“How very domesticated of you,” I said. “A god doing the humble chores of a housekeeper. Can’t you wave your magic wand or something?”
Val turned and smirked at me. “I’m not sure it wouldn’t end up going the way of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Besides, there’s comfort in manual labor. Your hands are busy, leaving your mind free to wander.”
“And where does your mind wander, Val?”
Val rolled up his shirt sleeves and plunged his hands into the sink to scrub a greasy saucepan. “When you’ve been around as long as I have, there are lots of things to think about. I think about the old days, the friends I’ve had and lost.” He winked at me over his shoulder. “The new ones I’ve made.”
“Is it hard being ancient?” I meant the question half as a joke.
However, Val took it seriously. “It’s lonely.”
“You’ve got friends.”
“Not many who know the truth. When you have to keep things from people, it makes it hard to get close to them—and human relationships are so temporary.” He turned and looked at me again. “And the ones who do know the truth, they either want to use me for something, or they push me away out of fear for what I am.”
“Not all of us,” I said.
Val shook his head. “You’ve pushed me away, Solina. You fear me whether you admit it or not.”
I nodded. “I fear being hurt. I’m afraid of being used.”
“So you see, we’re not all that different.”
“Except for the fact that you’re immortal, and I am very not. I don’t get as much time as you do to recover from mistakes. You must understand my need to be careful.”
Val narrowed his eyes. “There’s careful, and there’s wasting time.”
“It’s a thin line,” I said.
“One that you are treading oh so carefully.”
I chewed on that thought for a moment but could formulate no response. I stretched, yawned, and rubbed my face again. “I’m beat. I wonder where I’m supposed to sleep.”
“I put your stuff in the room you stayed in last time you were here,” Val said.
“Oh? It survived?”
“A little smoky, but it’ll do.”
I shuffled out of the kitchen and up the stairs to my room. Val had dismissed me without uttering a single lascivious crack about my solitary sleeping arrangements. His uncharacteristic grimness would have worried me, but then I found my room, the big four-poster bed, and my pajamas. I didn’t worry about Val anymore after that, and the moment my head hit the pillow, I didn’t worry about anything else, either, not even my promise to keep Thorin updated. Tomorrow, I vowed as I drifted into the warm, fuzzy fog of sleep. I’ll call Thorin… tomorrow.
Chapter Seventeen
“Solina. Get up.”
I rolled over and pulled the bedcovers over my head. Skyla ripped the sheets and comforter away and smacked my hip. I cracked open an eyelid and focused on Skyla, who stood over me, grinning. Excitement shone in her face. Behind her, the pale-purple sky of a predawn morning peered through my room’s window.
“Whaaat?” I whined.
“I’m going out to the barn. Are you going to look through Embla’s things, or what?”
I yawned and rubbed my eyes. “It goes against my religion to get up earlier than God does. Where’s Val?”
“He’s waiting out in the hall. Get dressed and get a move on.”
I groused some more but did as she said, sliding out of bed half awake and drunk with early-morning drowsiness. Skyla slipped into the dark hallway, and Val came in to take her place.
“What are you doing?” I grumbled, poking through my bags for something to wear. “I gotta get dressed.”
“Don’t let me stop you.”
I frowned at him and pulled out a long-sleeved shirt, underwear, and a pair of jeans. Grabbing up my toiletry bag, I shuffled down the hall to the bathroom to brush my teeth and dress in privacy. When I returned, Val was standing at the window, looking out at the scenery.
“What is it?” I hopped on one leg while pulling a sock into place.
Val turned to me and smiled. “It’s beautiful out there, isn’t it?”
I nodded. “It is. I wish I took more time to enjoy it. Mendocino is really a stunning place, out here on the edge of the world.”
“So, why don’t we enjoy it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s do something fun,” Val said. “Everything is run or fight all the time. Let’s go down to the beach and look for shells or go into town and find somewhere good to eat for dinner tonight.”
“That sounds like a date.” I slid my feet into my boots, wrapped a cotton scarf around my neck, and went to join Val at the window.
“You do still owe me one.”
