Page 43 of The Dark Elf's Secret Baby
“What’s going on?” she asks, looking over her shoulder to see the overseer nodding that he already knows she’s leaving. “Is it Jasper? Is something going on at the mining camps?”
She looks so worried. I don’t want to stress her out but I’m so nervous myself that I’m sure my expression isn’t helping.
“I need to tell you something,” I say as we head towards the village. “I got a messenger karasu just now, from the General. He wants me back at Camp Horizon within twenty-four hours. And my father is calling for me. He wants me to go back home. I wanted to tell you because I wanted to be honest.”
“Thank you for telling me,” Layla says, grasping my hand. “What are you going to do?”
I take a deep breath. “I want you to come with me,” I tell her. “I want you to come see my family. I want them to meet you. To meet our son. You don’t have to mate with me or marry me but I don’t want to leave without you.”
We stop in a copse of trees, about halfway to Layla’s house. She smooths her thumb over my hand.
“No,” she says, shaking her head. “I can’t go with you, Kerym.”
My heart shatters in my chest. “But...but why?”
26
Layla
“Because,” I say, sighing at the hurt expression on Kerym’s face. “Because...” I step closer, looping my arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. “Because I don’t want to hurt you but I can’t uproot my life here. I can’t take Jasper from the only home he’s ever known.”
Kerym pushes me away gently, eyes downcast, drawing in on himself.
“Because,” I continue, stepping forward again. “Because your family is conservative and traditional. They wouldn’t be able to accept Jasper for who he is. You and I both know that mixed children are frowned on at best, and often mistreated by society. It’s not fair to ask me to bring Jasper into that. I can’t, as a good mom, take him into that environment.”
Kerym runs a hand through his hair, turning away from me. I can feel his anger and frustration from here.
“Jasper is happy here,” I tell him. “It’s the only home he’s ever known. I’m not going to take him away from that. We’re safe here, on Zerva. We wouldn’t be as safe on the continent.”
I have to do what’s best for my son. My parents did what was best for me. They made a similar choice. They knew that growing up in Orthani would be dangerous for a young woman like me. They made the difficult choice to transfer us to Tlouz, to the mining camps where we had family and there was less of a concentrated dark elf population.
I have to do the same thing. I have to do what’s best for my son. What’s right for him. I can’t just live wherever I want, I have to put his needs first.
“Please,” Kerym whispers. “Please come with me.” His voice gets louder. “I can’t lose you, Layla. I just found you again. And Jasper. I can’t leave him! I want to know my son. I want a relationship with him!”
“Well, I’m sorry but I’m not uprooting him just because you have your duties!” It feels like he’s trying to guilt me into changing my mind. He’s trying to manipulate me into doing what he wants. “You can write him letters. You can come visit.”
Kerym’s face contorts in rage and for a minute I think he’s about to fight with me, to scream and yell and demand that I follow him, that I bring our son and go with him, but instead his face drains of color and he looks almost scary-calm.
“Fine,” he says, teeth gritted. “I have to leave tonight. Can I at least say goodbye to Jasper first?”
I’m sorry it has to be this way but Kerym and I both know that it would never work between us anyway. He’s a dark elf, I’m a human. The world isn’t ready to accept relationships like ours.
We head to the school, where Jasper is outside playing with some of his friends, including Addie.
“Jas!” I call, waving at him. “Look who came to see you!”
“Daddy!” Jasper sprints for us, straight for Kerym. It makes my heart ache to see how much the two have bonded. I wish he’d never come. Now I’m the bad guy for protecting my child because I’m tearing apart father and son.
“Jasper,” he looks down at our son, swallowing hard. “Daddy’s got to go away again for a while,” he says carefully. “He’s got to do important business on the continent. But I promise to come back and visit really soon, alright?”
“No!” Jasper yells, scrunching his face up and throws his head back, wailing. “No go, Daddy!”
Kerym shoots me a look like“See what you’ve made me do?”“I have to go, bub,” He says, sadness in his voice.
“No go!” Jasper screeches, throwing himself backwards and starts throwing a temper tantrum the likes of which I’ve never seen before. He’s thrashing on the ground, kicking and screaming and sobbing.
“Jasper,” I call out, kneeling next to him. “Come on baby, remember I told you that Daddy is an important soldier? You know he’s been busy for a long time. And he’s got to go back to work now.”