Forbidden Love

Chapter 11

Vulcan stood in the shade of the awning of his favorite fruit stand. Cupid told him he spoke to Peitho and told her where he'd be. Vulcan was furious when he found out that Cupid had visited Peitho without telling him. He had wanted to tell Peitho himself. If he had told her, it would have meant another reason to talk to or see her before meeting in person. He wanted to give her one more opportunity to back out before they were supposed to meet that way; he wouldn't be waiting here in vain. Cupid had assured Vulcan that Peitho shared the same feelings he did. Cupid also said they had passed each other in their human forms before now but had never known it. Vulcan tried his best to make himself the perfect male specimen in his human form. Or at least what he considered to be the perfect male specimen. His hair is chestnut brown, his eyes green. The hideous scar that runs the length of his cheek from one of his skirmishes with the other God's is nonexistent in his human form.

He made himself that way as a human because he was so hideous in life before now anyway. As a human, he's had multiple women approach him, a nice change from what his current life is like. As he stood there thinking about how perfect he tried to make himself as a human being, Vulcan began to worry that maybe he'd be more attractive to Peitho in his human form than his real one. As he stood there, Vulcan bit into what had to be the sweetest peach he'd ever tasted and stared off into the distance. He watched as a beautiful petite blonde woman in a flowy pale blue Grecian-style dress that clung to her body in all the right places. As she drew closer to him, she could see that the dress was sheer, and several men stared at her as she worked her way towards the stand. She stopped just in front of him and stared into his eyes for a full minute before she spoke.

"V, is this you?" Vulcan smiled at her sweet voice. He could tell by its slight tremble that Peitho was nervous she might be wrong about who he was.

"Yes, Dolce, it's me," he responded.

Her eyes lit up, and her big, beautiful, infectious smile spread across her face. Peitho appeared to be the same height in her human form as in life. She kept her deep blue eyes as well, but her hair was as blonde as her mother's. While Peitho did favor her mother in specific ways, it seemed she made herself look more like her here than she does on Olympus.

"Where do we go from here, Dolce?" He asked in a soft voice. He didn't want to assume anything, so he stood and waited for Peitho to tell him what it was she wanted, just as Vulcan told Cupid he would. Peitho took a step closer to him. She was close enough now that he could easily wrap his arms around her waist and pull her to him if he wanted to. Her scent was intoxicating like that of water lilies and lilacs all at once. She reached for his hand before she spoke.

"I rented a room at the inn that's nearby," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

The weight of what Peitho just said hit him like a ton of bricks. A room? What did she expect to happen there? What if he took things too far and she decided she never wanted to see him again?

"Okay," he said nervously. Peitho reached for his hand and began pulling him through the streets. With every step, his nervousness grew.

Peitho intertwined her fingers with Vulcan's while they walked. They were calloused and rough. Probably because of all the hard work he does in his forge. She could feel certain areas that seemed slightly raw. She wondered if that was because he had been working on Vesuvius all morning. He had slight streaks of dirt on his face and arms. Peitho wasn't sure he knew they were there, so she decided not to comment, figuring that if he knew, he'd become embarrassed and shy away from her. A few minutes later, they were standing in front of the doors of the inn. Vulcan silently pulled one open and held it for her. He smiled as he watched her walk inside. They had their key in hand a minute later and walked down the small hallway. Peitho let Vulcan unlock the door. She wasn't sure what to expect. Peitho wasn't even sure Vulcan felt anything for her anymore. He had barely looked at her since they found each other and had hardly said a word. Once they stepped inside, Vulcan took up the only chair in the room, leaving Peitho to sit on the bed, alone.

They sat at opposite ends of the room, just staring at each other until finally.

"Why here, Dolce? What made you decide to have our meeting here? She changed from right in front of him without saying a word.

"I don't want to see you in your human form, Vulcan. I want to see you," she said, emphasizing the word. Vulcan smiled at her but still didn't change shape.

"I don't want anyone in this realm to see me in my true form, Dolce."

"I've already seen you in your true form, Vulcan. It's just us here, Agapi Mou," she answered. He returned the smile that spread across her face and changed form. As soon as she did, she pulled out a basket full of food and began to spread it out on the small table in the room.

"This looks delicious," said Vulcan. She crossed the room to help her unpack the food.

"I baked the bread and cooked the meat myself. Artemis let me take grapes from her garden to make the wine," said Peitho as she poured the wine. He picked up the goblet she'd just poured and took a sip.

"That's delicious," he said happily. Peitho smiled, and they settled into easy conversation while they ate. It was as though they had been friends all of their lives. But the longer they sat there, the harder her heart pounded. Vulcan watched as a slight blush started to spread across her face. He wondered if it was the wine or being in his presence that was causing her to blush.

