“I did. And now, I need a gift from you.” I beamed at him, lightly massaging his scalp.
He looked intrigued. “Help?”
“Yes. And that will be you telling me what you want to eat.”
His nanny said he hardly ate, especially after an epistle. Something about him being too sad to eat.
He lowered his eyes from mine, not saying a word.
“Xylon?”
He looked at me again, then ordered for his writing tab. It was quickly given to him by his nanny, and I watched with interest as he wrote on it:
“Will you eat with me?”
His question stunned me. What in the name of the moon? And why did it make me want to cry?
“Of course,” I chuckled, my hands going softer in his hair. I was trying so hard to fight back the tears. “Just tell me what you want to eat, and we can get on with it.”
*******
Xylon ended up ordering mini corn dogs, Caprese salad, and macaroni and cheese. And the three of us all ate together. I ensured he finished his meal. Even his nannies were surprised.
Xylon grabbed his tablet again, writing something down on it. I realized he made use of it when he wanted to have a long conversation, which would be difficult for him to communicate through speech.
“Have you considered working in a hospital?” He showed it to me when he was done writing.
Woah. Another unexpected question.
“Um… I used to want to work there when I was a kid. But not anymore.”
“Why?” This time, it was Xyla who asked.
I’d have actually loved to work in a hospital, but after what happened three years ago, I wasn’t sure I wanted to get into more trouble.
Xylon scribbled down on his tablet. “A lot of people are suffering, Aunty. I go to the hospital most of the time, and I see people worse than me. If you can help them, it’d be really nice.”
His words left my heart in fragments. How touching that he was more concerned about others in his condition. With the pain he was going through, he must feel really bad that they went through worse.
“Will you do it, Aunty? You’d be helping a lot of people,” Xyla winked at me.
I chuckled.
Ugh. Why were these kids having so much influence on me? Now, I couldn’t get the image of people suffering out of my head.
“I’ll think about this. How about that?” I said with a smile.
Much to my astonishment, Xylon hugged me.
Woah!
“Thank you, Aunty. I had a good feeling about you the first day I saw you.”
LYRIC
A while later, I left to grab my belongings. Coincidentally, Jace had come around to deliver something to father.
Father was thrilled when I told him of my plan to move to Darkspire. It served as a kind of assurance that the contract was going through, and he’d have nothing to worry about.
As for Jace, he insisted on accompanying me to Darkspire. In his words, he wanted to help me move in.
I told him about Jaris’ new rules, but he didn’t seem to care. Seeing that he was stubborn, I decided to call Jaris.
“Please, believe me when I say Jace is merely a friend. He means no harm and only wants to help.” I tried to sound as convincing as I could.
By some miracle, he approved of it. Hm. Jaris Dreadmoor was showing a different side of him today, and I think I prefer this side.
Jace helped me gather my things while teasing me about my new role.
“Make sure you don’t get pregnant. I know Jaris is awfully handsome, and there’s no doubt that he’s quite big down there. But your contract is only for a year, Ly. Trust me, you don’t wanna end up with a baby all by yourself,” Jace said as he folded some clothes into my luggage.
1 rolled my eyes. Well, I did know what Jaris looked and felt like down there. He was the first man I ever had, and it was the best feeling I’d felt in a while.
“Don’t worry, there’ll be no sex between us,” I told Jace as I dusted my shoes. He made that perfectly clear in the contract. No form of intimacy, no catching feelings… nothing.
As for the baby part, I already had two and lost them. I didn’t want to relive that pain.
“That is what every woman says until a man tickles their ear and tells them how beautiful they are.” Jace casually said, and I threw a pillow at him.
When we finished packing up my things, he helped me take them to the car with the aid of some guards while I spoke to Father.
“What do we do with Roderick? The ceremony’s in a few days. Right now, I can’t breach the contract.”
“I know. I know, Lyric.” Father looked troubled. “I’ll try to get to Roderick today. If he doesn’t cooperate, I’ll have to seek extra help.*
I told him to act fast because I didn’t trust Roderick anymore since he was now aware of my engagement with Jaris. Jace and I drove to Darkspire. I was shown to my room, and my belongings were taken in for me.
Jace helped me make some extra arrangements in the room, though I didn’t think it was needed. The room was quite large, well-furnished, and very beautiful. It was far more beautiful than what I had in Ravencrest.
“Thank you so much, Jace. You didn’t have to go through this stress,” I told him when he rounded up with the last wallpaper he was fixing on the wall.
“Oh, don’t mention, Ly. You’re like a daughter to me. I got to do this for you.”
I hit him on the back, earning an ‘ouch’ and a chuckle.
Afterward, we decided to take a walk around the Pack before he left. It was already evening, and his Pack was quite far away.
We came across a big room that resembled a bar and went in. There were a few people there, drinking.
We could see their wine collections at the counter, and it was a whole lot.
“Wow. I must say Darkspire has got good taste.” Jace said with a nod as we walked toward the counter.
There, we requested a scotch whiskey.
“How much does it cost?” Jace asked, dipping his hand into his back pocket.
“You don’t have to pay for these. They’re free to every member of Darkspire,” the bartender said, surprising me.
Jace and I exchanged a glance.
“Now, this is an attribute of a real pack!” He laughed. “If I’d known I’d be getting free drinks every day, I’d have found a way to become a member long ago.”
I shook my head. These drinks were expensive. Giving it out to hundreds of people daily for free…
Darkspire must have a lot of money.
Our shots were served, but Jace wanted something more. He was pointing at certain drinks on the counter when I turned to the door and found Marta approaching, a young lady beside her.
Ugh. Kill-joy.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.