Page 41 of Dark Awakening: New World
She knew she should move to her makeshift bed on the floor and give Ell-rom space to rest properly, but she had promised him to stay, and she didn't want to break her promise.
Besides, the truth was that she didn't want to leave the warmth of his embrace. She wanted to stay and listen to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, the soft whoosh of his breath, and look upon his achingly beautiful face.
He was still too gaunt, his cheeks too hollow, and his color pallid, but he was getting better by the hour, not just by the day.
The best indicator of his improving health was the erection that he had sported minutes before. She might not know much about health, but she imagined that virility was closely connected to that.
It had been an eventful day, and Ell-rom had forgotten about her promise to take him on a virtual shopping trip, which was great because she could surprise him tomorrow with all the stuff she'd ordered for him.
He'd also forgotten about the tarot, but there was no rush, and she could do the reading tomorrow as well.
26
KALUGAL
Kalugal leaned back in his chair with a contented smile playing on his lips as he watched Jacki feed their son. The morning sunlight streamed through the large windows of their breakfast nook, casting a warm glow over the scene.
Moments like these made Kalugal truly appreciate the life he'd built for himself and his family.
"Come on, precious," Jacki cooed, offering Darius another spoonful of pureed sweet potato. Their son eyed the spoon warily for a moment before opening his adorable little mouth and accepting the offering with his overly serious demeanor, which sometimes seemed judgmental to Kalugal.
Darius was still a very young child, but his character had been evident early on. He wasn't the cheerful sort. He was more of a cautious observer.
"He likes this," Jacki said. "He didn't like the mashed peas. Just refused to open his mouth."
"Can you blame him? Mashed peas look and smell gross. Sweet potatoes are much more flavorful."
Jacki chuckled, wiping a bit of orange mush from Darius's chin. "He still prefers to wear his food rather than eat it."
As if to prove his mother's point, Darius reached out, his tiny hand knocking the spoon out of Jacki's hand and sending a splatter of sweet potato across the high chair tray. The action was followed by a delighted giggle, which was so adorable that Kalugal felt like kissing Darius on his mush-covered cheeks instead of getting up and cleaning the mess.
But someone had to do that, and Shamash was busy cleaning the office.
As he stood up and moved to grab a cloth to wipe up the splatter, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Glancing at the screen, he was surprised to see the displayed name.
"It's Kian," he told Jacki.
She rose to her feet. "Talk to your cousin." She waved him off. "I'll clean up."
"Thanks," he mouthed as he accepted the call. "Morning, Kian. What an unexpected pleasure to receive your call first thing today."
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"You are not. Your call saved me from having to clean up the mess my son has just made with his mashed sweet potatoes."
Kian chuckled. "I remember those days, and I'm glad they are behind us, but each stage has its challenges. Allegra is no longer a messy eater, but she turned into a very picky fashionista. It takes her forever to choose her outfits."
"She takes after her aunt." Kalugal smiled as he imagined his short-tempered cousin dealing with his little princess fussing over her outfits in the mornings. "Amanda must be thrilled."
"She is." Kian sighed. "I should ask her to stop by every morning and help with Allegra's wardrobe choices."
Kalugal walked out of the kitchen and stepped into the living room. "As lovely as it is discussing our dear children, I'm sure that is not the reason for your call."
"Naturally. Brandon wants a meeting with you to discuss InstaTock and how it can be used to promote the clan's agenda."
Kalugal frowned. "Why the sudden interest?"
"He will explain when we meet. Can you stop by my office today?"