Page 16 of Monster's Secret Baby

She goes, gliding across my garden with perfect poise, though her wings betray her agitation in tiny tremors along their silver edges.

I wait until she's gone before I scrub viciously at my mouth with the back of my hand. The crawling disgust of another's unwanted touch makes me want to shed my skin. I need to see Harmony. Need to wash away this feeling with her laugh, her touch, her warm hazel eyes that never look at me like I'm a prize to be claimed.

I pace the garden, my wings twitching with restless energy. Where is she? She should have arrived by now, slipping through the servants' entrance like always, bringing me some small gift from her garden and that smile that makes my chest ache.

My hand finds the small pendant in my pocket—a crystal geode I've been saving, meant to be set in silver for her birthday next month. The rough edges bite into my palm as I squeeze it, grounding myself.

I couldn't bind with Lilleth if they offered me all of New Solas. The thought of anyone's hands but Harmony's, anyone's voice but hers filling my nights—it makes something vicious and protective rear up inside me.

"Fuck Sior and his connections," I mutter to the silent garden. "Fuck the Third Praexa and silver bloodlines and all of it."

I stretch my wings to their full span, feeling the tension in the muscles. Somehow I've gone from being the troubled artist genius to Sior's puppet, dancing for the nobility. But not anymore. Not with this. Some things even I won't sacrifice.

I stalk into my house, dark energy crackling around me like storm clouds. My wings won't settle, knocking into vases and candle stands, sending them crashing to the floor. I don't give a damn. The priceless artifacts Sior insisted would "elevate my status" mean nothing compared to the rage bubbling through my veins.

He's in my study when I find him, lounging in my chair like he owns it, sifting through my papers. Always his hands in my life, arranging, manipulating.

"Ah, there you are." His thin lips curl into a smile that doesn't reach those calculating dark eyes. "How was your meeting with Lilleth? The Third Praexa will be pleased to?—"

"You told her I was interested." My voice sounds like someone else's—a low, dangerous rumble that makes the candle flames shiver. "You told her to kiss me."

Sior blinks, affecting surprise as he sets down my contracts. "I did nothing of the sort, Adellum. The girl simply found you attractive. Most do, after all, that's why we've built your entire reputation on?—"

"Don't lie to me." My fist crashes down on the desk between us, splitting the wood with a satisfying crack. "She said you arranged it. Said you told her I was available."

His composure wavers for just a moment—a flicker of irritation crossing his face before the mask returns. But I catch the smirk tucked into the corner of his mouth, the glint of satisfaction. He planned this. Of course he did.

"Perhaps I encouraged her a bit," he admits, adjusting his impeccable cuffs. "You need to bind, Adellum. Your reputation as New Solas's most eligible bachelor has run its course. The next phase of your career requires stability, connections. Lilleth offers both."

I laugh, a sound that splinters in the air between us. "My career. Is that what this is about? Or the money I make you?"

Sior sighs like I'm a difficult child. "You've always been dramatic. It's what makes your art compelling, but incredibly tiresome in conversation." He stands, his dark wings folding precisely against his back. "Lilleth's family connections would open doors even I can't. Think of what you could create with their patronage."

"I don't want their fucking patronage." I step closer, towering over him, letting my wings spread to their full span. Glass shatters as they knock over a shelf of expensive trinkets. "And I don't want Lilleth."

"Because of that human girl?" Sior's voice drips with disdain. "Your little garden pet from Arkan's estate? Don't think I don't know, Adellum. I know everything about you."

Something cold and terrible washes through me. My hand finds his throat before I realize I've moved, lifting him until his feet barely touch the ground. His eyes widen in genuine shock as I lean in close.

"Listen carefully," I whisper, feeling his pulse flutter beneath my fingers. "If you ever interfere in my personal life again—if you so much as mention Harmony—I will destroy everything we've built. I'll walk away from all of it. And you'll be nothing again, just like before I made you rich."

I release him, watching with grim satisfaction as he staggers back against the bookshelf, his immaculate appearance finally disheveled.

"You wouldn't dare," he rasps, rubbing his throat. "You need me."

"Test me and find out." I turn on my heel, leaving him stunned in my wake.

The evening air hits my face as I stalk out of the house, my wings spanning wide to catch the currents. But I don't take flight. Instead, I follow the path down to the riverbank where Harmony sometimes comes through when she can't use the servants' entrance. My heart aches with the need to see her, to wash away the stain of this night with her gentle hands and quiet laugh.

I settle on our boulder—the flat stone where we've spent countless stolen hours, her head on my shoulder as we watch the river flow past. The geode in my pocket digs into my palm as I squeeze it, tracing the rough edges with my thumb.

"Come on, little bird," I murmur to the darkness. "Come find me tonight."

Hours pass. The moons climb and descend. I try to sketch—I always carry charcoal and paper—but the lines won't come. My mind is too full of her. Did something keep her at Arkan's estate? Did Sior somehow interfere?

The eastern sky lightens gradually, painting the river in pale gold. Dawn arrives, mocking me with its beauty when the only sight I crave is Harmony's smile. I haven't spent a night without seeing her in three months. The emptiness of it carves something hollow in my chest.

I stand, muscles stiff from the night's vigil, wings heavy with exhaustion and disappointment. I know she has duties and I shouldn't bother her, but I can't bear the waiting any longer.

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