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When I stepped out into bright sunlight, I realised there wasn’t a giant cock statue, but there were several sculptures of my kind that gleamed black under the blue sky. They towered over us, depicting demiurgus in various poses, and were interspersed along the length of the wide courtyard. The building stretched all around the rectangular space, enclosing it completely. Potted trees sat between low stone benches, and there was a large fire pit in the very centre.
I cleared my throat when I realised the high priest was gazing up at me expectantly. “Very nice. Well, I—”
I cut myself off when I finally noticed the rows of humans waiting silently at the other end of the courtyard. A wall of beige I’d missed at first, seeing as they stood in front of an actual wall of beige, almost blending into it.
“Would you like to meet some of the flock?” the high priest asked me in a hopeful voice. “They have gathered especially.”
God no. I immediately stepped back. “Uh, no. No, thanks. I need to—”
“My Greater…” To my utter horror, the old man lowered himself to his knees again and gazed up at me imploringly. “Please. Please, honour them with this.”
Fucking hell, stand up, dude. I was frozen, staring back down at him, my skin heating from the feel of so many eyes on me.
“Please,” he begged again. “Just look upon them.”
Fuuuuck.
“Alright,” I grated, gut clenching. If it got him up, I’d look at them. He was way too old to keep falling to his knees like that. “But I have to go. Very soon. Like, in a minute.”
“Of course,” he breathed as one of the others carefully helped him back up. “It will only take a minute. And perhaps…” His eyes filled with tears again. “Perhaps you will find your mate among them. Perhaps you will bless one of us this day.”
Absolutely, categorically, a million percent not happening, but I dragged my feet across the courtyard, trying not to fidget. God, this was embarrassing. Did all these humans think I was some horny creep who’d come here to sniff out a bed partner? I mean, that was what they wanted—or thought they wanted, at least—but if any of them went into the city and talked about me and someone who knew me overheard…
God, that would be fucking humiliating. At least I hadn’t told them my name, so there was less chance of anyone finding out I’d come here.
“Your loyal followers, my Greater.” The high priest swept his arm out dramatically when we reached the rows of silent humans. “All willing and eager to submit to you and share your bed and your life. All well-versed in the ways of your kind. All unfailingly dedicated to providing you with the best human mate you could ever ask for.”
I managed not to shudder in horror. Some of them were gazing at me with blatant adoration, others were fidgeting with sheer excitement. Several pairs of eyes trailed lustfully down my body, making me want to sprint away.
And then I spotted one human at the back, not a part of the line-up. She was leaning against the courtyard wall with her arms crossed and a mild sneer on her face. She was the only one not wearing beige. Her shirt was white and her trousers, while still flowy like the rest of them, were pink.
For some reason, my gaze snagged on her and refused to let go. She had vibrant orange hair and pale skin covered with freckles. Her eyes were green.
When our gazes clashed, she scowled, her cheeks turning bright pink. My gut knotted just a little.
“That one,” I heard myself blurt out, raising a hand to point at her. “I want that one.”
Chapter Four
Beryl
“Oh my gods, oh my gods, oh my gods.”
I watched with a brow raised as my friend Nancy scurried around her room, frantically checking her hair and face in the mirror before running to her wardrobe to pull out a fresh shirt and trousers. They were identical to the ones she had on.
“So there’s really a demiurgus here, huh?” I asked, mouth twisting. “What a perv.”
Nancy gasped, spinning around with her new clothes clutched to her chest. “What? Beryl, this is what we’ve been waiting for. This is it. This is it.”
“For one of us, maybe,” I muttered. “I’ll say it again—perv.”
“What?” Nancy’s delicate brows scrunched together as she pulled off her shirt to tug on the other identical one. “How is he a perv?”
“Uh…” I gestured around us. “Coming here to pick a human lover like he’s just browsing the fresh produce aisle at the store?”
“But…” Nancy slipped on the fresh trousers. “This is what we’ve dedicated our lives to. To the chance of one day becoming a demiurgus’s cherished mate. And he won’t browse us. The mating instinct will tell him.” Her voice turned dreamy. “It will guide him.”
I snorted, picking at the hem of my shirt. Mating instinct. Yeah, sure.
