Page 12 of A Sword of Shadow and Deceit

“She simply had me working as a guard for the duration of the break,” Kalix replies. “It was either that or join her in bed, and I’ve already done so. I find her boring at this point. Whatever Divinity she has, it’s certainly doing nothing for the dryness of her cunt.”

Harsh but no doubt true. Talmatia is nothing but a God obsessed with herself. It makes sense that she’d be close to someone such as Azai since our father is not unaffected by his own appearance or strength.

“What made this trip so interesting?” I ask as I throw off my wet shirt. It plops onto the floor and I reach for the ties of my trousers to shed them as well. They get stuck on my boots and I toe the fuckers off before striding towards the wardrobe naked.

“A thief,” he replies.

“Someone stole from a God?” I pause as I reach the wardrobe. “How did Talmatia kill them?” As vain as she is, no doubt her punishment had been cruel.

Kalix’s voice, when he responds, is full of chortling amusement. “She didn’t.”

Ruen looks up from his station. “What? She let them live?” I agree with Ruen’s confusion. Mercy isn’t like a God, especially one known for her cruelty.

Kalix shakes his head. “No, the thief got away—stole a few humans right out of the dungeons and disappeared. Talmatia was in quite a rage.”

“What did they steal?” I ask. What could be so important that a mortal would risk their lives for it?

“Nothing of consequence,” Kalix replies with a wave of his hand. “Just a few prisoners set for death anyway.”

“No doubt for a ridiculous reason,” Ruen muses.

Kalix shrugs. “I suppose. Regardless, the thief got away and so did the mortals.”

I release a slow whistle. “That man must have balls the size of a God’s,” I muse. “Even I avoid irritating Talmatia if I can help it.”

“If it was a man,” Kalix says.

“You don’t think a woman would’ve defied the Gods, certainly not a God like Talmatia,” I scoff. “There’s no way.”

Kalix shrugs. “The thief smelled far too good to be a man to me,” he says.

“You got close enough to smell them and they still got away?” To say I’m surprised would be an understatement.

“They blinded me,” Kalix replies. “As if they were hiding their identity—they went straight for my eyes the second I grabbed them. I haven’t battled a human that could fight back so well. I hope to meet them again someday.”

“If you meet them again and Talmatia finds out that you didn’t inform her, she’ll hang you from her castle with arrows in your eyes,” Ruen warns.

Kalix sighs. “Ah, but it would be worth it, I think, for another battle with the thief.”

“Careful,” I warn him. “You might heal fast but pain is still pain.” Regardless of whether he seems to like the agony, there’s only so much even our bodies can take before it’s too much. Ruen and I share a glance. The scars he bears should be a constant reminder of that fact.

Kalix hums in the back of his throat and then switches the topic. “I heard that we’ll be getting a new Terra,” he says.

“Oh?”

“Speaking of Terra, what happened to the boy we had?” Ruen suddenly asks, setting the decanter down. “Shouldn’t he be here?”

I glance behind me as I pull out a fresh pair of pants. Kalix finally looks at us, his lips twitching in that unnerving way of his. “He won’t be returning,” is all Kalix says.

My hands are still on the opening of my new trousers and I growl. “Did you fuck or kill this one?” I demand. “We can’t keep going through them like this, Kalix. What am I supposed to do? Clean my own room?” I finish yanking on my pants and point to the pile of soaked clothes and boots on the floor. “Since you’re the reason our servant is gone, you can pick that shit up.”

Kalix merely grins. “He was so tasty, brother. I couldn’t help myself.”

I scoff. “He was a fucking virgin who’d never set eyes on a Mortal God before arriving here,” I snap. “He was from the outskirts. What about him was so intriguing?”

A light catches in his eyes, the faded green color glowing slightly as his face contorts in remembered pleasure. “He clung to me when I fucked his ass,” he says. “So trusting, these little humans. Show them the slightest bit of kindness and they’ll give you everything you ask for. With the two of you, he thought I was his fucking savior. It was quite the high, like ambrosia on my tongue … or rather, my cock.”

I wrinkle my nose in distaste. “I don’t care who you fuck, Kalix,” I snap. “But by the fucking Gods, themselves, at least leave whoever we get next alone. If I have to train another after this, I’ll be shoving a broomstick up your ass and using you to sweep the room.”

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