Sherrilyn Kenyon - Acheron

She licked her lips at the heat that pounded through her veins. "I'm still feeling rather… perky from that feeding. And honestly, Papa Smurf, you look good enough to eat."

Ash could barely breathe as she sank to the floor in front of him and opened his fly. She looked up at him, her eyes bright with love an instant before she took him into her mouth.

All reason flew out of his head as he watched her tease and lick. "You've been reading your book again, haven't you?"

She laughed and the sensation of her throat vibrating around him was more than he could stand. Before he could stop himself, his body released. Ash leaned back against the wall as his body spasmed. Honestly, it was one of the best he'd ever had and the fact that she didn't pull away from him only made it sweeter.

Until he realized what he'd done. Then he cursed at his stupidity while he waited for her to let him have it. "I didn't mean to, Tory. I should have warned you."

She scowled up at him as she zipped his pants. "Warned me about what?"

He looked away, unable to meet her gaze. "I normally have more control. I promise I'll give you time to pull away in the future."

Tory rose up and turned his chin until he met her gaze. "Ash, there is nothing about you that I find disgusting. Nothing. Not your eyes. Not your funky blue body. And especially not something that I initiated. In fact, I love the way you taste and I like it that you lost control. It means I'm doing it right."

Cupping her cheek, he nuzzled her cheek, delighting in the smoothness of her skin against his. "You're too good to be true."

"You only say that 'cause there's no hammer around."

He laughed and dipped his head to nuzzle her neck. "I'm so grateful you don't find me repulsive anymore."

She teased his ear with her fingers. "Just remember to always warn me before you drop fang on me again."

He looked at her with a frown. "Drop fang?"

She smiled playfully. "Yeah, it's a term from the vampire series L.A. Banks writes. You should read her books sometime. They're great."

"With an endorsement like that, how could I refuse? But first, I think we need to read more of this Tickle Pickle book of yours."

She laughed until pickles made her think of food. "Hey, does the blood thing mean I can't eat anymore?"

"No, Tory," he teased. "You just don't have to eat real food. You can taste it, but it won't quench the blood hunger. That you'll have to feed every couple of weeks."

"Or I turn into Mrs. Smurf?"

He laughed. "No. Only I do that. You'll just turn into…"

"What?"

"I was thinking of Simi's term. A bitch-goddess."

She punched playfully at his stomach. "Don't you ever call me that! You evil man."

Ash sobered as he realized the way they were playing and bantering. Not once in all of his life had he been so at ease with anyone. She knew everything about him.

Everything.

And none of it mattered to her. His past was nothing.

But she was his future.

Taking her hand, he led her to his bed where he intended to make love to her for the rest of the day. He kissed her as he dissolved their clothes and placed her in the bed. "I love you, Soteria."

Tory rolled him over, wrapped her long, lean body against his and held him close. " Sagapo , Achimou. Sagapo ."

Her Greek warmed him as the hairs at the juncture of her thighs teased his stomach and made his body start to harden again. " Agapay , Sota."

Tory frowned up at him. " Agapay ?"

He nodded. "Atlantean for I love you. Sota is the Atlantean endearment for your name."

Tory loved the sound of that, especially the way it rolled off his tongue in that sexy, lilting accent of his, and she loved most that he was sharing his language with her. "What would an endearment of your name be?"

"Acho."

" Agapay , Acho."

He toyed with her hair as he smiled down at her. "I always hated Atlantean, but not when you speak it."

She couldn't imagine why, given how beautiful it was. She could listen to him speak it all day and when he did-watch out. It made her extremely hot.

Nipping his shoulder made her wonder something else. "Out of curiosity, how many languages do you know?"

"I'm a god, Tory. I know all of them. And when you come into contact with them, you will too."

"Now that's impressive." She bit her lip in glee and then her eyes widened. "Ooo and I have another thought. You're omniscient, right?"

"For the most part, yes."

"Then you have to tell me this 'cause I have to know. What's at the end of everything?"

He shrugged. "That's easy enough."

"Then tell me."

"The letter G."

Groaning, Tory hit him in the head with a pillow. "You're rotten, Achimou. For that, you get a tongue lashing." She rolled him over until he was under her.

Ash sucked his breath in as she encircled his nipple with her tongue. Now this was the kind of tongue lashing a man could look forward to. "What else can I do to piss you off?"

She nipped at his ribs. "You can leave me."

He sobered with the thought. "I would never do that, Tory. No one can live without their heart and that's what you are to me."

Tory lay down over him and held him close. Until another horrible thought occurred to her. She tensed and pushed herself up so that she could meet his gaze. "Wait, Ash… doesn't Artemis own your soul?"

"No. I'm not really a Dark-Hunter. Unlike them, I didn't willingly give my soul to her. She used my powers to trick me and brought me back against my will. But because I'm a god, she couldn't take my soul from me. I've always had it"

"But you had the bow and arrow mark." Which wasn't on his body at present.

"Only because I didn't want the other Dark-Hunters to know I wasn't one of them. I just wanted them to treat me like I was normal. It's the same reason I have fangs whenever they're around even though they recede unless I'm about to feed."

She propped her head up in her hand and made circles over his chest. "You know you don't have to be normal around me, right?"

"I know."

"Good."

And for the rest of the night, Ash took his time making love to her. Showing her exactly how much she meant to him and how much he treasured her.

It was just after midnight when she finally fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. His body fully sated, Ash covered her with a blanket before he left the bed and dressed himself in black leather pants and a long VG Cat Rat Flail T-shirt. Pulling his long coat over it, he flashed himself from New Orleans to Mount Olympus.

For once he didn't go to see Artemis. Instead he made his way over to the temple of the Fates. The moment he set foot in the foyer, Atropos, Clotho and Lachesis appeared to block him from the rest of their domain. Not that they could. As the Final Fate, he ruled them and they knew it.

"What are you doing here?" Clotho asked, her voice high-pitched from her nervousness.

"I wanted to speak to you."

"About what?"

He looked at Atropos who was tall and blond and who absolutely hated him with a passion he'd never understood. In that moment, he allowed her to see every ounce of fury inside him. "You ever sever the thread for Soteria's life again and there's no power in existence that will keep me from tearing your throat out. The three of you have screwed me over for the last time. In all these centuries, I've left you alone. Now, I'm warning you to return the favor because the next time you tamper with my fate, I will end yours."

The fear on their faces told him that they understood and had taken his point to heart. Good.

He was through playing games. When it came to Soteria, he had no sense of humor whatsoever. Anyone who threatened her, ended their own life.

It was that simple.