“Sounds good to me,” I say, turning to head for the subway station until Imani stops me because my pain is her pleasure.
“Why didn’t you tell us what was happening?” she asks.
“I’m sorry, at what point was I supposed to stop and let you know? Was it when I was dragged out here by a ridiculously strong man or when I was flung halfway across the field?”
The man, who can’t seem to understand us, leans in. “Is this woman the queen?”
“Yes. This is Queen Imani, pester her.”
“The way your words are filled with sass tells me that she is not the queen and you are trying to pass me off to a strange woman. I’ve never in my life encountered a person willing to stand up to me like this. I don’t know if I should have you executed or praise you.”
His dark brown eyes scrutinize me as though my expression will help him decide my fate.
“He wants to speak to our queen and is currently deciding if I will be executed,” I explain.
Imani appears concerned. “I’m sure he’s joking.”
I turn to the man. “Queen Imani believes you are hilarious.”
He beams. “Thank you. I am. I have decided I will keep you for now. At least until we tackle this pesky language problem.”
“Ask him the questions,” Imani prompts.
“Right, don’t forget the dating profile questions,” Vinny says.
I nod before addressing the man. “Where do you like to take long walks?”
“Across the battlefield among the bodies of my enemies,” he responds, which I then relay to Imani.
She looks a bit flustered. “Stop with the weird questions. His name. Do you even know his name yet?”
“I don’t care to know his name. Look at the man. He needs to be locked up, and I need to get home,” I say. “He’s over here declaring himself to be a god.”
Imani freezes. “He’s a god?”
She seems to be concerned by that for some reason. I turn back to the man. “What’s your name?”
“I am Torin, son of Kaides and Rena, God of War and Love. And yours, peasant?”
“Riley.”
He stares at me like he’s waiting for more, but oddly enough, I don’t generally introduce myself by claiming whose spawn I am. Or where I reside.
I pass on his ramblings to Imani, who looks more than a little shocked. “Do you really think he’s a god?”
“He looks like a god,” Vinny says as he watches the man who is doing some odd pose, like he wants to terrorize a person or two. Based on how almost everyone but Imani and Vinny back away, I think it’s working.
Imani opens her mouth to say something more when her phone rings. “Hold on. Hello?”
“Peasant, why is that one talking to herself? Is she a witch?”
“Do you guys burn witches where you come from?” I ask in his language.
“I’ve definitely killed a witch or two but never burned one. Are they flammable? Have I been doing it wrong all my life?”
I ignore that as Imani lowers her phone, looking rather concerned.
“We… we need to go. Riley, you need to stay with him. Please? You said you owed me one, and I’m finally cashing in on that.”
