For a long while, neither of us spoke. The silence wasn’t heavy, though, it was grounding.
“You’re quiet,” he said at last, his voice a low rumble against my temple.
I let out a shaky breath and tilted my head to meet his eyes. “I was just thinking.”
“Dangerous habit.” His mouth curved in a small, teasing grin, but it softened almost immediately. “What about?”
I hesitated, tracing a finger along his jawline, feeling him lean into it. “About… everything. About the war. About how stupid it all feels… fighting each other, because of what? Being different, is that such a bad thing?”
His expression shifted, his grin fading into something more thoughtful.
“I don’t want to hide anymore,” I said, the words spilling out before I could stop them. “Not from who I am. Not from what I feel about you and not from what we’re fighting for.”
Malakai’s hand stilled on my back, then slid to cup the back of my neck, his thumb brushing my damp hair. “Youcan stop the war.”
I nodded. “I want to stop all of it. Mages and humans, the starvation, the lack of understanding… we should be one.”
For a moment, I thought he might laugh, call me naive. Instead, he was quiet, his eyes locked on mine in the silver light.
“You’ll unite them,” he said slowly, like he tasted the thought. “Mages and ungifted alike, and you’ll have me at your side.”
“Will I?” I asked softly.
That earned me a small, sharp grin, but there was something achingly honest in it this time.
“Part demon or not, I’ll follow you,” he said simply. “Into battle, into fire. Into hell itself, if that’s where you’re going. You should know that by now.”
The words hit harder than I expected, my chest tightening.
“You don’t feel anything for them?” I asked. “The demons?”
His grin faded, replaced by something darker, more vulnerable.
“I used to,” he admitted. “I thought they were smart, using the mage’s ignorance to take over, how they seemed stronger without tethering themselves to emotions. Andmaybe I hated humans because they reminded me of my weaknesses, of what I’ll never truly be.” His gaze softened, his thumb brushing over my cheek. “But then you… you embraced what you were, despite your fear of being rejected. Even when you tried to hide it, I saw how badly you wanted to… simply live. And you made me want that, too, consequences be damned.”
My throat tightened, and I leaned into his touch.
“What about… your father?” I asked, my voice low, filled with hesitation.
He became still, but there was no tension. “I’ve never met him.”
“What if… we run into him?” I turned my head to study him, but Malakai was the picture of calm.
“Aren’t you curious of why he left?”
His lips curved, a half-smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Curious? Hm. I think you’re more curious than I am.”
I blushed. “That’s not—”
“It is,” he cut in lightly, teasing. “You want to know if I’d confront him, demand answers. Maybe you imagine some grand reunion?” He shook his head, amused. “I’m afraid I’d disappoint you.”
“So you’d do nothing?”
“Maybe.” His tone was easy, but the pause that followed lingered longer than it should have. “Or maybe I’d ask him why he left me his eyes but not his presence.” He glanced at me, catching my reaction, and let out a quiet laugh. “See? Now you’ve got me entertaining the thought.”
There was a flicker of honesty beneath the calm, that he quickly tucked away.
“If I ever saw him…” Malakai leaned back slightly, gaze lifting as if to dismiss the weight of the subject. “I don’t know what I’d feel, and that’s the truth.” Then his eyes returned to me, steady, softer now, his voice dropping lower.
