Page 73 of Phantom Flower

I slowly lifted my head and met his gaze.

Today he was wearing a bright yellow flower clipped in his hair. I remembered him telling me once what yellow symbolized. Joy. Optimism. The warmth of the sun. But knowing Rei, and the way he chose colors based on his moods, yellow probably meant he had felt hopeful today. Maybe even a little happy.

And I had just scared the shit out of him.

He looked down at me, eyes still glassy with unshed tears. His voice was small when he spoke.

“Are you mad at me?”

I brought my hands up, gently cradling his face like he was something precious. My thumbs brushed carefully over the reddened marks I had left on his jaw, trying to soothe the pain I had caused.

“I’m just mad,” I said quietly. “Not at you.”

He searched my eyes, like he was trying to decide if I was telling the truth. His hands were still resting against my chest.

“Do you… want to talk about it?” he asked after a moment.

I shook my head, pulling him closer until his forehead rested against mine. “Maybe later.”

I wrapped my arms fully around him and buried my face back into the warm curve of his neck. I held him tight.

Rei hesitated for only a second before his hands tentatively came up to rest on my shoulders. His fingers curled into my shirt, holding on.

My little fairy was in my arms, letting me hold him even after I had frightened him. Even after I had hurt him.

“I’ll make it up to you,” I whispered against his skin. “I promise.”

***

We walked through the woods surrounding the Mansion long after dinner.

The same forest where I had once hunted him like prey.

Rei had asked me to take a walk with him after we finished eating, and I had not hesitated. Even after the way I lost control earlier, he still wanted to be near me. That fact alone did something dangerous to the thing inside my chest.

Moonlight cut through the trees. Rei walked beside me, close enough that our arms brushed every few steps.

He had been quiet for most of the walk. I did not push him. My own head was still loud from everything that happened with my father, and I was not sure I trusted myself to speak without making things worse.

After a while, he broke the silence.

“When I’m mad… I go pick flowers.”

I glanced down at him, one eyebrow raised. He immediately flushed.

“I mean—” he started again, stumbling over the words, “what I’m trying to say is… you should find something that helps when you’re angry. Something healthier than… whatever you usually do.”

A smile pulled at my mouth.

“Blood and sex help me just fine.”

Rei hugged his arms around himself, cheeks turning a deeper shade of pink. He stared down at the ground as we walked.

“Something other than that,” he muttered.

I slowed my steps without thinking, watching the way the moonlight moved across his face. The yellow flower tucked behind his ear swayed gently with each step he took.

“I have you,” I said.