He turned his phone off and hung his head in his hands as his emotions overwhelmed him. The bear inside him wanted to go over to Nick's and take her whether she wanted it or not. The man knew he couldn't. The Fates didn't work that way. This was completely in her hands and there was nothing he could do except wait.
I hate you three bitches. May you rot in Tartarus.
The Greek goddess Atropos pulled back from the loom where she and her two sisters wove the lives of those they were responsible for. As the three Fates, each of them had a job to perform. Her sister Lachesis was responsible for assigning the length of a person's life. Clotho spun the events that shaped and broke those lives.
And Atropos was the one who ended them. She had the final say....
At least so long as their brother didn't interfere. Bastard.
Not wanting to think about that, she looked up at Lazaros who watched her in silence. "It's done. They're mated."
Lazaros smiled in satisfaction. "I can't thank you enough, little cousin. You are truly a lifesaver."
What an ironic thing to say to the one whose prime responsibility was death. "I don't see how. But if Artemis has anything to say--"
"She won't. I promise. And if she should, I will take care of it." He kissed her hand. "Now I have one last favor to ask."
"And that is?"
He plucked at the strand on the loom that represented the Dark-Huntress Samia's life. "Don't cut this thread until I tell you to." Because Sam wouldn't be able to die until Atropos cut it. So long as it was unsevered, he could torture Sam to his heart's content.
She inclined her head to him. "As you wish, coz. I'll leave it until you've had your fun."
He squeezed her hand before he released it. There were times when being related to the Fates was a good thing.
Today it was more than good.
Dev couldn't stop staring at his hand. It was so strange to see it there after all these centuries of wondering if and when it would happen. Even though it was a girly thought, he'd always expected his mating to be really special. Like there would be the sound of trumpets or fireworks or something. People cheering. His family fainting in disbelief. Remi's head exploding.
The reality...
It was remarkably anticlimactic.
Just another day.
Nothing had changed and yet everything was different. Closing his eyes, he summoned an image of Sam's face. Please don't leave me hanging, babe. She had to accept him.
What was there not to love?
He really didn't like the voice in his head that began cataloging the answer to that. Yeah, I'm a pig-bear. I leave my wet socks on the floor. I like to fight and I don't listen as much as I should...
I'm such a schmuck.
"Hey Dev?"
He sighed as he heard his brother Kyle's voice in the hallway. Rolling over on the bed, he landed his feet on the floor and went to see what Kyle wanted.
He opened the door.
It wasn't Kyle.
Stryker was on the other side, smiling snidely. "If Mohammad won't come to the mountain..."
He shot Dev in the chest.
Sam had her phone clutched in her palm. She was trying to tell herself why calling Dev would be a bad idea. Why she didn't want to be his mate.
But everything kept coming back to one thing.