Page 39 of The Gods Forbid

Her eyes darted down to my sleeves, not only wet from the dishes but also covered in a great deal of paint. While I was in the studio this morning, letting her have the house to herself, I’d made substantial progress on the landscape I’d started yesterday.

Enough that I’d walked back into the house, a melodic hum vibrating in my throat. My command over music only tended to come out when I was either so angry I needed some form of release or when I was calm and relieved, enough that my creativity had the freedom to start spinning.

Unfortunately, only someone truly ignorant would try to convince themselves that the slow pace of my heart and the easy set of my shoulders was anything other than relief.

Eventually, Persy would figure out that her gift had worked. It made me feel marginally more human, which was not a feeling I’d accepted in a long, long time.

“Do you need to change?” Persy asked, her voice sweet and soft as she stared down at my forearms. A selfish part of me hoped it had something to do with the fact that the shirt I had on happened to highlight my forearms well.

I cleared my throat, preparing myself for what I was about to say. “I do. Thank you.”

Fucking hell, those words sounded forced. I guessed I would just have to get used to it if Persy insisted on being this upsettingly considerate.

It made me want to … return the favor. Or something.

Suddenly needing to get some breathing room from Persy and the way her sweet, soft perfume found its way up my nose and under my skin, I pushed back from the sink. The last thing I caught before turning around was her curling her lips over a grin, like she was physically restraining the urge to comment on the fact I’d said thank you.

My shirt felt itchy and oppressive, the wet fabric making me want to crawl out of my skin. Right as I rounded the corner to the bedrooms, I reached over my shoulder and grabbed my shirt at the back of the neck, ripping it off in one pull.

The shirt must have brushed past my ears wrong or something because something disturbingly close to a choke followed me into the room Persy had given me.

Even with my stuff moved in and Persy’s obvious talent with decorating, it didn’t feel like mine.

A moment later, I’d thrown on a fresh, black long sleeve and made my way back out. Persy was already outside, and from what I could see she was talking to herself.

When I pushed her door open, I caught the last bit of what she was saying to herself.

Unless her brother had damaged my hearing when he’d shoved a lightning bolt in my chest, I'd heard her say to stay focused.

Oh, I was a fucking asshole.

Because the small chance she had been talking about me throwing her off balance made me want to smile.

“After you,” I said, leading her forward with my hand hovering over her back. Even though I wasn’t touching her, it was as if I could feel her anyway.

There was a heavy weight on the back of my palm, like some phantom hand was pushing mine closer to her. I braced my arm, resisting the urge to settle my hand on her lower back.

There was no chance in hell I was touching her.

I already felt on the verge of insanity, and I had a sneaking suspicion the feel of her skin under my palm would push me over the edge.

“It’s just a short walk,” Persy said, and I got the sense she felt like she needed to fill the silence.

There was nothing worse than trying to talk to someone who gave you nothing to work with, which was the only reason I decided to help her out. “What will you do while I’m locked away with the doctor?”

Persy’s steps hesitated, almost knocking her back into my hand. She collected herself before she could go barreling into me, her graceful demeanor saving us both from that fate.

“A few residents are leaving today,” she said after a moment. “I’ll see them off then…”

Just as she was going to explain, we stepped foot onto the outer edge of Prometheus’s main center. It seemed that the second we crossed the border, everyone felt that it gave them permission to completely mob Persy.

Realistically, it was rather polite.

“Persy,” the first person interrupted. “You’re helping say goodbye to the residents today, right?”

Where my instinct was to return a sarcastic quip, Persy just smiled and calmly said, “Yes, I’ll be there in a few moments.”

With a quick glance at me that bordered on terrified, they ran away with their answer satisfied.