Seems like a weird question to ask a woman who just had her memories scraped from her. What would I know about wanting things?
“A safe place where it’s all mine, no one can pry it away from my dead hands.” It hurts something inside me, what I just said. There has got to be more to this feeling than just painful longing.
His eyes fade into a blink, then it’s a deep sorrowful blue.“You want a home?”
“Yes. With plants, preferrably.” The concept of a wide, vast garden calms the trigger-happy lady in me. “Somewhere I can nurture life in. Somewhere to belong in.”
The more I tell him of what I wish for, the darker his eyes get.
Slowly, his body ripples, shifting back into the other form with green skin. This breaks my heart. I’ve only just known him for a few hours, but it seems like I’ve known him forever. Like I know him down to the bone. Down to his gutty works.
Datu—whether in this form or the Void—is still him. He says he is beyond having an ego, and yet, he does things that make me think otherwise. The fact he changes as soon as I admit what I want the most speaks volumes of what he thinks of himself.
He’s cutting his edges for me.
Elbowing him, I giggle, albeit sadly. “I much prefer the form you feel more comfortable in.”
I don’t have to tell him twice.
“You will get it. I pinky promise.”He holds up a little thing that may be a pinky. I smile, instinctually twist mine around it and—too fast for me to stop—he bites my knuckles until it leaves a mark.
It’s endearing, making my heart skip a beat.
“You have very morbid oral fixations.” If he had a nose, I would flick it.
“Only for you, my sweet.”The shadow of sadness disappears from his eyes, and now, it’s back to pink again.
I never liked pink, but it looks cute on him. The tension in the air is fumes under my skin. I feel the need to let the pressure go. I see clouds of black, tendrils of him twirling my hair. I know I just basically castrated him earlier, but maybe that had been a silly axe-swing reflex on my end.
A long violet tongue licks his lips.
“Are you going to kiss me now?” I am not afraid at all.
His returning grin is full of mischief.“I’m afraid I don’t call it a kiss.”
Despite what he says, thisisa kiss. He presses his cold lips upon mine, slow, probing. His tongue slides over mine like he’s quenching an unending thirst. Black limbs coil around me, and I’m cradled. Cocooned.Safe.
Sometimes, home isn’t a place. The Void is what home should feel like. He’s just notnothing. He is the possibility—that everythingcanhappen if you want it bad enough.
“This better not be your way of luring me into your mouth.” I said against his lips.
His laughter wooshes around us.“This connection is all organic, Xiaoyu.”
Something smells burnt, and I grimace as we pull away from each other.
He takes the meat from the skewer and feeds me himself. There’s a torrent of comfortable silence that it takes me by surprise how easy it is to just…let him take care of me. I eat what he gives. Nothing disagrees with me. I’m just hungry.
“Food is food.” I shrug. “Don’t you eat?”
“Yes, but I eat everything raw.”
I cough, choking at the double meaning.
“I’ve never felt this way. The feeling where I’d rather dote on someone than eat them.”
Releasing a breath, I swipe my hand over his amorphous face. A trail of mist follows my hand to my lap, twisting until I feel fingers curled into mine. It shouldn’t be so holding back a smile, right?
“Tonight, do you want me to leave you to sleep? I will stay in the forest so you feel safe.”
