Zagreus had meant to take Gwenyr’s arm but they were moving before he thought about it. They followed Rezu down a stone cart-path, past some troop training areas and reached a dining table set up in a small garden full of colorful flowering bushes. The sun was getting low, maybe an hour until sunset.
Rezu bowed. “My Lord, My Lady, I will return with your meal shortly.” He left.
Gwenyr poked and prodded at Zagreus like a wife getting her husband ready for an important event, “You clean up nicely God of Perverts. I almost can’t see your filthy mind under there.”
He looked her in the eyes. “I can clearly see yours. You made a deal with Lilithana didn’t you?”
She froze, unbreathing.
He gave her a kiss on the cheek, “Don’t worry. I’m not mad. We will talk soon, but I need some time to think. Let’s enjoy our meal.”
They sat in awkward silence until Rezu arrived, wearing a black and white dress with a wide skirt. He was the perfect servant and was gone quickly.
“Is he always like this?”
“I have only known him for a few days, so it’s hard to say. He is, interesting.” Zagreus wanted to say Rezu felt more alive than the goddesses, but he knew Lilithana was certainly watching them.
They ate mostly in silence.
When they were almost finished, Gwenyr said, “I had countless ideas of how this meal would go. None of them included me sitting here unable to talk.”
“Say whatever you want.”
“I…” She took a deep breath. “I’ve never been on a date. I asked for this, then everything somehow got setup without me being involved. I was told what to wear and when to be here. It’s a bit unnerving. They somehow took over a castle in my territory.”
“This is their territory. You are just the one they are allowing to rule right now.”
“You are not helping me feel better.”
“I’m sorry. I suck at this dating thing too. I don’t know what to say either.”
“Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”
He shrugged. “I spend most of my time training.”
“What are you training for?”
“I can’t talk about that. I can’t really talk about any specifics of my life with the goddesses.”
“You were chosen by an Altar, right? You ascended. You had a life before becoming a god didn’t you?”
He touched her hand and set a link. He sent. *I have mental powers. I just set a link with you, so we can talk with our thoughts.*
She snatched her hand back and he felt her fear.
“A person can throw lighting or fire with arcane, and everyone thinks that is normal, but being able to mind-speak using arcane makes people see me as evil or corrupted.” He shook his head.
She sat up straight and put on a brave face.
“I accidently set a link with a friend of mine when I was fourteen. He later told his parents. My family was forced to flee the city. The merchant convoy we were in was attacked by shadowcats. I was the only survivor.”
“I… don’t know what to say.”
“It was over twenty years ago. I don’t even remember their faces or voices.” He shrugged. “It’s just something that happened.”
“Can you hear everything I think?”
“Sometimes I will get stray bits of thoughts. But you have to focus and want to send me a thought for me to hear it clearly.
*You smell delicious.* She sent.
He smiled. *So do you.*
*I can’t believe I sent that,* She glowed with embarrassment. *How long does this last?*
*This link will stay between us as long as I choose. You can speak to me anytime you want. Just take a minute to focus your thoughts on me and sense if I am awake first.*
*Ok. I will.* She smiled. *This power is amazing.*
Even with the little bit of energy it cost to talk so close together, he could feel it draining him. “That is enough mind-speaking for tonight. I will show you more of my ability, later.”
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“Ok.”
He stood and held out his arm, “Would you watch the sunset with me? I have never seen one before.”
She took his arm. “How is it possible that you have never seen a sunset?”
“I was born in the Deep Dark. The only time I have been to the surface was when I visited your chambers. This is the first time I have ever been under the sky. The sun still stings my eyes a bit.”
“I will be thrilled to share this first with you.”
They walked to the point of the cliff, overlooking the ocean and the sunset. They sat on a marble bench. He gave her some room as they watched the sun sink into the sea.
“You look weary.” She said.
“It’s been a rough six-day.”
She patted her lap. “Rest and watch the sunset with me.”
He laid his head on her silky dress and soft thighs. Even with the sunset glaring at him he had to remain vigilant against sleep. Weary was putting it mildly.
She stroked his hair and ran her other hand delicately down his arm and chest. The sun disappeared and the night took the sky. She massaged his neck and shoulders. He winced as she pressed on Cinder’s mark. “I can smell her on you.” She spoke clearly, a simple statement of fact.
He looked up at her. “Sorry, but be more specific.”
She leaned over and eyed him curiously. “The infernal female. I can smell her lust, in your wound. May I see the mark?”
A tall arcane lamp now lit the area with a soft blue glow. He had barely noticed that the sun was gone. His brain was in survival mode trying to solve all the deadly riddles at once. No matter what he did, somebody got hurt. “When you were taking me to your bed, were you planning on marking me?”
Her face scrunched up, a little annoyed.
