Thanatos: The White Dawn

(8)Lace and Ungrace

I swallowed quickly as his arms swung around my shoulders and pressed my body against his hot one. He was blazing- it didn't match his cold voice; "No one insults you." He paused; "No one."

At that moment, my fear of being a bother wasted away. I pressed my cold nose into the crook of his neck. Thanatos jumped slightly at the icy touch to his hot skin; "You're freezing."

"I'm fine-"

"Come here." He didn't bother to listen to my lie- instead he pulled me onto his lap and folded his fur cloak around my thick coat, trapping me in his embrace. I curled myself up and rested my head against his chest; the drum of his heart lulling my own into a peaceful rhythm. It matched his.

Thanatos kissed my head and nuzzled his face in my thick hair; "We're almost home." He mumbled. I smiled into my hands and slowly fell into a comfortable slumber. Thanatos' hands rubbed mine until I was just as hot as him.

I didn't mind if we took another while to get to the palace- the only home I needed was him.

Hypnos dropped the beige, fur bag onto the table and crossed his arm; "So now what?"

I stared at the bag, my eyes unsure of what exactly the Aegis looked like, but from the pictures I've gathered, it was astoundingly beautiful. A bronze-golden shield, with the face of medusa carved onto the front, her eyes deadly. I touched the bag; the soft fur still flaked with icy shards of frost.

"We need to hide it away." Thanatos said as he emptied a glass of whiskey. He didn't look too well. I didn't want him to drink to ease the pain- that wasn't going to help in the long run.

"Any ideas?" I asked. I removed my hand from the bag, the feel of it almost unnatural against my skin. This was a dangerous thing to have lying around...

"I'll stash it away in my private tomb. Only I can get to it then." Thanatos grabbed the bag.

"Good. Keep it locked up until we might need it." Hypnos said, his eyes wary; "Hopefully we won't."

I nodded in agreement.

Thanatos didn't waste any time to remove the Aegis from our sight. The door closed behind him and I turned my eyes to Hypnos, his orange orbs already focus on my face; "Was it really that bad?"

I knew he was taking about dinner and how Thanatos looked deadly irate. Hypnos easily picked up that something wasn't all that well when he'd stopped into the carriage. His twin didn't speak and only stared out of the carriage window, his eyes narrowed and intense.

"I knew it would be;" He said softly, "But... Is he alright?"

"No." I furrowed my brows; "He's feeling guilty and angry. He's just a mess of emotions right now and I don't think he likes it very much."

"Hmm..." Hypnos tapped Thanatos' empty glass; "I knew this day would come. There's only so much he can tolerate."

"I'm glad it did." I leaned against the table, my eyes filled with honesty; "I'm sorry to be so frank, but your mother- she doesn't deserve sons like you."