Lustia didn't flinch at the memory of his grip on her throat.
"I did nearly fail," she said simply. "Softening that truth would have been a lie..."
"And if I lied to you, you would have discovered it eventually; the truth always finds its way out, and then you would have had a reason to doubt every word I ever spoke."
"I would rather you be angry at the truth than comfortable with a lie."
"Most people would have chosen comfort," Rex said, stepping closer to her.
"I am not most people," Lustia replied, her chin lifting. "And as you have pointed out to me more times than I care to count, usually as a complaint, I am also not most gods."
"It wasn't always a complaint," Rex murmured, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Tonight, it isn't one at all."
Lustia watched him, waiting for the blade to drop.
"I mean that," Rex said, his voice gaining a rare sincerity. "I've spent a great deal of time treating you as a resource."
