"Exactly. And now I don't have the same level of help."
"Maybe you should put a job advertisement in the local paper."
I raised an eyebrow. "Ancient goddess seeks priestess to worship her and her cats?"
"I'd be signing up in a heartbeat if it meant I got to worship you."
"You worshipped me plenty last night," I quipped.
"And I plan to again this evening. Unless you have time before your first appointment, then we can get an early start on the worship." A mischievous grin spread over his face.
"I think I can spare some time for you." I got to my feet and made my way towards the stairs, only stopping when I reached the bottom.
I looked over my shoulder and slowly untied my robe, letting it fall to the floor.
Ptah was on his feet and following me up the stairs within moments.
Chapter 10
Ptah
I couldn't stop grinning as I made my way back to the portal that would take me back to the god realm. Of all the ways I'd imagined my date with Bastet to end, it hadn't been in her bed. Not that I was complaining. I'd spent years thinking about what would happen if I got another chance to be with her.
I didn't think sex had ever been an issue between us. It had always been good. Something about the way the two of us connected was irrefutable. But it hadn't been enough. Now I wanted to prove to her that I was ready to know everything about her. Not just what she liked in bed, but also out of it. And I'd do whatever it took. Restaurant dinners, cooking classes, spending the day tending to her clowder of cats.
Literally anything that would prove to her how much I cared, and how much things had changed.
I resisted the urge to whistle, sure it would annoy anyone else who was on the street. It would certainly raise an eyebrow.
The crowds grew as I got closer to the portal, which wasn't unusual. This one was hidden in plain sight, but it wasn't in the most sensible of places.
Someone jostled against me. "Sorry," I muttered as if I was the one who'd gotten in the way.
It happened again, almost as if someone was purposefully brushing up against me.
I turned around, half expecting to find nothing there. Instead, I came face to face with a man covered in warlock tattoos and grinning at me as if I'd walked right into his trap.
"Can I help you?" I asked.
"I believe you can," he responded in a deep voice.
Something about the way he said it made me feel as if there was something I was missing.
"Are you Ptah?" he asked.
I gave the man a once-over, trying to work out if he was a paranormal, but I wasn't sure. He wasn't giving off any signals that he was, and I didn't recognise him, so he shouldn't know my name.
I cleared my throat. "I think you have me confused with someone else. My name is Peter. But I hope you find who you're looking for."
"I don't think so, Ptah," he responded.
Worry wormed its way through me. It wasn't impossible for a human to figure out who I was, but it wasn't normal.
"I'm sorry I can't help you more." I turned, but something stopped me from being able to move away from the man.
A second man appeared to my side, and I didn't need to turn to find another on the left. I considered calling forth a shift to shock them and let me leave, but I was conscious of the sheer number of humans around us.
"We just have some questions," the first man said. A glimmer of gold peeked out from under his collar, catching my attention. I'd heard rumours of humans who could gain magic through a certain set of rituals, but I didn't know what it entailed. At least that made it more likely that they did know who I was, but I wasn't about to make it easy for them.
