The innuendo lacing those words is not lost on me.
But this isn’t the time or the place to issue a sensual retort.
“If you can pass through the barriers that easily, then other Alphas can, too, yes?”
He shrugs. “Perhaps, yes. But why would they bother?”
“Because they’re hunting Sera?” I prompt.
“Ah, true. So if you’re planning to bathe Sera with your tongue, I wouldn’t recommend it. That would be akin to shooting off a flare in the sky. But so long as you keep her libido in check, as it is now, we should be fine.”
I stare at him.
He stares back, his brow beginning to furrow. “You don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?” I demand.
Morpheus sighs and runs his fingers through his long silver-white hair, then leans against the door frame as he slides his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “One would think that losing a mate would leave behind some sort of impact—a lesson, if you will. But Hades’s arrogance truly is extraordinary, is it not?”
I assume that’s a rhetorical question, so I don’t acknowledge the question and instead face him fully as I repeat, “Know what?”
Sera gives Morpheus her attention as well, her body tensing in my arms. “Please answer him,” she says softly. “I want to know, too.”
The way Morpheus’s expression softens as he looks at Sera tells me how much power she wields over the God of Dreams. He practically melts in response to her attention.
Which is interesting to observe.
Hades doesn’t react that way.
Yet I know he feels deeply for his soulmate.
But how does he feel about Sera?I wonder.Does he finally realize she isn’t Persephone, but a human with his Omega’s soul inside her?
I never really considered the repercussions of that distinction before. However, now I’m wondering what he might do to try to free his soulmate from her human confines.
Will he hurt Sera if it means saving Persephone?
Are they even two separate entities? Or will they join?
With Morpheus, I have no doubt he sees them as the same individual. He seesSera. And that may make him more of an ally than I previously believed.
At some point, Sera started to mean more to me than I realized. I’m protecting her because I want to, not because I have to. So if anyone—Hades included—attempts to harm her, I won’t hesitate to retaliate.
And it seems Morpheus may be inclined to react similarly.
“I’m not sure what happened during or after your dinner, little dreamer, but given the state I found you in on that beach, I’m inclined to believe you experienced an orgasm.”
Her cheeks redden, the flush seeming to creep down her neck to disappear beneath my suit jacket. “A glorious one,” I murmur, not because I want to embarrass her, but because I want to praise her.
“Hmm, I can imagine,” Morpheus muses. “And by the pride radiating off you, Maliki, I can detail that fantasy just a tad bit more within my mind. Well done.”
My jaw tightens as I look back at him. “Get to the point, Morpheus.” I may have started this tangent by complimenting Sera, but I won’t allow him to derail us further.
“My point is, thatgloriousorgasm awoke her inner Omega,” he says. “And that inner Omega essentially broadcast her presence to every Mythos Fae Alpha in existence.”
Sera swallows, her lips parting as though she wants to say something yet can’t find the words.
“Think of it like a mating call,” Morpheus goes on before I can comment, his gaze locking on me. “Serapina’sinner Omega basically told my kind that not only is she about to go into heat, but she’s also unclaimed. Hence the Alpha suitors descending upon the Netherworld Kingdom right now.”
