Eros (Contemporary Mythos Book 4)

E R O S

It wasn’t often a mortal could surprise me, but time and again, they threw me for a whirl, and Elani was a straight tornado. So much passion in such a compact body, and she strangled it at every waking moment without even realizing it. Not to mention how she managed to make me feel. Me. The god of passion himself brought to his knees in far more ways than one. She had no idea the power she had over me.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this antsy. Nervous? Excited? Scared? I wasn’t even sure how to categorize it. The days spent waiting drove me insane, but with Elani, patience really was a damn virtue. I’d waited on the kiss even though I knew it’d break the spell, waited on sex, revealing my wings, telling her she was my soulmate. And now I’d wait for her to discover herself—or not. I’d have to deal with that too. Regardless of what happened, I’d let none of it affect her. None. She deserved that much.

“Hello? Earth to bartender?” A woman sitting at the bar screeched, leaning forward to purposely give me a bird’s eye view of her cleavage.

This wouldn’t be the first time as of late the customers caught me staring into space, drying an already dry glass. If any further proof needed to be said of Elani and me, a mortal able to frazzle a Greek god had to be the clincher.

“Sorry.” I plastered one of my trademark grins, knowing it deepened the dimple in my cheek. “What can I get you?”

She swiveled her hips and twirled her hair, seductively biting down on her lower lip as she scanned my face, my chest.

It was way too easy to tell when someone had the hots for me—women and men alike. It almost seemed unfair, knowing I had that advantage over them. I’d be lying to myself if I said I didn’t take advantage of it in the past, but now it felt like a mundane nuisance. There’s a quote from Adlai Stevenson, “Flattery is all right so long as you don’t inhale.” Well, the air recently smelled like dogshit if the words were coming from anywhere else but her.

“A mimosa and your number.” She licked the corner of her glossy lips as she slid me a cocktail napkin.

I dropped my chin with a snarky smile, glancing at the napkin before lifting my gaze through hooded lids. “A mimosa I can do. And as far as phone numbers are concerned, you’d be better off getting his.” I pointed behind her at a man fresh out of law school and sporting his first of many newly bought Armani suits.

They wouldn’t be the others forever. They would, however, teach each other what not to do when they found their partners. Some people could handle meeting and marrying their first love with no one in between, while others needed molding—to gain experience.

One look at him, and her jaw hit the floor. As she stood, she primped herself, pulling at the hem of her skintight dress as if it could get longer. I went to work making her drink but had a feeling I’d be tossing it in the drain.

A woman cleared her throat behind me.

“I’ll be with you in a moment.”

“I really think you’re going to want to hear this.”

I recognized that voice. “Alex?”

“The one and only.” She held an envelope and thrust it at me, violently shaking it until I took it from her.

“Do I want to ask what this is?”

She rolled her large eyes. “Just open it.”

Elani’s handwriting.

Sweat misted my forehead as I read the letter.

Eros,

I have something to tell you, but I thought you deserved more than just a few simple words. You’ve spent eons giving mortals their “Happily Ever After” but haven’t thought about yourself in a long time. If you’re my forever, then you deserve the best. Your first stop should be my favorite coffee shop. If you don’t know what that is—head two blocks west from the bar. I’m pretty sure you’ll know it when you see it.

Xoxo

Elani

“She’s doing a scavenger hunt. How freaking adorable is that? And this is coming from me.” Alex pointed at herself with a snort.

Alex may come off as a harsh woman with her dark humor, but she couldn’t fool me. It was a defense mechanism on her part. A wall that’d take an exceptional guy to beat down with a damn Warhammer.

“The Duchess of Darkness, you mean?”

She gasped and clapped a hand to her chest. “That is probably one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. I think we’ll keep you.”

I tapped the letter on the bar top. “I should go.”

“Yes, you should. But one quick question—” She motioned with her hand for me to get closer.

Obliging with a quirked brow, I leaned forward.

“Your wings when you—” She air-humped. “You know—”

Her mentioning my wings made them itch and burn at my back. The sight of Elani underneath me, staring up at them with the same affection she had when she looked at me without them. I grimaced, swallowing away the discomfort. There was no way in Tartarus I’d stop to set them free when the woman I loved was somewhere nearby, ready to spend eternity with me. At least…I hoped that was the case.

“I could put you in touch with Hermes?” He and Alex would butt heads at first but soon realize they’re forged from the same mold. Cunning. Clever. Sneaky. And most of all? Smartasses.

Her mouth snapped shut. “The messenger god?”

