“Gray isn’t?—”
“I don’t know about the inner workings of your relationship, and I don’t wish to know. All I know is that people can change. You’re about to leave your job, your home, and your family for Gray.”
“It’s not only for him,” I mumbled, not willing to admit that Gray had agreed to live here with me. Not that it mattered anymore. I realised that James’s live stream meant I could no longer go unnoticed and work on Earth. “I’m a demigoddess. Everyone seems to think it’s best for me to be there. And… well, I kind of went viral for being a God.”
Larkin raised an eyebrow. “That was how you amplified your gift. You told them all, and they prayed for you?”
“Yeah.”
“Clever.”
“I can’t take all the credit for that. James helped.”
“We have a lot to thank him for then.” She sniffed. “My point is, Quentin, that I want you to be safe. I want you to have the power and control in your life while you are with us because it is really easy to lose sight of it without even realising.” Larkin squeezed my hand, and I felt a warmth rush to my eyes. “I won’t apologise for looking out for someone who saved my life.”
“You are very unapologetic these days.”
She laughed and nodded. “Yes, I am.” The laughter soon gave way to quiet tears. “You don’t have to accept the position. There is no obligation for you to do this. But I’m tired, Quentin. I am exhausted, and I feel responsible for some of the things Hunter did and the division he caused. This is partially my way of putting it right.”
“You weren’t responsible for any of those things,” I told her, squeezing her hand.
“Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t feel like I did anything to stop him. I could have done more. I wish I had.”
“You were surviving, Larkin. I don’t think there’s a single person who blames you for the way he ran Elysia.”
“Whether or not they do, I would still like to do something that might help now. It’s not too late.”
“I understand.”
“A temple, golden girl?” Gray’s voice was smooth and deep as it projected from the back of the room. “What an interesting choice.”
“I’ll leave you both to it,” Larkin said. “I’ll head back to Elysia and make sure everything is kept calm.” She untangled her hand from mine and rose to her feet. “Good luck.”
“Thank you, Larkin.”
It wasn’t just a thank you for her well wishes. It was a thank you for the way she treated me. For trusting in me.
As Larkin disappeared, Gray’s footsteps drew near. He held a hand down to me. “You don’t kneel for anyone.”
I took his hand and got to my feet. “Sorry for disappearing. I was caught by surprise and panicked a little bit.”
“Mm,” he hummed, taking me in. “I assumed that was what happened. Would you like to go home?”
“No. I’d like to stay here, actually.”
Gray quirked an eyebrow, but I didn’t explain and he didn’t push. I’d landed in the temple rather than my usual safe havens. Not my family home, not Cassidy’s, and not the lab. For my entire life, I’d refused to believe in the Gods and saw no use in turning up to the temple. Especially after I’d lost my parents. I stopped attending the moment I could. But here I was, with the biggest decision of my life, standing within the walls of what I rejected. There was some irony in there that I was too tired to explore, but I didn’t want to leave yet. Not when it felt like I was on the cusp of understanding something that would put me at ease.
“Can we sit down?” I asked, nodding over to some chairs.
“Of course.”
Gray placed an arm around me as we walked over and sat down together.
“Would you like to tell me what’s running through your pretty little head?” he asked me. When I opened my mouth, Gray cut me off. “No more lies. No more secrets.”
I closed my mouth, weighing what he’d just said. There was no point in telling him I was fine or that I wasn’t thinking about anything.
“This is not what I expected,” I told him.
