Page 64 of A Love of Wrath and Rapture

“We have a way of doing things here, Evangeline,” one of the men says, scratching his beard. “You know that. I know that. You speak when you’re spoken to in the interest of keeping things organized. Okay?”

Evangeline nods.

“Then may I speak,” she asks.

The humans at the front talk amongst themselves in hushed voices, the room still riotous and unruly. I watch as the small man who attacks me is escorted out of the room by a woman who looks rather like a dark elf.

“Very well,” the first man says. “But if we have questions, we will interrupt.”

“I would kindly ask that you not,” she says. “Out of respect for me? I’ve grown up with many of you, and I hate that it’s come to this.”

The man nods, gesturing for her to speak.

“I understand why you exiled me the first time. I’ve paid for that in full. But it feels like you’re being unfair to Xeros, who’s done nothing but protect you.”

She looks at me, as though hoping I’ll speak. But this is her moment, not mine. I’m not about to trod on it.

Instead, I grip her hand tighter, feeling my claws rest easily on her knuckles.

“When he walks down the street, Xeros feels your eyes upon him, judging him. He’s considered an object or a ‘pet.’ And I know you say that’s semantics, but I’ve seen how it affects him.”

The elderly man who’s done most of the talking sighs. I get the impression he’s about to interrupt, but Evangeline stops him.

“Your village could have been leveled,” she says. “But in the fallout of the battle, when Xeros was at his weakest, you left him to die. I had to carry him myself. I found a rickety wagon and wheeled it through the mud. It wasn’t easy.”

I feel my heart sink at the revelation, then feel anger rising up within me.

I knew that she brought me back to her home, but didn’t realize that she managed it alone. How could those men leave her to that task? After everything she had already done for them?

As I watch her, it seems like a quiet revelation hits Evangeline. She pauses.

And I watch, waiting to see what she could possibly say next.

27

EVANGELINE

Standing hand-in-hand with Xeros, I know where my loyalty lies, and it fuels my decision.

The silence in the room is deafening, so many unspoken words etched onto the faces in front of me. I can see their prejudice, tinged with fear. My heart races, my blood turning cold as I realize what must happen.

“I get it now.” I glance at Xeros, who is focused on the council members, ready to act if they do anything stupid. “Xeros and I don’t belong here. We never truly did.”

My voice is steady despite the sadness coiled around my heart.

“I was naive to think you and the rest of the village would welcome us. I hoped…” I clear my throat. “Well, it doesn’t matter what I hoped. It’s clear that narrow-mindedness rules the day in these chambers.”

The council members mutter softly, afraid to speak up while Xeros is standing right in front of them, his face cold and hard.

“That’s why we’ll be leaving immediately. I won’t spend another day in a community where one’s judged not by his actions, but the bias of fear.”

My words hang in the air, reverberating through the chamber. Let that sink in, you intolerant fools.

Harold’s voice cracks as he speaks. “If the two of you leave now, we’ll be wide open for an attack.” He glares at me. “Do you not care about the fate of your people?”

“My people? The people who turned their backs on me when I made an honest mistake?” Bitterness makes me talk louder than I intended to. “The people who showed open disdain for Xeros since the moment he stepped inside the village walls? The same people who would kill him if they could find an opportunity?”

My eyes travel from one council member to the next, pinning them with the weight of my questions.

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