Page 40 of Damned and Broken Gods
I exhaled, then drew a breath of sweet jasmine.
“Please,” Chandra addressed the gathered. “Eat, dance, be merry. It is not often that I open my home thus.”
Hishome? Of course it was his home. He was regent, after all, and when I took the throne, then this…this would be mine?
Chandra led me farther into the room, into a sea of polite smiles and eyes that cut like daggers. Red lips sipped at golden goblets, and slender fingers plucked at the fruit laden on silver platters, carried by beautiful servers—men and women with gossamer wings like Erabi.
The pari smiled, bowed, and circulated, returning to the long tables stationed on either side of the opulent chamber to refresh their trays or pick a new one.
There was so much to take in from the colorful tapestries depicting gods at war and play to the chandeliers carrying blue and purple flames instead of the regular amber.
“Leela, meet Thakur David.” Chandra introduced me to a tall man who had kind eyes. He looked like he was in his thirties, stocky and solidly built.
What had Erabi told me about him? Oh yes. He was one of the rare made gods who’d been taken from the battlefield and elevated to noble, then to thakur. He had a wife and two children who were both born gods.
I didn’t know why he’d been exempt from the battlefield, and it didn’t matter. All I needed to do was make him like me.
I fixed a smile on my face. “I’m honored to meet you, Thakur.”
“The honor is all mine.” His smile was warm and sincere. “Chandra has told me a lot about you. I hear you chose Dharti house barracks?”
“I did.”
“Can I ask why?”
This one was easy. “I considered each house and the traits aligned with it. Dharti is grounded. Stable. Much like me.”
He nodded. “Yes, it is. But learning that you were royal must have been a shock.”
I shrugged, offering him a cheeky smile. “I always knew I was special.”
He let out a bark of laughter. “Did you now?”
I laughed with him. “Honestly, though, this whole experience has been shocking. Getting taken from my world, being told I was a demigod, and then the affinity thing…” I sighed and shook my head. “It’s been a steep learning curve.”
His expression grew serious. “Yes. It’s not easy making the transition from one world to the next.”
Bingo. I’d known this was my way in with him. Common ground. “I miss TV.” I pouted a little. “I never got to finish my favorite show,Ghost Catchers.”
“I loved that show! I can’t believe it’s still playing.”
“Season twenty-one.”
“Did Clark McMannon ever get to lead a case?”
“Yes! And he did a terrible job!”
“I knew it.” He chuckled, his eyes twinkling. “You know, there may not be any TV here, but there are stunning theater productions. Reema and I would be happy to take you to one.”
“Really?” For a moment, I forgot that I was meant to be playing this guy, and genuine excitement bubbled up inside me. The theater was my second love, one Matt, my ex, had hated. “I would love that so much.”
“Then it’s settled. I’ll arrange it all and get an invite to you.”
“I think we’ve monopolized Thakur David enough,” Chandra said smoothly. “We should mingle.”
“Of course.” David smiled down at me. “Truly a pleasure, Leela.”
Chandra steered me away from David, leaning in slightly to whisper, “Well done.”
