Page 78 of Lost and Stolen Gods
“You’re delusional.”
“Best way to be, chickadee, best way to be.”
Pashim wasat his usual corner table sitting with his back against the wall, legs stretched out. His hair was unbound and framed his handsome face in a silken waterfall of silver and blue.
His eyes lit up when he spotted me, and my chest warmed.
I hurried to join him while Blue scampered off to talk to Eve’s ferret, and why did that sound like a euphemism?
“I hope you’re hungry,” Pashim said.
He’d made omelettes and fresh buttered bread, and my mouth watered because it smelled delicious.
“I’malwayshungry when you cook for me.”
He’d been my companion most mornings and evenings, and people were starting to talk—the usual stuff about how he must like me. Dharma had asked me a couple of times how I felt about him, and I honestly didn’t know what I’d do without him. He was warm and caring and had become my go-to person here in Aakaash, and I’d wished on more than one occasion that I’d been paired with him. But he was still unmatched, and there was every chance another demigod would be brought to Prashikshan and be matched to him, so I kept my feelings in check.
It was hard enough dealing with Araz’s attitude toward me, which oscillated between derision and indifference, but to fall for Pashim and have him fall for someone else would break me. Besides, if I was honest with myself, there was still a part of me that craved Araz’s attention and his touch.
I hated that part.
Being with Pashim made it smaller somehow.
I’d been tempted to ask Pashim about his last demigod on more than one occasion, but that would mean admitting to listening to gossip. Better to wait till he volunteered the information. I was sure that time would come the closer we got.
He watched me eat with a small smile.
I swallowed my mouthful. “What? Do I have food on my face?”
“No, Leela, I simply like watching you eat.”
My cheeks warmed. “Okay, whatever floats your boat.”
“I have no idea what that means.”
I smiled up at him. “Oh, I know.”
His gaze softened and dropped to my mouth, and my stomach fluttered. He looked away quickly. “How do you feel about the gauntlet? Guru Mihir says you’ve become more confident.”
“You spoke to him about me?”
Twin spots of color bloomed high on his cheeks. “I asked about all the students, and we may have spoken of you a little.”
“I’ve been training with Ravi at night.”
He blinked sharply. “The rakshasa?”
“Yes.” I sipped my chai. “He’s helped me a ton.”
“It’s not wise to be around his kind,” Pashim said. “They have the tendency to get attached, and their appetites are feral.”
“You keep saying that. But what do you mean,appetites?”
“He means sex,” Blue said, hopping onto the table. “They like lots of sex, and they like it rough.”
I choked on my bread.
“I’m sure they love that sound too,” Blue added.
