Page 113 of Falling in Love with A Tiny Bat

“Like what? Dirty diapers and trauma dumps?” I laugh. “Actualdumps and trauma dumps.” Smirking, I pull my hand from his grasp in order to fold my arms. “I’m hilarious.”

Something tender softens the barely-restrained rage still etched into the corners of Alexios’s face. “It is marvelous to love you, Zahra. I enjoy doing so.” Lowering his gaze, he stares at his now-empty hand. “Even when you reject me, I still delight in loving you.”

My lungs constrict, squeezing my heart, making it hard to breathe.

He continues, “I don’t know how you manage to still see so much good in people, after everything.”

“Hey.” My voice doesn’t quite sound like mine. “Sometimes life has bad RNG. That doesn’t mean it’s not fun to play. And just because there are definitely villains out there, that doesn’t mean we should take our anger out on every NPC we come across. Some of them join your party, and it’s easier to take down the bad guys when you’re not alone.” Against everything in me, I unwind my arms and slip my hand back into his. “It only hurts me if I live scared or angry. Vengeance is of the Lord. That’s another verse. I don’t remember where it’s found, though.”

Lifting my hand, Alexios touches a kiss to my knuckles. “Do you believe that God uses other people to enact His vengeance?”

“No, you may not avenge me.”

His eyes flick up toward mine, and I wince. They’re a little toopuppy-like for comfort.

“What did youalreadydo?” I ask.

“I may have unloaded some information on Castor. And he may have suggested he’d take care of vengeance for me, if he saw fit. To keep me innocent.”

I stare at hisinnocenteyes. They are still filled with incomprehensibly furious things. “Neither you nor Castor know where my father is.Right?”

“He can find that information.”

Well. Great.

On the one hand, this is very bad.

On the other…yeah. I am still very much struggling with forgiveness in this particular respect. It’s hard for me to even pray for my parents. I do not want to see them have life-altering transformations and finally let go of their selfishness. I don’t want to know it was possible. I don’t want to have to askwhythe Spirit didn’t work on their hearts decades sooner…

Where my parents are concerned, I have a lot of less-than-great feelings.

And those less-than-great feelings haunt me nearly every day.

Because of them.

I strongly want to sayoh well, this totally does sound like God’s revenge, which I had nothing at all to do with,and go on my merry way, but, instead, I say, “Is it already too late? Or can I still ask Castor not to, I don’t know, curse my parents or whatever else he might be planning?”

“I have no idea if it’s too late or not. He absolved me of connection to the crime, so he has no reason to update me on what he has or hasn’t done.”

Oh. Well. Fantastic.

Marching forward, I drag Alexios along with me. “Come on. We’re going home to talk to Castor. I’m finding that Bible verse about revenge. And thenbothof you are going to memorize it.”

Alexios strides after me, graceful as ever, even though he’s frowning. “Is using the Bible as a punishment a good idea?”

I stop short, think for a moment, then scowl. “No. You’re right. How verymy motherof me…” I think for another moment. “I’ll just make you both writeI will not exact revenge on peoplea hundred times. Thank goodness I’m a teacher. I stock up on empty notebooks like they’ll be discontinued, so you have plenty of writing space.”

Alexios tenses. “I’d like to rescind my earlier comment. Memorizing a verse seems easier than writing anything a hundred times.”

Snorting, I continue toward my motorcycle. “That’s too dang bad! Also, you’re riding with me, so brace yourself to hold on tight.”

Chapter 29

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Tellno one. But. Castor is my new father figure.

At my side, Alexios vibrates, his perfect hair tousled in ways I’ve never witnessed before. Strands that have escaped from his braid hang in disarray while he takes deep breaths and clings to my hand like a lifeline.

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