Page 43 of The Gods Forbid

Calpurnia shot forward in her chair. “See, don’t do that. Don’t try to distance yourself by some poor attempt at aging yourself.”

I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. “I’m seven years older than her.” Sure, one might not be able to tell by looking at us side by side. Sure, we were both adults. But that felt important to remind myself. A deterrent. Or something

“How do you even know how old she is?” Calpurnia returned, that knowing eyebrow sky high.

My jaw clenched once, the muscle tightening. “I have a good memory.”

Calpurnia laughed under her breath. “While I do believe that, I don’t agree that your age difference would have any impact on your ability to get along. Especially since Persy is…” She broke off with a shake of her head. That only piqued my interest. “Excuse me, I almost spoke out of turn.” Piqued wasn’t the right word. Now I needed to know what she’d been about to say.

I never got the chance to press, because Calpurnia shook her wrist to bring her watch down her forearm and checked the time. “Well, that has to be enough for today.” Then, she looked to me. “Whether you like it or not, you will be here next week. And if I hear an inkling that you were unkind to Persy for setting this up, I won’t be as gracious letting you get away with those evasions you think work so well.”

Oh, this woman is good.

In a way that made me want to respect her and answer her questions.

Fuck.

I stood, smoothing my hands down over my pants and walking over to her to extend a hand. I wasn’t above using my height to intimidate. “You may be a unique case, Calpurnia. Most people let me get away with everything.”

A light knock sounded at the door, one that was so distinctly sweet and considerate it could belong to no one else but Persy.

Calpurnia took my hand, shaking it once. “She won’t,” she said, nodding her head towards the door.

An affirmative grunt was all she was getting in return, because I’d already figured that part out.

Bracing myself, I walked over to the door to find Persy on the other side of the hallway, leaning back against the fresh limestone, trying to wrestle a knife into a pomegranate.

For the love of Zeus, was she trying to hurt herself?

Without bothering with a hello, I walked over to her and yanked the pomegranate out of her hand.

“Hey!” she exclaimed, lunging for the fruit. I held it over my head. Like I said, I wasn’t above using my height to my advantage. Persy tried to reach for it, she really did. She got closer than most would, her own height giving her an advantage. Her height also gave her legs that burned themselves into the recesses of my mind, and placed her forehead at the exact height of my lips, but that was of no consequence. “Don’t break it,” she cried in a voice that immediately made my clothes feel too tight.

“I’m not going to maul it,” I said, my voice hard. Whether that was natural or a defensive reaction to the assumption I’d mutilate a beautiful product of nature, I would never know. I extended my hand, palm up. “Hand me the knife.”

Persy frowned down at my hand. “I’m not supposed to give you weapons.”

“It’s not a crossbow, love,” I said, wiggling my fingers. “Hand it over.”

Persy looked up at me, her eyebrows drawn as she debated whether or not to violate the order she’d been given. From her dickhead brother, obviously.

“Go on,” I coaxed.

Persy placed the knife in my hand carefully, as if to avoid brushing her skin with mine. Intentional or not, it was smart. Necessary.

Once her hand was out of proximity, I closed my fingers around the knife and brought it to the pomegranate. In two quick swipes and a pointed wedge, I popped a fourth of it out, the seeds still perfectly intact. “Here,” I said gruffly.

“Thank you.” This time, those words elicited a neutral reaction. Maybe even a positive one.

Before Persy could ask, which she surely would, I said, “Calpurnia is quite the treat.”

Persy’s mouth broke with a smile so blinding and beautiful it could eclipse the sun. “Isn’t she lovely?”

“That is not the word I’d use.” Persy’s smile dimmed ever so slightly. “But lovely is appropriate as well. I suppose.”

My chest released when her smile inched back up, her eyes returning to their bright glow. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

I nodded, if not to keep myself from returning a quip that risked dimming her smile again.