Page 123 of Lost and Stolen Gods
“Mama!” Viki bolted as soon as Araz set us down. A circle of people had formed around the altar, but they parted to let Viki through.
“Viki!” Meena sobbed. “Thank the gods. Argh!”
Dharma hurried over to us. “She went into labor. The shock must have kickstarted it.”
Dammit. “We need towels and hot water.”
“Have you done this before?” Dharma asked.
“No, but that’s what they do on TV.”
“Let her people deal with this,” Araz said. “We must not intercede.” He led me away, his stride stiff.
Dharma made anuh-ohface.
Araz took me behind a pillar out of view of everyone then turned his fiery gaze on me. “What wereyou thinking?” His tone vibrated with anger, and rocks formed in my belly. “Answer me!”
“I wasn’t thinking.”
“No, you weren’t. You ran into danger without your weapon.”
“I know, I should have grabbed it off you earlier and?—”
He gripped my shoulders and squeezed. “Not your mace, you fool. Me.Iam your weapon, and you left me behind.”
“There was no time.”
“No time? Dammit, Leela, what would you have possibly done when you caught up with the creature? Talk it to death? If Pooja hadn’t been there, you would be dead along with the boy.”
He was right. He was totally right. Pooja had ordered me to stand down, and I hadn’t listened.
“I…I’m sorry. I fucked up.”
He exhaled, dropping his grip on my shoulders as the rage drained out of him. “Your heart will be your undoing.” He lightly cupped my cheek, his fiery gaze intense. “Steel it before it kills you.”
“Where is she?” Pooja called out from behind us. “Leela, present yourself now!”
Araz steeped back. “We must take the admonishment.”
“We?”
“Your transgression is also mine.”
“And your transgressions?”
He lifted his chin. “Are solely on me.”
“That’s hardly fair.”
“Leela!” Pooja called.
“Oh fuck…“ I stepped out from behind the pillar to find Pooja standing hands on hips, chest heaving with each breath. Her armor was speckled with green goop, and so was her hair. The woman was clearly seething, and the focus of her anger was me.
“I’m sorry. I should have listened to you and backed off. There is no excuse.”
Her mouth worked, her gaze flicking over my shoulder. “I would have thought you’d have trained your demigod better, Araz.”
Not guru, but just Araz now. He’d gone down in her estimation because of me.
