Page 86 of Lost and Stolen Gods
“Oh?”
He was silent for several moments before speaking. “I had a demigod once. I’m sure you’ve heard.”
I wasn’t going to lie to him. “Yes. I heard.”
“Her name was Arti. She was…formidable. Strong like you, with a temper like phoenix fire. When she came to me, she too struggled to control it, but intime…” He exhaled. “She was a warrior and would have made an excellent god.”
“She didn’t pass the labyrinth?”
“No. She died within it.”
“Wait. What?” I turned in his arms to face him. “I thought that she was killed by a pishacha.”
His gaze was flat. “Yes, she was.”
“Insidethe labyrinth?”
“There are creatures in there. Many creatures. I failed to protect her.” He took a deep breath. “It has been decades, but even now, when I sleep, sometimes I still hear her screams.”
Is that why he didn’t sleep too much? I turned onto my back so I could look at him. His eyes were dark with painful memories, but he mustered a smile for me. “I’m so sorry, Pashim.”
“Thank you.” He kissed my head and tucked me to his side. “And now that we have grown closer by sharing our trauma, we should sleep.”
I relaxed and allowed my limbs to go heavy once more.
I’d missed this kind of contact. Being held. Being…loved. I’d never have this with Araz, and in truth, I had no right to demand it of Pashim, but I’d take it for now.
Just for tonight.
Chapter 30
I’M DONE PLAYING GAMES
Blue found me on the way back to my room in the morning. Pashim had offered to let me use his shower, but all my stuff was at my place, and I’d be damned if I let Araz chase me off. I mean, howdarehe bring someone back toourroom for the night without checking with me first?
Now that I’d had some sleep and the shock had worn off, I was pissed.
“That good for nothing piece of eye candy!” Blue raged from his perch on my shoulder. “I hope his truncheon shrivels into a teeny pecker. I hope his bulbous balls shrink to the size of peanuts. I hope he catches drohi crabs. I hope he trips on his own cock and breaks his perfectly aquiline nose. Fuck it, let’s make it all of the above.”
I was seething, but like always, Blue had me smiling. “Stop it, Blue. I can’t go in there with a smile on my face.”
“Ya think I’m jokin’?”
“Oh, I know you’re not.”
“What ya gonna say to him? What ya gonna do if the dirty skank that slept with him is still there?”
“I don’t know. I’ll just see what happens.”
“Playin’ it by ear, eh? Good call.”
I took a moment to compose myself outside my door before pushing it open and?—
“Leela!” Chaya looked up from pulling on her boots. “We’ll be out of your hair in a moment.”
“Their shower is so much better than ours,” Dharma said as she came out of the bathroom. She was fully dressed, but her hair was wet. “Leela, hey, thanks for this.”
“This?” I looked between them. “You…you two sleptherelast night?”
