"Okay, so I need something more extreme than bullfighting."
"There's a good chance you're not going to find anything," he warned.
"What about human sacrifice? That's got to be a hard limit."
He chuckled. "I suppose that's true, but I also know that there's no chance of you asking me for that, so it's a moot point. If you want to win the game, then you're going to have to find something you might actually ask for." There was a sense of triumph in his voice.
"I'll think of something," I murmured, though I wasn't convinced I would.
The lake at the centre of the oasis approached, glittering in the evening light.
"How are you feeling about moving here?" he asked. "You've never lived in the god realm before."
"It feels right to," I admitted. "Being here feels like home."
"I'm glad. I didn't want you to feel like you were compromising."
I shook my head. "Not at all. I want to reconnect with everyone." The decision had been an easy one, and not just because of Ptah. Reconnecting with Menhit had also played its part in the choice.
"I'm glad," he said.
"Besides, it's so beautiful here," I said with a deep sigh as I looked around me.
"It is."
I glanced at him to find him staring at me and not the oasis.
"Very beautiful," he said.
Heat rose to my cheeks despite how much I loved the compliment. Or maybe because of it. The words themselves weren't even the best part. It was the way he looked at me, how he touched me, and the tone he used. All of it added up to being his deepest feelings.
He pulled me to a stop and cupped my cheek in his hand, with his other pressed against the small of my back.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. He leaned in and captured my lips with his. I lost myself in the way it felt to be held against him. The world around us faded away, and while we were in the oasis, we could have been anywhere and it would have felt just as perfect.
I melted into him, feeling connected to the depths of my soul. While there was nothing either of us could do about the time we'd lost by being apart, we could make up for it now that we'd realised we were meant to be together.
And as immortals, that was going to be a blissfully long time.
Epilogue
Bastet
It was strange to already be back at a Jinx event, even if it wasn't speed dating. In fact, I wasn't exactly sure what this event was, but I'd been assured by both Ptah and Menhit that most of the gods were using these events as a way of easily socialising with one another.
I leaned back in my seat and swirled my wine around my glass as I observed the rest of the room. While plenty of people seemed to simply be having friendly conversations, there was a lot of flirting going on, assuring me that at least some people were using this as a dating opportunity.
Not that I was going to complain. A Jinx event had brought me back together with Ptah. Without it, we might have let another few hundred years pass before we managed to reconnect.
"When's Menhit getting here?" Ptah asked, reaching out to put his arm around me.
"No idea. I'm surprised she's not around already," I admitted. "She says she enjoys the events."
"Why did she even want us to meet her here? Couldn't she have come to the sanctuary to talk about whatever it is she needs us for?"
"No idea. But she asked, so here we are." I didn't mind much, it was interesting to see who was around.
The crowd parted, and my friend finally hurried over to our table. "I'm so sorry, something came up and I lost track of time." She sat down opposite us. "Please tell me this glass is for me?" She gestured to the one sitting next to the empty wine glass.
