Page 162 of The Seeker
The bird transformed into a slim young man in his early teens. It was the most common disguise Vasu used in Udaipur. Rhys had been surprised to see the angel running among the gardens and walkways of the fortress with little to no notice from anyone other than Meera and himself.
“I just wanted to visit the baby,” he murmured, leaning over Bodhi’s crib. “His dreams are beautiful.”
The fear never left him. No matter how many times Vasu visited their household, Rhys felt the clutch of it in his throat. It was the instinct of a father, fierce in his love for his mate and his child. He knew Vasu was more powerful. No matter how many of the Fallen Rhys and Meera had slain, Vasu was more powerful than the others. And Vasu had aims none of them could predict. If he chose to harm Meera or Bodhi, it was out of Rhys’s control.
It was a hard and humbling reality.
And yet… Vasu didn’t. Instead, he’d appeared the night of the baby’s naming ceremony and stood over his cradle with the closest expression to tenderness Rhys had ever witnessed from the inhuman creature. There was something about the little boy that drew the angel, just like he was drawn to Matti and Geron in Istanbul.
Rhys picked up his son and bounced him on his hip. The boy was eight months old and the star of Udaipur. The light of his grandparents’ lives and the favorite of every scribe and singer in the fortress.
“He’s hungry,” Rhys said with an obligatory scowl. “I’m taking him to Meera. Come along if you want.”
“Fine.” The young man followed Rhys from the room.
All the way to Meera’s teaching quarters, Rhys did his best to avoid the curious scholars and warriors who populated the castle. Every single one of them would want to hold the baby. Everyone would offer to take him to Meera. If Rhys and Meera weren’t careful, their child would have been raised by everyone in the fortress except his parents.
“I think I’m beginning to like you,” Vasu said. “You’re the only being on the planet who dislikes people as much as I do.”
“I don’t dislike people.” He looked down at Bodhi. “I don’t dislike you, do I, little man? I like you and your mama the best.”
“Meera and Bodhi don’t count.”
Rhys glanced at Vasu. “I don’t dislike most people.”
“You just don’t have any patience with their foolishness.”
“If you’re referring to that emissary from Jerome’s staff, he had it coming. He interrupted her five times during an audience thathe’drequested. If you’re not going to let the Sage of Udaipur speak, then why waste her time?”
“Do you want me to kill him?”
Rhys took a deep breath. And this is why my guard is never down. “No, Vasu, you cannot kill him. He had a political disagreement with Meera, he wasn’t threatening her.”
“But he was still annoying.”
“Yes. Annoying is not a threat.”
“It’s a threat to my sanity.”
Rhys wondered if it was a bad sign that he was beginning to agree with Vasu more than he disagreed. Bodhi reached for the angel, and Rhys reluctantly let him go.
Vasu brightened immediately. “Hello, little wisdom.”
The baby began babbling to the angel, who answered back with just as much sincerity as the child was exhibiting. Rhys was beginning to wonder if Vasu was playing along with Bodhi or honestly understood something his parents didn’t.
“I know.”
“Bah!”
“I’m saying I agree with you, child.”
“Guh ish pfffffft.”
“That’s not part of our agreement. You’ll have to speak to your parents about that.”
What agreement?Rhys shook his head. Having an infant had clearly been a strain on his sanity because he was starting to feel left out of a conversation between an angel and an eight-month-old. “I need more sleep,” he muttered.
But as he turned the corner, he was reminded why he didn’t waste time with sleeping.
