Not an easy thing to forgive. But carrying a grudge was pointless.
“Why you so sad, akri-Caleb?”
He smiled as Ash’s demon daughter, Simi, joined him and Acheron. Dressed in a short Santa dress with bells hanging from her red horns, she was as adorable as her daughter was.
“I’m not sad, Sim.”
She tsked at him. “The Simi feels it in your heart. You carry sadness even though you’re smiling.”
He would deny it, but the Charonte could easily see inside him. “I’m fine, Simi.”
But really, she was right. There was a deep sadness inside that continued to burn. It was hard to be the only one present who had never found someone.
I’m the weird uncle who gets to sit at the kids’ table.
Part of a family, but eternally alone.
Yeah. Yesterday, demon warrior feared by all. Today, the one they all pitied.
Whoever had said it was better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all was an idiot who’d never loved anyone. If he had, then he would have known that time didn’t heal all wounds. And that some pains never went away. They didn’t even really numb.
They just hurt, not matter what.
He should have stayed home.
Suddenly, bells rang out. Along with a loud thud against the roof.
He would have thought they were under attack, but everyone else seemed to think it was normal.
Since this was the first one of these parties he’d ever attended, maybe it was.
“Ho ho ho!”
Caleb groaned as Julian of Macedon came into the room, dressed as Santa. Complete with red suit, beard and a huge sack of presents.
“What on earth?” Caleb asked.
Ash laughed. “He drew the short straw last year. You should have been here when Kyrian and Talon were Santa.”
Simi snorted loudly. “The Simi’s favorite was the year Bethany was Santa.”
Acheron nodded. “Oh yeah. That was a particularly interesting costume that year.”
“And alls them little kids gots swords that year,” Simi said.
Caleb could just imagine. After Lil’s death, Bethany had been his boss for a while. She was all about fair play …
And battle.
But to be honest, he enjoyed watching the kids run up to Julian to get a gift. There was so much happiness that he was glad he’d fought on the right side.
This … this needed preserving.
Even though right now it seemed like evil might actually win, and that the world today was almost as scary as his past, there was hope.
There was still kindness and love.
For the world, not so much for himself.
