warts and all

*Valentine* · 10-28-2018, 01:13 PM

"Of course I remembered," he said gently. "How could I forget?" He reached out to nuzzle her cheek and wipe away the tears that ran down it in thin rivulets. "I love you too."

His breath hitched as Rhythm mentioned the topic he'd been so careful to avoid. At once he was both curious about her years away from him and eager to let them fade from memory by never speaking of them. He wanted to know and he wanted to remain oblivious, and it was that inner conflict that made made him silent on the subject so far. Valentine had decided that he would let Rhythm choose. She could tell him or not and he would neither broach the subject or try to coax the story out of her.

As it became clear she was going to share something with him, Valentine steeled himself. His biggest fear was that he would be a contributing factor in her next episode. That he might, either through his temper or ill manners, accidentally worsen her condition or be the thing that finally pushed her over the edge. So as she struggled to find the right words, he tried to preemptively contain the fire her words would undoubtedly spark.

Valentine was only partially successful. He clenched his teeth so hard they squeaked in protest and then he let out a long, drawn out hiss. While he shouldn't have been surprised, should have been prepared for such a statement, he wasn't and the knowledge left him feeling empty.

The hollow feeling was quickly filled with hate as he ricocheted between emotions. Had Rhythm not requested that he free her bastards, Valentine would have happily reached death without laying eyes on them. He knew immediately that he wanted nothing to do with them. If he allowed himself to be honest he would have had to admit that he didn't care if they remained in captivity all their days. Of course this he would never tell his mate. Rhythm loved them (for reasons he would never be able to understand) as if they'd been conceived in love and knowing that he - even though he'd never laid eyes on them, had only known about them for a short time - hated them would no doubt devastate her.

For several moments Valentine struggled with how to respond. He loathed the idea of risking his neck to fetch her bastard children, but there wasn't really a nice way to say that, was there? What he wanted was to kill the slavers, period, end of story. But perhaps there was a face-saving compromise, one that would allow him to get his revenge, ignore the bastards, and do all of that without Rhythm knowing his true feelings.

His mind made up, Valentine sat down beside Rhythm and threw his neck over hers in (what he hoped was) a consoling hug. "I love you," he said again. "And there's nothing I wouldn't do for you." He paused, trying to find the right words that would give her the confirmation she was hoping for without committing him to something he refused to do. "I've no doubt Rhyme will be able to find them while I deal with their...father." The last word was said with contempt he couldn't hide. "If they're there, we'll get them for you."

""

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