time to tell you that I love you? Endlessly? Because I do. More than all the stars in the heavens and all the sands through time.”
“You can tell me that any time, in any way,” she said as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “I’ll never tire of hearing those words. Because I love you just the same, dios.”
His arms closed around her, and he kissed her softly, gently, so completely she knew anywhere with him was where she was always meant to be.
Brushing her fingertips against his sexy jaw, she pressed her forehead to his and just breathed him in. “I can’t believe you went to hell for me.”
“I went to Tartarus for you,” he corrected. “And I’d do it again in a heartbeat to keep you safe. I’d even voluntarily spend time locked up with the Fates if that’s what it took. Because the only hell that exists for me is a world without you in it. All those years alone, even the brief times we were together in the past, that was my hell because I hadn’t found you yet. Not the you from before, but the you right now, here today. The only person in all the ages who’s ever been strong enough to love a monster and make him want to be something more.”
“You’re not a monster,” she whispered.
“I’m definitely not a hero.”
“No, you’re not that. But as you already know, I never wanted a hero. I like the wild side too much.”
He chuckled as she pushed him down and stretched out on top of his tantalizingly naked body.
“Besides, heroes come and go.” She nipped at his jaw. “But you... You’re mine until the end of time. The only thing I ever wanted was a devil with a heart. And I found him. In you.”
“You didn’t find him. You freed him. And you saved me from the darkness and showed me the light.” His eyes turned all soft and dreamy. “Don’t ever stop being my light, mono mia.”
“I won’t.” She lowered her lips to his. “I never will. And if you even think of changing your mind, I have the perfect tower to lock you in to make sure you stay mine.”
He laughed as she kissed him, and against her lips, he mumbled, “I definitely won’t be changing my mind. But anytime you want to get freaky in that tower, just let me know.”
“Maybe later. Right now, I plan to get freaky here in this lookout with my dark prince.”
He laughed again. Whispered, “Hell, yeah.” Then groaned as she drew him into the light and beauty of her wicked kiss.
Eternal Guardians Lexicon
agkelos – Term of endearment; my angel
Argolea – Realm established by Zeus for the blessed heroes and their descendants
Argonauts – Eternal guardian warriors who protect Argolea. In every generation, one from the original seven bloodlines (Heracles, Achilles, Jason, Odysseus, Perseus, Theseus, and Bellerophon) is chosen to continue the guardian tradition
binding/bound – Marriage/married
chará – Term of endearment; my joy
daemons – Beasts who were once human, recruited from the Fields of Asphodel (purgatory) now ruled by Hades
emmoní – Term of endearment; my obsession
Fates – Three goddesses who control the thread of life for all mortals from birth until death
Fields of Asphodel – Purgatory
Horae – Ancient goddesses of balance and justice
Isles of the Blessed – Heaven
kardia – Term of endearment; my heart
kobalos pl. kobaloi — Gnomelike creatures who mine Hades’s invisibility ore.
maenads — Nymphs who are the devoted followers of the god Dionysus
matéras – Mother
meli – Term of endearment; beloved
Misos – Half-human/half-Argolean race that lives hidden among humans
mono mia – Term of endearment; my one and only
nymph pl. nymphs – Mortal maidens who are beautiful and youthful-looking, and who inhabit rivers, woods, and other locations
Olympians – Current ruling gods of the Greek pantheon, led by Zeus; meddle in human life
Orb of Krónos – Four-chambered disk that, when filled with the four classic elements—earth, wind, fire, and water—has the power to release the Titans from Tartarus
paidí – Child
pampas – Daddy
Pandora’s box — Powerful artifact controlled by Pandora, the first mortal woman ever created
parazonium – Ancient Greek sword all Argonauts carry
patéras – Father
satyr pl. satyrs – Mortal male beings with the heads and torsos of a man, but legs and horns of a goat
sileni pl. silens – Sub-race of satyrs who celebrate peace, harmony, and pleasure rather than violence
Siren Order – Zeus’s elite band of personal warriors. Commanded by Athena
skata – Swearword
Tartarus – Realm of the Underworld similar to hell
theós – Term of endearment; my god
therillium – Invisibility