Alias sat cross-legged on the mat, his butt still giving a sharp, throbbing reminder of the intensity of the night before. He didn't mind the discomfort; it was a reminder of the love he had made with Theo.
He turned his head toward Kael, whose tiny fingers were still clamped tightly onto his knees.
"Kael," Alias said softly, the name smooth and light in his mouth. "Come. Let us see if Maya has left any fruit from yesterday."
The boy didn't move at first. His blue eyes, so strikingly identical to the man who had just bolted out the door, darted toward the kitchen and then back to Alias's silver hair.
Slowly, with a hesitation that spoke of a short life filled with unexpected blows, he let his legs uncurl. He didn't stand, but he crawled a few inches closer to Alias's side, his small shoulder lightly brushing against Alias's arm.
