Firefox

She sat on one of the stools, admiring the graceful, fluid way he moved around her kitchen. He really was…lovely. “I’m not that hungry anyway.”

His face fell. “But you must eat and get some nutrition into your body, especially after all the imbibing last night.”

“Didn’t you take care of that when you did the…” She touched the center of her forehead. “The zappy thing?”

“I made you feel better with some mild healing, yes. But it’s far better to not neglect yourself, Gaia.”

He pushed a plate in front of her with a thick sandwich and a pickle toothpicked to the top. Chloe wondered if he’d eaten one like that or had seen pictures of deli sandwiches made that way. He seemed unfamiliar with a lot of things, like how he’d never tasted alcohol, but he knew coffee and sandwiches, it seemed. She peeled back a corner of bread to see that he’d slathered on plenty of mayo, just the way she liked it.

“Thank you.” she said. He pushed a cup of coffee toward her and leaned close, watching. So Chloe picked up the sandwich and took a big bite. He smiled and went to retrieve his own sandwich and cup.

“It’s very good,” she added.

Sparrow shrugged. “I only had to put the things together, fortunately.” He took a bite and seemed much less pleased with his sandwich than Chloe did. He sniffed at it, and the tips of his ears peeked above his hair. Chloe giggled, covering her hand with her mouth as she kept chewing, so he let his ears emerge completely and twisted them around.

She reached out to touch one, still amazed that they could be real, and he tilted his head toward her hand as if eager for more affection. A low noise came from his throat.

“Do foxes purr?” she asked.

“I am not purring! That’s only for cats.” He said the word like it was distasteful, but the quick smile made it clear his indignant tone was all for show, probably trying to keep her smiling.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, until Sparrow cleared his throat. “I don’t want you to get upset, Chloe, but why didn’t you let me punish her? Would it not have made you feel better to see her brought to task?”

Chloe chewed slowly, carefully considering his question. “It would have made me feel better, yes. But only for a moment. After that, I would have felt like I was letting you fight my battles for me. And I’m not one to do that.”

“As your guardian, it is my duty to help you fight any battles you may find yourself in.”

She took a long drink of her coffee, a painful truth settling over her. Since her father had died, who had ever helped her do anything? Even the supposed kindness of the senator taking her in hadn’t really been a kindness, but a way to give his son what he wanted in the end.

“Nobody does anything for me without an ulterior motive,” she admitted.

“I do.”

“I know it seems that way. But it’s going to take me some time to get used to.”

Sparrow nodded, as if he understood. He stroked his hand down her hair, and the touch did feel electric. She hadn’t been imagining it before.

Chloe shuddered.

Carla had been a reminder that nothing ever came easy for her, nothing ever seemed to work out the way it should. And it brought back her distrust of Norman or any Greyson or people in general with the force of a tidal wave.

Unless her mind had cracked right down the middle after Norman’s voicemail, Sparrow definitely wasn’t human. He was something otherworldly. And that intrigued her and excited her. But overcoming distrust in people generally, and men specifically, wasn’t something she could snap her fingers and do.

“I’m going to need time,” she said. “I’m not saying no. I’m saying I’m not ready to trust you that much, not yet.”

Sparrow leaned back, away from her, his eyebrows raised in the middle, looking not like a fox or a demon, but an incredibly sad puppy. It almost made her smile and embrace him, tell him everything would be okay. But he nodded his head.

“I understand. Take all the time you need, of course. I’m at your service, after all.”

“Thank you.” At least there was one part of her life where there wouldn’t be pressure, at least for a while. “I don’t want you to leave, though, if that’s all right?”

“Of course.” His face brightened, and they continued eating in silence.

Sparrow said little through the rest of the day besides asking Chloe what he could do for her, what she needed, and trying to take care of her as best he could. It warmed her, because for the first time in her life, someone’s concern actually seemed genuine.

Chloe could see Sparrow struggle with being patient when it came time for her to go to bed. She hadn’t gotten dressed through the day, opting to stay in her bathrobe and lie on the couch, a lot, once with her head in his lap while he stroked her hair.

And despite her reluctance to talk about Norman and her ruined life, she’d told Sparrow everything. How she’d been taken in by Norman and not realized what a monster he was. How his parents were generous with her, but cold. How she’d lost their baby, and Norman had turned brutal with her. How he’d drank too much too often, and had almost killed someone else while driving drunk, trying to catch her when she panicked and ran from him. That was why he’d gone to jail, and despite wishing no one had gotten hurt, Chloe was relieved he was locked up.