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I tilt my head so he can better kiss my neck, my eyes drifting closed. "Are you saying that you're selfish, too, oh god of the wild?"
"Yes," he answers promptly. "But I am starting to understand why the High Father has sent us down as he does. Why he forces us to take mortal anchors. It is not just because we must be tied here to the mortal plane. We must learn from you, too."
I chuckle. "This all sounds like flattery."
"Why should I not flatter my wife?" He slides a hand into my hair and twines his fingers in it, forcing my head to one side even more as he nips at my neck. All right, so I'm not completely dead to things as a zombie. I'm definitely feeling the pulse of desire racing through my body at that touch, even if it's muted. "Have I not told you how special you are to me?"
"Mmm, once or twice. But you can always say so again. I don't mind hearing it." My gaze lands on a remote light in the distant trees, and as I watch, it winks out. That reminds me—while I'm sitting here cuddling with Kassam, there are people worried for their lives. Reluctantly, I slide out of his arms. "I should probably contact one of Seth's runners and see if we can get someone to write up warnings to take into the city. Maybe we can have eagles drop them or something?"
He pulls me back into his grip. "That can wait a bit longer. I wish you to look at the stars with me."
The…stars? I blink up at the sky and sure enough, the branches of the tree seem to shift imperceptibly, just enough to give us a glimpse of the starry sky above. Every night when we stop, it's a different excuse to spend time alone together, wrapped around one another. Last night, he told me he was tired of the birds chirping and wanted to get away. The night before, he wanted to relax among the tall grasses of a nearby meadow because it “reminded him of home.” Each time, he insists I come with him, and we end up snuggling for hours on end. It's no chore, but I'm a little amused that he's resorting to the stars. He tightens a big arm around my waist and I hug him against me. "You make it sound like we don't spend every day, every hour together."
"Tomorrow will be different."
I frown to myself. "It…will? How?"
"You will be in the skies with the griffins, far away from the fight. I will not have you put in danger, from our army or from Riekki's." His voice grows hard, his arms tightening around me. "The only ones I trust to keep you safe are those I can command."
"Oh." It makes sense. I can't fault the logic of it—he's immortal unless I get taken down—but I hate the thought that I don't get to be anywhere close to him as the battle rages. Riekki attacked him once before when he was in an Anticipation, and I worry she'll have some new sneaky way to hurt him. "How will I know if you're safe?"
Kassam hesitates. "If I am gone, my griffins will no longer be tame. They will not like having a passenger."
"So basically if I get dumped out of the skies, I'll know things are fucked?" I wince. "I guess it's a good thing I'm already dead."
"Do not say that," he growls.
"Walking dead? Zombie girlfriend?" I offer, trailing my fingers up his arm in a teasing touch. "Undead and probably underestimated?" He doesn't laugh at my jokes. Kassam really doesn't have a sense of humor about my un-living situation. I'm trying to look on the bright side, but when he remains silent, I snuggle back against him and pat his arm. "I'm sorry, Kassam. It's not funny. I'm just trying to cope with it."
"I don't like that you were hurt," he says stiffly. "I blame myself. I should have realized—"
I turn in his arms, because he's been beating himself up for days now. "You've done everything you can. You can't be everywhere."
"I could before," he says darkly. "A god would have been aware of the danger you were in."
"Consider this another lesson the High Father is having you learn," I say. I just hope it ends up all right for me. I try not to think about my thread, pulled between worlds and fraying like Death said. Forcing a bright smile to my face, I tap a finger on his chin. "So when you win against Riekki, does that mean you're more or less done with your Anticipation? What happens then?"
His gaze is locked on my face. "We ride to the Tower of the Spidae and we tell them of Seth's betrayal. I demand that they fix you. Then I return to my home with you at my side." He thinks for a moment. "And of course, we will retrieve your mother."
