70. Xander
Chapter 70
Xander
You’ll Be in My Heart — Phil Collins
T he next day, I rise at dawn and look over to see Aurelia still curled up and sleeping in cobra form. My hand still rests on her, and with a grunt, I realise she’d been soaking up my power all night. Tentatively, I whisper her name, and to my surprise, her eyes open.
Something lurches in my stomach to see those blue king cobra eyes staring back at me. Her forked tongue sneaks out, tasting the air, and I observe her condition. She doesn’t uncoil, nor move any other muscle.
“Are you hungry?” I ask. “I still have some clams.”
I remove myself carefully from the nest and retrieve the starfish-safe food I’d brought back yesterday. I put it on a clean plate and set it down where she can see it.
“You can eat it in your own time,” I reassure her. “I won’t watch you if you’d prefer me not to.”
Turning around and pretending to tinker with other plates, I listen carefully for signs of her movement, but she remains still.
I turn around and look at her again, right in those eyes. This is her anima I’m looking at, not human Aurelia. I know what I have to do.