Page 248 of A Soul to Embrace

The more they brought Raewyn and Lehnenia into their conversations – especially Mayumi, Reia, and Delora, who were trying the hardest – the more Zylah liked them. Their first meeting had been awkward, but their open acceptance of people who were becoming dear to her made her feel better.

“Go on,” Raewyn whispered behind her, urging her forward. “Spend some time with Delora.”

Zylah grumbled. “Okay. I will help.”

“Really?” Delora rasped, her hands falling from her face to look up at Zylah approaching.

“I do not know what to do, though,” Zylah admitted, her chest tightening with anxiety, but she pushed through it regardless.

Somehow, her conversation with Emerie had managed to make her feel more comfortable about interacting with everyone personally. The bold female almost killed Zylah’s mate before she would’ve even got the chance to meet him, and yet Emerie didn’t loudly cast out any negative feelings she may harbour.

Then again, she’d been prepared by meeting Jabezbeforemeeting Zylah today. She wondered if that had made it easier for her to accept her bond with him.

“That’s okay. I can show you,” Delora offered.

“Alright, let’s go,” Reia said as she placed her hand on the small of both their backs.

The touch made Zylah flinch forward in surprise, and whether Reia noticed or not was unknown to her. She also lifted her arms, since the little female surprisingly had quite a lot of strength as she pushed them forward.

They made it about three steps when Reia paused and turned.

“What was that, Mayumi? You need me for something?”

Mayumi swung around with a frown on her face before her eyes flicked up to Zylah. She smiled in a strange way, then looked at Reia. “Oh. Yeah. Can you come with me for a moment?”

The interaction was odd.

Reia walked off towards Mayumi, and Zylah’s head jerked, realising she hadn’t even heard the other woman call to her. Perhaps she just missed it, since she didn’t see any other reason as to why Reia would leave like that. She didn’t even give them notice.

Delora let out a cough, and Zylah turned her attention back to her...mother. Her cheeks were pink, and her brown eyes hinted at shyness. “So... the garden?”

She waved in the direction of the back of her home, and Zylah begrudgingly went that way. Just as they were passing the porch, Delora swiped up a basket sitting there that she’d brought out after changing. New people had arrived and interrupted whatever she’d been intending to do.

Delora had shown her around before, but their earlier conversation had been mostly quiet and awkward.

The shy woman had filled in as much of it as she could by telling Zylah of what she’d been like as a youngling, but she couldn’t help feeling disconnected from it. She was still struggling to accept this bond, as she didn’t remember living any of those memories with her. She also felt very little towards her, as if something was broken within her mind or heart and she couldn’t figure out how to fix it.

She could almost...tastethe human’s sadness.

Although Delora was trying to hide it, she wasn’t very successful. Her expressions often gave away that she was disheartened by Zylah’s behaviour, no matter how much she tried to offer her broken smiles.

But, out of everyone, Zylah trusted her the most. She also found her the hardest to be around.

Her sight landed on the bright image that had been painted on the side of the house, depicting things she didn’t understand despite already receiving answers. Apparently Zylah had clung to her chest as she finished painting it, or often played through the garden around her feet.

The unicorn, with a bright rainbow above it, stood majestically in the middle of a field, and there was a waterfall to the left of it. Zylah had never seen a horse, let alone this mythical creature, but at least the background was pretty and easy for her to understand.

They approached a tree just on the opposite side of the garden’s fence.

“I think some apples would be a nice start,” Delora said as she reached for one of the hanging red bulbs.

Her fingertips just lightly grazed its bumpy, uneven bottom. As she made to jump, Zylah easily grabbed theappleand handed it to her.

Delora gave her a tender smile. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she responded, before obtaining a second.

She placed it in the human’s palm, and the backs of her fingers brushed against the inside of it. The task may have been menial, but Zylah found herself enjoying it. It was better than standing there in uncomfortable silence with each other.

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