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Ezric’s eyes were going over my figure again. This time, though, he wasn’t leering or appraising. He was watching me like a hunter assessing a threat.
“What’s that?” He pointed at my wrist.
My cuff was glowing a pale blue, probably with the effort of keeping my true form subdued.
“None of your business,” I snarled as we went by him.
“Hey, I’m just asking. No need to be a brat,” he called at my back.
Just asking, my arse. “If you want me to be nice, you could start by not throwing our project resources into a lake.”
“Seta, hang on.” Deus panted, trotting after me. “Seta, slow down. I’ve got two bags here and a ton of books—”
“I’ll slow down when I’m dry,” I replied in a tone so final that Deus stopped talking and followed me inside.
Ayla was out,thank Poseidon.
I wasn’t in the mood for half a dozen questions and a long conversation between the two chattiest people I knew.
“Make yourself comfortable. I’m going to change.” Grabbing my pajamas, I went into the bathroom.
I slung my wet clothes over the shower rail and wrapped my hair in a towel. Heading back into the bedroom, I found Deus sitting on my bed.
He was looking at Ayla’s half of the room with interest. The ever-present smile was back. Deus had put my bag down next to my desk, and the soggy library book rested on top of it.
“Is your roommate an artist?” He pointed to the sketches Ayla had pinned to her side of the wall.
“Yes, she’s very talented.”
We remained quiet for several minutes. My mind kept replaying the scene at the lake with Ezric, and my annoyance began to grow.
“You are the nicest person I’ve ever met, Deus. But how is it you know every word in the English language except for no?”
His smile and aura dimmed. “I like helping people out. Trying to see things from their point of view, et cetera.”
“That doesn’t mean you have no boundaries. Come on, Deus. You’re terrified of the water, but you were going to let your dick friend push you into getting in? Knowing you could electrocute everything?” If I were in my true form, my irritation would be creating whirlpools.
“Come on. Ezric’s an okay guy.” Deus ruffled his curly mane.
“You’re changing the subject. And no, he’s not,” I replied firmly. “Ezric knows you don’t like the water.”
I held my tongue to keep from adding that Ezric was also delighted with the slaughter of another species, so how okay could he be?
“Maybe he was just trying to help me better myself?” Deus put his palms out, still trying to find the good in people.
“I can’t believe you made it twenty years without learning to say no.” With a huff, I flopped down on the edge of the bed beside Deus.
Lifting the cover ofShifters of the Arctic, I inspected the water damage. We’d covered paranormal-specific spells in Basic Incantations, so I’d already researched how to dry something I might have left in my pocket by accident.
Unfortunately, I’d never tried the incantation on anything bigger than a pen, and that hadn’t gone exactly to plan; I’d dried out the ink and ruined the pen.
“I’m a people pleaser. I know it’s a problem. I just…” He sighed.
Deus leaned back against the wall, and I watched slack-jawed as the golden light around him mellowed, and an invisible cloak seemed to fall away from him. It was as though Deus was dropping an act—the act of being happy for everyone all the time.
“You’ve seen my power.” He held up one hand, and white light flashed between his fingers. “We’ve gone over how dangerous it is. Well, my brothers were always competitive. They wanted to see who could make the biggest thunderclap or the most strikes in a minute.”
Deus closed his eyes. “There were so many times when they thought it was funny to scare people with our abilities. It didn’t bother my brothers, but it bothered me. I never wanted people to be afraid of me. So I’d go out of my way to help them instead, so they always knew they could count on me. My brothers loved being the storm, but I’d rather be the shelter.”
