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Eyes of Green

Grace

I wake draped in the softest blanket and cradled against the hottest God. His muscular arm wraps around me, embracing me tight against his fit body. I open my eyes lazily and see Ro’s feathered wing draped across me. I caress it gently, being careful not to wake him up. My fingers lightly touch the individual feathers, their touch softer than rose petals. I run my whole hand across the midnight wing. It is so sturdy and heavy. They twitch slightly, retracting closer to him, and I watch with awe. I cozy up against Ro, rubbing my back into his chest. My ass wiggles up against something hard and his arms tighten, holding me still. He moans into my hair, nuzzling me slightly. I bite my lips and let out a little giggle.

Last night was magical; I knew there was a man behind the dead God. Ro craves pleasure just as much as mortal men do, he just needed some guidance. I could tell, ever since the Sacred Cave, I saw the hunger in his eyes. The question is, how will he be when he wakes up? I have given him blowjobs only for him to turn around and still be a murderous asshole.

And what was with that bite last night? I felt so connected when he latched onto me. Pleasure overtook me instead of pain. I felt a lightness in my chest, but also an ache. It was a need for something more, like something was missing. I absently rub my hand over the spot he bit me, now fully healed. Is it weird that I want him to do it again?

I let my other hand wander his feathers once more, playing with the silky plumage. Last night felt different though. I felt connected to him in a way I hadn’t before. Ro was vulnerable and caring. He carried me and bathed me, doted on me without trying to kill me. He almost seemed interested in me. I wonder if Ro had felt it too. Perhaps it was just the magic of Winter Solstice.

Ro’s wing flaps softly, and he grinds his cock into my ass, eliciting a soft groan into my ear. “You are killing me with that,” his gravelly voice speaks into my neck, giving me butterflies deep in my gut.

I bite my lip and wiggle my ass against his length, and his hand shoots to my hip, stilling me. “Mercy, girl,” Ro groans in a sleepy voice.

I reach again for his wing, and he lifts it away from me. “No more for you,” he says with a yawn.

“Why?” I cry, turning my body to face him.

Ro smiles at me sleepily, his eyes wandering my face. “They are sensitive.”

“Oh.” I pause. “Like good sensitive? Because I distinctly remember an incident in the air—”

“That was your fault. I told you not to touch them,” he says, narrowing his eyes.

“You dropped me!” I screech.

Ro chuckles. “You are easy to get riled up.”

My mouth drops. “I am not.”

He smirks at me.

I take a deep breath. “I’m not.”

He lies onto his back, splaying his wings, and stretches his arms.

Is he not talking to me on purpose? Because I know what he’s doing, and it’s not going to work. I sit up and look at him. Ro watches me with a sly smile and cool eyes .

I lose it. “Ok says you, who is angry over everything.” I cross my arms. “You literally get mad at everyone. You’ve tried to kill me over breakfast!”

“It was my breakfast.” He narrows his eyes at me again.

Frustration boils over, and I climb onto his chest. I watch his eyebrows shoot up as he gazes at my body on full display on top of him. Warmth pools in my gut, and I bite my lip, remembering how he treated me with his mouth last night.

“Grace.” Ro’s voice is like dark velvet as he stares at my pussy.

I take a shuddering breath and steel myself. Before I lose courage, I lock my hands onto the base of his wings and grip tight. He makes a strangled noise deep in his throat as his head throws back. His face a mix of pain and ecstasy. Ro groans deeply, clenching his teeth as his back arches. I keep ahold of them and massage them in my clamped hands. My mouth goes dry watching him. His hands clamp onto my thighs, digging in his fingers. A few claws puncture my skin as dribbles of blood melt down my leg.

“Good or bad?” I ask, worried.

“Good.” He manages to bite out through his locked jaw. “Too. Good.”

I let go of his wings, my breathing wild. Ro groans as his wings flap half-heartedly, his body going lax underneath me. His eyes are shut as he pants, tips of his pearly canines showing under his upper lip. I stare at his beautiful mouth and get a wicked idea. I don’t know what compels me to tease him so, but I wipe some of the blood from my thighs onto my finger and bring it to his mouth. I wipe a crimson drop gently onto his perfectly full bottom lip and watch the tip of his tongue dart out. Immediately, his body tenses underneath me, and his eyes shoot open, locked on me.

