“Do you know Simi’s home?”
His cheek color paled. “Where Acheron lives?”
She grinned, flashing him her fangs. “My akri-daddy! You know him?”
He turned even paler. “Akri-daddy?”
She nodded. “He loves his Simi and his Simi loves him. You know my akri?”
“Yeah. Little bit. Why don’t we take you back to him?”
She pouted. “’Cause he’s sleeping and Simi’s hungry. Simi hates when she wakes him when he’s sleeping. He don’t do that much. It makes Simi all pouty and sad to make akri more tired.” She pursed her lips even more. “You got any eats, god-not-god?”
“Shadow. My name’s Shadow, and yes. I have food. Let’s get some and take you home before your akri wakes up.”
“Okies. Simi likes home. But can I ask you something akri-Shadow?”
“Sure.”
“Why you want to live here where it’s so dark and boring?”
He shrugged. “People leave me alone.”
“But don’t you get lonely?”
“Better lonely than abused or used.”
Simi had no understanding of his words. “What’s abused or used?”
He picked her up and held her in his arms. “You’re very lucky, Simi, that you have no idea what that means. They’re both terrible things that hurt and leave scars.”
“Is that why akri has aches in his heart?”
“Probably.”
She reached up to touch his handsome cheek. “And why you have aches in your eyes?”
“Definitely.”
“Then the Simi’s sorry you have that, akri-Shadow.” She laid her head on his shoulder. “You can come lives in our house. No one would hurt you there.”
He gave her a light squeeze as he smiled. “I don’t know, Simi. I have a feeling Acheron might harm me if I tried to live there. From what I know about him, he doesn’t like others any more than I do. Probably for the same reasons. I think it’s best that I return you to your home and then come back here to live.”
“But first we eats?”
“Of course.”
Simi didn’t say a word as akri-Shadow took her from the shadowy world she’d stumbled into out to the human one where there was always good things to eat. Like akri, he found a busy marketplace and bought her some of the grape leaves and rice, along with lamb and honey cakes that she really liked. For himself, he bought a jug of wine and set them at a table in a corner of the open market where they wouldn’t be disturbed.
She was just starting on her third helping when a shadow fell over them.
Shadow looked up and froze in place.
But she smiled as she saw akri standing over them, even if he was frowning and looking all kinds of mad and mean.
“What is this?” akri demanded.
“Food. Want some?” she asked even though she knew he never ate anything.