“His wings are on his shoes, sure, but just as capable.” I winked at her. A genuine wink that I couldn’t perform with Elani in any proximity—a reaction only my soulmate was capable of stirring in me.

“I—” She sat up straight, her plump lips parting.

I patted her head. “You think about it and let me know. I think you two would hit it off.”

Hopping over the bar, I motioned to the backup bartender, Susie. “Cover for me, would you?”

Not waiting for an answer, I hurried outside. As I walked the two blocks she instructed, I read the letter another three times, smiling like a lovestruck teen. My heart raced. Actually thudded against my chest. The last time I’d felt this anxious was when I helped Bellerophon defeat the Chimera.

The red hearts and bows stood out like a beacon—Cupid’s Corner. I was a part of her before either of us knew the other existed. The Fates. Those women never ceased to amaze me. I grimaced at the chubby pale-haired cherub holding a coffee mug, hovering over the word “corner.” Romans. Why they’d insisted on depicting me as an eternal kid, I never got. And I wasn’t even blonde.

Entering the shop, I gawked at the slew of Valentine’s-themed decorations. For a woman who claimed to scoff at the concept of love, you’d think the sight of it would make her internally scream. My Elani. I shook my head as I approached the counter.

Two teenage boys flipped through their phones, leaning on the back counter. One spotted me and swatted the other in the stomach.

“Ow. What?”

I thinned my lips and gave an awkward wave as they both stared at me.

“You must be him. Eric?”

She really did have this all planned out.

“That’s me.”

He produced another envelope from his apron and slid it to me with a grin. “We know Elani pretty well. Comes in here almost every day.”

The other kid nodded emphatically. “We’re happy she found someone.”

“Yeah.” I unfolded the paper. “Me too.”

Eros,

Isn’t it crazy? I’ve been going to this coffee shop for years and couldn’t find myself going anywhere else. I like to think it was my “psyche” –get it? 😉 trying to guide me to you. There’s a band in town that shares your lineage. You’ll find the next clue with the lead singer. Also, it may not kill you to apologize either? 🙂

Xoxo

Elani

I winced. There was only one band with one person she could think I owed any form of an apology.

This was for her.

I’d done crazier things for my own damn mother in the past.

“Thanks, fellahs.” I waved at them as I sprinted for the door.

“Make sure you kiss her,” one of them yelled at my back.

The Phoenix Concert Theater came into view, and I tried not to crumple the letter in my hand at the thought of Apollo’s shit-eating grin, knowing full well the ball would be entirely in his court. Given the time of day, I guessed they’d be rehearsing before the night’s later performance. As soon as my palm hit the swinging door, a man the size of a hydra pressed against my chest.

“We’re closed to the public currently, sir,” the man’s baritone voice barked.

“I know the singer. We’re—” I ground my teeth. “Related.”

The man slid his glasses down his nose, eyeing me over them. “You’d understand why I’d need to confirm this before letting you into the theater?”

You love her. You love her. You’re the god of passion, godsdammit. This is nothing.

“Of course.” I forced a smile. “Tell Ace, Wings is here to see him.”

Knowing this asshole, he’d say he had no idea who “Eric” was, and I was already antsy making Elani wait as long as I already had.

The man gave a firm nod and disappeared. The passing minutes felt like hours as I paced a square in the red carpet, repeatedly scratching the stubble on my chin and neck. The guard’s head poked out, and he motioned with his hand for me to follow.

When I rounded the corner, Apollo leaned on a nearby wall, tossing an envelope from one hand to the other. “Well, well, well. Look who it is.”

Irritation roared in the back of my throat, but I mentally beat it into submission. “I’m here because of Elani, so let’s not make this into any more than what it is.”

“She’s a keeper, that one. Funny though, I’m supposed to be all family-like over this, given your involvement in my past love life.” He arched a brow and dangled the envelope between two fingers like a writhing worm on a hook.

“Don’t be a prick, Sunshine. She’s waiting for me.” I held my hand out, clenching my teeth so hard my molars groaned.

Apollo snapped the letter away and wagged his finger. “She told me there are two magic words for you to say to release this clue from my vice-like grip.”

I blew a puff of air from my nostrils like a bull seeing red. “I’m—” Elani’s smile invaded my mind. The way she writhed underneath me when she came, crying out my name—my true name. “Sorry.”

“Was that so hard?” He slapped the envelope into my outstretched palm.

“I still think you’re a prick.”

He folded his arms with a smirk. “Good. Because I still think you’re a pansy. Just because we’ve come to a mutual understanding doesn’t mean we have to like each other.”

“See ya around,” I said, shaking my head and turning away.

“Wings.”

I cocked a brow at him over my shoulder.

