Page 35 of A Love of Wrath and Rapture

“Why are you up?” he asks in a deep, gravelly voice. “Will you not grow cold? Aren’t you shivering?”

Any shred of opposition I felt melts away, as my bare feet slip over the jagged rock floor, guiding me back to him.

“Just couldn’t sleep,” I reply honestly, even though it’s already morning. “I have a lot to think about.”

Through the snowfall, I can hear the muted cries of what few songbirds thrive in this fierce weather.

I’m suddenly glad to be in here, and not outside in the freezing and unforgiving cold. I’m surprised by the warmth even this small recess provides me. I wonder if perhaps there’s a hot spring somewhere nearby.

As I return to his side, I feel his frigid claw upon my cheek. I expect him to rend into my flesh, and the fear sends a spiral of excitement down my spine.

Instead, he gently traces the contour of my dimple, guiding his claw down toward my lips.

When his eyes meet mine, I somehow feel more seen than I’ve ever felt before. I don’t fear that he’ll betray me in spite of what he is.

“Like what?”

His voice surprises me, startling me awake. In the comfort of his touch, I can feel myself drifting away to another world, my eyelids growing heavy again.

How do I feel so safe in the presence of such a ferocious beast?

“How much time do you have?” I ask, chuckling.

But he tilts his strange head to the side, his eyes leaving a bright blue path in their wake. They’re so bright, I can feel myself illuminated by them.

Does he not understand humor?

“I have as much time as you need,” he replies earnestly. “I would not be here if it wasn’t for you.”

It’s strange. I can’t remember ever being a focus for anybody. I can’t recall ever truly feeling needed.

“Why will you not tell me what’s troubling you?” he asks. “There’s very little I haven’t seen. There’s nothing you can say that will surprise me.”

I shake my head, trying to find the words.

His clawed hand lowers from my cheek down to my shoulder, and the faint piercing sensation, threatening to break me open, sends a surge of adrenaline rushing through my body.

His claw retracts, and he grips my shoulder, trying to offer comfort. But though I can see the intention, the pressure is tight. If he slips, he might break me.

“It’s nothing,” I say, slighting the most traumatic event of my life. “I just left my home, and I have no way of returning.”

He nods, studying me. His blue eyes meet mine, and I feel compelled to do something I can’t understand.

I want to grip his face and kiss him deeply. I want to lay in his arms forever, blocking out the rest of the world so that it’s only us. In this cave, the rest of Protheka fades away.

Xeros has claimed me and shielded me from the world. And I’m alright with that.

I shake my head, trying to resist the sensation taking hold.

Does he have some magical grip on my emotions? Is he somehow manipulating me to love him?

The feelings clouding my mind obscure my thoughts, heightening every sensation.

“That must have been hard,” he replies. “But my home is gone forever.”

I raise an eyebrow in response.

“Still, that village must be so much worse without you. It’s a great loss for them.”

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