Miu didn't hesitate to throw his own invitation back at him, "If I were to become your bride, nothing would please me more—"

"Again," the god interrupted, "I do not know what you are talking about."

There was a strained look on his face, however, as though he had something to hide. Miu refused to let him play dumb.

"As I was saying," she continued sweetly, "nothing would please me more than to please you."

His dark eyebrows rose up.

Miu approached him in earnest. She placed her palm on his chest. Lightly. Then, she began tracing the solid expanse of the muscles under his robes with one clawed finger, cooing, "I assure you, I can become a warrior. Your warrior. On the battlefield. And everywhere else."

"Everywhere else?" he prompted with a suspicious frown.

She smirked like a naughty siren. "As warriors, your sword could conquer my sheath. As many times as you wish. In bed. On the floor. Or in this very garden."

Disapproval strained over Cassian's handsome features. "Are earthly pleasures all you ever think about?"

Undeterred, Miu continued to tempt him, "You could take me on all fours. Or I could ride you. I know I would adore it so. Especially if I was your wife."

The god's large, muscular frame tensed beneath the teasing ministrations of her fingers, and his silver eyes darkened to almost obsidian in color even while he claimed, "I have no interest in taking you anywhere."

She pouted. "Lies."

He growled, "Truth."

Yet, she could feel Cassian's passion simmering away. Thick and virile. Seemingly at odds with his critical jab. Drawing upon his passion, Miu lapped it all up to her heart's content. It was easy to ignore Cassian's testy attitude when she was being filled to the brim with such power.

She sighed. "Can you fault me? The business of pleasure dictates the essence of my existence. Without it, my kind would wither up and perish!"

He lifted his hand to cradle her chin between a thumb and forefinger. "At least, you are honest."

The gesture felt unexpectedly... intimate.

A blush crept over Miu's cheeks. "I am always honest with you, my lord. It is you who chooses not to believe in me."

"Are you suggesting that I am at fault," he mused, "and that you are innocent?"

She stomped her foot. "I am innocent!"

Gently, Cassian used his finger to tilt her face up until their eyes locked in midair.

"Tell me, innocent one," he murmured in mocking tones, "would you still wish to marry me if I were not a god?"

His question threw Miu for a slight loop. She blinked. "I..."

"What if, one day, someday, my lust for you could no longer meet your needs and satisfy your appetite?"

She frowned. "But that is not the case, now, is it? You are teeming with power even as we speak."

"Be that as it may," Cassian muttered, "your answer matters to me."

"It does?"

His eyes grew sharp. "Very much so."

"Why?"

"You once told me that you wished to be filled with purpose. I am curious to know what that purpose may be."

"My purpose?"

He elaborated, "What matters to you above all else?"

Miu bristled at his accusatory tone. Last time, when she had attempted to tell him the truth, he had dismissed her. She could even recall his precise words: Demons crave power, only power.

So, this time, Miu decided to tell him what he wished to hear, "Power, of course."

It wasn't untrue, after all. It simply wasn't the only thing she craved.

He demanded, "Why?"

A chilling image of Helios and his deadly sword flashed across her mind's eye.

"You are immortal, my lord. But I am not, and, I assure you, dying is a most wretched affair," she replied with a grimace. "I remember what it was like to always be at someone else's mercy. It was not a pleasant feeling. I refuse to lose any one of my tails again."

"So, you are driven by fear."

"No," Miu corrected him, "I am driven by ambition. I know my worth. I am capable of greatness. It would be a waste for a creature of my talents to sit idly by and wait for some bigger, stronger foe to end me and siphon away all of my hardwon powers."

Cassian appeared unimpressed by her answer. "Your purpose does not align with what I seek in a wife."

"You have declared this many times in many different ways," she retorted. "Yet, our paths continue to cross and intertwine."

He fired back, "I did not ask you to bind your soul to mine. If not for your spell, our paths would not be crossing at all."

Her bravado wavered ever so slightly. "Is that what you believe?"

"It is precisely what I believe."

