Page 25 of The Death God
“Well, there has to be touching, and I think we need to know things about each other.” Gregory sat on the bench, as close to Thanatos as he could get without balancing on the edge.
“No one’s gonna ask me what your favorite color is.”
“No, but they might ask you what I do for a living, where I was born, who my maker is—”
“Who is your maker?”
“Orla. I’ve been with Orla since I was turned.”
“The former coven leader who was killed?” Thanatos had heard the story. It was how Rufus came to spend seven years staked in a coffin and only be let out if he mated with Jaki.
“Yes.” Gregory’s face turned into a blank mask, but Thanatos could almost taste the grief. Shit. Gregory had been forced to give up a lot lately. Hesitantly, he reached over and touched his hand.
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
Gregory caught his hand and ran a thumb over the backside of it. Thanatos shivered and pulled back.
Clearing his throat, he looked at Gregory. “I can’t tell them you’re an assassin?”
“Alaric knows, and I think maybe he needs someone dead. It might be the whole reason we’re invited, but I don’t know who else will be there.”
“So what do I say?”
“I don’t know. Real estate. I’ve sold and bought several properties these last few months.”
Thanatos huffed. “A castle about to fall over.”
“Hey, did you ever think you’d live in a castle?”
Smiling, Thanatos shook his head. “No, I never believed I’d leave the house of horrors.”
“Right.”
“What do we say I do?” He took another sip of the drink.
Gregory shrugged. “Do we tell them your name is Thanatos? It’s not a common name.”
“Joshua Sage.”
“Joshua it is. So Joshua, what do you do for a living?”
“Oh, nothing, I’m nothing but arm candy.”
Gregory grinned. “You might get away with it.”
He wasn’t pretty enough to be anyone’s arm candy. Frowning, he sought Gregory’s gaze. “No one will believe I’m with you.”
It was Gregory’s turn to frown. “What do you mean?”
“You’re gorgeous, and I’m plain. No one will buy you’d want to be with me.”
Gregory’s eyes widened so fast Thanatos believed he’d shocked him for real. “Darling, you are not plain, and if you were…” He shook his head. “I might look like a superficial prick, but I’m not. What attracts me has nothing to do with looks. Appearance is a tool to be used. It’s not what makes a person intriguing.”
“How do I pretend to be intriguing then?”
Gregory made a strangled sound that soon bled into a low, raspy laugh. If Thanatos hadn’t known vampires couldn’t mess with a person’s mind, he’d have believed Gregory had done something to him. Heat curled in his gut, and a pleasant shiver wanted to take over.
He grabbed the glass and took a large gulp to drown the sensation.
