Stepping away from the lectern, I backed into Gray. He moved to the side and held a hand out to me. I regarded it for a long moment before slipping my hand into it and letting him guide me across the room and up the stairs. My cheeks felt like they might burst into flames at any moment.
Gray tried to nudge me into the aisle first, but I shook my head. He frowned, walking, taking the lead and sitting next to James. I sat in the seat right at the end, away from everyone else. When I tried to pull my hand away, he kept it in a tight grip and I sank further into my chair as if I could disappear.
Gareth took his post at the front of the room and immediately launched into a discussion about contracts and NDAs. My existence was a bureaucratic nightmare. It should have been no surprise. I zoned out, completely exhausted by the way the morning unfolded.
Gray squeezed my hand, and I turned my head to look at him. In his other hand was the coffee cup James had taken from me earlier, and I took it from him.
“He said to give him the stick and he’ll present,” Gray whispered, kissing my temple.
Usually, I would have fought James for the chance to stand in front of everyone and show our results, especially when I knew they were so promising, but the last thing I wanted to do was be put on the spot with them all staring at me again. There were enough glances being thrown over shoulders.
Shifting in my seat, I fished the USB stick out of my pocket and handed it to Gray, who passed it over to James. Thethanksgot stuck in my throat as I clutched Gray’s hand again and tried not to sink into the sadness that ripped a gaping hole in my chest.
* * *
The lab had always beenmy refuge, and I was ashamed to admit that if Grayson was with me, I might have been brave enough to step into my domain after the meeting. But Hunter had asked to see all the Gods, minus me, so I sloped back to the floor and straight into my office, avoiding the rest of my colleagues the best I could.
The coffee James had gifted me was stone cold, but I sipped from the cup anyway, willing some normality back into my life as I opened my inbox and started drafting out an email to Gareth.
As I hit send, there was a knock on the office door that made me still. My breathing became shallow before I realised how ridiculous I was being. I couldn’t hide away until this project was done. I’d need to face everyone at some point.
“Come in,” I yelled with more confidence than I felt.
The door pushed open and Charlie stepped into my office, closing it behind her. I pushed myself up in the chair and swallowed hard.
“Can I take a seat?” she asked, still hovering by the door.
“You’ve never asked me before.”
“Things are a little different now.”
I bit the insides of my cheeks, tasting blood as she settled into the chair at the other side of my desk.
“You’re not glowing anymore,” she pointed out. “That makes you a little less terrifying.”
“Good, because I’m not aiming to be the terrifying type of Goddess.”
My joke fell flat. Silence stretched like a chasm between us and Charlie bowed her head, staring at the hands in her lap. “You could have told me. I thought you would have trusted me.”
“I didn’t tell anyone.”
“Really?” Her chin tipped up as she met my eye. “Because James didn’t look too surprised at the news.”
I closed my eyes for a moment. “He found out by accident and I told him to keep it a secret.”
“Right.”
“Don’t be mad at me over this. Please. Everything in my life got flipped upside down in one night, Charlie. I went from being a scientist doing my job to a demigoddess with no idea how to control anything.”
She sighed, shoulders slumping, and reached a hand out across my desk. I shook my head and raised my hands close to my body.
“No cuffs,” I explained. “It wouldn’t be smart of me to do that.”
“I understand.” She retracted her arm. “It’s easy for me to say, but don’t worry about the rest of them. Teixeira and Matthew. It’s always been a boys’ club. They’re just pissed that they weren’t the chosen one.”
“I’m not Harry Potter,” I mumbled.
Charlie smiled at me kindly and something in my chest caved with relief, welcoming soft wisps of gold into the room.
