Page 97 of Lost and Stolen Gods
“I came to get furs.” He walked over to my makeshift bed, abandoned now that I had his.
He’d saved me from the poison, and I hadn’t had the chance to thank him properly for it.
I shoved back the covers and stood on shaky legs. “I want to thank you.”
He turned his head, offering me his profile. “Whatever for?”
“You could have let me die and you didn’t. You saved my life.”
“A mistake that won’t happen again.”
“That’s just it. I don’t think it was a mistake. I think it was just…you. I think you’re a good person. A good drohi, whatever. I don’t think you want to hurt me or kill me.”
He stalked toward me, furs in one hand, eyes narrow slits that burned with undecipherable intent. I held my ground as he stopped in front of me and wrapped one hand around my throat. “Now tell me that I’m a good drohi. Tell me that I don’t want to hurt you.”
I inhaled his cranberry scent and locked gazes with him. “I don’t think you want to hurt me.”
His grip flexed. “And now?”
I pushed the words out, staring up at him through a sheen of tears. “I don’t…think…you want to…hurt me.”
He made a sound of exasperation andshoved me away. I fell back onto the bed, and he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
I crawled back under the covers with a smile that was probably a little psycho because what was there to smile about when a guy threatened to throttle you? But this was Araz, and he’d saved my life, and that…that gave me hope.
The next time I woke,it was to whisker kisses from Blue. “Leela, my chickadee, I was so worried.” Tiny tears splashed onto my cheek. “I felt you dying. I felt it, but then you were alive again.”
I gently cupped his body and hugged him to my neck. “I’m sorry, Blue. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I was here,” he sniffed. “Every day. Do you remember?”
“I do. I heard you.”
“No more flowers for you,” he said, voice muffled against my skin. He squirmed, so I released him. “Pashim is bringing breakfast, then we have to go the stone sanctum for the grading.” He hopped onto the pillow and peered at me, head canted. “You don’t have ta go. We can skip it. We can stay here and snuggle.”
“I love snuggles with you, but I want to be there. I want to celebrate my friends’ successes.” I sat up and attempted to comb my fingers through my hair, but itwas snaggy and tangled, the way it got when I went to sleep with it wet. “Do you know who made it across the gauntlet?”
“Dharma did. No idea on the rest. I was too worried about you.” He wrung his hands. “What’s the point of me, eh? What’s the point if I can’t protect ya?”
“Oh, Blue, I don’t think you’re supposed to protect me.”
“Then what? What am I even good for?” He hung his tiny head.
I put my palm on the bed for him to step on to and raised him so that he was eye level. “You, little man, are my heart. You make me happy. You make me smile and laugh. You’re my morale, and that, little Blue, is vital.”
“Really?”
This was the first time I’d seen him insecure, and it tore at my heart strings. “Oh Blue, you have no idea how much you’ve helped me simply by existing. I’d be lost without you.”
He sniffed and wiped at his nose. “Yeah, well, course you would be.” He lifted his chin. “Now let’s do something ‘bout your hair. You look like you been dragged backwards through a hedge.”
Andhe was back.
The potentialsand their anchors and drohi were already at the stone sanctum when I got there. Umbra stood by the small stones that surrounded the larger stone that was Eben. Guru Mahir and Chandra stood beside her.
I spotted Araz in the shadows by the second exit, but he didn’t look my way, even though I was certain he saw me.
I could feel it through the connection we had.