“I recently went through this with Laurel. The ambrosia can be pretty intense. Be there for her.” Apollo rubbed the back of his neck.

“Are you really trying to give me love advice, Sunshine?” I tapped the envelope against my knuckles with a half-grin.

Apollo smirked and waved me off. “Go get her, asshole.”

As I neared the doorway, a woman’s voice said to Apollo, “Who was that?” I could only assume the voice belonged to Laurel but was too focused ahead of me to turn around.

“Oh, just a Cherub on a mission,” Apollo replied.

I paused for a fraction of a second with my hand on the door handle. In the past, I would’ve stormed back, kept talking shit with the sun god, but no. He did have one thing right…I was on a mission.

Once outside and alone, I read:

Eros,

I know that was probably hard for you. But just know, I’m so incredibly proud of the man you’ve become, and it made this decision that much easier.

I could’ve made this hunt longer, but honestly, I don’t know how much longer I can wait. I’m probably jumping in circles right about now.

I chuckled to myself, imagining her bobbing around with her hands pinned at her sides.

So, you’ll find me where vessels rest sheltered. And please hurry.

Xxxxxooooo

Your Elani

I wanted nothing more than to fly to her. The modern world could be a real pain in the ass sometimes. Mainly because the idea of magic, supernatural power, immortality—nobody believed it anymore. Little did the world know how much of every fairytale and fable they’ve read existed. Keeping my wings hidden for the better part of any day, week, month—was like denying I had two legs.

As I neared the harbor, I spotted her in the distance, hugging her jacket around her as the wind whipped through her dark hair. The setting sun brought out the auburn that only showed when the light was just right. My chest tightened at the mere sight of her. I took one step forward, and she turned around as if she could sense my presence. And she could if she—believed it.

My quick steps turned into a run, and she sprinted to meet me halfway down the dock. She leaped, and I caught her, wrapping her legs around my waist.

“This is quite the surprise.” I slid my hands to her ass, squeezing it.

She pressed her forehead to mine, curling her arms around my neck. “You deserve it and so much more, Eros.”

Deserve. The word hit harder than I imagined it would.

Her lips brushed mine, soft as the skin behind her knee, and with a whisper of equal softness, she said, “I love you.”

A surge coursed through my body, striking every neuron on its way through. My grip tightened on her, and I winced.

She meant it.

“I love you, Elani.”

Tears filled her eyes. We said the words, no more need be said, so I kissed her. Before, my kisses were meant to bring a part of her she had buried deep to the surface—to experience all I represented, all of what I had to offer. But now, the kiss was simply for her—to take it the way she wanted, the way she needed. And I’d give it all.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to realize it. I feel like an i—” She started, but I silenced her with another kiss, the taste of salt from her tears mixing over our lips.

“None of that, Lani.” I ran my thumb over her bottom lip. “I’m just glad you didn’t make me wait a decade.” A wry grin pulled at my lips.

She smiled, making the skin below her eyes wrinkle. It didn’t take divine intuition to know she wanted to say something but held back.

“What is it?” I let her body slide down mine, lowering her to the wood planks beneath our feet.

“I’ve spent my entire life debunking love, bashing it, constantly coming up with excuses as to why there’s no possible way it existed because my fairytale—” She paused with a sniffle, tears filling her eyes.

I rubbed her back, not daring to interrupt her.

“My parents fell out of love.” She squeezed my arms. “But I was so hung up on them losing it that I failed to remember how it started. My sister, me—we’re both products of that love they shared whether it lasted or not.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks, and I swiped them away with my thumbs, a lump forming in my throat that I swallowed down.

“Men have come and gone, and year after year, I kept digging myself into this hole that love simply wasn’t possible.”

Too long, I’d spent my godly life screwing with mortal lives, making people infatuated with each other that I knew would only end in heartbreak. A knife twisted in my gut, knowing that if I’d met Elani too soon—if I’d met her hundreds of years ago—who’s to say I wouldn’t have done the same thing to her?

I pulled her against me, resting my chin on top of her head as I stroked her hair.

“But if humans themselves could build railways across the world, create vaccines to cure deadly diseases, explore the moon—” She pressed her hands to my chest and leaned back, beaming up at me with sparkling eyes. “Learn to fly without wings…then how could one simple emotion be so unobtainable?”

I traced my finger from one corner of her jaw to the other.

“You’re my impossible possibility, Eros. And I don’t want to let go of you for anything.”

My heart raced. “What are you saying?”

The water splashed near us, and a man’s head slowly appeared as he ascended the ladder.

“I have one more surprise.” She gave a peck to my nose.

