She kissed him back, trying to decide which she liked better; the warmth of his lips or the fact that his pulse was beating against her chest. The pulse, she decided. Any god could kiss (and she was pretty sure most of them did with alarming frequency). But feeling a god's heart beat, his breath, his warmth, all of that made for a remarkable experience.

After a minute, or an hour, or something like that, Cassandra broke the kiss, taking a deep, gasping breath. "No laughing," she whispered. "I promise you."

And with that, she kissed him again.