Page 63 of Falling in Love with A Tiny Bat

Castor clears his throat. “I think I ought to excuse myself before…whatever this is gets too painful to watch. What time should I be by next Friday?”

“They want us there at six-thirty… I don’t know where we’re going.” Only that we’re goinginto Faerie. The part under Cael’s jurisdiction. Which promises to be less of a gothic ghost town full of oddities in every corner than Castor’s kingdom. And…now that it’s too late for me to back out…I remember thatFaerieonly has cell service right next to the trods.

Which means I won’t be able to get any updates on my baby.

My heart sinks as I look at Ash’s face.

“It should only take us thirty minutes or so to make it there.” Alexios toys with the tail of his braid. “We’ll see you a little before six?”

“I suppose I can be convinced to scrub enslaving the human race from my schedule for that evening in order to be here at five-forty-seven.” Much too content, Castor downs the rest of his soda. “Until we meet again, my dear friends…who trust me.”

“I said not to go that far.” I frown. “You’re still on probation.”

Castor hums, tossing his empty can in the trash under the sink. True villainy. Ihavea recycle bin. “Of course, if your humanity says so.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Smiling at me, Castor says, “Humans lie. And you, Razah, are still part human. Entrusting me with your little one again when I am quite positive you do not have to means you’re either delusional…or still very human.”

With that, he takes his leave, and I cuddle my baby, offended.

Because, excuse me, who says I can’t beboth?

?

Xios

My eyes snap open in the dead of night to a whispering whimper that builds and crackles through the monitor on my nightstand. Swinging my legs out of bed, I head toward my open door, hopeful I’ll make it to Ash before Zahra this time. Ever since getting the monitors, it’s been a toss up between us, but I am getting better at shaking off dreamless rest in favor of silently sweeping in to tend to the infant.

Once I’ve reached the threshold, the crackles coming through the monitor behind me rise until static overwhelms.

My heart lunges painfully, seeming ready to escape the cavity in my chest.

Losing delicacy, I march, tossing open Zahra’s door.

Beside her bed, in his crib and half buried in the fresh dirt I brought from Faerie a few days after movie night, Ash remains asleep.

Over Zahra…however…a boogeyman hovers.

Its red eyes slash toward me, decaying flesh peeling away from the too many teeth that don’t fit in its mouth. Its maws drop open, as though ready to devour Zahra, as it grips its claws into either side of her pillow.

I have not been long in this world…but I have never seen the wisp of an under-formed unseelie this size…and I have seen many such wild culminations of emotions in my frolics about glade and glen.

The acid in my stomach riots as—one by one—drops of ink swarm and coalesce into unseelie all around. From the shadows, whispering creatures born of hate, anger, anguish, and fear come to life.

The horrific ballet takes over, crawling up Zahra’s bedsheets, looming in the corners of her room. Voices hiss and purr, buzzing in my head until an ache builds behind my eyes.

My mouth dries.

But I have enough sense to do whatever any young adult might…

I take a picture.

The boogey screeches—eyes going bloodshot in the wake of my phone’s flash. Releasing Zahra, it gallops toward me, sending jolts of terror straight through my veins.

It is literally not even enough to compare to how Pollux responds when I push him too far. The sensation barely registers as a tickle of apprehension on my spine.

Disdained, I glare when its claws stop centimeters from my face. “Youthinkyou know hunger,” I whisper, gripping its bared organs in my fist and dragging the whole beast closer. “This doesn’t hold a candle to what I feel.Every. Single. Day.” The sensation of the fear’s striking hunger absorbs into me, burdening my limbs, weighing on my chest, suffocating my throat. “I’ll take it…” Fixing my attention beyond the monster asits body evaporates into mist, I locate the rest of the cowering, hissing beings, spread my arms wide, and reach for every ounce of pain resonating in them. “I’ll takeallof it.”

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