The doors to the dining area slid open, revealing the expansive dining room set up to show what opening night would look like. To the left, the recessed area was set with a single flamewood table covered with a shimmering orange table runner and bronze dishware. Red and silver flowers adorned the center of the table to represent the two goddesses that would be eating there every night.

  I took a few steps down to stand beside the table and pulled the two chairs out as I watched the two stunned goddesses. Uruara was the first to break from her awe and sat down on my right. I looked out over the area near the recessed platform filled with similarly decorated tables lit by the orange lights that shimmed down from the plants and vines that hung over the tables.

  Zoxjia moved slowly down the stairs with distracted steps as her eyes darted from one place to another. The purple glow from her gaze sparked with the passionate energy of the design and restaurant teams. I pushed her down into the chair and moved to the right side of the table, which would be my ceremonial position as their priest.

  “These will be your seats every night moving forward. Will they be acceptable to you, or do I need to tell Stesa to throw this all out and start over?”

  It took everything I had to not dive for cover as Zoxjia’s gaze whipped to me with enough venom that they would shoot lightning from them. When she spoke, her voice had shifted from her typically sultry tone to the most haunting voice I’d ever heard.

  “Never joke about the destruction of this much unified passion. This room is the most passionately perfect location that I’ve seen in a long time. The restaurant is the closest thing I’ve had to a temple in my life, and I’ll never let anyone defame it.”

  I held my hands high in surrender as I knelt so that I sat just a little higher than them in reverence. “Don’t worry, Z. I’m not planning on changing anything here besides adding food and guests to the equation. If the food’s as good as the decorations, this restaurant will be an even better temple for you.”

  Her venom shifted to excitement as she turned her imagination to what this restaurant would look like on a busy night. For several seconds the three of us sat in silence as we studied the small details that Stesa had hidden in the various designs. The electric torches that lined the walls drew my eye because each was designed differently.

  I focused on the torch that glowed across from me, studying the blue and charcoal-colored leather that wrapped the shaft and was matched by the Cobalt gemstones in the blackened head with a bronze crest of my tribe. For a moment, fear ran through my veins at the sight of my family’s crest in my restaurant. That icy hand gripped me until I looked at the torch to my right that was adorned in green and white. That torch represented the Salty Forest Clan. Each of the other torches along that wall represented one of the fifteen surface tribes.

  I slumped a little in relief, realizing that my real identity hadn’t been exposed. For several seconds I fought my mind to focus as I tried to explain away the coincidence of my father’s symbol being placed at the head of the line. Over the last several years, I’d heard through the typical gossip that he’d used my perceived death to his advantage and had taken the head seat of the council of chiefs.

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  The logic made sense, and I could tamp down the panic to the point where I could focus on the words that were exploding out of Zoxjia’s mouth. The excitement I’d expected earlier had taken over, and the goddess of passion was talking faster than I could process.

  “...and can I imagine the sounds of people enjoying the amazing food. We’ve had his food before, so that’s not hard to imagine. I’m sure the food here will be even more amazing since he’s got a team that’s just as passionate as he is about food.”

  I leaned over to Uraura and spoke to her, not caring how loud I was talking. No one besides Uraura could hear me over Zoxjia unless I yelled.

  “I feel she’ll be doing this for the next few hours. Will you be okay with listening to her, or should I find a reason for you to not stay?”

  The deadpan look I received broke my attempt to keep a straight face. When Uraura finally spoke, she sounded even more exhausted than I could imagine.

  “I’ll be fine, but you owe me one. Besides, there is some justice for you and your team here that I can enjoy. After everything you and Oclorth have been through, you both deserve to have something good in life. The same is true about us as well.”

  I gave her a quick smile and a pat on the shoulder before standing up to move toward the working mob of people. It took a minute to weave through the tables and chairs still in motion as different teams worked their way out from the demo area to the front doors. When I finally found Stesa, I took her elbow and tried to pull her to the side so that I could talk to her.

  It took a few moments for me to get her attention despite having pulled her aside. Ignoring my touch in her focus, she barked orders to a few of the furniture carriers. When she finally got her to turn and look at me, I spoke quickly to keep her focus.

  “This is all looking stunning. You really surpassed any expectations that I’d ever had for this place. I just showed the goddesses the demo area, and they loved it. In fact, the Goddess of Passion was so impressed with how well you displayed your passion, and she hasn’t stopped talking about it.”

  Her eyes opened wide in excitement at the thought of getting approval from divine beings. I gave her a wide smile before taking her hand and leading her toward the recessed area where the goddesses were still seated. As soon as she realized where we were headed, she pulled us to a stop and turned to face me.

  “I’m not sure that I’m ready for this. This isn’t something that I’ve prepared for properly, and I’m not even dressed for a meeting with a goddess.”

  I took her by the shoulders and pulled her close, holding her for a brief moment. When I felt her body relax against me, I spoke softly to help keep her calm.

  “You’ve done enough with this restaurant and my apartment upstairs to earn their respect. In fact, you may be higher up on Zoxjia’s list of people than I am. How about I just make a quick introduction, and that will be it?”

  She could not meet my gaze as she pressed her head into my chest. I felt her words as much as I heard them as she spoke.

  “Not today, please. Let me finish this, and then I can meet the goddesses tomorrow. I’ll need time to prepare for a meeting with them. Can you give me that?”

  I slowly turned her and walked with her back to her work, a little disappointed that I couldn’t bring her into this part of my life yet. I gave her hand one more squeeze before turning to let her finish with a word of parting.

  “Don’t worry, tomorrow will be fine.”