Page 140 of Falling in Love with A Tiny Bat

“Short of war…” Cael’s eyes close.

Alexios says, “We trust Castor.”

Heads turn his way.

He stifles a yawn, then extends his hand to me. “Haven’t we tried everything else? All he’s ever wanted is friends who believe in him. Why don’t we set aside our apprehension and understand that he is hurting, and he is lonely, and he has found a human who we believe may be able to see past glamour.”

Reaching Alexios, I hesitate before putting my hand in his and letting him reel me in, where he bends and touches a kiss to Ash’s forehead, settling my baby’s sobs into sniffles.

“Let’s trust Castor. All this time, he’s only been searching for a companion.”

Andromeda crosses her arms. “Yeah,Beauty and the Beaststyle.”

“Meda,” Pollux grumbles.

“What?” she snaps. “It’s true! Uncle Castor is going toStockholmDani.”

Pollux glares at Kassandra, who throws her hands up. “I didn’t teach her that.”

I cough. Because. Um. Guilty.

Pollux’s glare shifts my way, so I avert my eyes.

Ollie rises from where he and Brittny have maintained awkward silence thus far. “I know I’m not really a part of the history here with Castor, but I do know a thing or two about growing up in a world where no one believes in you. It’s not…impossible that I wouldn’t have turned out just as volatile and bitter if I hadn’t found your eclipse, Cael.”

“So we just trust that he won’t hurt my friend?” That sounds like a truly terrible idea. Did Alexios miss the ultimatum? The threat? The broken shame still stuck in Alana’s eyes? Damage has been done here. And we’re just going to keep trusting?“That’s what we’re going with?”

“Of the villains I’ve heard tales of,” Alexios begins, “Castor hardly makes it into the list of those I would condemn.”

That’s low. If the knowing gleam in Alexios’s eye refers to my parents as the villains he’s heard tales of,that is low.

Throughout my entire childhood, my mother always reminded me not to weigh sin. The smallest error held the same offense in God’s eyes, after all. She used the truth of how God finds all sin equally offensive as a means to control and crush me for every mistake—no matter how small, innocent, or unintentional.

One mistake equated to the death of my soul, and redemption was sorely out of sight unless I shaped up and became herperfect.

Under a God that sent His own Son to die in order to grant us forgiveness, she created a premise that forgiveness wasn’t just something we had to earn—it was out of reach unless we attained perfection.

It took me decades to realize that even perfection would never be enough for her, but my imperfections were already enough for God.

Trusting a Heavenly Father is hard when my own father decimated any hope that I could think about him without growing ill.

I have no good pictures to lean on.

I have to make them all up myself, from scratch.

And, since I am an artist, I know the importance of a reference.

“War…is also an option,” Alexios murmurs into the growing pit of my silence. “It would, however, be more of a massacre, given that only Castor can hold his own against any one member in Cael’s army.”

“That’s calledmanipulation, Xios,” I snap.

He smiles, squeezing my hand. “It absolutely is. But have I ever steered you wrong before?”

I frown. Because, um, he certainly has tried, Mr.May I Have Your Soul.

Pouting, he says, “Fine. Hurt my feelings then. For right now, we should get Ash home.”

“I drove my bike, and you flew,” I remind him.

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