“Poseidon?” I dumbly pointed at him.

His long dark blonde hair stuck to his soaked shirt, and he dragged a hand over his equally wet beard. “Ah. You recognize me. It’s been what, three hundred years?”

“At least.” I continued to point. “This isn’t your mortal guise.”

Elani bounced on her heels, wiggling her fingers at the sea god. “Hello again.”

“I was—in the middle of something when your darling girlfriend and your mom showed up and didn’t feel like changing back. Quite frankly, I miss the real me.”

I blinked several times as my mind whirled. “You talked to Aphrodite?”

“Yes?” Elani clasped her hands behind her back. “You’re not mad, are you?”

She made it hard to be angry with her. Hell, I couldn’t even get irritated with her before when we’d smack talk.

“No. I’m—surprised.” More on the fact my mother did something, anything, that wasn’t a direct benefit to herself.

“Did you swim the whole way here?” Elani gazed at Poseidon soaked from head-to-toe.

Poseidon stretched his arms above his head. “Gotta give the fins a workout once in a while.”

Elani leaned back, looking behind him as if she’d find a fishtail.

“You ready to get this show on the road?” Poseidon asked, scooping a piece of ambrosia from his pocket. The stone glowed and hummed, the light pulsing faster the closer he got to Elani.

My heart beat throttled into a gallop. “Wait. Elani, you really want to do this right now?”

She frowned, and it made my chest ache. “Why not?”

“I don’t want you to feel rushed.”

“Eros, I’ve waited my entire life for this. You’ve waited even longer. I’m done waiting. I want you. I want to share this godhood with you. And I want forever.”

I’d been wrong once about my soulmate—clouded by an immature, stubborn nature that I let my own mother’s magic fool me. The doubt it buried almost made me miss this too. Almost. But knowing it or not, Elani wouldn’t have let it happen.

“Alright.” I took her hands.

Poseidon wrapped a hand around Elani’s shoulder and arched a brow. “You ready?”

“Can you give us one moment?” She held up her purse with a warm smile.

Poseidon nodded and stepped away, giving us as much privacy as a dock would allow.

Elani pulled a cup with two handles from her purse, followed by a flask.

“You need a drink to go through with this, huh?” I flashed a grin.

She elbowed me in the ribs and poured some brown liquid into the cup.

“When I was little and pretending I married the warrior prince of my dreams, it always involved a Quaich.”

“I certainly hope I can live up to this warrior prince of yours.”

She playfully thwacked me in the stomach. We could be together for millennia, and this dynamic would never get old—friendship, love, lust, and jokes.

She held the cup between us with both handles. “Just like the Clan festival, it symbolizes a bond formed.” After taking a sip, never tearing her eyes away, she passed it to me.

I drank and kept her gaze, already imagining the passion she’d bring to the fold as a goddess of love. “We don’t have to say anything?”

A satiated smile pulled at her lips as she took the cup from my grasp. “In this case, no words are needed.”

Poseidon cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for butting in, but I’m going to have a furious woman on my hands if I don’t get back soon.” His brow shot up. “Are you ready?”

Elani gave a firm nod, keeping her gaze locked with mine and beaming.

Poseidon wrapped his hand over her shoulder. The power pulsed down his arm, swirling into her. Elani gasped, her grip tightening on my hands, and I held firm, keeping our eyes on each other. Fractals of light burst from her before disappearing and silencing. Her long eyelashes fluttered open, and she looked at me like a frightened dove.

“Was that it?”

She looked so confused, so bewildered. I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Did you expect it to hurt?”

“I don’t know what I was expecting, to be honest.”

Her skin glowed with a radiant pink sheen. She stared at the back of her hand, turning it left to right, mesmerized.

“You look gorgeous, Elani.” It was no exaggeration. She was the perfect sunset over a mountain valley.

“Don’t forget this.” Poseidon held out the ambrosia. “It’ll make you immortal.”

She held it between two fingers.

“You two good?” Poseidon beat his knuckles against his palm.

Elani smiled, balling a fist over the orange rock. “Never better.”

Poseidon punched me in the shoulder. “Good seein’ ya, kid.”

I smirked, ignoring the brief sting he left behind. “You too. Thanks for doing this.”

“Catch ya later,” he said before diving back into the water.

Now that I had her, I couldn’t get enough of touching her, smelling her. Pressing a hand to her lower back, I pulled her flush against me. “You set all of this up? For me?”

“You sound surprised.”

“Would you believe me if I told you I’m used to giving?” I kneaded her back.