Feeling disgruntled, Miu wrinkled her nose. "Do give me some credit, my lord. Just now, I survived your sister's trial by snow and storm. You are clearly attracted to me. Am I truly such an undesirable candidate in your eyes?"

Through a hooded gaze, Cassian chose not to answer her and remained silent.

Miu was determined to break through his defenses. "I am beginning to suspect that..."

She gave a thoughtful pause.

"What?" he prompted.

Miu continued in a brazen manner, "Perhaps, you presume to know what you want in a wife, but you do not actually understand what you need in one."

He chuckled. "That is presumptuous of you."

She sniffed. "You are searching for a bride that does not exist."

Cassian scowled. "I beg your pardon?"

"You know what I think?"

"Not at all. Most of the time, your mind is too unruly for me to follow," he murmured.

She ignored the mocking tone in his voice and told him her thoughts, anyway, "You are looking for a version of yourself to marry."

Silver eyes flickered with surprise. "That is ridi—"

Before he could protest, she interjected, "Admit it, you seek a partner who is as cold and disciplined as you are. Who possesses the same beliefs that you hold dear. Who will fight for the same causes in this war that consumes your every waking hour."

The god glared at her. Sullenly.

His reaction suggested that her observation wasn't far from the truth. It gave Miu the confidence to carry on, "I may not be anything like you, but I am positive that I can become someone of great value to you."

A flicker of uncertainty softened his hard expression. "Why do you want to be with me so much, little one?"

With a creased brow, Miu glanced at him. A sense of déjà vu struck her.

Cassian had asked her a similar question not so long ago: Why do you insist on being with me, little one?

A conflicting wave of panicked determination overcame Miu. As a demon who thrived on manipulating males, Cassian was quite possibly the first man who refused, time and time again, to bend to her will.

At this point, what could she possibly say or do to convince him of her resolve?

The god didn't accept her reasoning and rejected her wiles. Miu felt at a loss.

What in Beezlebub's balls was this elusive answer he sought from her?

An awkward lull hung between them as Miu's mind raced to produce an acceptable response. The god's silver eyes kept digging into her. It made the she-fox feel as though every word uttered held more weight than she could carry. Miu wanted nothing more than to win him over. To show him that she might be worthy of his time and affections. Such a feat, however, seemed positively implausible.

Still, against Miu's better judgment, desperation drove her to be honest with Cassian once again, confessing, "From the moment we met, you have inspired me to become... more."

It was true. She felt drawn to him even as a two-tailed cub. Something about him had always captivated her.   

He appeared to be invested in delving deeper. "More... what?"

"To become more than the helpless, two-tailed foxling who was about to lose her last tail. Even now, I am not satisfied with what I am."

The god inquired intently, "And what are you, exactly, at the moment?"

She tossed him a self-deprecating smile. "A shallow, selfish demon with nothing to live for except... survival... for survival's sake."

He didn't smile back, but the corner of his mouth quipped by a fraction. Of a fraction. "Your self-awareness is admirable."

Miu bared her fangs in a feral manner. "My knack for mayhem and destruction is admirable as well. Maybe it is time for me to put my talents to the test on the battlefield. To exist for something other than myself."

A mix of annoyance and amusement shot over his face. "Are you trying to convince me there may be hidden depths to your character?"

"Never!" Miu countered with a cheeky gleam in her blue eyes. "We both know that I am as shallow and selfish as they come. However, I must admit, you have always made me curious..."

Another roguish shadow flickered over Cassian's face as his voice dropped to lower, more intimate tones, "In what way?"

His obvious interest plucked at her core. Pleasure pooled between Miu's legs. She gazed up at him with a look of longing. "Curious to see if you really are as indifferent to me as you claim to be. Curious to see if I have it in me to develop some hidden depths in spite of my shallow character."

A sweet tension pulled at them. Power and desire thrummed from his soul to hers along the sliver of their shared thread. For a moment, god and demon simply stared at one another, uttering not a word, reveling in the force of their attraction to each other.

