The Grey God

"Jenn, you remember what we learned when we went through training together, about how, when you realize how thirsty you are …"

"… you've already reached the point of dehydration," she finished. "Yeah. Why?"

"Think about it. It's a lot like love."

Jenn let his words sink in. "You're not saying … no, Dusty!"

"You already passed the point of no return," he said. "There isn't shit you can do about it."

"One kiss does not mean I'm in … I'm dehydrated!"

"So it went that far?"

"What do you mean that far? I've gone so much farther with hundreds of men."

"Thousands. And you never once came running to me, upset about a kiss," he pointed out.

"It's absurd. I've had a lot on mind. I'm just confused."

"Like what?"

"Like … I went to my family's obelisk in the immortal world. I remember my last day there. I remembered them," she stumbled, unaccustomed to revealing her past. "How they died. How I wasn't there for them. How I ran off just before the Schism killed them."

"You never mentioned your family before."

"I had a husband and a … a daughter. Both killed in the Schism."

"I had no idea," he said. "You still blame yourself for their deaths."

"It's my fault. I should blame myself," she said. "I wasn't there for her. My own …" She couldn't say the words. They'd gone unspoken too long. They didn't seem real. "Anyway, I broke some immortal law by going back. Darian basically had to trade a life debt to the Others to keep them from taking me. I just … they're gonna come after me, Dusty."

"I'm not sure I understood much of what you just said."

She sighed and rubbed her face.

"But I understand what you're feeling. You've spent your time since the Schism forgetting, only now you can't. You're vulnerable, feeling things you shouldn't be. Right? "

She nodded.

"There's only one thing that can cause that," he said. "Dehydration."

"It doesn't make sense."

"Exactly. That's how you know. It hits you when you least expect and certainly don't want it to. As much as I hate to say this, there's a reason fate pulls your guard down when it's time for you to meet your match."

"I never thought I'd hear you say something like that!"