Page 126 of Falling in Love with A Tiny Bat

“Give off a whiff of nerves? Yes.”

My stomach sinks. “Xios, not that I’m interested in kissing you or anything, but have you soft-locked yourself by promising not to neglect consent at both a verbal and physical level? After what happened, how do we know I’ll ever be okay with anything if I don’t push myself through the fear first and learn you’re safe to go farther than hugs with?”

Extending his hand, he doesn’t say a word.

I look at it. Then at his face. Slowly, I set my hand in his, feeling the magic of his glove evaporate around my fingers. The sensation is wholly addictive, sending a shiver through me as we touch, skin to skin.

He smiles. “Like that.”

I jerk myself from the daze. “Huh? What did I miss? Like what?”

“You, angel, can push yourself through the fear and kissme. I will never regret giving you back the control that was taken away. Even if you never want to make the first move and are never comfortable enough to let me, this level of control has always belonged to you.” With care I’ve never seen another living being possess, Alexios presses a kiss to my knuckles and cements his attention on me. “Loving you means creating anenvironment where you never have to question your safety. It is entirely that simple.”

The solid beat in my chest fumbles.

I grip his hand tight. “Xios?”

His head angles slightly.

“Can…I trust you?”

“Yes.”

“Do you promise?”

“I promise you can trust me, Zahra.”

I take a step forward, brace my free hand against my Ash’s little head, and kiss Alexios’s cheek. Then, I whisper, “Thank you.”

Chapter 32

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh dear.

Xios

Will I ever recover from the sensation of Zahra’s soul grazing my fingertips as I let it slip out of my grasp?

No, no I will not.

Thank you.

My heart has not calmed since that moment in the kitchenhoursago.

I had to excuse myself, climb the stairs, and rock back and forth in the corner of my room for thirty minutes, only pulling myself together when Zahra called to let me know the food was ready.

Then, naturally, I had a breakdown at the table, sobbing into the concoction she’d fixed.

It has, in short, been an absolutelydrainingday.

Every muscle in my body aches while I lie in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to regulate my breaths.

Pulling my hand from beneath the comforter, I graze my cheek.

She kissed my cheek.

She placed her soul in my palm after making it clear she didn’t want me to grab hold of it.

---