When Cassian finally broke the silence, the god spoke as though he was trying to convince himself not to give in to her charms, "It is not my place to speak for you, but I can speak for myself: Know that I am every bit as indifferent to you as you imagine. My body may desire yours, but lust is fleeting, and it is not the same as love. Love is purely a human malady. I am a god. You are a demon. Might I remind you that neither of us possess the capacity to love?"

Miu ignored the ache in her chest. "You are not mistaken, I suppose."

"I know I am right."

"But I wish you were wrong."

He side-eyed her with curiosity. "Why does the matter of love plague you so?"

A scowl twisted across her mouth. Again, he wasn't wrong. It did bother her. Very much so. Miu felt as though her time was limited, and she had no interest in going quietly into the night. Submission simply wasn't her style. Rebellion suited her much better. At that moment, Miu realized what mattered to her above all else.

She drawled, "War is coming, is it not? Soon, chaos will rule us all. I might as well give in to the madness. Defy my demonic nature and try to love as mortals do. Seems to be a shame to possess a heart and yet fail to ever use it."

He looked perplexed by her logic. "What you are suggesting is not possible."

"Everything is impossible," she challenged, "until we find a way around it."

"How do you intend to achieve the impossible?"

Miu laughed darkly. "I do not know, but I have yet to fail whenever I set my mind to a task."

"You are relentless."

She rolled her shoulder in an off-handed shrug. "I believe it to be one of my best qualities."

Cassian demanded, "May I ask, who is to become the object of your affections?"

Her gaze honed in on him. "You, of course."

He balked. "Do not be absurd."

Despite the harshness of his words, Cassian was staring at her now as though he was second-guessing his own stance on the matter of love. He looked bewitched by her declaration.

Miu probed, "Why don't you believe in love for gods and demons?"

"Because gods are too wise and demons are too selfish to give themselves fully to temperamental emotions."

"You do not believe that we can change our natures?"

Cassian countered, "A sea cannot become a sky simply because the waters wish it so."

She smiled. "If you are the sea, then I shall become the waves. If you are the sky, then I shall become the stars. It will be my destiny to love you enough to fill any void that exists on your end."

He traced her cheek with his thumb. "For a clever fox, you spout such foolishness at times."

It was an oddly tender gesture. Miu couldn't help but lean into his touch.

"I simply wish to be foolish for a little while," she half-teased, half-lamented, "before we all die in this stupid war of yours."

A conflicted look crossed his beautiful features. Hoarsely, Cassian warned her, "Your wish sounds like a perfect storm for disappointment and resentment."

"Regardless," Miu whispered with fearless abandon, "I give you full permission to break this wicked heart of mine. Let me try to love you, my lord. Let me fight in your war. I do not mind if you disappoint me, but, I swear on all of my tails, I will never disappoint you."

At this, his silver eyes turned a pure, instant black. Shadows danced like devils across his face once more. "Never—is a dangerous promise."

"I know."

His large hands came to rest upon the flare of her hips, drawing her close to him. "It does not frighten you to give yourself to a soulless bastard like me?"

The heat from his body scorched hers. Miu could feel the hardness of his arousal pressing against her stomach.

"You are not soulless," she reminded him, "your soul is bound to mine."

Cassian grimaced. "You do not fear death, then?"

Fiercely, Miu didn't stutter when she proclaimed, "Of course I fear death, but, in my eyes, you are a bastard worth dying for!"

With a pained expression, he chided, "You are a fool."

"Let me be your fool. Please."

Like a man entranced, he whispered hoarsely, "Is that what I should do with you?"

"It is the only thing you should do with me."

His gaze held hers for a moment too long. She caught a glimmer of yearning in his eyes. It gave her hope. It made her reckless. She threw caution to the wind.

In the same second, Miu rose on her toes to kiss him.

Fully.

Deeply.

Passionately.

As though she had nothing to lose.

As though she knew what it meant to fall in love.

As though she wasn't terrified of getting her wicked heart broken by a certain silver-eyed god who didn't believe in love.