“You are an evil little mortal, Grace.” His melodic voice is dark as Ro rises up to meet my face. “Do you have any idea what it feels like to be on the edge of such a powerful release, chasing forever and met with nothing? Then, to add injury to insult, you tease me with your divine blood?”

He grabs me around my waist and throws me onto my back, landing on top of me. My legs straddle him as he forces his mouth onto mine, kissing me roughly.

“I think I am owed restitution,” Ro purrs into my mouth. He glances to my neck, a sinful gleam in his eyes, mouth parting slightly.

A light knock sounds on the obsidian door, echoing into the chamber. I watch Ro’s jaw clench as Tai walks in through the door.

“Am I interrupting?” Tai amuses. “Grace, you’re late for training. I took pity on you and let you sleep in, but now Pearl is mad at me for it, so hurry up and get your bare ass dressed.”

I don’t dare move. Ro is staring at me like he will eat me if I dare try to leave now.

“It’s called blue balls, Ro, just use your hand. She has to go,” Tai barks.

Ro watches me, conceding with the fact I’m leaving him, and sighs, frustrated. He gives me a warning look before getting off of me. I bite my lip to keep from smiling. I think he will actually snap if I laugh right now.

“Gods, I am really tired of seeing you naked, Grace, come on. Get dressed for fuck’s sake,” Tai orders, handing me a set of clothes.

I roll my eyes, snatching them from his hand.

My wooden sword hits Pearl’s, the dull clank echoing loudly into the sparring ring. I’m sweating profusely, my hair sticking to my wet neck, and my hands scream from the grip on the sword.

“Pearl, we’ve been practicing with the swords for hours, can we take a break?” I whine.

“No breaks. Do you think you’ll be able to take a break when you’re being attacked?” She throws the blade at me again, and I block it, the blisters in my hand burn as I rub them over and over in the bloody wooden handle. I grunt as we parry, my swings getting weaker and weaker.

Pearl swings her sword at me once more, but my arms are too sluggish in their reply. Her sword breaks through and hits me in my bicep, making me drop my wooden weapon and grip my shoulder, my legs dancing around to ease my pain.

“Ok, yeah, we need a break.” She sighs, placing her hands on her hips.

“Finally,” I huff, collapsing to the ground.

Pearl chuckles. “Swords are not your thing, girl. Maybe we should try bow.”

I grunt in frustration as I look at my sore hands. Blisters and calluses are torn open, bright red blood intermingles with the dirt on my palms, staining them into a dark, painful mess. The profuse sweat from my training mixes into the wounds and stings the cuts. I don’t think I’ll be good at any of these weapons. I thought I was building some muscle during combat training, but these people are built for fighting. I’m just some peasant girl, I am not made for this. I will never get good enough for actual fighting. I will never be able to defend myself from anyone.

I slump my shoulders as sweat drips from my forehead and onto my disgusting hands.

Pearl walks over and pauses before me. “You’ll get better,” she says gently.

“It doesn’t matter if I get better. I will never be good enough to actually fight anyone. Face it, Pearl, I’m like half your size and have arms of a toy doll. You’re a gorgeous fighting machine with long legs and muscles.” I mope.

Pearl drops to the ground and sits in front of me. “Grace, you’re right. We are built differently. I was made for this, like actually created for this, and I work every day to keep myself at my best. But you, Grace, you are meant for different things. Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t do this, you are just going to have to work twice as hard to get to where you want. Here’s the thing, if you keep going, you will get there. We may not be made equally, but we both have strengths. You just have to think, what are yours?”

I’m silent as I look at my hands. What are my strengths?

“Go, wash your hands up and let them heal. If you follow that dirt path there it will bring you to a small creek.” She grasps my hands softly. “Grace, you are just as strong as me. I just don’t think you realize that yet.”

I sigh, feeling defeated, and stand up. I walk to the dirt path, my feet quiet among the forest floor. I feel so useless here. I try and try, but I don’t feel like I’m gaining any progress. Even if I do get across the Veil, how could I possibly make any difference? I feel so lost. I have a goal, but I have no idea how to get there. I want to fight, but I’m learning too slowly. I am not patient enough for this.

Maybe that is my strength, impatience .

