Page 85 of Falling in Love with A Tiny Bat

“Zahr.” She looks down at me from where she has been sifting frogs out of the hay loft. “Is everything okay?”

I wrinkle my nose. “What a loaded question. Meda saysokayis a sucky word that means nothing, so, yes, absolutely. I maintain existence, and am perfectlyokay. Why do you ask? Am I acting weird?”

I hope I’m not acting weird. After the decades of blood, sweat, and tears I’ve put into my flawless façade, to beacting weirdnow would be so disrespectful of me to myself.

Andself-respectis very important to me.

“Something is a little off. I can’t quite identify it, though. I’m not a faerie that can sense your emotions or scents, and I have a policy against entering the dreams of friends uninvited.”

Thank Sir for that one…

I don’t know how I’d handle it if Kassandra saw the memories painted in horrid neon plastered across my nightmares sometimes. After so many years, the fact my brain is still battling to process what happened during my childhood says something.

Loudly.

Screams it, practically.

“Have you heard anything more from your friend Dani?” she asks.

My chest pinches as I locate a tiny circle of frogs on a barrel. It looks like they’re having a tiny ritual. Probably Andromeda’s handiwork. Bless. “I haven’t.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’m praying about it. Asking God to let me know where she is so I can kidnap her. I’m just worried if I kidnap a human, I’ll become fully fae, and then what will I do? My humor is approximately ninety percent lies.”

“Quite the dilemma.”

“Truly. I lie awake at night thinking about it.” See? A lie. Lately, I’ve been lying awake at night thinking about nothing, simply alternating between staring at my baby and staring at my tiny bat soulmate. In his tiny bat form, Alexios is very cute,and comforting, and he’s been staying with me since Sunday, because even though I identify as a strong independent woman, I also identify as a tired little guy.

I do. Ipromiseyou are lovable. And a faerie’s oath cannot be broken. To the end of my days, I will love you. In every moment, I myself shall make this oath true.

Tired little guys require words of affirmation, I guess.

“Have you talked with Xios at all about becoming fully fae?” Kassandra asks.

I grimace. “And give up the ability tolie? Come on, Kass. It’s like you’re not listening to me. I’m only human.”

And I amhilarious.

Kassandra hums. “Something is definitely off with you. Do you want me to talk to Cael about Dani?”

“What?”

“I don’t know if he can do anything, but he is the most powerful faerie we know. Maybe he’ll have a solution somewhere in his repertoire of magic.”

I’ve been called overbearing more times than I can count. I’ve also dealt at length with mothers who care more about themselves than their kids. Even if Cael can find Dani, assuming he won’t have some nice, good argument against invading her privacy, I have no reason to believe we won’t accidentally make things worse just by trying to talk to her.

If she’s still at home with a mother who takes her phone even though she’stwenty-three, we’ll either collide with her mother, or randomly have to appear in her bedroom…which…yeah. I don’t know if that would help many people who are already living scared.

I sigh. “No, that’s okay. I’m going to wait a little longer for an answer. If it’s asking for Cael’s help, I’ll let you know.”

“Okay, if you’re sure.” She climbs down from the loft and fixes her messy bun, somehow making it messier. “Are you andXios coming to movie night tonight?”

“Is it really Thursday? Again? Already?”

Kassandra gives me aplease tell me what’s wronglook, but all she says is, “Yes.”

All I want to do is go home and cuddle my baby. I don’t really want to be around people anymore today. The eight hours with kids was enough to maintain my title ofextrovert, I think. Not wanting more peopling is a side effect of being a tired little guy, probably. When you’re a tired little guy, you just want to sit in a dark room alone.

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