“Who?”
“Your father. Before he died, he said, ‘To peprōmenon phugein adunaton, gios mou.’ What does that mean?”
Something unsettling crossed his face. But he didn’t look away. “He said, ‘It is impossible to escape from what is destined, my son.’”
She looked back down at their hands. What is destined.
Was coming here destined? Was meeting him part of her destiny? She didn’t buy into all that crap about soul mates and finding the one person you were fated to be with for life, but at the same time she couldn’t ignore that there was something pushing her toward Theron and had been from the very beginning. Something that seemed…almost out of her control.
Was that love?
His fingers wrapped completely around her hand, engulfing hers in his. He stroked his thumb gently over her skin. “It’s an ancient Greek saying. A reminder that each of us is born with a purpose.”
Purpose. That made sense. “And what’s your purpose, Theron?”
His thumb stopped moving, and when he looked down at her, it was as if she could see forever in his dark eyes. “For as long as I’ve been alive, it’s been about doing what I was trained to do for my people. But now…I’m not so sure anymore.”
Her heart skipped a beat. And another. And another.
And right then she knew.
She did love him. Which was scary and electrifying all at the same time because she’d never been in love before. Somehow over the past few days, she’d fallen for this big, bad guardian in a way she knew she’d never totally recover from. And the fact he was still struggling with figuring it all out himself was sort of endearing.
And completely empowering.
She needed to do something about it before she lost her nerve.
Ignoring the ache in her side from hitting the hard earth, she leaned in to kiss him. He sucked in a breath as she closed the distance between their mouths, held it while her lips brushed his, then went lax beneath her touch.
A smile pulled at her lips. How fascinating that she could turn such a virile warrior to jelly just by kissing him. And how enthralling that he reacted this way to her.
No one else ever had. Oh, she’d had a handful of lovers—in college, later when she’d been traveling—but none had ever fired her up like Theron did. None had ever seemed unable to get enough of her like Theron did.
He tipped his head and opened his mouth to her, drawing her deep into a kiss he took charge of. His hand slid into her hair as he dragged her closer until she was against his chest and very nearly on top of his lap as she’d been in that cave.
Oh, yeah, she could get used to this. The way he took what he wanted, but was gentle and giving in the process. Almost as if her pleasure meant more to him than his own. Why hadn’t she given in to this earlier?
“Meli,” he whispered, shifting his big legs and pushing her back on the bed. “What you do to me. Ah, gods.”
Her whole body quivered at the desire in his voice. She reached for him and pulled him down on top of her. He was still gentle, settling his weight on his elbows, easing down into the cradle of her body until his erection prodded between her legs. But instead of stripping her bare and driving deep, as she expected him to, he brushed her hair back from her face with both hands and gazed at her so long, that tingling near her birthmark kicked up all over again.
Something was definitely wrong here.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered, running his thumb softly along her temple. “So beautiful and so fragile. Like the most exquisite crystal in my hands.”
Okay, that was sweet but…there was more he wasn’t saying. She could see it in his eyes. Like he knew something she didn’t. She searched for answers in his face as his words whirled in her head. Beautiful. Fragile. Breakable.
Those weren’t words she’d ever use to describe herself. Unless she was sick.
And suddenly it all made sense.
What if the whole mystery illness Dr. Jill had found wasn’t such a mystery after all? What if it had to do with her Argolean half? And what if that’s what was making her sick? It explained why her long-lost father was looking for her. Explained Theron’s sudden search for her and the need to bring her here before her time was up.
Holy…hell. Was her time nearly up?
She searched his face, hoping for some sign she was wrong, but she didn’t see it. All she saw was…pity. A lump formed in her throat. “How long do I have?”
If her question surprised him, he didn’t show it, and that fact just cemented her suspicions. “I don’t know,” he said softly.
Wow. Now there was a mood buster. She was too stunned to feel anything other than disbelief as she ran her fingers through his dark hair. The strands were like silk against her skin. Soft and real and solid.