I roll my eyes as I approach the small creek, dodging broken sticks and spreading plants. The rocks are slick as I step onto a small boulder, avoiding the slimy moss coating the surface. I sit my sore ass down on the frozen rock, stepping my feet onto two smaller rocks. My feet skid on the slick surface, and I almost fall in. I watch the clear water cascade down a series of banks, dropping from rock to rock. The quiet babble churns near my feet as I dunk my aching hands into the biting cold water. I wince at the contact of the frozen water on my open wounds, but then relax as it soothes my skin. I listen to the chittering of birds above me and an owl’s coo.

My hands heal slowly, the blisters closing while new skin appears over the cuts. As I stare at my hands, I notice the forest has gone eerily silent. The hair on the back of my neck rises as my skin pebbles.

I am being watched.

I look up slowly, slyly, scanning my surroundings. My heartbeat picks up as I slowly rise to my feet on the slippery rocks beneath me. That’s when I spot it; a branch in a bush trembles slightly, revealing brilliant green eyes watching me. They are covered in a band of charcoal, like a mask of a bandit. The bronze woman moves from the bush carefully, her body long and lithe as it prowls with the grace of a deer and the predatory senses of a mountain cat. She is beautiful, in a deadly sense. My eyes greedily take in the sleek threat before me. Charcoal-covered hands come forward in placation, the black soot traveling from her hands to her neck and connecting at her chin.

“Hello,” the wild woman purrs, her voice giving me eerie shivers.

“Hi,” I say hesitantly.

“You’re a human,” she states.

I do not reply, I only stare. I am ready to bolt back to Pearl.

“It’s ok, do not be afraid.” She steps closer to me, her feet placed carefully and silently. Her bow shifts on her back, and I take in the multiple daggers decorating her hips. “I am Velaya, Goddess of the Hunt. I am only surprised to see you here. How did you come to be in our lands?”

“I came through the Veil,” I say quietly.

Shock flashes through her face quickly, causing her head to startle. Long raven braided hair dangles across her chest, a single brown feather attached to its end. She masks her surprise, turning calm once more. “Is there a crack? Would you show me where?”

“No, there isn’t a crack. I walked through and it spit me out here.”

Velaya is quiet as she assesses me. “Does Ro know you’re here? ”

“Yes.”

“So, he is the one keeping you then?” she quizzes me.

“Yes, they take care of me,” I say carefully.

Velaya takes a deep breath, her eyes watching me intensely.

I bite my lip and dare a question. The only question I’ve been dying to ask them. “Do you know a way to get back across?”

She cocks her head slightly, like a curious dog. “My family and I, we have been working on a way. Perhaps you could come back with me and meet them. We can find a way back together.” Her voice is thick with sweetness, like the time I had honey syrup pouring off of Fallon’s famous buttered biscuits. The taste was sickly; the memory makes my throat seize in disgust.

I contemplate going back with her, but there is something so off about the wild God. Ro says these other Gods are bad news. I don’t think I should trust her. “Thank you for the offer, but I think I will find my own way.”

“Child, we are so close to getting there. It would be a mistake to turn me down. Isn’t there something on the other side you want so desperately? Family? Loved ones? I could give that to you. Tell me, who is waiting for you on the other side?” she prods.

Her words hit a sore spot. I sigh. “I have no more family. My brother was murdered. I just want vengeance,” I say.

Velaya gives me a feline smile. “We know all too much about wanting revenge, sweetheart. Come with me. I am telling you, we are the right ones for you. Ro will never let you cross the Veil. You will die here without ever getting justice for your darling brother. Tell me, what was he like?”

I give her a small smile. Maybe she isn’t so bad. Perhaps she could really help me. “He was really handsome and goofy. He was tall and lean and had Dad’s blonde hair and honey eyes. Fallon always made jokes and loved fiercely. He would do anything for me, he had sacrificed himself for me.” I sigh. It’s good to talk about him like this, but then the remorse hits me. “He didn’t deserve to be gutted in the dirt road and left for dead.”

“Humans can be so cruel without a God to rule them. Your world has fallen apart without us. Now you have misguided rulers governing you. We should be the ones ruling, this would not have happened under us.” The huntress shares her empathy.

She speaks so calmly and carefully, but I still get a weird feeling around her. My gut turns, and my heart wants to run away. I know she is dangerous. She is a predator, and I am the prey caught in her sight. “But it’s like you said, Ro will never allow us to go back.” I take a small step back onto a twig. Its snap echoes into the forest.