" It's not the wine," she said when she caught him staring at her. Vulcan glanced down at his plate. He didn't realize he was staring until she spoke.

"I apologize, Peitho; I hadn't realized I was staring. It's just you're so…so beautiful."

"Vulcan, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since the day we met," she said earnestly. He raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"You mean the night I caught you outside my temple? When I found out I had to marry…" he trailed off, not wanting to say Venus's name out loud. Not here, not while he was with Peitho.

"Yes, since then," she said matter of factly.

Vulcan gathered all his courage, took a deep breath, and responded in kind.

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since that night either, Dolce. You were all I thought about during the entire competition. Just feeling your presence behind me was driving me crazy. In a good way," he said with a laugh.

******

The great thing about being a God of Love is you don't need to leave your temple to find out how a newfound couple is getting along. All you have to do is concentrate. Cupid sprawled out on his favorite chaise in his temple, closed his eyes, and pictured Vulcan and Peitho in his mind. As soon as he did, it was as though he were standing in front of them. While he had no intention of interfering in any way, he wanted to make sure that no one else would either. Cupid wasn't sure how Eros's powers worked, but if they were anything like his, then Cupid should be able to sense Eros's presence in the room. Cupid smiled to himself when he saw how nervous Vulcan was. Not wanting to intrude on them any more than he already had, he pulled himself out.

"did you see them?" Cupid froze at the sound of the voice behind him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked cautiously without turning around.

"I wanted to find out if it was true. I wanted to find out if he truly does love her."

"He does, and she loves him in return."

"I know; I love him too," responded the voice behind him.

"I know you do, Layla," said Cupid when he turned around. He could see her eyes sparkling with tears when their gazes locked. He crossed the room. Cupid cupped her face and brushed her tears away when he reached her.

"I've loved him since I met him, ever since…

"Ever since you rescued him when Juno tossed him away," Cupid finished for her.

"Yes," she whispered.

"I know, Cara Mia," he said sweetly.

"I just want someone to love me," replied Layla, her voice cracking with tears as she spoke.

"Someone does, Layla," the weight of Cupid's words hit her like a tidal wave. She realized then that Cupid had yet to take his hand from her face and his thumb was still lightly stroking her cheek.

"Cupid I…" he held a finger from his free hand to her lips to stop her from speaking.

"I know you don't love me, Layla, and that's okay. I just thought you should know that someone loves you and that same someone understands what it is to love someone who doesn't love them back" Layla's lip quivered at Cupid's words. Unsure of how to respond, she let him continue speaking.

"You're worth waiting for. Vulcan is your first love. I want to be your last," he said. He cupped her face with both of his hands and kissed her forehead. He turned away from her and went back to his chaise. Layla stood there staring after him for a while before turning to leave silently.

******

Vulcan and Peitho talked for so long that the sun began to set. It's a good thing he woke up before the sun and started working. Jupiter would end him if he went back to Capitoline without doing much work. Yesterday Jupiter had come to Vulcan and told him that he would be checking on Vesuvius every night when Vulcan returned to Capitoline to ensure that the mountain was up to his standards. Vulcan agreed to his terms, knowing he didn't have much choice in the matter. Vulcan turned away from the window and looked over to the bed where Peitho lay sleeping. Vulcan didn't want to wake her for the world, but he knew he would have to sooner or later. Screw his commitment to Jupiter, Aphrodite would never let Peitho out of her sight again if she found out.

Vulcan crept as quietly as he could over to where Peitho was sleeping. He sat by her and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and watched as her eyes fluttered open.

"I'm afraid it's time for us to go now, Dolce Mia. It'll be dark soon." She whimpered at his words. The last thing Peitho wanted to do was leave him.

"Do we have to Vulcan? She whined, "Can't we just stay here?"

He leaned forward and lightly kissed her forehead. So lightly, it was as though his lips barely brushed against her skin. Peitho sighed in contentment at the feeling of his lips on her skin. She wasn't sure what to expect when she came here. A part of her was convinced that they'd make love, but what they shared was much better. They shared intimacy. It was like nothing Peitho had ever felt before. She was happy here in their little bubble. She didn't want to see it pop. Peitho stood up and stretched her arms above her head.

"Can I hold you, Dolce?" He asked softly. Peitho could hear the nervousness in his voice. She found it endearing. She knew first hand that he had already made love, but he was so careful with her it was as though he'd never been near a woman. Peitho stepped forward and leaned into him, allowing Vulcan to wrap his arms around her while he rested his chin on the top of her head lightly.

"I love you, Peitho," Vulcan said into her hair.

"I love you too, Vulcan, she answered, peering up at him as she said it.

He bent down slightly and captured her lips with his.