Page 19 of Stitches
Besides Levi’s adult figure, it was his shrewdness that made Ashmedai think of him as a man and not a creation of only a few weeks. “Maybe I have trouble sometimes thinking my strangeness is a good thing too.”
That caused another smile to brighten Levi’s face, and their stroll almost came to a stop as they enjoyed the quiet moment that passed between them.
Then Levi looked down, continuing onward, and Ashmedai was reminded of the shadows behind those violet eyes.
“Are you all right?” Ashmedai asked. “You seemed off when you returned with Grillo, as if something had upset you.”
Levi often seemed hunched, like he wished he could hide within himself the way he used to hide in his cloak. “I had a… a daydream, I think?”
“A daydream?”
“It was odd. Kenner and I were playing. One minute he was dashing behind a tree, the next, someone else stepped from behind it. Still a boy but… a half-elf with red hair.”
“Like you?”
“I don’t think so. I don’t know. He had no stitches. And I’ve never been a boy.”
“Perhaps you longed that you might have been, watching Kenner.”
“Perhaps.” Levi gazed timidly at Ashmedai, letting some of his smile return. “Silly, isn’t it?”
“No. We all long for things we can never have.”
Another quiet moment passed, the slow progression of their feet coming to a full stop.
“Were you… going to come in?” Levi asked.
“Oh.” Ashmedai hadn’t realized they were at the tower door until he looked up. No wonder Levi had stopped. Ashmedai had simply followed his lead. “Brax might not want to be interrupted unannounced but please let him know that I would like tea again sometime soon. And in general, more often. You and I can be a positive influence on each other, I think. I don’t need to be such a hermit, especially with my dearest friend.”
“You and Master Braxton are very close,” Levi said. “I guess I thought you were close with everyone.”
“I try to be. Admittedly, I could be better. Brax and I just understand each other more than most.”
Levi seemed hesitant to say more. What he did say was a simple, “Tomorrow?”
“We’ll see each other when you return to assist Grillo. I look forward to it. And Levi,” he called when Levi reached for the door. Ashmedai had his hesitancies too, but he couldn’t deny that he hadn’t found a reason to be less of a hermit in a long time.
He took Levi’s hand and slid his fingers up Levi’s wrist that still bore a line of stitches.
“These are not something you need to hide or be ashamed of, but if you ever wish for me to take more of them away, all you need to do is ask.”
The soft thrum of Levi’s pulse could be felt beneath Ashmedai’s fingers, and he thought he felt its steady beat speed up. “Maybe I will. Good evening, Ash.” Levi slid his hand from Ashmedai’s grasp slowlyand offered one last smile.
After Levi entered the tower, Ashmedai couldn’t bring himself to leave right away. He was certain he wasn’t imagining that Levi looked like Cullen, no matter what Braxton said, but it wasn’t only his appearance that was familiar. Levi was gentle and curious like Cullen too.
“Aren’t there better options for the king than a lowly construct?”
Ashmedai jumped. He needed to stop getting so lost in his thoughts.
Braxton had opened the door and was peering at him with a faint scowl. Levi must have gone upstairs, for even a crane of Ashmedai’s neck to see farther inside showed no sign of him.
“You said it yourself,” Ashmedai answered. “He’s different.”
“Is it that, or because he reminds you of another man with violet eyes?”
“You admit it?”
“I admit he’s different, Ash. He isn’t Cullen.”
