Alisa
It’s almost surreal, sitting on Derrick’s lap with my arms around his neck.
His body is wound tighter than a guitar string, and he’s carefully hiding his feelings. Indulging me like I’m a child who needs to be pacified.
And maybe I am. Because I like it. The nervousness that has been eating away at me since I met Augustus is starting to settle, and my heart is slowly returning to its normal rhythm.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me your father’s name?” I ask, and nuzzle his neck, drowning myself in his scent. I
want to lose myself in him, bathe myself with his smell.
“Naming him brings him back to life.”
“He is alive.”
“I didn’t know. And I haven’t said his name for a hundred years.”
I pull away from Derrick and stare into his eyes. His gaze is hooded, perfectly reserved, impen
