"Wait," I say, reaching for her hand. "I have so many questions—"
She snatches her hand away before I can touch her, shaking her head. "You don't want to do that." Her expression looks worried more than offended. "Just trust me. And tell your mom to stop."
"But I need help, and you have answers," I say, following after her as she gets up from the bar. I duck under, pushing through the throng of people on the other side and race up to Lachesis's side. "Please, help us. How do I send him home?"
"You'd think that's an easy question, wouldn't you?" The woman shakes her head, a few stray tendrils of hair drifting loose. "But therein is the problem. Where exactly are you sending him and how? A better question is…how did he get here? And who sent him? That's where you'll find your answers." She purses her lips, as if angry with herself. "I've already said too much, though. Good luck, honey."
Before I can follow her further, the crowd closes around me and she disappears into the throng. By the time I fight my way free from the patrons crowding the bar, I can't find her anywhere. I bite back a growl of frustration and turn toward Kassam, heading for his side. The mob is thickest here, even if he's ignoring them, and I'm not entirely surprised to see he has a ferret on his shoulder. "Where did you get that?"
"Carly, my light," Kassam says, turning toward me with a brilliant smile. He shrugs at the ferret, rubbing his nose against its fur. "It is my friend."
"I know which drink is your favorite." He holds up a shot glass that has a cherry stem in it, only a hint of grenadine and cherry liqueur at the bottom. That's right, I'm a bartender with the tastebuds of a sorority girl. Cherry bomb is my favorite. "Did I guess correctly?"
"You did, and now we have to go." I hold a hand out to him, ignoring the groans of the patrons around us. "We've got a lot to do tonight."
"Do we?" Kassam purrs, and hot pleasure shoots across our touch.
I brace myself against it, tugging him toward the door. Coming in was a mistake, but Lachesis gave me things to think about. I need to call my mom and get her to stop casting my cards. I need to quiz Kassam and find out what's really going on before he distracts me again. Most of all, we need to get out of here before some other god figures out where we are and shows up. Lachesis said she wasn't the one following us earlier, which means we've still got an unknown quantity out there.
And I don't know if it's friendly or not.
Dragging Kassam behind me, we're nearly at the door when Charlie calls my name. "Carly! Stop! Wait!"
Ugh. I grit my teeth and turn as he races toward us. "I can't stay, Charlie. I'm sorry."
His eyes are wide. "You can't leave me. We're packed—"
"I know. I can't stay. It'll ease off after we leave, I promise." Since Kassam won't be around to pull people in like a magnet, I'm pretty confident in that prediction. "I just…there's too much going on."
Charlie's normally easy-going face turns dark with frustration. "If you leave, you're fired."
I just shake my head and pull the god toward the door again. I can't work anyhow. Not until this situation with Kassam is solved. I'll just…have to figure something out. Somehow. "Goodbye, Charlie."
"Carly, please!" There's desperation in his voice—he's looking forward to a night of angry customers who won't tip for shit because of slow service, and I don't blame him for being upset. But he doesn't realize that I can't stay. Not with things like they are. So I take a deep breath, promise myself I'll make it up to him someday, and lead Kassam out to my car. I hate having to leave work so quickly after arriving, but if we stay, I don't know what sort of nonsense will happen next.
I can't take Kassam anywhere.
The realization is a slightly disturbing one. I move to the driver's side of my car, keys in hand as Kassam gets in on the other side. How am I supposed to do anything when I've got to take one very horny god wherever I go, and he causes a scene? How am I going to be able to do life's smallest chores if he—
"Bitch!" A hand snags in my hair from behind. Before I can register what's happening, my assailant slams my head into the roof of my car.
12
I collapse onto the ground, head ringing. There's a red and black haze of pain that makes it difficult to think. How did I fall? What happened?
Then the roaring starts, and I realize through the din in my ears that someone is furious…and that someone is Kassam. Easy-going, always laughing Kassam is snarling with rage.
"She stole you!" a man cries. "She stole you from me!"
Holy shit. Dizzy, I struggle to sit up, because that voice is familiar. It's not… Charlie?
"Human, I will tear your spine from your body and toss it into the rubbish heap," Kassam seethes. He sounds completely different than how he normally does, and the haze in my brain makes it difficult to concentrate. The air is heavy and ominous, and thunder crackles overhead. "Get away from her."
"It's not fair," Charlie cries. "I want you, too! We both saw you at the same time!"
"Human." There's a hollow, horrifying timbre to Kassam's voice. "Touch her again and you will regret it for the rest of your life."
Something skitters over my leg. A bug, maybe? My head swims, and I can't concentrate enough to look. Then another, and I hear the skittering sound of thousands of legs—a swarm of insects rallying as the air grows thicker and heavier around us. It's like a storm is about to break…and I fear that storm is Kassam.
I roll onto my back and try to assess my injuries. There's something wet on my face, and my nose feels as if it's been flattened. I touch it gingerly, pain flashing through my face. It's broken. As I open my eyes in time to see Kassam throw Charlie across the parking lot. My co-worker goes sailing and slams into another vehicle, the car alarm going off. I crawl to hands and knees. "Kassam," I croak. "No—"
"Carly."
He's immediately at my side, scooping me into his arms. This time, there's no blatant orgasmic flash as he touches me, just a gentle sort of pleasure that reassures and makes me feel better. He bridal carries me, and stars flash in front of my eyes again. Now that Kassam has me, the dizziness that I've been fighting sweeps me away.
I pass out.
When I wake up a short time later, it's to the sound of Kassam's borrowed flip-flops (the only thing I had in my closet for him to wear on his feet) smacking as he goes up stairs. I moan, my entire head throbbing and my stomach queasy. "Where…"
"Hush," Kassam says in a gentle voice. It's strange to hear, after he lost his shit and sounded like he was going to tear Charlie's throat out. I'm still sorting between that Kassam and the normal one I'm used to, who loves to lick each potato chip as if it's special, and who laughs constantly.
The angry god in the parking lot felt like a stranger. A terrifying one.
"Need…to drive," I protest. "We can't stay…here."
"We are almost home, Carly," he tells me, tone soft. "You do not have to drive. I will take care of you."