Page 51 of Falling in Love with A Tiny Bat

“Is there some reason you don’t want to come to movie night?” Kassandra asks.

“What gives you that idea? I love movie nights. Pila makes the best brownies.” Dread hits me squarely in the chest as I remember thatPilanormally goes to movie nights…and…I currently have some feelings to sort through where she’s concerned.

Guilt, my ever-present companion, has been choking me at every intersection.

Mybaby.Hersapling. Nefarious plot points.

It’s a lot of gray area.

Just like sweet baby Ash’s skin.

After many moments, Kassandra’s head pops up over the railing. “What’s going on?”

I stop doodling hearts all around the cow and the monster. (Because now they’re in love; real friends to lovers story right here.) “I do not know what you are talking about.”

“Is there something you aren’t telling me about you and Xios?” She’s no longer smiling as she looks into my soul—hopefully not literally.

Similar to dream eaters, sandwomen can also freely roam the dream plane. The difference between them is that one can only turn dreams into the shades of nightmares while the other has full range of the imaginable. I have yet to be told that Kassandra is capable of entering my subconscious while I’m awake, though.

So.

That’s nice.

Being surrounded by magical creatures when I’m but a normie is such a bother.

Taking a deep breath, I remember that the best liars don’t actuallylie. “You’re going to be disappointed in me.”

Her brows dip together. “What’s wrong, Zahr?”

“Xios and I aren’ttogether. Yes, he’s my soulmate. Yes, he’s staying at my house. But it’s not in awe jumped into marriage vowsorwe are living in fornicationsort of thing. We’re…getting to know each other. I don’t really like him all that much romantically right now, so I’m not exactly all for employing my ‘soulmate perks’ to coerce him into a movie night that he could have been going to if he wanted to for, what? Months now?”

Clueless innocence consumes Kassandra’s brown eyes as she tilts her head. “Exploitation is half the fun of having a soulmate, probably.”

“Who even are you? Telling me toexploityour stepson doesn’t sound like the Kass I know, who follows all the rules and never does anything wrong ever.”

Kassandra deflates. “Zahra, we haven’t seen Xios for over a week now. He left before spring break, and he hasn’t been backsince. I only knew he was okay and in a place with cell phone service before now because he sends the good vibes on that Finch app Pollux and Meda play with him.”

I pinch my lips. Alexios hasn’t been home forovera week?

“We miss him,” she says, softly, pitifully,heart-wrenchingly. “I don’t know if he thinks we still don’t approve of things between you two, but I know Pollux would like to see him.”

Ugh. That gets me in my feels.

And because my brain is evil, I picture a teenage Ash, moving out on his own, then never calling. It is absolutely a different thing, since Alexios was never a child, Kassandra didn’t raise him, and he doesn’t even claim Pollux as his father, but…still…

They’re family.

Good family.

Family that cares about each other.

So, because I am an ooey gooey, useless thing, I say, “I’ll…talk to him about it.”

Chapter 13

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

Oh, so people can justappearin my house now?

---