Page 108 of Falling in Love with A Tiny Bat

My words strangle me. “Someone has done something terrible to my mate, Castor. They cannot be allowed to survive freely.”

“Heinous actions in the human communities do not go unpunished.”

“With the way the human world functions, I am certain his has.”

“The mortals of this world are not the sole acting forces. Nothing, in the end, goes unpunished. Despicable actions do not come from painless places. Life alone will be a unique torture.”

“That is not enough for me,” I whisper, hand tremblingagainst Ash’s back.

Reaching, Castor pulls my hand free, gripping it in his. “I will not allow you to live with my regrets. If someone must be tortured, allow me the burden. I am no stranger to such guilt or the weight of its impact. You, my friend, are, and I would see to it I do everything in my power to maintain that unfamiliarity.”

Mouth dry, I say, “Promise me the information I share with you now goes no further.”

“To the extent that it will cause you no harm, I promise to keep your confidence.”

“Zahra’s father raped her when she was nine.”

Castor’s grip flinches around my hand.

Emotion suffocates me, and I can hardly breathe. “I don’t know what to do. I want him topay. I know it will change nothing. I taste the undertones of my love’s pain every day I’m with her. She carries these and other horrors with her constantly.I need to fix it. But I…I don’t know how.”

“Retribution won’t undo anything.” Castor works his free fingers back into his hair, gripping the white strands at the roots. “Even if you were to take her memory of what happened, it would not fix the damage caused to her body. I understand now…why I felt as though something had died too soon within her. It was not happenstance. It was killed.” Rising, Castor leans carefully over Ash to touch a kiss to my forehead. It tickles uncomfortably, but I’m too baffled by the action itself to give the sensation much thought. “Breathe, Xios. She has not let her past destroy her, and she would not want it to destroy you.”

Fighting, I follow through on an exhale, letting the air escape between my lips. “What am I supposed to do, Castor?”

“What are soulmates always called to do for each other, Xios? You are meant to love her and protect her now that you can. Leave vengeance to me.” He smiles, weakly. “You’re much too sweet for the taste of it.”

“What are you going to do?”

“With your permission, nothing. Of my own accord, I may be inclined to pay her father a visit…if only to make certain he is miserable all on his own. Regardless of what I might decide to do on the chance he isn’t suffering in his own depravity, you are not responsible.” His smile chills me to the bone. “Understood?”

Breathing no easier, I murmur, “Understood…”

And, just like that, Castor goes back to sweeping as though nothing at all has changed.

For me, it seems as though everything has.

Chapter 27

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Movie nights and stolen babies…

Half the people in Willow’s living room can smell my anxiety, so once again if anyone brings it up, I’m ready to pin my duress on the days it has been since I last spoke with Dani. It’s not exactly alie. I am growing violently concerned; however, to be certain most of my current stress stems from the fact Pila and Terra are at movie night this week.

It’s been two weeks since the end of school, and only a handful of days since I started feeling like a person again. Xios has been acting a little weird since Saturday night, so I think maybe handling a sick me and Ash did a number on him.

As it stands, presently he’s a tiny bat, hanging upside down from the large circle zipper ring on my leather jacket. All curled up, he rests against my heart while I look down at baby Terra and remind myself—over and over—that I didnotsteal her brother.

I amnotin cahoots with a villain.

I donotpossess oceans of guilt regarding the secrets and the half-truths.

Unfortunately, the moment I let my thoughts slip from denial, I remember that Castor is babysitting for me right now, and I’m almost positive no one in this room other than Alexios and I would approve of that information.

Sniffling, I wipe my eye so that a tear won’t fall on Terra.

I don’t know why I’m crying.

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