Chapter Nine

Beryl

Well. I guessed he wasn’t coming.

We’d arranged for Greid to come back at midday before he bolted out of here the day before. So at five minutes to, after being forced to hug every single cult member here and saying a tearful, hushed goodbye to my aunt, I’d left through the front doors of the compound with my embarrassing luggage and sat on a little stone bench near the top of the steps to wait for his arrival. I’d thought the rest of the cult would come out to watch us leave together, but the high priest had said in hushed tones that it was a sacred moment, meant only for mates.

But it was quarter to one, and he still hadn’t showed.

I gripped the edge of the bench, blinking fast to keep the heat gathering in my eyes at bay. I was shocked by how upset I felt. Over the course of the night and morning, breathless excitement had gradually overtaken the fear of leaving everything I knew behind, but it seemed silly to be this disappointed. It wasn’t like I knew Greid. It wasn’t like I’d been jilted on my wedding day or anything.

I guess he changed his mind, I thought miserably, staring down at my chunky flat sandals. Inappropriate footwear for autumn, even though the days were still warm, but it was these, my sneakers or ugly working boots that we wore in the winter while tending to the vineyards.

I’d worn my brightest clothes—stuff I’d bought in secret but never actually dared to wear in the compound—to mark the start of my new life. Maroon trousers and a pale blue shirt with an embroidered breast pocket. My ass was getting numb and cold from the stone bench beneath me, and the breeze was picking up at the top of the hill, making me shiver in the thin shirt. I’d packed my ugly working coat, and I really couldn’t be bothered to dig through everything to get it.

The thought of going back inside and telling them all that Greid had never shown up made my cheeks burn with humiliation. Which was ridiculous—I didn’t actually care that he’d ‘rejected’ me. I didn’t want him as my higher-being-sex-wizard mate. But I could already see the pitying looks. I could hear the hushed whispers as they wondered what was wrong with me, why he’d changed his mind. The high priest would probably cry.

The idea of going back to my room and unpacking made me want to cry. I’d been so close. I’d finally worked up the courage to leave, to try experiencing real life, and this sudden about-turn at the very last minute was… well, it was frankly like a big, unexpected kick in the cunt. With steel-toed boots. Delivered by the enormous, powerful foot of a demiurgus.

It was crushing, but as I wrapped my arms around myself to ward off the chilly breeze, the disappointment began to turn into anger. That absolute bastard. Why had he gotten my hopes up? Why had he offered? If I ever saw him out in the city, I was going to—

“Buh-Beryl.”

I whipped my head toward the top of the steps in time to see Greid stumbling up the last of them, almost collapsing to the ground. He doubled over, bending his long legs and placing his hands on his knees as he sucked in heaving breaths.

I stared at him in disbelief. He looked… Well, he looked like shit, quite frankly. His long black hair was a tangled mess, and he was not wearing a sharp three-piece suit like yesterday. He was in stained grey sweats and a huge black sweater that was ripped on one sleeve, his feet stuffed into unlaced boots.

My mouth twitched, then curved up into a smile. I got the sense that I was seeing a closer approximation of the real Greid here. And he was a hot mess.

He finally straightened, still wheezing for breath. His yellow eyes looked a little bloodshot, and I was pretty sure there were pillow marks still creasing one cheek.

“Uh…” I stood up. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he panted, clutching his side and gesturing at the steps behind him. “It’s just… those fucking stairs.”

I laughed. “Did you run all the way up them?”

“Yeah.” He looked at me ruefully, and his ears started doing that adorable embarrassed flutter. “I’m really sorry I’m late. I, uh… I overslept.”

I chuckled, picking up my suitcases to walk over to him. “Stayed up late enjoying your last night of freedom, huh?”

His face spikes flexed in a rush, the feathered tips of his ears rustling wildly against his hair. “I, uh, I just… You know. Time got away from me,” he mumbled, then repeated, “I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay. Better late than never.” I was just beyond relieved that he was here. That it was actually happening. I beamed up at him. “So, ready to go?”

“Very fucking ready.” He glanced at the silent building behind me, his lip curling. “Let’s get away from here. I’ll take those.”

Our fingers brushed as he grabbed both suitcases from me, and I saw him give the initials stencilled on the front a double-take. But he didn’t say anything, much to my relief. Just ducked his head as his ears twitched before turning for the stairs.

“Wait.” I glanced down at his unlaced boots, then raised a brow as I looked at him sternly. “You’re gonna trip and break your neck.”

“Huh?” He stopped and looked down. “Oh, it’s fine.”

“Greid.” His eyes widened a little as I marched toward him and took the suitcases back. “Lace your boots up.”

His breath caught as he stared at me, and I wondered if I was about to experience the supposed dominant demiurgus nature from him for the first time. If he was going to huff and tell me that he didn’t take orders from humans.

Instead, he just mumbled, “Okay,” and hunched over to fumble with his laces as his face spikes twitched around his hairline.

I gave a satisfied smile to the crown of his bent head. His black hair was glossy in the sunlight and gleaming emerald green, despite being a wild mess. There was a lot of it, but it looked fine and soft. I’d never been overly interested in hair, but I wondered if he’d let me play around with it once we knew each other better. I’d bet he’d look awesome with space buns.

Once his boots were laced, he took the suitcases again and waited for me to fall into step beside him before we began making our way down the stairs. I glanced back at the compound once, desperately hoping I wouldn’t get cold feet and ask him to bring me back.

I was actually leaving. It didn’t feel real. I wondered how long it would take for it to feel real.

“So how was your last morning with the sex people?” Greid asked, making some of the nerves flee as I laughed.

“Emotional all around, I guess. They threw me a celebratory dinner last night.” I glanced over at him with a teasing smile. “To congratulate me for landing such a handsome and virile demiurgus lover.”

He gave me an unimpressed look even as his ears fluttered, but his only response was a grunt.

I chuckled again, then sobered. “It was sad saying goodbye to my aunt, but I can visit her.”

“Will you be able to stay in touch?”

“Yeah, once I’ve found a job and saved up for a phone.”

He went to wave a hand, almost nailing me in the side with my suitcase. After mumbling an apology, he cleared his throat and said, “I just upgraded, so you can have my old one. If you want. It’s the last model, so still pretty new.”

“Really?” I looked up at him, noticing how he kept his eyes fixed studiously in front. The fronds on his pointed ear fluttered gently. “I can pay you for it.”

“It’s just sitting in a drawer. You can have it.”

“I… Thank you.” I flushed, not really knowing what to say. “I appreciate it, but I… We probably should’ve discussed this yesterday, but once I have a job I’ll obviously contribute toward bills and stuff.”