Page 72 of A Love of Wrath and Rapture

“Okay, if it’s not the dark elves, then something else can come after us. What then?”

“We’ll be together,” I say. “And we’ll figure something out as we’ve always done. I’m never going to leave you, Evangeline, I’ve made this clear time and time again. You are mine and I am yours.”

Evangeline nods. She bites into her meat and chews while she thinks. Then, she stares at me again.

“I don’t want to risk losing you. That’s all.” Evangeline sets down her piece of meat. “The waira attack indiscriminately. What if they want to attack you next? What if they attack me while I’m alone? This place isn’t the safest, you know that.”

“I do know that, but this is the best we can do for right now. When the time comes, you and I will leave and find a better place to make our home. Maybe it’ll be in a more isolated spot in the mountains where not even the waira can sniff us out,” I reassure, reaching across the rock for her hand. “We’ll be fine. I promise.”

Surprisingly, Evangeline’s eyes well up with tears. She sniffs loudly and uses her other hand to wipe away the tears. Then, she offers me a smile.

“You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me, Xeros. Without you, I’d be dead by now. Seriously. I would have gotten killed by Kraven out there. Or I would have been eaten alive by some animal. I don’t know, but I would’ve died.”

“Oh, Evangeline,” I murmur. “Please don’t cry for me. I’m only doing what I know is right. I will protect you against anything and I hope you know that.”

“I know that,” she replies softly, still wiping at her eyes. “But sometimes, I wish we could just shut away the rest of the world. I don’t want any other humans, dark elves, waira, or whatever the fuck else coming here to bother us. We’re creating our own life together and they shouldn’t get to come and destroy that.”

“I won’t let them destroy that.”

“How do you know for sure that you’re capable of that, though?” she asks. “I almost lost you when the waira attacked the settlement. You did everything to defend the settlement and they treated you like dirt in return. I never want to let that happen again. I wanted to…”

Evangeline trails off. Her fists are clenched into balls and she grits her teeth. One look from me relaxes her, though.

“I wanted to make everyone pay for what they did to you, Xeros.”

“Evangeline, I can protect myself. And you’re learning to protect yourself, too. If you keep worrying about all the dangers and cruelties of this world, you’re going to go crazy.”

She nods along to my words as I continue.

“You don’t have to keep worrying about the world outside this cavern. They don’t matter to us,” I say. “None of them do.”

Evangeline smiles. “It’s just us, Xeros.”

“It’s just us that matters. No one else.”

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