Page 16 of Waiting For Psamathe

After that kiss, I wasn't convinced there was any denying it.

"And yet?" he prompted.

"Here I am." I gestured to myself. "It's as if I can't help myself."

"Why didn't you make Proteus immortal?" he asked.

"I couldn't. Only gods have that power and I wasn't a goddess yet. I suppose I could have asked someone else to, but I was living away from most of the Greek pantheon and most of the Egyptian gods were still sulking about the loss of their empire."

"I can't imagine gods sulking."

"Then you've clearly never seen Poseidon when he realises someone has a bigger boat than he does," I quipped.

"That sounds like such a euphemism."

I snorted. "So it does. Either works, to be honest. Though the boats cause bigger tantrums."

"Remind me to stay away from Posiedon," he murmured.

"Why? Do you have a big boat?"

He chuckled. "Maybe I should invite you to find out?"

I groaned. "I walked into that one."

"A little bit." He leaned back against the rocks and looked up at the stars shimmering above us. "I'm sorry you lost your husband."

"Me too." I swished my hands through the water. "People keep telling me that it's okay to move on, and I guess I'm starting to feel like they might be right."

"You're the only person who can decide that."

"I'm just scared," I admitted softly. "What if I let myself love someone and I lose them again?"

"What if you don't?" he asked.

"It's inevitable if the other person isn't a god." Maybe I shouldn't even be having this conversation with someone who was mortal. Especially after I'd just kissed them.

"Except that's not true. You said you weren't able to make Proteus immortal because you weren't a god yet?"

"Yes. Though I don't think he'd have wanted to be immortal either," I responded.

"I suppose there's no getting around that. But youarea goddess now, you have the option to turn any partner immortal if you both want it. You don't have to go through the same again."

I nodded. "Except if they didn't want it."

"Except then. Do you regret loving Proteus?" he asked.

"Of course not."

"Then there's every chance you won't regret loving the next person, even if they're not forever."

I looked up and met his gaze, seeing the truth behind his eyes. He clearly believed what he was saying, andmaybethat meant I could follow what I was feeling inside. "Would you ever do it?" I asked.

"Do what?"

"Love someone you knew you might have to leave behind?"

"That's always what love is to a mortal," he pointed out. "So yes, I could love someone who I knew I could end up leaving behind."

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