“I want the truth.” He said calmly. “If you lie to me, I will know, and I will leave.”
“Yes.” She tensed, anticipating a reaction. When none came she added. “The gods are famous for their deals. I thought I could use tradition to bind you to me. You showed me strength and I welcomed you by disarming. What you did to me was far more intimate than a kiss. You gave me the gift of trusting me with your offspring. You met tradition. You gave me the opportunity…” She stroked his hair. “I had to try.”
He sat up but he had no idea how to safely remove the multilayered-chest-prison that Rezu had put on him, so he recalled it into his mecromail. He removed the bandage and ward from the mark.
She eyed him with a bit of hunger then took a closer look at his shoulder. “Do you commonly court virgins?”
“She’s not a virgin.”
“She is either a virgin or a slobbering fool. What kind of self-respect…”
He pressed a finger to her lips. “They can see us. They can hear us. I suggest not insulting Cinderella, for both of our safeties.”
“The aerial that made me a puppet? She is just a servant to the Goddess.”
“Cinderella. The Queen of Hearts. The Goddess of Skulls. My betrothed. Same person.”
She looked like she wanted to melt into the ground and run away screaming. She did neither. She held it together. “I sincerely apologize to whoever is listening.”
Damn. I got to respect that.
“Cinder was not watching.” Lilithana said from behind them.
He had to catch an arm and leg to keep Gwenyr on the bench. It would be tragic if their first date ended with the Queen running screaming off a cliff.
She squirmed hard for a moment then settled back down.
He let go, “Sorry.”
Gwenyr stood and straightened her dress. “Goddess of Death you did not explain that I would be in competition with the Queen of Hearts.”
“That happened after our deal. It changes nothing. I only promised you sex with him and the opportunity to mark him. I am here to ensure he complies.”
“What if I don’t want to agree to this deal?” Zagreus stood.
“You already have. We have a scheduled date today. As per your request, I have adjusted the time to fit within our busy schedule. As per my request, from a year ago, this will be a threesome, with another female.”
“A threesome?” Zagreus and Gwenyr said in unison.
Gwenyr said, “I did not agree to that.”
“You did not exclude it.” She turned to Zagreus, “The requirement was for me to find an acceptable candidate.”
“I told you I wanted to approve of them first.”
“She is carrying your child. You have claimed her. You stated she was yours. She is willing, demanding even. Why do you continue to resist?”
Why…? It was a good question. With Jade it had been because she was Kitten. With Karimere it had been because she was a nightmare of depravity. With Cinder it had been because she tried to kill him whenever he touched her. But why reject Gwenyr?
For Cinder. He thought. But it wasn’t just Cinder. He felt deeply for Lilithana too and no amount of protest by her would convince him that she did not feel something as well. I live a crazy life.
“Zagreus Shadowbane. I will make you compliant to complete my deal. And since you refuse to make any use of her, I will take her as my own claim and bring her to our dates. Nothing will change. Will you join us voluntarily?”
“No.” He smiled and stepped around the bench, right in front of Lilithana. “Queen, sorry, but I have some god business to take care of. Give me a minute.” He didn’t wait for an answer as he activated a ball of silence around him and Lilithana. “Give me alive mode.”
In a moment Lilithana’s skin turned golden as her presence and scent grew. Her eyes burned at him. “I will not take pity on you just because you make me emotional. It will likely deepen your troubles Eleventh.”
“Oh stop with the ominous warnings. Just tell me if you are jealous.”
“Jealous of what?” She turned sideways with her arms crossed and glared over at him.
“I will take that as a yes.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I need you to do me a favor.”
“What?”
“Go home. Let me do this. I will make good on your deal. I promise. No peaking. Give us some privacy.”
“The threesome you promised?”
“If she is willing, I will invite her another day, soon. Or, I will find someone else.”
She rolled her eyes. “You are failing to meet your date obligations today.”
“I will make it up to you.”
She thought for a moment, “Replace this date and I would like to try the collar game with you sometimes.”
“Like Karimere?”
“No. Nothing so extreme. Just a little roleplay. You will call me Lady Death.”
He nodded. “Deal, Lady Death.”
She gave a hint of a smile. “I will continue to monitor the area, for your safety. I will allow you privacy, in the royal chambers. Rezu will guard from the hall.”
“Ok.”
“You have a dozen days to find a third or I will invite Karimere. You have no room to object to her after willingly violating my claim.” She was allowing him some room. But not much.
His insane plan might work. “Understood.” He deactivated the ball of silence and Lilithana disappeared in a flash.
Gwenyr said. “What is happening?”
He held out a hand. “Let’s go to the royal chambers.”
She glanced around for a moment like she expected Lilithana to reappear and follow.
“She is gone.” He said.
Gwenyr took his hand.