Chapter 10 #2
He twisted slightly in his seat, as if uncomfortable about something, and cleared his throat before he continued.
“The Greek gods are all real, all interconnected, and most of them still live, taking more of a place in this world than others. However, all are secret to humans. As you may have guessed after the vampire incident outside the club, other supernatural beings know we exist. They sense our power and magic easily, so it would be too difficult to hide away from them. Plus, they themselves hid for so long. We often helped one another back then.”
She thought he was done with his story because he picked up his fork as if he would take a bite of food.
He didn’t. He pushed rice around his plate for a beat then said, “We were hunted. Killed, when humans discovered gods were not immortal, just long-lived. When some of us pushed too hard down on the humans who worshipped us.”
E gasped. She knew, as all humans did, of the bloody and horrible history of the supernatural reveal hundreds of years ago.
She could imagine a similar thing happening further back in time, pushing gods to hide themselves.
She focused back on Plutus. “We decided, as a whole, to hide from human society. They had reason to hate and distrust us. Even if many of us never mistreated them, too many had abused their power. Forced the human’s hand, really.
” Shaking his head as if to shake out dark memories, he said.
“You are now one of only a few humans who know who I am, who my family is.”
He didn’t appear sad or hesitant about the fact, as if he trusted her.
Sure, E knew she’d never tell anyone about Plutus.
No one would believe her anyway, but more than that, she wouldn’t hurt Plutus that way.
Something in her gut twisted like a hot knife when she considered the idea of him hurting in any way.
Enough she gently shoved her plate away, her appetite disappearing all of a sudden.
Plutus, forehead wrinkled and eyebrows turned down, said, “E, please eat. I wanted to give you this, let you know who and what I am, to some extent. There is no reason to lose your appetite over it. My family isn’t that bad.”
She snorted out a laugh. “I’ll take your word for it.” A claw hovered in her view as she stared down at her plate, clicking one, two, three times until she pulled it back to where it had rested in front of her and picked up her fork.
He let her eat a few bites before he said. “My turn.” She braced and he asked, “You now know some things about my immediate family. What’s your immediate family like?”
“Oh, you know, regular human family.” When he gave her a hard stare, she sighed.
“My father works at one of the few factories left in my tiny Ohio town, though that steady job is new to him. He was in and out of work for most of my childhood. My mother is a waitress and has been my whole life. Worked at the same small, family-owned diner for decades.”
“You’ve told me their vocations when I asked what they were like,” Plutus said pointedly before putting a flaky chunk of salmon in his mouth.
Another sigh left E. “Well, their jobs are important. They’re small-town people with hard jobs who’ve scraped to get by their whole lives.
They live in the same single-wide trailer they lived in my whole childhood.
They do the same things and see the same people.
Nothing much changes for them because they don’t have much room to change. ”
“But their daughter changed.”
“Yes. Their only child moved away, left them to it, so she could do something else.”
“I imagine they are proud of you.”
She nodded. “Of course they are, and they say it, but my life and their life are vastly different now, and will be from here on out.”
“And you feel guilt over it.”
“Sure do. Only a monster wouldn’t feel guilty leaving them behind when they worked so hard for so long for me, right?” The question slipped out in frustration and she wished she could bite it back. For wasting a question and for what it revealed about her.
Plutus waved away the question he didn’t answer. He wouldn’t answer because it wasn’t part of their game. “You are a good daughter, E.”
“You can’t know that, Plutus.”
“I know guilt only comes to those who care. Believe me, I deal with plenty of people who would never feel such guilt because they are not good people.”
Ready to get out of this conversation, she turned it on him. “My question again. How did I summon you?”
He laughed at the abrupt change in topic but went with it. “Only witches and gods can summon, as they are the only beings who can perform magic.”
“I’m a witch.” E stated it as if it were now fact. Then, her face flashed with awe and she whispered, “Or am I a god?”
A big belly laugh rumbled out of him, and she watched him laugh so hard tears fell from his bright green eyes.
“No, little one. No. You have no magic.” She waited for him to stop laughing so he could give her more.
“The Book of Desires was created by Hecate and a witch, directed at giving hidden gods… something they might need. I performed a spell in the book centuries ago, which is what brought me to you. You found the book, or more aptly, the book found you, so my spell could be completed.”
They stared at each other a few beats. His answer raised more questions, but she wasn’t going to waste any.
He usually gave her more than necessary, but not this time.
He arched an eyebrow her way, waiting for follow up questions that never came.
Well, damn. She got something but not enough.
She’d need to rethink and regroup. At least she now knew she wasn’t a secret witch.
“Me again.” He propped his chin up on his closed fist, a perfect imitation of The Thinker, before he asked, “What’s your favorite dessert?”
E sucked her teeth a moment. Looked like he wasn’t going to get deep again. “Yellow cake with chocolate icing. Especially if it’s boxed cake and tub icing.”
He nodded and muttered “I can do that.” The idea of him making her cake brought a true smile to her face, but also brought the third question she’d ask tonight to the front of her mind.
Her smile faded and she whispered “You have everything. Seem comfortable in the city. Even have your own apartment here. What are you getting out of this arrangement?”
“I told you. Time.”
“But…?” She trailed off, again stopping the questions.
He answered her unasked question this time. “Time with you is enough for me. Will always be enough. I have much, E. I do not have someone like you in my life.”
Her gut thumped. Like the thing she knew connected them strummed in pleasure at his words. MINE flashed, hot and insistent, across her mind but she brushed it aside, something to think on later. Much later. She just nodded at what he said and let silence fall.
“Okay, final question, before dinner is over. Will you allow me to give you a gift, little one?”
“Oh, Jesus,” she said, hanging her head.
She hated getting gifts, especially when there wasn’t equity in the relationship.
Hence her fit over the laptop and phone.
But he asked, and he’d been so sweet, and he looked so expectant.
She couldn’t let disappointment flit across his face, not after her tantrum that morning and how he’d let her have it without explanation or apology.
“Yes,” she managed to get out. Then, she clarified. “You may give me one, singular, gift.”
A smile stretched wide, uncovering his fangs, and he said, “One moment,” before he leapt up to get something out of the coat closet by the door.
Whatever it was, he was real happy about it.
Excited even. She dreaded it, more than a little, but told herself to grit her teeth and bare it.
For Plutus, and all he’d done for her, all he’d told her, so far.