THERON (Book III In The Ancients Series) ✔

Prologue.

Theron squinted against the blinding white light surrounding him.

He shouldn't have been surprised by the vastness of such radiance but it seemed unfitting for a goddess who literally adored the night.

"Hello Theron," she greeted him. Her smile was warm and her eyes were kind and he searched through years and years of memories wondering if he hadn't quite remembered her as she really had been. He is fucking certain that demonic twatbush had red eyes back in the day.

Regardless, he tsked, "Fancy seeing you here." And he meant every bit of dryness that seeped from his tone. Obviously, she would be here. This was her domain afterall, but he had shit to say.

Lots of shit.

Years of shit upon shit upon shit!

And he was going to say it, he really was, but her demeanor threw him for a loop and now he couldn't find the seething words he had practiced countless times during his cursed immortality. Frustrated and highly annoyed, he fell back on the one tactic that came naturally to him: sarcastic cynicism.

She chortled, shaking her head just as another, more recently familiar figure appeared beside her.

This one did not need to greet him.

"Lucan?" Theron's brows shot upwards in surprise. He knew Heaven was not an option for a mythical creature such as himself so he did not expect any love ones to come and usher him to those fucking pearly gates but--Lucan?

Really?

Theron sighed, thoroughly irritated, "I know why she is here, but why are you, Lucan?"

"I thought it was appropriate given that you did defile our daughter," he frowned in response. The corners of his lips twitched upwards in abstruse disport and suddenly Theron was very much discombobulated.

Was Lucan angry or... not?

"I--" Theron stopped short of explaining himself, Lucan's words replaying in his mind, "Hold up. Did you say ′our′ daughter?"

Nu-huh.

The goddess and Lina's father smiled affectionately at one another and Theron could do nothing but gawk... and maybe feel a little nauseated. His mouth fell open in disbelief, "Shut. The. Fu-front. Door."

(It probably wasn't polite to curse in front of your mate's parents).

He pointed his fingers, splitting the forefinger and the middle between the two love birds, "You got some explaining to do."

Lina's mother was the moon goddess?

No fucking way.

He was not entirely sure how he felt about this little tidbit of disturbing information.

With the wave of her hand, Theron's surroundings were suddenly transformed. He was no longer standing in blinding white nothingness but stars--stars as far as the eye could see splattered like paint amongst the black sky. The milky way curved behind him, blanketing him in quiet serenity.

Between him and Lucan and their goddess, a scene played out before him.

No.

Not before him...

But around him.

He was immersed within a past place he never knew existed. Like wearing 3D goggles, he was actually within this memory. It was slightly transparent and the starry galaxy turned into nothing but a peaceful backdrop.

"What did you do?" Lina's voice cut through the silence like a knife to butter. She stormed through a lavish golden atrium fit only for gods. Her fists were clenched tightly by her sides.