering him a position at their firm left-right-and-centre.

If Thanatos ever thought about giving up this whole 'Death deity' thing he'd make a damn fine lawyer.

I couldn't help but smile at him as I switched off the light and shimmied out of my cotton shirt and jeans. I lazily threw them over the desk chair and unclasped my bra, leaving it on the floor.

Thanatos moaned softly as I jumped onto his back and wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing a kiss onto his dark hair. He chuckled; "Please tell me you're naked."

I laughed; "Almost..."

He turned around and squashed me under his back, I wiggled to get out, but he quickly threw himself around and pushed me back down with a smile. His lips found my breasts; "Hmm..."

"Thanatos!" I giggled and tried to get free as he smiled against my naked chest. The feeling of his playful kisses undeniably good and relaxing. I sighed and leaned my head back, letting him have his way.

Thanatos noticed that I'd stopped struggling and lifted his head to grin up at me. "Giving up so easily?"

I lifted an eyebrow at the ceiling, a small smile crawling up to my lips; "Or just biding my time..."

"Till what exactly?" He laughed and scooted up closer to my face, his red eyes filled with exhaustion and content.

"Till you pass out from all that wine."

He scoffed; "I had like five glasses."

"Glasses?" I laughed; "You mean five bottles!"

"Are you calling me a drunkard?" His hands flew down to my sides and in a fit of left over energy, he began to tickle me. I screamed in laughter and tried to pry his hands from my stomach, but Thanatos refused to let go.

"No! No! Stop!" I laughed so hard, a hiccup escaped my mouth; "I'm sorry! I take it back!"

"Now say 'I'm so sorry, my darling sweetheart; I never mean to contradict you'..."

I scoffed as Thanatos eyed me with a playful smirk. I sighed and beckoned him closer with my finger. He cautiously leaned in, his expression filled with distrust. I whispered; "I'll only say that if you give me a massage."

Thanatos chuckled, his hot breath tender against my skin; "Deal."

"I'm so sorry my darling sweetheart; I never meant to contradict you." I smiled up at him with sheer false politeness. Thanatos laughed under his breath and turned me around, the soft duvet of the bed smooth against my skin.

"You see; compromise." I giggled at his cute tone. His smile was blinding.

I closed my eyes in blissful ease and tucked my arms under my chin as Thanatos' hands found my bare back. He positioned himself until he was straddling my lower body, his fingers digging into the tender joints on my back.

I groaned as some pressure was released, leaving my muscles sore, but oh so satisfied.

Thanatos pushed my hair to the side and grazed his large hands down my back, savouring the sensation. The room was quiet for a bit, the balcony door partly closed to block out some of the winter chill.

My mind naturally drifted back to today's lunch at The Pier restaurant and Thanatos and my argument. After we'd gotten to the museum, we'd left our morose moods in the car and decided that it wasn't worth it to ruin what little time we had here. We spent the rest of the day ignoring the unresolved dispute.

I hesitated bringing it up, but I didn't want it to go unspoken about. Neither of us were the type to let things simmer.

"Sorry about earlier..." I said softly, my eyes focused on the moving curtains; "I shouldn't have pressed so much."

Thanatos' hands froze for a split second, but he quickly recovered; "No, I'm sorry. I don't know why I keep shutting you out. I suppose it's a bit of a habit." Thanatos sighed softly; "And it is your business."

I smiled into the sheets. He really was awfully considerate for someone who's never had the chance to love. "To be honest..." He continued, his tone fading slightly and dipping down to a shy level. "I'm a bit ashamed of the truth."

I twisted my head to peer up at him, catching his eye; "Thanatos, you know I'll never judge you for anything."

He smiled down at his hands on my back as they kneaded my skin; "It's not that- it's the fact that the truth would probably have made your mother change her mind about me in a split-second."

"I'm guessing it wasn't a blanket then?" I chuckled, knowing full-well that it definitely wasn't. Thanatos scoffed softly, but his smile was wide as my laugh spread to him.

He shook his head while he focused on his fingers working on a knot in my shoulder blade. "It was my father's dagger."

My eyebrows lifted up in surprise, but all-in-all it wasn't actually as bad as I'd expected it to be. "A dagger?"

He nodded; "He left it out one day when he was visiting us for a few days. I found it in his weapon's room, even though I was never allowed to go in there. Nyx didn't really care."

A mother laughing at her little boy playing with a god's sharp blade flashed across my mind- how I loathed that vile woman. I wanted to skin her and see for myself the dark black hole that lay at her centre.

