Page 54 of Falling in Love with A Tiny Bat

“Right. Sorry. The starvation seems worse. If encountered and at all possible, death should be swift.”

I think I can answer myyou good, brofor myself this time. No, no he is not.

“Here’s what we are going to do, buddy,” I state as I sip my water. “You are going to practice…swallowingand focusing on anythingbuthow it feels…and I am going to order you enough protein shakes to make a bodybuilder cry. We’ll find a brand you can tolerate. I’ll get so rippin’ buff on the ones you can’t.”

He snorts, covers his smile, and murmurs, “Careful. You might convince me you care.”

“Care about not having to drag your corpse out of my living room? Yeah. What if you dieupstairs? You expect me to thump your head all the way down? What if your eyeball pops out? You expect me topick up an eyeball? With mybare hands?” I snap my palm to my chest. “I am afragileyoung lady.”

He gives me a leisurely once-over.

Something sour rises on the back of my tongue.

He drags his attention away. “Forgive me. It seemed an invitation to perceive your…fragility, but your emotional response says otherwise.”

Before my head and my heart can wrap around the extent of his consideration, a familiar voice speaks. “Razah. I was wond—”

Blurting a swear, I twist on my heel and plaster myself back against the fridge.

Perfectlychillin his ornate robes, Castor sits at my island counter, hands clasped on the granite. His head tilts, and his long white hair cascades like a waterfall to account for the action. “What?”

“You probably shouldn’t just appear out of thin air like that, Castor,” Alexios provides. “Human-raised creatures tend to be skittish.”

I amnotskittish.

Castor’s lip juts. “Kass barely squeaked when I did it to her.”

“Kass is mated to fear. Zahra is mated tome.”

Castor hums, tapping his thumbs together. Merciless, he says, “Anyway, Razah, I was wondering if you might help me get a cell phone. TheDiscordchat Wade mentioned the other day is of interest to me. I’ve spent the weekend contemplating it. Setting up a plan using any of the human funds Xios has access to would raise untoward questions.” He smiles, displaying his fangs. “What joy you have also found financial success through the exploitation of your gifts online.”

I have…no words.

None at all.

Oh wait. No. I found them.

“I know you aren’t asking me to purchase a phone plan for you. Ijustbought a family car.”

He says, “I fail to see the correlation.”

“Yeah, ’cause you’re blindfolded,” I mutter.

His smile tips as he lifts his hand to the cloth around his head. “That is easily remedied.”

“Ha ha.” I sigh. “You don’t even get signal in Faerie. What’s the point?”

“If I sit close enough to a trod leading to the human realm, I get signal.”

My shoulders droop. “The more you know…”

“There’s a trod in my garden. I intend to put in a bench. It’s been a while since I’ve woodworked.”

Letting my tongue roam my cheek, I fix my eyes on Alexios.

Charming, he sweeps his gloved hand to his chest and bows. “I can inform Willow through message that you are charging me rent, then transfer the funds.”

Castor gasps. “An excellent idea.”

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