Chapter 10
Ptah
I couldn't stop grinning as I made my way back to the portal that would take me back to the god realm.
Of all the ways I'd imagined my date with Bastet to end, it hadn't been in her bed.
Not that I was complaining. I'd spent years thinking about what would happen if I got another chance to be with her.
I didn't think sex had ever been an issue between us.
It had always been good. Something about the way the two of us connected was irrefutable.
But it hadn't been enough. Now I wanted to prove to her that I was ready to know everything about her.
Not just what she liked in bed, but also out of it.
And I'd do whatever it took. Restaurant dinners, cooking classes, spending the day tending to her clowder of cats.
Literally anything that would prove to her how much I cared, and how much things had changed.
I resisted the urge to whistle, sure it would annoy anyone else who was on the street. It would certainly raise an eyebrow.
The crowds grew as I got closer to the portal, which wasn't unusual. This one was hidden in plain sight, but it wasn't in the most sensible of places.
Someone jostled against me. "Sorry," I muttered as if I was the one who'd gotten in the way.
It happened again, almost as if someone was purposefully brushing up against me.
I turned around, half expecting to find nothing there. Instead, I came face to face with a man covered in warlock tattoos and grinning at me as if I'd walked right into his trap.
"Can I help you?" I asked.
"I believe you can," he responded in a deep voice.
Something about the way he said it made me feel as if there was something I was missing.
"Are you Ptah?" he asked.
I gave the man a once-over, trying to work out if he was a paranormal, but I wasn't sure. He wasn't giving off any signals that he was, and I didn't recognise him, so he shouldn't know my name.
I cleared my throat. "I think you have me confused with someone else. My name is Peter. But I hope you find who you're looking for."
"I don't think so, Ptah," he responded.
Worry wormed its way through me. It wasn't impossible for a human to figure out who I was, but it wasn't normal.
"I'm sorry I can't help you more." I turned, but something stopped me from being able to move away from the man.
A second man appeared to my side, and I didn't need to turn to find another on the left. I considered calling forth a shift to shock them and let me leave, but I was conscious of the sheer number of humans around us.
"We just have some questions," the first man said.
A glimmer of gold peeked out from under his collar, catching my attention.
I'd heard rumours of humans who could gain magic through a certain set of rituals, but I didn't know what it entailed.
At least that made it more likely that they did know who I was, but I wasn't about to make it easy for them.
I let out a sigh. "Fine. What are your questions?"
"So you are Ptah?" he asked.
"No. My name is Peter," I repeated. Though like every other time that I said my current human name out loud, it didn't sound right.
"So you're not several thousand years old?"
I gave a good-natured laugh, though I could hear an edge to it. "That would be quite something. I'm thirty-five," I lied.
"Where are you heading right now?" he asked.
"To work," I responded. "So if you don't mind, I should get going. I have a meeting I don't want to be late for."
"What do you do for a living?" the man asked.
"I don't think that's something I need to disclose." Annoyance was starting to grow in me. I had no idea what was happening, or why they were so interested in me.
The man gave me an intrigued look, as if trying to work out what I was thinking.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"A journalist," he responded. "One with an interest in reporting the truth about the world." He put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a card, holding it out to me.
I didn't take it.
He shrugged. "Well, if you want to talk to me about the truth behind who you are, you know where to find me."
"Thank you, but no thanks," I said.
"Think about it." He leaned in and put his card in my pocket.
Anger rose inside me at the pushiness, but considering we were in the middle of the street, I knew that it was better not to let that show.
But once I got to the god realm, I was going to be doing some research into the journalist to find out more about him, because if he was trying to uncover the existence of gods, then it was better that a stop was put to it.