Page 36 of You Can't Fight Lightning
“Good night.”
“Good night, Roxy. Sweet dreams.”
It was a shame that I wasn’t on speaking terms with Hypnos.
But I was on good terms, at least so I thought, with his mother.
I walked toward my bike. “Nyx?” I called out, trying to keep my voice low. “I’ll forgive your son forever if he sends nothing but good sleep to a mortal.”
She was beside me without a sound. “Really? Are you inebriated? Have you had too much wine? Since when do you bargain in forgiveness?”
“For the love of all the gods.” It was challenging not to just yell and insist my will be done. “I just know this mortal has been having bad dreams lately, and I’d like her to be able to get some sleep.”
“If you wish her to dream of you, perhaps you should be seeking out Morpheus?”
“I’m not trying to direct her dreams. I just want her to get some sleep. She’s tired.” The admission was out before I could even think about it, or try to cover my feelings.
A soft laugh from my left mocked me. “Living as a mortal for such a short time, and you’re already ensnared?”
“It’s not like that.” I felt my temper growing, and my palms were itching for a lightning bolt. I wasn’t used to being questioned. Or mocked.
“What’s it like, then?”
I inhaled the night air, focusing on the scents of the desert, strong even here in the parking lot of a bar. The leftover heat of the day, present even at night. The creosote and the sage. It was so different from what I was used to but I liked it. I took another breath just because and then looked at Nyx.
“I like her. I find her appealing. And I find that I wish to help her.” There was more, so much more. But I wasn’t sharing that with Nyx. Those thoughts were for me alone.
“She does seem appealing, and she’s strong, for a mortal.” She went silent for what seemed like a long moment. “Very well. I will speak with my son, and you will forgive him for your taking offense to his past actions.”
“How clever. You absolve him even now.”
“You’re forgiving him, remember?”
Breathe in, breathe out. Don’t throw lightning. Breathe in. Breathe out. No lightning. It was hard, letting go of my long-held anger at her ridiculous son. “I am indeed. But if the mortal doesn’t report better sleep, we will revisit this conversation, Nyx.”
“Understood. We are in agreement?”
“We are.”
“The custom here is to shake hands.” A pale white hand appeared in front of me.
I looked down at her. She’d stuck her hand out defiantly. Almost as though she expected me to refuse.
Taking her hand carefully, we shook three times, Nyx’s hand tightening in mine on the last shake.
“It is done. I have to go now, to let Hypnos know. Your mortal will sleep better.” Her pale form began to fade.
“She’s not my mortal!” I couldn’t resist but Nyx had already disappeared.
Well, she wasn’t my mortal yet. I didn’t want to alert anyone else within my extended crazy family about her. It would put a target on her, and while Roxy was definitely the woman I wanted, if she wasn’t under my protection, the other gods could make things more challenging for her.
I hoped Nxy would be discreet. We’d established a friendship, or so I thought. She knew my fellow gods. Hopefully, I wouldn’t need to remind her—she was older than I, and knew the pitfalls of mortals who were important to gods.
As I got back on my bike, feeling restless but with nowhere to go, I realized that I was whistling.
Tomorrow was going to be great. Just great.
Chapter Eleven
