“I never said he was good, child. I said he bore comparatively little sin. There is a distinction.” Bastet drew her fingers soothingly down Esmeray’s jawline, over his chin, studying him with great interest. “But you’ve become mine now, in a strange fashion. That means I will protect you. And you are in my domain.”
“Your domain? I don’t have a soul, though?” Esmeray flinched as Bastet glanced at the table and plucked up a fig that had been cut in half, the side piped and filled with a honey and cheese blend. She turned back to push the tender morsel into his mouth with a gentle slide and glint of her power. “Wh—”
Bastet closed his mouth and watched with deadly interest as he chewed and swallowed. “You’ve partaken of food of the deic realm. You have right to be here now. I’ve also healed you. Now is not the time for you to be ill. My mage needs to be loved.”
Diana, of course, would never be outdone and tapped a small, speckled egg on her plate, peeling the thing as the scent of quail drew my gaze. She stood, leaned across the table, and batted Bastet away to feed him herself, too. “There. Me too!”
The goddesses exchanged terse glares, and Esmeray swallowed the morsels before sighing in utter relief. “Thank you.”
“I believe we need to negotiate the favor he owes to you two.” I sat quietly next to Diana and reached for his hand to squeeze it.
“He’s performing it as intended.” Diana clapped her hands adoringly, eyes bright and smile utterly giddy. “He’s completing you, mage. Consider him a sort of gift.”
“A gift?” Esmeray glanced at Diana, and Bastet purred before reaching for her goblet and sipping at a rich, dark wine that stained her lips.
“Mhm. Our Mage of the Gray has served us well. He earns our blessings. While I’m not thrilled at how he took possession of you, Esmeray, you will earn your name from us, Resurrector.
“Our Mage of Gray and Master Resurrector.” Diana sighed happily, that mischievous twinkle in her eyes only increasing.
Esmeray twisted his lips, unease apparent on his face.
“Beats being theNeck Romancer.” Lune’s chilly voice piped up, and I sighed, wishing for all the world that I didn’t have to hear that name again.
“Hush, bunny.” Diana gave him a shushing gesture, and Lune zipped his lips with a grin that I held my tongue over. Lune was incorrigible.
“The only question is whether our little demon will cast himself in with heaven or hell and if Gre will follow.” Bastet stared at her nails before picking at a rough spot with disinterest.
“Hush, kitty! Esmeray will go where our mage goes.” Diana nodded with confidence.
“I suppose I have no choice moving forward. And where I cast my lot depends on what my afterlife is to look like. Demons can offer me power in one plane and the next, but no afterlife.” Esmeray stared me down with worry in his eyes. “And once my mate’s life ends, so does mine.”
“Once Ausmius is no longer hosted in your body, your soul will grow.” Bastet picked a fig off the plate for herself and bit into it, her sharp teeth an almost-threatening display.
“That won’t happen for a while. I have to have a child, and they need to be trained before taking him.” Esmeray brightened slightly when Diana pushed a plate of sandwiches closer to him. He took one with a sigh and bit in, chewing with relish.
Diana and Bastet looked at one another pointedly. Bastet raised a brow. Diana pinched her lips.
“What?” I knew chaos when I saw it between my mistresses.
“You tell him. I’m going to watch.” Bastet leaned back in her seat and tucked her feet daintily beneath her, all white silk spilling over her golden-brown skin. Her eyes glimmered with chaos.
“Well. You mated with a mage marked by myself, a fertility goddess. And Bastet leads the dead but also aids those in childbirth.” Diana stifled a giggle. “Your gift to us will be a child of immense power.”
“When do we need to—you know. Try?” Esmeray’s face lit with panic. “I have plans. My life set out. I—”
“Plans change,” Bastet said, leaning over to rest a bejeweled hand on Esmeray’s belly. “You no longer need estrus or cause. When your body is ready and the time comes, your body will decide.”
Esmeray stared down at Bastet’s hand. “What?”
“Congratulations. Our mage and resurrectionist will bear us something fantastic.” Diana clapped her hands.
“But like, later, right?” Esmeray’s breathing hitched, growing more intense by the minute as his pupils pinned.
“No, child. You carry now.” Bastet raised her hands to rest on Esmeray’s shaking shoulders. Tears welled in his eyes and poured seconds before a broken sob.
“But I wanted to make—to earn it. To—” Esmeray hiccupped.
“And you cannot still do so? Bear a child, work hard, and if you worry you lack an omega’s paternal drive, our dear mage will lift you up. There is no one who works and fights harder than a bearer with child.” Diana peeled another egg and ate it with prim, delicate nibbles.