She pressed her finger into the cleft in my chin, gaining back my attention. “Well, get used to it because I’m not nearly done giving you as much as I can give.”

As I kissed her, scents of honey and lilac tantalized my senses. She pulled away, lifting the ambrosia to her lips.

I gently snatched her wrist. “Wait.”

She blinked with the speed of a jackhammer. “If you’re going to tell me you’re backing out on this I—”

Shutting her beautiful trap, I covered her mouth with mine, kissing her. Twisting my fingers into her hair, I ported us to her favorite spot in the entire world.

As I pulled away, waiting for her eyes to open, I kept a hand pressed to her back. Not even a flock of harpies could make me let go of her.

“We—the fairy pools?” Her hands went limp at her sides, and I took the ambrosia from her.

“If we’re going to seal this deal, Elani, it seemed only fitting to do it in your favorite place.”

Her eyes sparkled with tears. “Can we go in the water?”

“Whatever you want.”

I led her into the water, allowing my powers to warm it, sending steamy spirals curling through the air. She moved in front of me, trailing her fingers through the water, making it glitter and glow. I cocked my head to the side, simply watching her discover her new self.

Extending her hand, dozens of fireflies flew from her fingertips, surrounding us like an ethereal halo of witnesses.

“You’re a quick learner.” I dragged a knuckle under her chin.

The water rippled, the glow intensifying as she pressed herself against me. “Like I said, Eros. Home.” She raised on the balls of her feet, clutching my shirt in her small hands. “You’re my home.”

Scooping her into my arms, I coaxed her legs around my waist and slipped the ambrosia past her lips. As her tongue brushed my skin, a growl escaped my throat, and I kissed her, keeping her tight against me with one hand while kneading the back of her neck with the other.

We continued to kiss through her transformation, sharing in the surge this time. Suddenly she pulled away, grimacing, and pushing against my chest. I let her slide back into the water, and she hunched forward, crying out in pain as she reached for her back.

It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. Fear. Anger. It all swirled through my mind and body, making my vision blur as I gripped her shoulders, forcing her to look at me. “Elani? What is it?”

“My back. Oh my—it burns so bad.” She dropped to her knees, the water rising to her chest.

Panic swarmed through me, and I dropped to my knees in front of her, dragging my hands over her shoulder blades. A breath caught in my throat, feeling the familiar bumps. With a grunt, I ripped her shirt open, and two wings sprung from her back, sending the shimmering water into a sea spray around us—pale pink, angelic wings nearly as wide as my own.

Wings. Like. Mine.

“Eros.” Her voice was small and distant.

“Yes?” I stared in awe. When Psyche had sprouted butterfly wings while becoming a goddess, I should’ve known then and there…she wasn’t her.

The feathers of Elani’s wings rustled as if answering me, berating me for being such a damned fool.

“Do I have wings?”

The wings flapped and went taut when she gasped.

“Yes.” I bit the inside of my mouth to keep from smiling at the adorably confused face she made.

She clamped her hands over her mouth after peeking over her shoulder to see them. “I can—I can fly now?”

Tracing one of my fingers over a vein, I snapped my gaze to her face to see her reaction. She bit down on her lower lip with a moan, and the wings bristled.

“This is like having another limb.”

“As much as you enjoy flying, and now you’ll be able to do it yourself.” I bumped a knuckle under her chin.

“Don’t think you’re getting off the hook.” Her wings folded back as she stood, moving forward until her bare chest rested in front of my face and her arms wrapped around my neck. “There’s something especially tantalizing about being in your arms amidst the clouds.”

I pressed my forehead between her breasts, breathing her in, staying on my knees in front of her. “The offer to take you up will never go away.” Lifting my gaze to meet hers, I gave one of her nipples a playful nip, smiling against her skin when she yelped. “There are also so many things we can do with two sets of wings, sweetheart.” I kissed one breast, then the other, playing the wicked thoughts coursing through my mind to my gaze.

She grinned down at me, pressing a hand on each side of my face and coaxing me to stand. “I’ve made a lot of questionable choices in my life. But this choice? No questions about it being the right one.”

“You said I was your impossible possibility, but Lani, as hard as it might be for you to believe, I’d given up on finding my soulmate a hundred years ago.” I kissed her forehead. “You’ve sparked life into an immortal. That’s no small feat.”

Tears filled her eyes again, and she kissed me, progressing into a frantic bout of pecks across my cheeks, over my eyes, and landing a final one on the cleft in my chin.

We’d spread love, passion, soul, and light to the masses while simultaneously giving it to each other. And when it was just the two of us, selfishly focusing on only us, we’d take to the skies and gaze on them from above.