Chapter 18: Vegan in the Abyss - 5
Azareel shrugged, his silver hair catching the light as another vine wrapped loosely around his arm—not tightly, just resting, like a child seeking comfort.
"I think they just want to be seen," he said, his voice soft but certain.
Nyxsha exhaled, a loud, tired sound that stirred the moss around her.
She was impressed, horrified, and—deep in her chest, where claws couldn’t reach—something else stirred, something warmer, softer, that she refused to name.
Her golden eyes flicked to the vines, then back to Azareel, who was now gently scratching a leaf above his head.
The vine shivered again, its glow softening, and a low, resonant hum—like a purr—vibrated through the garden.
"Don’t blame me when you wake up inside a tree’s stomach," she said, her voice gruff but laced with a reluctant amusement.
Azareel nodded, his smile gentle. "I won’t."
He reached up, scratching the vine again, his touch light and unafraid.
The garden seemed to lean closer, its branches curling, its moss pulsing, as if drawn to his warmth.