She narrows her eyes at me. “You’re just going to give up on your brother? Come with me; I can give you vengeance.” Velaya puts out her hand, reaching across the creek.

“I just … I want to think about it.” My breathing picks up as I glance for the path I came from.

“What is there to think about?” the huntress says, aggravated.

I gulp, my mouth feeling dry as she bores her green eyes into me. This feels very wrong. I cannot go with her under any circumstance.

“My sweet girl, we will take care of you. Come,” Velaya demands.

I take another step back, and she watches my feet, her demeanor changing. Velaya drops her hand and jumps across the creek with ease, landing right before me. Her wild hand lashes out and grabs my shirt.

“Ro does not get to have a human while we do not,” she growls. “He is the entire reason we are stuck here. He took away each and every mortal. Ro doesn’t even like your kind, and now he gets to keep you? That is fucking bullshit, you’re coming with me.” The huntress seethes into my face, twisting my shirt in her knuckles.

“Grace!” I hear Pearl’s voice call to me.

Velaya’s head whips to the direction of Pearl’s voice and pauses. The only sound around us is the creek behind us, the water trickling down the rocks. I hear no birds, I hear no wind rustling the trees. It is just us as she contemplates taking me. I stare at the charcoal mask surrounding her green eyes. They shine such a vivid green, it reminds me of the gems that decorated the King’s Priest’s hand. She wears a scowl on her face, turning her beautiful face ugly. I wonder if this huntress is ever happy.

How do I get out of this? I think back to Pearl’s training. I have no sword, and I have no dagger. My combat skills would be nothing compared to hers. I cannot even fathom the types of creatures the huntress has taken down with her bare hands. She knows how to play to her skills, and I’m sure she has many. I have none.

But I have Pearl.

“I just have to scream, and she will come after you,” I whisper.

She snaps her head to me and bares her sharp teeth, coming just inches away from my dirty face.

“Grace!” Pearl’s voice is closer now.

Velaya snarls as she searches my face angrily, looking for something she can use frantically. Her hand tightens its hold in my shirt, as she takes a tentative step back.

“I bet you’re fast, huntress, but can you outrun the Cerberus with a struggling human on your back?” I whisper, testing the waters.

She sneers at me. “Won’t be much of a struggle, little deer, trust me.”

Velaya’s eyes catch something behind me, and I watch as they open wide. She freezes, her breathing going quiet as she swallows deeply. Deft fingers slowly release my shirt as fear races across her features, her brilliant eyes locked onto whatever is behind me.

I sigh in surrender. I know exactly what’s behind me. It’s finally come back to finish the job.

Branches break behind me wildly, the cracks echoing deep into the forest. Wind whips the back of my head, causing white strands to flay around me. The silent bull is enraged, its deadly course destined for me. What will it do to me this time? I’ve been healing from my past. What memories could it show me now that would break me? Perhaps it won’t show me memories, it could just snap my bones or explode me from within.

Velaya suddenly throws me to the hard ground and runs for it, dashing across the icy river and racing through the bushes with deadly grace. I squint my eyes, preparing for the worst. Freezing cold mist washes over me instantly. I feel the Dredge touching my body, but its dark wisps are gentle. It touches and prods frantically. Surprise hits me. I feel worry exuding from its cold mist. It’s making sure I’m ok, patting down my body protectively. Suddenly, it whooshes off me and I watch, mouth open and confused, as it races down the path Velaya took.

I sit on the ground, rocks and twigs digging into my hands as I stare at the wall of bushes. My breathing comes in heavy pants as I realize what could’ve just happened. I was almost brought back to the other Gods as a human toy, just as Ro warned me would happen. I fall backward onto the dirty ground and stare into the canopy of trees above me. The wind has returned, blowing the branches into a beautiful dance.

The Dredge saved me; it was worried about me. The cold, dark shadow designed to kill and feed off pain just protected me. Did Ro tell it to protect me? I’ve seen it stalking me. I assumed it was coming back for the rest of my pain. I thought the creature wanted to finish the job. Yet, when it attacked me, I felt its curiosity. What started out as an attack, felt more like an investigation. It was so focused on Ro in my memories. Did it detect his feelings for me?

Regardless, thank you, little Dredge.

I sigh, my body going numb from lying in the snow. How will I get across the Veil now? Obviously, the Gods are not going to be an option. I assume the rest of them have the same viewpoint as Velaya. I’m sure they’re just as deadly. Would Ro understand if I left? Perhaps I could get my revenge and then come back through the Veil; I came through once already. I would only be away for a little while. Surely, he understands my need to avenge my brother and Evie.

