Page 45 of How to Hide Your Angel Kid

11

GALENT WANTS A BABY

Galent’s heart seized.If the curse hurt Zarrie, if she turned into a statue for life...

What was he going to do? How would he ever make it up to Pinks?

He gripped Pinks tightly, and Pinks didn’t even notice.

Color returned to Zarrie a split-second later. She scrunched up her face, reaching for Galent again.

“Holy fuck.” Galent tried to breathe. “What the hell was that? Did I just curse her?”

“I don’t know. Get me a blanket so I can wrap her in it.” Pinks twisted at his waist to hold Zarrie away from Galent.

Galent grabbed a huge blanket from Pinks’ bed, watching as it swallowed the baby into its folds. At least she was safe from him now.

Just that Zarrie cried out and kicked. The blanket bulged next to Galent like Zarrie was still trying to grab him.

“No,” Pinks said firmly. “He’s cursed. You can’t touch him.”

Galent swallowed. Initially, when he’d been cursed, he’d thought it wasn’t so bad. He was the only one affected, and no one but his butler cared, anyway. But for the whole of today, he’d been wondering what it would feel like to hold Zarrie in his arms. To swoop her into the air and make her laugh, to see her wings flutter as she tried to fly.

He wanted a family. He knew that. More specifically, he wanted to be in Pinks’ family, with Pinks and Zarrie wrapped in the safety of his embrace. He wanted to watch Zarrie grow up, he wanted to see Pinks’ belly swell with another child.

Galent thought he might crack if Pinks told Zarrie not to touch him again.

Maybe something showed on his face. Pinks stared at him for a while, and carefully pushed Zarrie’s blanket bundle against his chest. “There. You can hold her like this. Seems like it might be okay if she’s not touching you directly.”

Galent’s heart swelled; he teared up a little. He pressed Pinks against the wall and fitted their mouths together in a clumsy kiss, swallowing Pinks’ surprised gasp.

“You are so lovely,” Galent growled against his lips. Pinks’ mouth was soft and sweet, and Galent couldn’t get enough of him. He slid their mouths together in a chaste kiss, then another, trying to show Pinks how awed he was. “Such an amazing dad. Such a beautiful man.”

Pinks flushed as brightly as his name. “I’m—I’m not.”

“Shush. You are. I am going to court the hell out of you.” Galent breathed him in and slid into Pinks’ mouth, just enough for their tongues to touch briefly. “I want you to be my mate.”

“Maybe ask me that in... another few months. You know. When we know each other better.” But Pinks was tipping his face up to Galent, letting Galent taste him over and over. Pinks’ face was turning pinker, and his breathing grew faster.

“I’m going to play Twenty Questions with you tonight,” Galent promised. “I want to know everything about you that I can.”

“You probably won’t find much.”

Galent narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you dare talk about my mate like that.”

Pinks blinked rapidly, opening and closing his mouth. “Wh-what?”

“My mate,” Galent said. “I’ve decided to override your opinions. You will be my mate. You will treat my mate with respect.”

Pinks gaped. He was still so pretty. Galent kissed him on the nose and sat them on Pinks’ bed, so he could wrap both his arms around the little squirming bundle.

“Hello, Baby Zee,” Galent cooed, rocking her in his arms. “Someday, when I’m no longer cursed, I want to teach you how to fly.”

Zarrie kicked against the blankets and babbled. Carefully, Galent shifted the blankets around so he could peek at her through a gap. She looked back at him, and her eyes glowed white.

“She’s never done that before,” Pinks said quietly, his eyes wide. He was staring at both of them, his mouth soft and open.

“It feels like she’s looking right through me,” Galent admitted.

---