"I tucked it away, knowing he'd disappear again until I could barely remember the sound of his deep voice. I think I even slept with it for a good couple of years. Hypnos hated it."

"Your obsession with the dagger or that your father was always away for so long?"

Thanatos thought for a bit, his eyes foggy; "Both."

"It's normal, you know..." I said, trying to make him feel less like a freak. It really was normal in a lot of ways; "It's like with Frederick. The snail was dead within the first week, but I guess as a child you just hold onto stuff that feel safe and familiar. It's not your fault for wanting their approval. It's only natural for children to seek their parents' love."

Thanatos rubbed my shoulder and slowly laid down next to me on the bed, his head resting on his arm. I found his eyes with a smile. He was looking at me with that familiar glint- he was curious about something; "How long did you keep him as a pet?"

I laughed; "I can't remember! Maybe like a month and then I got bored..." I ran a finger down his cheek, watching it trace his jaw; "I used to get so fixated on the weirdest things when I was little."

Thanatos smirked, his smouldering eyes swimming in mine; "You still do..."

I scoffed and he laughed, but tried to press his point. He gestured to himself and nodded his head with wide eyes; "Exhibit A."

I laughed loudly- it really was attractive when a man could make you forget about your worries and just laugh till you cried. He was really very good at it.

"Don't tell Hypnos, but Trita used to carry around a doll's head when she was four."

Thanatos laughed, his mouth open in surprise; "Really? That's so morbid!"

"I know! The kindergarten teacher used to be afraid of her for a bit- she went through a rough patch with her parents' divorce."

He nodded, as if empathising with the young girl who used to cry for everything and hug me till I was blue; "Poor girl... Well, at least she had you and Sonya."

I smiled, letting old memories fill my thoughts. I wonder if back then I'd ever believe myself if someone told me that one day I'd be a goddess, I could do magic and save lives? I don't think so. I think at that stage all I ever saw myself do was sit at the beach and look at the stars.

How funny life tends to twist and turn, even when you map it out...

"And you had Hypnos." I smiled. Thanatos nodded, but his stare was distant. "You never really told me about him, you know."

Thanatos furrowed his thick eyebrows in question; "Who? Hypnos?"

"No," I shook my head, letting the silence of the room fill my answer, but Thanatos remained confused. I whispered; "Erebus."

The mere mention of the name caused Thanatos to shiver. I noticed the goosebumps on his skin immediately. I pretended not to notice and instead kept my eyes trained on his. It frightened me; the fact that something could scare even death himself. He shrugged; "What's there to tell?"

I nodded, not wanting a repeat of today. I knew talking about Nyx was hard, but it seems Erebus was an entirely different ball game.

Thanatos might hate (or as close to hate for his mother as he could manage) Nyx and he might not have any respect for her, but I could see Erebus was something else. It's like Thanatos wanted to salute whenever the name was spoken; like a soldier. Did he have respect and fear for him, or only fear?

Love? I doubt it? But who knows...

"Right, let's get to bed." I yawned and pulled the duvet from the top corner and quickly scurried my way under the covers; "You're talking me somewhere special tomorrow and I'm really hoping it isn't somewhere snowy. I packed about-"

"You're right." His words cut me off, even more so than his sudden sad expression; "I'm doing it again."

I paused, unsure of whether or not to ask him about it or just let him speak. I left it alone. Thanatos opened his mouth, his deep voice unfamiliarly child-like; "I shut you out. Look-"He scooted in next to me, building a fire with his body heat under the duvet; "I've only ever trusted Hypnos with my issues and secrets, because he's the only person I've ever loved. And that sounds weird to say, but it's true. I didn't want to have anyone else close to me like that- knowing my past like he does; until I met you..."

I smiled softly and pressed myself into his welcoming chest. Thanatos kissed my head; "I'll tell you anything you want to know. Everything. These next few days- nothing is off the table."

"Really?"

"I promise."

I nodded, my heart filling with glee at the thought of finally learning a bit more about him and his crazy and long life. I was excited, but we were both exhausted. Tomorrow was another big day, so I squeezed his hand and cuddled up into him; "Tomorrow then, you can tell me anything you want to."

"Goodnight, my angel."

"Sweet dreams, Snookims." I giggled and ignored his grumble.

Who said an old dog can't learn new tricks?

More insight on Thanatos' childhood and his dark father. Two elements that may be very important later on...

NEXT UPDATE- 11th of February

Can you guys where Thanatos is taking Aurora? I'll give you a hint- it's mentioned briefly in book 1 (^.^)