Would he come with me?

I miss them so much. If they saw me now … well, they would probably laugh at me. I cannot swing a sword to save my life. I come back from training every day a tired, sweaty mess. Plus, Fallon would kill me for trying to fuck the God of Death.

I chuckle as I think of the scenario.

I’m quite good with daggers though.

“Grace? Where are you?” Pearl yells.

Shit. I can’t let her find me like this. I hop off the ground and dust off my hands quickly, running back the way I came. I jump over mossy rocks and crack twigs under my feet, trying to gain ground away from the creek fast. If Pearl scents Velaya there, she’ll know we talked. Then, she’s going to want to know what about, and she’ll tell Ro everything. I can’t let Ro know I’m trying to leave. The last time I tried to ask about letting down the Veil, he freaked.

I shoot through the trees, trying to gain ground from the creek fast. I turn a corner and collide into a hard body, tumbling to the icy ground.

“What the fuck, Grace?” Pearl groans. Her golden braid is littered with twigs as her face is pushed into the cold mud.

I try and hold back a laugh, but then she looks at me with mud on her face, and I burst. “You look so ridiculous!” I bellow, still lying face-first on the ground.

“You’re such an asshole, Grace.” She chuckles.

“You think I’m an asshole, you should’ve met my best friend, Evie. You two would have totally gotten along.” Luckily for me, my face landed on the soft padding of ferns and moss. My body, however, landed right in the same mud pile. I push myself off the ground, my chest seeming to get the worst of the mud. I look down, and there on my shirt are two perfect boob-sized mud circles on my chest.

Pearl rolls over, her laugh echoing into the forest as she clutches her stomach. “Ro is going to love that look on you!” She jokes, tears welling in her eyes.

I narrow my eyes and sneakily grab a handful of mud. I eye her before I strike, lashing out and wiping mud on her arm.

She gasps as her eyes go wide, but then her expression changes as she gets an evil grin. “You better run, mortal.”

What have I done.

I grab all the mud I can, bringing armfuls to my chest before getting up and running for my life, chuckling madly. I fly down the dirt path, trying to get back to the sparring ring. I scream wildly as mud flings past my head.

I get pelted on my back, and I screech like a wounded animal. I try and take some of my mud pile and throw it blindly over my head while I pant like a madwoman. I hear Pearl’s evil cackling echo into the trees, and I decide to drop my mud, desperately making a run for it. I see the sparring ring now. In the open area, I can avoid her hits. I’m so close, I’m going to make it.

A ball of cold mud pelts my head, quickly followed by a barrage of mud balls showering my head and back. They hammer me so hard I’m thrown off balance. I trip and tumble down, landing face-first into the icy ground. I look up with a groan, landing right before the ring. She knew what I was doing; she gave me false hope and took me down at the end. Blazes, Pearl is brutal.

Footsteps quietly walk around me to stand in front of me. Pearl is covered in mud as she crouches, extending a hand to me.

“You never really stood a chance, but good effort.” She chuckles.

I grab her hand, smiling. “I’m not sure what training drill that was, but it was fun.”

“Hey, I have something for you.” She bumps my arm with her elbow, walking me to her bag at the edge of the tree ring. She rifles around for a moment before taking out a sheathed dagger. She brings it up to me and shows me the hilt.

“The blade is shadow metal. Tai made it with one of his own blades and forged it in the darkness. Its hilt is the bone of a Drakon, born from the ocean. It was a creature of the sea, incredibly dangerous, but rather beautiful. She used to live in the Dead Sea near the Infernal Mountains. Ro was quite smitten with the beast because she took it upon herself to guard the sea near the souls. Unfortunately, she was killed by the others during the war. He covets her bones deep in the mountain. Tai had persuaded him for a small piece.”

She hands me the blade, and I take it gently. I admire it, getting a closer look at the bone. It’s hand-carved with lilies and vines. The plant swirls and runs along the handle, framing a crescent moon. I trace the silver veins running through the hilt, my fingers feeling the soft smoothness of the bone.

“They say the silver veins used to glow with magic before the Veil went up,” Pearl says quietly.

