Wed to the Wild God (Aspect and Anchor)

"Tinder," she says sweetly. "This is our first date."

I shoot a look at Seth. Did this asshole really pick up a stranger on a dating service just so he could have an anchor in the other world? Does this woman have any idea of what she is getting into? As she gives me a cheery smile, I realize no, she has no fucking clue. This is a problem. This is a big, big problem. I grab Kassam by the front of his shirt and haul him away from the door.

He chuckles at my impatience. "Did you decide you wished a quick orgasm before we leave after all?"

"No!" I hiss, ignoring the tendril of lust that flirts with my pulse. "I have a problem with this situation."

Kassam looks confused. "With what?"

I want to grab him and shake him. Instead, I pull him closer, dragging him toward the doorway to my bedroom. "He can't show up here with a blind date. She has no idea he's a god, and I'd bet ten bucks that she has no idea tonight is about crossing over into the other world. And I have a serious problem with that."

"But she is his problem," Kassam counters. When I put my hands on my hips, he sighs heavily. "Fine. I shall speak with him before we get started." He lifts his head and gestures at the other god. "A word, Seth."

Seth's sharp features are all annoyance as he strides over to join us. "Time is of the essence here, you two. Can we get moving? Lachesis is waiting to meet us and she's not going to sit around all night."

I look over at Kassam, pleading. I can't go along with this unless we're all on the same page.

"My Carly has issue with your anchor," Kassam says. "Have you bonded to her yet?"

The trickster god crosses his arms over his chest. He smiles, but I suspect it's more for Margo's benefit than mine, because the look he's giving me is full of daggers. "A human bond isn't required for me to be in this realm," Seth whispers. "She's my fallback. If I have to bond with someone in your world, she'll be my solution. If not, well, then she's extraneous." He shrugs. "So what's the problem?"

"She thinks you're on a date," I hiss. "Does she know who you are?"

"Seth Anderson, accountant." He pretends to straighten an invisible tie. "At your service. And if you're worried if she's willing or not, I can assure you, she absolutely is. She swiped right on me, after all, not the other way around." He winks in my direction. "She's absolutely thrilled to be going out with a ten, given that she's maybe a five herself."

I sputter with outrage. "That is disgusting of you."

"Okay, I'll give her a six, but it's barely a six." He shrugs. "Listen. I've worked very hard to set this all up." His gaze moves from me to Kassam. "Do you want to go back to your world or not? Because I've already cashed in my favor with Lachesis and she won't give me another. It's tonight or never."

I cross my arms over my chest, unwilling to compromise. "No. Absolutely not."

Seth looks over at Kassam. "Well, if you want to know what it's like to be a forgotten god, you're about to find out for all eternity." He casts an ugly glance over at me. "Unless you get your mortal in line."

Kassam flinches, but he doesn't look over at me. "Carly does not like that you're using that female," he states again, "And this is her world and her rules."

I can tell he's incredibly disappointed, but he's still supporting me. I'm grateful, filled with affection for Kassam… and a little panicky at Seth's words. I try to imagine a future with Kassam here, stuck forever and me stuck to him. What happens when I age and inevitably die? If he's stuck here, what happens then? Better yet, what kind of life am I going to have with someone like Kassam and his hedonism curse destroying everything around me on a constant basis?

We're cornered. Seth knows and just doesn't care. If I balk, am I going to have two gods to have to worry about? Something tells me Seth won't deal well with being thwarted. Frustrated and a little scared, I have to think of a solution, fast. "Is she safe with you?"

Seth chuckles. "I thought we all agreed that a god needs his anchor alive?"

"But is she safe?" Kassam presses, and I realize that Seth was working around the question. I'm so grateful for Kassam in that moment that I decide he needs a kiss later, when all this is settled. Hell, I'll even throw in a blow job. I'm just thrilled he continues to have my back, no matter what.