Chapter 96: A warm touch
"Vampires prefer the taste of human blood. Ghouls go for much bigger animals and fairies don’t eat meat altogether," Silas explained, "Other species have different reasons not to go after squirrels either,"
That did it. It became clear that the lack of persecution towards those creatures allowed them to grow fearless and put their guard down around others that did not share their traits.
"That is quite lovely," without any prior warning, the young woman halted and bent down, cutting the distance even shorter between her face and the tiny gopher that had stopped mid-run right by her feet, "Squirrels are the most hunted creatures down in Lustris, in the colder regions. The needy pursue them for food while the wealthy put them down for sports," Arabella uttered while never once taking her eyes away from the adorable gnawer sniffing the fingertips she’d extended its way.
"These ones are used to the fairies and the folks that come to visit," Silas simply watched their interaction, looking completely unbothered at first.
The squirrel had all of her attention, almost eclipsing everything else. Upon whiffing her some more, it neared the young woman further, ending its journey nestled between her hands. Arabella cupped it gently then rose back to her full height.
"I think it likes me," she chirped.
She held it to her heart and cradled it the rest of their way down the valley. Seemingly comfortable, the animal made no fuss in her embrace. On the contrary, it curled up into a ball, lay its head right on her breasts and shut its eyes.
Silas’ eyebrow twitched which went unnoticed by her, seeing how enamored with the squirrel she’d become.
"They are trusting, but usually not this trusting," the freezing cold tone he’d used wrenched her eyes towards himself, a mix of curiosity and apprehension taking over, "I believe it is best to set it free,"