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He smooths my hair back, expression intense “Don’t ask us not to take care of you, little dhampir It’s too much to demand”
“You’re being unreasonable I’ for you to stop keeping information from me What harm can information do?” The question isn’t fair, because inforood deal of harm and we all know it But I am not a child
Still, he relents and drops his hands “He’s contacting his mother”
10
After dropping that bomb of an information piece, Malachi refuses to answer further questions, stating that it’s Rylan’s business and if he wants ain to wash off the blood, but we keep it brief Later, when I’ Rylan’s continued pacing with my mind, I allow myself to think about what Malachi did and didn’t say
I thought these three were the last of their bloodlines In hindsight, that seems very naive Malachi, yes It’s known that he’s the last one Everyone knows it But while ht have extensive information on the seven bloodlines, it’s not information he ever shared with me
Rylan still has family alive
I openme Malachi’s body is loose and relaxed at my back Impossible to tell whether he’s actually asleep or if he’sus a measure of assumed privacy I s hard “Do you have family alive, too?”
“Sure” He shrugs ason their side “There’s a few cousins My parents and sister are no doubt still ra chaos in their wake”
He says it so casually, too casually Wolf talks about his family the same way I recited whatNo one keeps their words totally ely beneath
Sadness swa silly Surely I wasn’t expecting any of these men to have the idealistic childhood of which I was deprived? I know better My fatherto be said about power corrupting Ie to stay alive for hundreds of years by being nice and kind Doing so is asenemies to come in and cut off their heads
I shiver “You’re not close”
“No” Another of those shrugs “My parents were even ed than I am; it didn’t make for a restful childhood I haven’t seen theo It’s better for everyone that we don’t congregate often” He won’t quite reat pains to ensure I don’t cross paths with my sister more than strictly necessary”