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“I believe you, but I don’t trust you,” I said bluntly. “Trust goes deeper, aligned to one’s character rather than the stakes. We need each other now, but after that—I can’t trust what you’ll do.” I raised my chin. “I’ve learned that gods can lie as easily as mortals.”

“Then I will wait.”

His unflinching response took me by surprise. “Will you return home?” I asked.

“No.” His gaze dropped to my wrist, now bare, after the red thread had fallen off. “You can’t enter my realm anymore, so I will stay here with you. While you have the lotus, you are in danger. These attacks can’t be mere coincidences. They were looking for you; they must know what you bear. Magic calls to its own—and here, where your realm is barren of it, its scent rises like smoke. You don’t know what other predators you’ll attract, what they’ll do to take the power inside you.”

“But they can’t take it,” I said. “You tried and failed.”

“I’m not arrogant enough to believe I know everything about magic. There are forbidden arts that I’m ignorant of, those that might succeed in ripping the lotus from you, willing or not—if they don’t care whether you live or die. That’s another difference between them and me. I’d rather you remain alive.”

“Why?” I’d wondered before why he’d not chosen violence.

“Dawn would be dark without you.” He smiled. “You make life more interesting.”

I shouldn’t care, yet what were these feelings that wrapped around me, just when I thought I’d broken free? But I wouldn’t reveal my weakness; I’d keep it folded tight. “If these creatures can trace magic, will they sense your presence?” I asked instead.

“I’ve shielded myself.” He unslung the sword from his back, the one sheathed in a black jade scabbard that he’d given me before. “This is yours. Will you return mine?”

It was a fair demand, especially if he was keeping me safe. Moreover, the most vital thing he needed was still in my keeping. I left then to retrieve the god’s sword from my study, returning to hand it back to him.

“How could I take your sword?” I asked curiously. “It was said no one could wield it but you.”

“When we were connected by the enchantment, I channeled my magic into you. A trace must have remained, which is how my sword recognized you.”

A shudder rippled through me as I recalled his blade in my chest, my hand rubbing the scar. “How could it remain if I don’t have a lifeforce? Is this because of the lotus?”

“Maybe,” he said carefully. “But you can’t channel it without a lifeforce; it’s too dangerous for a mortal.”

“Why?”

“Because you can’t control it. If it surges unexpectedly, it could alert our enemies to where you are—it could drain your strength.” His gaze flicked to mine. “You will die then, just as us, should our magic be exhausted.”

Our enemies. How strange to imagine that the God of War was now my protector. Though it made me feel safer, his presence bore a different kind of danger. It sobered me to realize that once I relinquished the lotus, I’d lose this sliver of magic too. But if the God of War fulfilled his promises, if he kept me safe—it was a small price to pay.

“Why do the Winged Devils want me?” A frightening thought, that I might be their prey.

His lips pressed thin like he was deep in thought. “It could be their own scheme to gain power. Or they could be working with another—the Wuxin, possibly, as you mentioned.”

My insides churned. Even though they were sealed away, their threat always hovered at the edge of my mind. “Are the Wuxin worse than the Winged Devils?”

“The Winged Devils’ ambitions are smaller—they serve rather than seeking to rule, choosing masters who possess a similar appetite for chaos and destruction. There is still much unknown about the Wuxin, except they feed on suffering. Some can see into your darkest secrets, turning them into weapons against you,” he said bleakly. “The most powerful Wuxin can even steal another’s form.”

My eyes widened. “Then how do we know who is real?”

“We are more than our appearance. If you know someone, you can easily discern the true from false—as long as you’re looking,” he said.

“How can I guard myself?”

“Mortals are the most vulnerable. You have no magic to protect yourself, only your strength of will. But even then, it’s not easy for a Wuxin to possess your body—you must first surrender, allowing them to. They will offer false promises or threats, anything to secure their way. Many are skilled in divining the secrets of the heart, plucking out the roots of desire and of fear, even those we are ignorant of.”

My fingers curled, unknown terrors crowding my mind. “I don’t ever want to meet one.”

“It may not be them,” he reminded me. “We don’t know yet who is behind this, who our enemies are. It’s why I came as soon as I could; we can’t take any chances.”

My gaze flicked up to his. “Then train me. Teach me to keep myself safe.”

Light flared in his eyes. “I can’t train you in magic. If you die, I die too.”