Page 66 of A Love of Wrath and Rapture

Not everyone here is bad. I wish I could take the good ones with me…

We pass a tiny garden filled to the brim with wildflowers, a clear sign that the homeowner doesn’t like tending to their little patch of land.

Xeros stares at the flowers for a few seconds before grabbing a handful and handing them to me.

I raise my eyebrows in question.

“It’s a human custom to give your woman flowers, is it not?”

I take the flowers from him, grinning. “Your woman?”

“Are you not?”

With a shake of my head and a happy chuckle, I stand on my tiptoes and kiss his cheek.

“I suppose I am.”

We really do come from different worlds… but it’s okay. We can make things work for us on our terms. Whatever that turns out to be.

We near my house and I’m about to open the door when a sudden squeal makes me turn in surprise.

Xeros’s body is stiff, and he’s ready to fight the oncoming threat.

Sasha’s loud laughter makes us both relax instantly. She rushes over to Xeros, grabbing hold of his legs and staring up at him with her big, brown eyes.

I almost expect him to ask for my advice but he simply bends down and picks her up. The tender way he holds takes me even more by surprise.

The little girl makes happy noises like only a child of her age can, and I feel myself unable to resist a big smile. She’s easily the cutest toddler in the village.

“Play?” she asks Xeros, who slowly shakes his head.

“I have to go. There’s no time for that.”

Her eyebrows lower and the corners of her mouth turn downward.

Oh no.

Before she can start crying, Xeros lifts her up and spins around, eliciting a loud and happy scream from her.

He stops and puts her down, his taloned foot preventing her fall when she stumbles. He picks up a small rock and kicks it away.

Sasha happily runs after it.

“How did you know to do that?” I ask him, my curiosity piqued.

“Do what?”

“Don’t play dumb. You knew exactly how to stop her from crying. I didn’t think you had it in you to be fatherly.”

He shoots me a glare. “I’m not… fatherly. I’m great at observing, and that’s what I saw her mother do with her.” He shrugs. “It’s like a battle. Know your enemy and you’ll be able to counter any attack.”

“Of course you’d compare handling a child with a battle.” I laugh at his unique way of looking at things.

Sasha brings back the rock, and the two of them play their game of fetch for several minutes before she gets bored. She walks up to Xeros again, holding out her arms to be picked up.

With a dramatic sigh, he scoops her up and lets her sit on his shoulders. She clings to his face with her little hands and I burst out laughing at his annoyed expression.

She leans to the side to touch his wings and Xeros flinches. He looks even more annoyed when she mumbles ‘pretty’ while trying to stroke them.

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