The remorse on his face brushes aside any hurt I had. “It’s not your fault. You’re just trying to get through this whole lies thing. How long does it take?”
“Not entirely sure. I’ve never voluntarily stayed behind during an Anticipation.”
Interesting. “Is it allowed?”
Kalos grimaces. “It isn’tnotallowed.”
“How long do gods normally stay after they defeat their final Aspect?”
“They don’t.”
Which means they either kill their Anchor, or they’re terrible at keeping them alive. Or the Anchor kills themself to free the god. “Oh.”
“Most don’t have a reason to stay. I do. It’s that simple.” Hereaches out and brushes a lock of my hair away from my face. “Don’t worry yourself over it. No one’s going to get in trouble. We’ll talk to Belara and see what scheme she’s cooking up and decide after that. Whatever happens, we’re a team. We do nothing until we’re both ready. You know I would never ask you do to anything that would harm you, Elsie. I’m going to take care of you, always.”
“I know.” We’ve looked out for each other this entire time. I watched his back when he was at his lowest, and now that he’s strong and back to himself, he’ll have mine.
He keeps a straight face. “Because you’re my Maiden of Medicine, remember?”
I scowl at him. “Can we not?”
He puts his hands up in the air, all innocence. “I didn’t start it. I’m just going with what the people have decided.”
Please. As tired as I am, I can’t help but laugh. This entire situation is just the most ridiculous. I rub a hand down my face again, and it’s like all my energy has disappeared. Maybe Kalos needs to pull more energy than before to remain in the mortal realm after he’s triumphed. If that’s the case, exhausted might be my new normal.
Better than dead, though.
Kalos curls a finger in my hair. “When did you want to go see the goddess, love?”
Even though it’s childish, I groan. The last thing I want right now is to sit next to a goddess and feel inadequate. “Can’t we make her stew until morning? I’m wiped.”
“We can absolutely make her wait on us.” He grins, flashing teeth. “It’ll make her crazy.”
“Good. I want to crawl back into bed, preferably with you.” I tug on the front of his shirt and notice that it’s brand new and very fancy. “When did this happen?”
“My clothes? The locals have been very generous. Theyinsisted on giving me whatever I wanted.” He shrugs. “They’re going to build a temple for me here. I told them not to bother but it pissed off Belara, so I changed my mind and said I loved the idea.”
“You look very handsome,” I tell him, smiling. He’s had a bath, and his tousled hair feathers beautifully across his brow. It manages to look casual and deliberate at the same time. “Ten out of ten.”
His brows go up. “Didn’t like me better with long hair? I can probably change it back if you like.”
My mouth puckers with distaste at the thought. I reach up and give his shorter hair a ruffle. “Makes me think of the other Kalos. I like you like this. He didn’t feel likeyou.”
“Whatever pleases you. As a god, I have no official form. But I will remain in this one because I like the way you look at me.”
“And how do I look at you?”
“Like you want me to drag you to bed and kiss you all over.”
I’m suddenly breathless at the thought. “Yes, please. Let’s do that. Fuck Belara.”
“I’d rather fuck you.”
“Okay, that’s a better idea.” I wind my arms around his neck, and when he leans in to kiss me, I melt against him. He doesn’t feel as feverishly hot as he used to. His skin against mine is welcome, inviting, delicious. With a happy sigh, I hike one leg to his hips. He grabs my ass and hefts me into his arms, carrying me the short distance back to the bed.
He pulls my shoes off, tossing them over his shoulder. “Want me to undress you?”
“And here I just got dressed. Such a waste of new clothes.” I tug at the lace between my breasts.
