Page 17

CHAPTER 17

T hey were halfway to the checkpoint before Pan spoke. “Why did you lie for me?”

Noah had been enjoying the silence, mostly as he attempted to sort out his own thoughts. Yesterday, he’d been scared of all the changes. He was still scared about what shape the future might take. It was certainly nothing that his education or his parents had prepared him for. But he couldn’t deny the thrill of being told he actually had fucking magic.

Or the rush that urged him to do something other than sit at home and wait to be told it was safe to go out. And Meredith was right—he could easily help David with the emergency accommodation at the school, but that was boring. It didn’t involve dragons and vampires and gods and other things that were both terrifying and exhilarating.

Yesterday, he would’ve never considered rushing off with a virtual stranger to search for a dragon.

Yesterday, he claimed to believe in the old gods because that’s what one did when learning how to be a witch.

Yesterday, magic had been a bit of fun.

Today, he was walking along the buckled road with Pan. The actual god Pan, who had kissed him and told him how glorious he was as he offered to serve him, a human. No one had ever praised him like that. He was a disappointment, a nuisance, not trying hard enough, or being deliberately difficult.

David and Meredith had never said those things to his face. For them, it was enough that he worked at the pub, did a bit of study, and helped around the house. Would they still feel the same if he continued to help the mythologicals?

Some countries were talking about keeping them separate from humans. And while the European Union said they would be treated as refugees, they hadn’t said what that meant.

No one knew what it meant.

Noah shook his head. “I figured it wasn’t the right time to tell them.” That sounded like a logical answer, but it wasn’t the truth either. He didn’t know why he lied. Maybe because he liked sharing a secret with a god.

Pan lifted one eyebrow. “I do not think that was the reason.”

“What makes you say that?” Noah’s boots scrunched over broken glass. Someone had broken into an abandoned car that had been unable to cross the foot-wide gap in the road. Noah peered into the crack before jumping over.

It was like walking through the set of a post-apocalyptic movie. Or being sucked into a game where his character’s quest was to find a lost dragon. Thinking of the situation as something other than his new reality made it a bit easier to deal with. He wasn’t smart and brave…but the character he played could be. And the character had enough magic for a god to find him interesting.

“Because it doesn’t feel like the truth.” Pan jumped over the gap.

“How do things feel like the truth?”

He tilted his head and gave Noah that look as if he could see into him and pick apart the pieces. It was disconcerting, yet he wanted someone to actually see him and understand him.

And care.

He didn’t know if all three were possible. After all, his parents cared, but they didn’t see him or understand him. His friends understood him…but they didn’t really see him. He was simply the needed third member of their tiny coven.

“They just do. I can tell the difference between a request from the heart and one done for show.” Pan’s lips curved in a dangerous smile, and his words were as sharp as a scalpel. “The ones done for show are the most fun to fulfill because they don’t really want it.”

Note to self: do not piss off Pan.

“So why did you lie? I expected you to tell them the truth.”

Noah adjusted the backpack. “You didn’t correct me.”

“Perhaps I wanted to find out how far you’d let this lie travel.”

“Give me enough rope, and I’ll hang myself?”

Pan stopped walking. “Why would I let that happen?”

“It’s a phrase, meaning I’ll get myself in trouble.”

Pan nodded. “Perhaps. Though I will not let anything happen to you. You’re under my protection.”

“Uh-huh.” Those words weren’t worth the breath they took to say. “Says the god without magic who doesn’t want his own people to find out about him.”

Pan’s expression hardened as he glared at Noah as he walked past. “This is temporary.”

Noah flung out his hand. “Is it? This is going to take years to fix. You want to be known as Silas the incubus, and I am happy to play along for the moment, but at some point, you’re going to have to face your people. They are going to need someone.”

“That is Lord Feryn’s job.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s going to do it or that he’s capable.”

Pan shoved his hands into the borrowed coat’s pockets. “He needs time to adjust.” He flicked a glance at Noah. “I am not a city ruler. While I have met plenty, I don’t know where to begin with all the negotiations.”

“Then why did you accept the ring?”

Pan was silent for a couple of breaths. “I can’t abandon Tarikians, and the ring makes it easier, as it is a symbol of power. Feryn also said he would encourage them to pray to me, even though I am not their favorite god.” He pressed his lips together. “Tarikians will know I am not an incubus when they see me.”

“How?”

“My horns grow the wrong way.”

“I kind of wish I hadn’t lied for you now because the truth is going to come out.” And it would bite him on the ass.

“Who is going to pray to a god with no magic? Who cannot answer their prayers? I am only as useful as the next prayer I answer.”

Noah kicked a rock, and it bounced down the street to where Liam’s red car was parked. “Sounds to me like Lord Feryn prayed for the missing dragon to be found, and here we are.”

Pan snorted. “We haven’t found her yet. Pray we are successful.”

“Aren’t you the one doing the praying at the moment?”

Pan rolled his eyes. “Don’t ask me to do that again.”

“Even if it comes from my heart.” Noah grinned and waved as Liam got out of the car. They’d dated for about a nanosecond, and Liam had introduced him to Web, who was a fellow witch and neo-pagan bandmate. The music was cool, and they got to go to festivals to play. Or they had.

His footsteps faltered. What if Liam and Web had more magic than him?

Pan would lose interest in him. He’d worship them instead.

“Is something wrong?” Pan whispered.

“No.” He forced a smile, knowing it was too late to do anything about it. “Web has been practicing witchcraft for longer than me. You might find someone with more magic.”

Pan pressed his lips together. “Why do your people prefer one god over another?”

“Tradition. It’s what their family believed, so they don’t question it.”

“In part, but it was not uncommon on Tariko to go to the temple of more than one god, depending on the situation. While all gods are connected to magic, the way we use it is different. It has a different taste, for lack of a better word. And the end results of the blessing will be vastly different.”

Web also got out of the car. He was dressed entirely in black, though at least his clothes were suitable for hiking.

“Silas, this is Liam and Web, the witches I told you about.” He wasn’t about to out Pan as a god. If Pan wanted to tell them, that was his business.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Pan’s voice slipped into a low purr, and his lips curved as if finding the dragon was the last thing on his mind.

Noah bit back a sigh, wishing that he hadn’t suggested his friends’ help. If they weren’t here, he could’ve spent the entire afternoon with Pan. Though he wasn’t sure how much dragon finding they’d be doing if they were alone together.