Page 10 of The Hunchback

I mumbled something lame about it having been no bother, my chest tightening at the thought I might never see her again, or at least, not like this. For a little while, I’d almost forgotten about the hostile world outside that I’d never belong to. It had only been her and me, and the pesky imps.

Moving out of her way, I schooled my features not to show how crestfallen I felt at her imminent departure, and let her exit the armory—the only mostly furnished room in my cabin. The guards would bring the rest of my belongings either tomorrow or the day after.

Feeling like a lost puppy, I escorted her in silence to the hidden path through the hedges. She stopped, turned to look at me, and smiled at Victus who had just landed on my shoulder.

“It was lovely meeting you…?”

The look she gave me implied a question. I blinked, not knowing what she wanted.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, too,” I said in a hesitant voice.

Esmeralda’s smile broadened, and she looked at me as if I’d said something cute. “I was hoping you’d tell me your name, since you already know mine.”

“Oh! Right. Kwazeem. My name is Kwazeem,” I said, feeling more idiotic than ever—if not borderline rude. But then, no one had ever cared to know my name. This socializing thing was proving quite challenging. “Apologies.”

“No need to apologize,” she said in a gentle voice. “Kwazeem is a lovely name; unusual, but lovely,” Mera added while giving me an assessing look. “Would it be okay for me to occasionally visit you again in the future?”

YES!

I barely managed not to shout out the word as my chest filled with so much joy I feared it would burst. Yet, the suddenly shy and uncertain look on her face, and the adorable pink creeping on her cheeks made me think it had been a bold request on her part, which only got me even more excited.

But Frollo will banish you.

I shouldn’t. I knew better. But Esmeralda was mine. Every cell in my body screamed as much. Whatever the consequences, I couldn’t—wouldn’t—miss a chance. The connection between us was undeniable, and she felt it, too.

“My home is your home,” I said, carefully. “But remember that the Praetor will be furious if he finds out that you do.”

A strange expression crossed her features, before they took on an air of determination. “Leave the Praetor to me,” Esmeralda said in a severe tone. “I am not his property, and you are not his slave. He cannot dictate who I can be friends with. So, I will see you soon, Kwazeem.”

Holding back the stupid grin that wanted to plaster itself on my face, I nodded and replied, “See you soon, Mera.”

She beamed at me hearing me say her nickname, then turned around and left. Long after Esmeralda had vanished from view, I stood at the edge of the hidden pathway with that stupid grin.

Chapter 6

Esmeralda

Waking up this morning and finding out there would be no Chakra ceremonies this week was the best news Frollo could have given me. There was no way I could have focused on dozens of people more interested in gawking at the new Vestal in town than in aligning the energy of their Chakras. And I wouldn’t even mention the most beautiful forbidden fruit I’d ever laid eyes on.

Kwazeem was pure perfection.

I didn’t hate the Fallen. The Fifth Circle—the dark moon on which I grew up—had no quarrel with those that inhabited it. They kept to their lands and even traded with us. Truth be told, I’d always found them rather attractive the few times I’d managed to get a glimpse of them. Then again, considering the unappealing other choices in Obscura, anything else could only be better. But I genuinely loved Kwazeem’s bluish-grey skin, shiny scales my fingers had itched to touch, and those lovely horns on his forehead. However, it was his gorgeous, silver eyes that had fascinated me the most… Well, okay, after his plump lips that I’d been dying to kiss.

But meeting him in the flesh had raised even more questions than before. If he was to be believed—and I had no reason to doubt Kwazeem’s words—Frollo was taking a huge risk granting him asylum on the temple’s grounds and within the walls of Paris. I didn’t know the Praetor well enough, yet my every instinct told me that he wasn’t one to put himself in jeopardy out of altruism towards those in need. He was fiercely ambitious and had effectively reached the highest administrative rank possible in Eden before reaching the age of forty. Why put all of that on the line for a Fallen hybrid?

There had to be something in it for him. But what?

And then why did their energy feel so similar? The signature was almost identical, a phenomenon I’d only ever witnessed in twins.

Could they be siblings?

The thought gave me pause. They were both stunningly gorgeous. And although they didn’t look alike, their faces both had angelic features, and their heights matched that of an Elohim offspring. Is that what it was? Had Frollo’s mother committed an indiscretion with a Fallen and asked her firstborn to look after his youngest sibling? Vestals all had some degree of divine blood, and a recessive gene could have manifested in both her offspring.

My mind latched on to that theory, turning it in every angle to see if it held water.

But why had I felt such an unbridled, animal desire for Frollo yesterday morning, but only a fiercely possessive attraction towards Kwazeem? My body’s reaction to the Praetor had felt like a betrayal. With his ‘gardener,’ it had felt just right, although underwhelming in its intensity.

That, too, confused me.

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