Page 78 of Alpha Claimed

She smiled. "This was amazing. I… I have no words."

"That may be a first."

She shook her head. "Way to ruin a moment."

"If I kiss you again, will the moment start over?"

"Maybe."

Ares' gaze intensified, and then he laced his fingers at the base of her neck and pulled her lips to his again. He started soft, but soon his lips claimed hers, and his tongue probed her mouth, wanting more.

Minutes passed, and he pulled away.

"You smell amazing. I've missed you, Beloved."

She touched his face. "Me too."

Ares' eyebrows scrunched for a moment, and he held her palm against his face and sniffed it.

"Are you feeling all right? Your skin is almost hot."

"Maybe that's just because you are so hot that being near you rubs off on me," she teased.

His eyes darkened, but then Zeke interrupted them. "Highness, most of the place is cleared out. Should I get the car?"

Ares nodded. "Yes."

Until that moment, River hadn't noticed that the guards had surrounded them, shielding them from every angle.

"Can I go see the front?"

"Of course." Ares took her hand and led her to the front of the basilica, where hundreds of candles flickered in glass jars. She looked at the statues behind the altar. Though she had never been religious, she could appreciate both the beauty of the statues and the effort put into creating them. In the middle, the crucifixion of Christ was framed by four statues on either side. The apostles, she guessed. There were further statues even higher up. Gothic woodwork and metalwork framed the entire space. Gorgeous gold foiled pillars in deep blues and reds were stunning to behold. She imagined bending the metal and the wood to the shapes she wanted to achieve the gothic aesthetic. Pointed, round, beautiful, perfect. She'd never been able to paint or draw like the beautiful scrollwork done in the cathedral, but she sure would like to take a crack at possibly making a stained-glass window sometime.

River didn't know how long she studied the structure before Ares's phone buzzed. She looked at him, and he nodded to Santiago.

"Car is out front. We can stay longer if you want, though."

She wanted to stay forever, but in a rush, fatigue washed over her, and she shivered.

"No, that's okay. But I would like to come back in the daytime and see it in the light."

"We can do that whenever you like."

She snuggled into his side, and they walked down the aisle to the exit. She wished she could do something for Ares. For Ares and Apollo. They'd both done so much for her, given so much for her. She wished she could return the favor but had no idea how.

As they stepped out into the chilly night air, Ares immediately removed his jacket and put it around her shoulders.

"You'll get cold," she protested.

"Nonsense. I'm used to the cold of Montreal. You, however, aren't yet. Besides, we are only going a hundred yards to the vehicle. And you can't hide the fact that you've shivered at least a dozen times inside the building, but your skin is still warmer than it should be. You are getting sick."

She gave him a weak smile. "I think it's just exhaustion. Coming to Canada, going to the woods, the shooting, and then working all day today. I think I overdid it a bit, is all."

"I didn't realize that shifters got sick."

"It's rare, but we do. Don't you?"

"No. Our metabolism burns everything out too fast."