“That isn’t the point,” he’d tried to argue.
“Then what is the point, Thanatos? That I will reincarnate one day, and you are too afraid to commit because of it?”
He hadn’t responded and she’d left. That had been their last conversation, so when the map had appeared on her table along with a lantern, she’d been both surprised and a little suspicious.
Truthfully, she was tired of yearning. She was done chasing.
It was Thanatos’s turn, and she couldn’t help hoping that maybe this was it. Maybe this was Thanatos chasing her.
Though as she trudged through the snow in the dark with only a lantern to light the way, she wondered if she’d made a wrong turn.
She paused to check the map again when her lantern went out.
Suddenly, she was in total darkness.
“Oh, fuck,” she said.
She moved in a circle. She wasn’t so far out that she couldn’t see the glow of Asphodel and the castle. She should probably go back and retrieve an actual, battery-operated light.
She took a single step when lights suddenly blazed from behind her. She turned to see glimmering strands of Christmas lights illuminating a path in front of her.
Excitement surged and her heart beat a little faster.
She followed the trail, twisting through the trees. It wasn’t long before she came to a clearing where the snow had been removed. There, Thanatos stood, a blanket and basket at his feet.
Lexa drew in a breath and held it.
“You made it,” he said.
She raised a brow. “I’ll try not to be offended by the relief in your voice.”
He smiled and then it faded. “I wasn’t worried you’d get lost. I was worried you wouldn’t come.”
“You left me a map,” she said. “Of course I would follow.”
His expression changed, jaw firm, eyes dark.
She took a step closer.
“I would go anywhere you lead because I love you.”
“No, no, stop,” he said, nearing. “This is for me. I mean, not for me. It is for you. So I can say how I feel about you.”
He was so close she could feel his heat. She tilted her head back to hold his gaze. He was so cute, his pale face flushed. She could hardly stand it.
“How do you feel, Thanatos?” she asked.
He stared at her for a second and then laughed, tongue darting out to lick his lips.
“I love you,” he said. “And I don’t want to push you away. I know a second, a minute, a day with you is better than none at all.”
Lexa’s face hurt from how hard she was smiling. She tackled him, wrapping her arms and legs around his waist and kissing him hard on the mouth, loving the way Thanatos kissed her back, with just as much enthusiasm as she gave.
“I am sorry,” he said, forehead resting against hers, breathless.
“I know you’re afraid. You didn’t plan to fall in love with one of your souls.”
“I don’t think you planned to fall in love with me,” he said, amused.