“What do you mean?” I ask, still looking at the blade in awe. I run my finger down the icy obsidian blade. My finger immediately burns from the biting cold of the blade, and I lift it quickly, bringing it to my mouth to warm it.

“There used to be magic in all of the worlds. All the creatures were awake, and they roamed the lands. We have a few here in Elyssus, but all the others went to sleep. Mortals had magic, too, mostly derived from the Gods, but they were cut off when the magic went out. Even the lands were alive and connected. Things were just … different. Better.” Pearl sighs. “When Ro put up the Veil, it cut off magic, for everyone. Only the Gods have a bit of their remaining power, but it’s nothing compared to when the magic is free,” she says wistfully.

We look at each other for a moment, and she gives me a sad smile. I wonder if Pearl would ever help me get back across the Veil. She doesn’t seem too happy about the Veil going up.

“Pearl—”

Suddenly, she spins around, sniffing the air. Her head cuts to the path of the creek as her posture stiffens. I hold my breath as she stares to the dirt road. She can smell Velaya. The air turns thick as I watch Pearl. A burst of wind rustles through the trees, blowing our dirty hair back from our faces and whispering through the ferns.

“I think we can cut practice short today. Let’s clean up and go see Ro,” she says firmly, walking to her bag and putting things away. “Here, this is the holster for your blade. This goes on your thigh, and your blade stays secure inside.”

She hands me a leather binding, the smell makes me inhale and reminds me of the market at Mennola Port. It takes me back to all the stalls selling their leather wares: boots, belts, hats. Evie always smelled like leather too. She only ever wore leather pants and boots.

I fasten the holder onto my thigh and place my new blade inside with a smile. Pearl picks up her bag of weapons and strides past me. I run after her, trailing behind her like a chick following a mother hen. I huff, billowing clouds of air from my mouth as I struggle to keep pace.

“Hey, can we slow down a little?” I call out .

Pearl stops suddenly, and I run into her back. I start to slip and fall, but she spins, grabbing onto my arms before I hit the icy ground. “Sorry.” Pearl grimaces. “I was lost in thought.”

“Is everything ok?” I ask, worried as I right myself. Does she know Velaya was here? Does she smell her scent on me? Dread fills my gut as I look up at her.

“Yeah, everything is fine. We just need to get home.” Pearl puts her hand on my back, pushing me gently into a walk.

We walk in silence for a moment, but my mind keeps going back to Velaya. I eye Pearl from the corner of my eye. Her beautiful muddy face is furrowed as she stares into the snowy ground. She has the looks of a Goddess, but the woman is a lethal warrior. I can only presume the God of War is just as good. I wonder how he got his scars if he’s so skilled.

I listen to the crunch of our feet on the hard ice as I bite my lip. “Hey, Pearl.” I fill the silence. “Why does Tai have those scars? I haven’t seen any on anyone else.”

She doesn’t answer at first. Instead, she continues to stare into the ground as we walk. After a long moment, her quiet voice fills the air.

“It was during the war. It was a battle here on the mountains. Velaya and Acteem were trying to gain access to a spiritual place, an ancient place. It has access to every soul and every Isle. Only Ro can wield it, but they wanted it anyways. They wanted to destroy it. They sent hordes of mortals to take it, but my two brothers were there to defend it.” She sighs quietly before continuing, “By the time I got there to help, Acteem and Velaya had joined the fight. I saw my brothers, bloody and broken, but they weren’t giving up. I charged in to help, but Velaya and Acteem are incredible fighters. Together, I was at a disadvantage. My brothers died defending the souls. I was all that was left to protect them.” Pearl’s gaze lifts from the ground, her blue eyes scan the forest.

“I fought hard, but I knew I was going to die. Then, Tai found me. When I collapsed, Tai took on the Gods. He was furious and released his rage on them. Tai fought them off, and they retreated, but they took a chunk from him. He was littered with deep gashes all over his body. Most healed, but he made sure to make some of them scars so he would always remember the fight. To remember, never trust Velaya or Acteem.” She eyes me before bringing her gaze forward again.

I am speechless as she finishes her story, staring into the profile of her face. Tai keeps his scars to remember the time he almost lost Pearl. I almost went with the God that tried to kill her. I slowly reach my hand out and wrap my fingers around hers. She startles, looking down at her hand and glancing at me. Pearl gifts me with a small smile before clutching my hand harder and pulling me closer.

We walk like that, hand in hand, on our way back home.