Silvas watched the human shudder, her eyes wide and lost in the suddenly sickly pallor of her complexion. At that moment, she looked painfully young to him, as her species tended to do even when aged and fading into the last days of their lifespans. Young, fragile, and short-lived. No wonder the gods loved the childlike races as much as they did. Even the many mortal races who possessed only slightly longer lifespans found favor above the immortal and long-lived races.
He scowled, uncertain of how he should be responding. Should he attempt to comfort her? He was not good at such things. Awkwardly, he stretched one arm around her back and gave her a few light pats before pulling away.
It seemed to have done some good because her coloring normalized and the expression on her face was one of confusion, though her lip quivered with amusement. “What was that?”
“An attempt to offer comfort?” he replied uncertainly. Should she have to ask? The gesture was an obvious one.
She chuckled, a small smile blooming on her lips. He was grateful that she spared him any commentary on his effort, though that smile not only failed to endear her to him but was also successful at rousing his ire at the same time. Diana looked at him as if he was the one seemingly helpless and awkward. He was a god in his own right, though not among the high gods. Still, his power and the eons he had witnessed were far beyond her imagination. There was no cause for a human to look at him with pitying amusement.
His scowl deepened as he began to strap belts of weapons to his frame.
“Are you offended?” Diana asked.
He scoffed. “What makes you think that you have the power to rouse so strong a feeling as offense from me?”
She fell silent, and for one blissful moment, he thought that just maybe she would cease speaking of it.
“Have you ever held a baby?”
“No,” he muttered.
“A small child?”
“No,” he growled with increasing impatience.
“Ever have anyone hug you?”
He attempted to think back. His furthest memories were dulled by time, far removed from him where he only caught echoes if he opened himself to them. He recalled his mother’s fingers threading affectionately through his hair and caressing the nubs of his antlers. He was certain that she had hugged him to her breast when he had been young. He had been eager to please her then and ran among the woodlands, spreading lust and desire to renew life as if it were as effortless as breathing. The return of spring had become much more tiring over the ages. Even now, it sapped his strength. Yet in his memories, he didn’t recall being embraced.
“Ah.”
The wealth of sympathy conveyed in that one word sparked his curiosity. He glanced over at her and directed the full force of his displeasure in her direction as he straightened the last of his belts around him.
“What… do you mean by ah?” he bit out.
Diana bit her lip, and he could tell that she was weighing her words.
“I just meant that it is unlikely for someone who hasn’t received physical affection to know how to give even simple expressions of comfort.”
“I assure you I have known many physical expressions. I did have a consort for centuries, and although it was ultimately a disaster, it was not lacking in that area.”
She snorted and rolled her eyes. “We aren’t talking about fucking. We’re talking about touch without any sort of sexual intent behind it.”
He paused, trying to come up with one instance to throw back in her face. To his dismay, he could think of not one. The nymphs touched him to arouse him to fulfill their mutual needs. Even Alseida, whom he had favored above all of them and eventually took as his consort, had not offered touch in such a fashion—and nor had he in return. The closest he got was in sparring with the other males of his kingdom, and even then, the good-natured tussles hadn’t been anything he would consider affection.
Despite everything, he was set apart from everyone by who he was.
Silvas grunted and glared down at his belts as he inspected them. He was taken completely off guard when Diana stepped forward.
“This is going to be a bit awkward with all the leather,” she said, wrapping her arms completely around him.
Laying her cheek against his chest, he felt his entire being flush against hers, the human warmth filling him at every point