Page 9 of The Death God
“For Thanatos. There is more in the pot.”
She peered into the cups. “You’re giving Thanatos black coffee?” A crease formed between her brows.
“Eh…He doesn’t like black coffee?” He was Thanatos’ boyfriend. He should know how Thanatos took his coffee.
“Milk and honey. Enough milk for it to hardly taste like coffee at all.” She grabbed milk from the refrigerator. “You need to pour some of the coffee out or there won’t be enough room.”
Gregory brought the cup to his lips and took two big swallows, only to wince at the burn. Minerva huffed but poured milk into the cup until it had the color of a pale cafe latte. “Now add a good-sized dollop of honey.”
Honey in coffee? Insane. He did as told and grabbed the cups anew. “Where is he?”
She shrugged. “I think he went to his room.”
Gregory nodded a thanks and headed toward Thanatos’ room. It was on the bottom floor. Everyone had stayed on the same floor, but he suspected it had more to do with them cleaning the first floor first than a desire to stay close together. Or maybe not. In the beginning, he’d believed they’d have to pry the seers apart. Jaki had wanted to share a room with Minerva, not Rufus, despite being mated to him.
He grimaced. They’d only been here two months, and while he had some idea of what they’d been through, it might be too much to ask that they not flinch when he moved. Or not, because what the fuck had Thanatos believed he’d do?
Anger rose inside him. He’d had more lovers through time than Thanatos could imagine, and they’d always been willing. What made him believe Gregory would want him? Against his will. It was fucking insulting.
Maybe he believed Gregory would beat him. He didn’t think all the abuse in the house of horrors had been sexual. They talked about the sick bay often enough to make him think of stitches and broken bones, so maybe that was what he figured Gregory would do to him. He was no stranger to violence, and maybe it was smart of Thanatos to be cautious, but the others didn’t flinch like he did.
When he reached Thanatos’ room, he was annoyed and a little…insulted. Since his hands were occupied, he kicked the door a few times.
The door remained closed, but Gregory could hear rustling movements on the other side. He gritted his teeth. “Thanatos! Open up.”
Everything stilled, and Gregory growled low to himself. He kicked the door again. “Come on. I can hear you in there.”
A few seconds later, there was a sound of a latch sliding, then another. Gregory frowned as a third latch moved on the other side of the door. Then Thanatos moved something else, a chain, perhaps. And then he did it again but at a place lower on the door. What the fuck?
Finally, the deadbolt sounded, and the door opened a small crack.
Gregory forced it open with his foot and handed Thanatos his cup as he moved past him. He looked around the room. Sparse. Bare. There was nothing. No curtains, no flowerpots, no knickknacks, no paintings or stuff on the walls.
Minerva had bought candles and plants, paintings, a rug, and so on. Nothing expensive, and many of the things she’d asked Gregory for when they’d been grocery shopping. Thanatos had never gone grocery shopping with him.
“You need stuff.”
“Stuff?” Thanatos remained by the still-open door as if he contemplated running away.
Gregory motioned around. “It’s echoing in here.” It was a big room. Two arched windows facing the wooded area of the property. Old hardwood floors he feared would be icy cold in the winter. “You need a rug.”
“I got rid of the one that was in here. It smelled of mold.”
Gregory nodded. He’d picked the small room next to the kitchen. It had most likely belonged to a kitchen maid or something, but this room…It was a beautiful room. Or could be.
“You want to paint it?” The old wallpaper was yellowed and torn in several places.
Thanatos shrugged, and something in the indifference made Gregory want to shake him. “Want to go to the store and look for paint?” They’d have to do another job to afford it, but Gregory would do anything if it meant Thanatos got something he wanted. There were people who needed to be killed everywhere. They should look into some other kind of business. A side hustle. Something to make it look as if they could afford the castle should someone come snooping.
Narrowing his eyes, Thanatos took a sip of his coffee. “What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean?” Gregory gave him an innocent smile which made Thanatos narrow his eyes more.
“You never talk to me, and now you’re giving me coffee and suggesting we go to a store. Are you going to kill me?”
“What? No!” What the hell?
“I know I don’t contribute financially, but I can be useful. What do you want?”
