“Actually, I think you just might be the only man here for valid purpose,” she said. “You’re here for the sake of love, aren’t you? It’s just not the love of The Savior.”
An ease swept through the sanctuary, releasing the tension in his body. “Well, don’t tell that to Flynn. He certainly thinks he’s here for love.”
Leila scoffed. “God, Flynn, what an ass. He doesn’t love The Savior. You can’t love a person you don’t know. He’s infatuated with Her—or the idea of Her, at least. But love? Definitely not.”
Tobias chuckled, nudging her shoulder. “It’s your turn. You heard of my sister. Tell me about yours.”
“But you’ve met them.”
“Still, I’m curious to hear your take on them.”
Her gaze became bright. “Well, I’m closest with Delphi—true sisters, not just in title, but in heart. I’m sure you’ve gathered that already. Pippa—she’s darling, isn’t she? My little duckling, following me wherever I go. And Cosima…”
Her voice trailed off, and her gaze fell to the floor.
“What of Cosima?” Tobias prompted.
She kept quiet for a while longer, choosing her words carefully. “She drifts away from me. Every day, She’s a bit further. And I don’t know how to fix it.”
“I imagine I’m not helping the matter.”
Leila stared at her hands as she fiddled with her dress. “I suppose you can tell me about it. Your reward. With Cosima.”
“Are you certain?”
“You’d have me change my mind?”
Tobias cleared his throat. “Well, I’ll have you know, it wasn’t eventful. She called me Artist the entire time, as if She couldn’t be bothered to learn my name.”
“I know how that feels,” she mumbled.
“We discussed the tournament at some length—or rather She did, and I listened. And then She talked about Her divine light. Did the most uncomfortable thing, She put Her hand on my chest and asked if I could feel Her light.”
“She did not.”
“Oh, but She did.” Tobias hesitated, bracing himself. “Then after all that mess…She offered me a kiss.”
Long seconds of silence passed, the wait seemingly infinite. Leila sat tall, feigning poise. “Well, I suppose it was inevitable. You’re quite handsome, plus you delivered that beautiful poem. It’s only natural She’d want to kiss you. And in your position, how could you possibly refuse?”
“I didn’t kiss Her.”
Her gaze darted toward him. “What?”
“I didn’t kiss Her,” he said. “Just blabbered some nonsense about being shy. I don’t know, I don’t even remember. It was all so uncomfortable.”
“You jilted Cosima.”
“I suppose I did.”
“Why?”
“I think you know why.”
Leila wavered, then slowly smiled. “That…was incredibly stupid.”
“Yes, well, I’m incredibly stupid.” He raised his bandaged hand for her to see. “I think that’s been made quite obvious by my decisions as of late.”
“You really didn’t kiss Her?”
“I didn’t kiss Her.”
Leila simply stared at him, her lips parted in disbelief.
Tobias leaned in closer, lowering his voice to just above a whisper. “Leila…have my intentions not been clear?”
She sighed. “I suppose I owe you an apology.”
“Nonsense. I’d just prefer that, in the future, you come to me with your worries instead of stewing by yourself.”
“I’m not very good at this.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. I did break my fingers for you. Seems as though you’re doing something right.”
Soon enough, Leila’s self-condemning frown melted away. She scooted next to him, hugging her knees. “Tell me a story.”
“A story?”
“Yes. A good one. Tell me of your first love.”
“I’ve never been in love.”
“Well then, tell me of another first. Your first kiss.”
“Oh God, so you’re looking for a horror story,” he said.
“It was that bad?”
“Worse.”
“Who was she?”
“Stheno.” He frowned. “Milo’s sister.”
“You kissed your best friend’s sister?”
“Don’t judge me so quickly, she started it. Was fond of me for years, and let me tell you, the feeling was not mutual.”
“You didn’t care for her.”
“She’s a cock!” he scoffed. “Mean-spirited. A bully, really. But I always caught her staring at me in that lecherous way. Made my stomach turn, to be frank.” He grimaced. “Then one day… God, I was, I don’t know, maybe ten at the time? She was thirteen—turning into a woman already, and not a decent one. Anyway, I was on my way to see Milo, and Stheno—she grabbed me from behind, pinned me to the wall, and bam. She kissed me. With tongue and everything. It was disgusting.”
“The miscreant!” Leila’s mouth dropped open. “She pinned you to the wall?”
“She was very large for her age. Quite muscular too. Sometimes I wondered if Milo envied that about her.”