I sighed, wiping my hands off on a towel and drifting closer. “I’m just sorry that this is happening.”
He watched me for a moment. “As am I.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“My mere existence iswrong, apparently.”
“You are a very powerful god, there is nothing wrong with that.”
“And how many mortals have I killed? How much havoc have I wreaked?”
I considered this. “None that I know of.”
“Precisely. This pathetic King is afraid of the mere idea of me, regardless of what I have done. And the other gods—wherever they may be.”
“What will you do with your last night in Moonvale?” I asked.
He shrugged. “The same as I always do, I suppose.” His mouth twitched in a private smile. I suddenly wished I had the ability to read minds, to what brought that smile to his face.
“Wander?” I guessed.
That private smile grew, just a touch. “Perhaps.”
I took a deep breath to bolster my courage. “You could stay with me,” I suggested.
The smile dropped from his face. He looked suddenly… startled. “With you?”
“In my cottage,” I amended. “Maybe on the couch. It’s warm. Comfortable. I know you don’t mind being outside and that you like to walk but I just thought… you might like a change of scenery for a night. Somewhere comfortable to rest.” I was rambling, I knew it, but I couldn’t stop the words from spewing.
His eyebrows shot to his forehead. “That is…” He cleared his throat. “That is very kind of you to offer, but?—”
“Don’t decline because you feel like it’s the polite thing to do. Really, I don’t mind. I think it’s going to storm again tonight, anyway.”
His mouth snapped shut. It was a few moments before he was able to speak again. “Okay.”
“Okay?” I asked.
“Okay. I will be there when the suns go down.”
I smiled, a trembling, brittle thing. My palms felt suddenly clammy. “When the suns go down.”
Iwas losing my mind.
Truly, this time.
What was Ithinking? Inviting Shade into my home when I hadn’t done a single thing to prepare? This was a travesty.
I fluttered about, straightening cushions, dusting off surfaces, straightening cushions again, anything to make the place look more tidy and inviting.
Sure, it was technically clean, and he had seen it before, but I wanted it to be impressive. Awe inspiring, even.
I wanted to dazzle him.
I had taken Brambleby over to Kizzi’s so he could stay safely inside there—he was comfortable with Kizzi and Tandor, and I wasn’t sure how he would react to Shade’s presence overnight.
Now I was just impatiently waiting.
The suns were sinking slowly, painfully slowly, and I wasn’t sure exactly when Shade would appear.
