Granny smiles, brushing a smudge of frosting from Anio's hair.
"Anio, did you bother these nice young men?"
Anio pouts, a perfect picture of dramatic innocence.
"No..., Gamma!"
She laughs.
"Now thank them properly so we can go."
He nods and trots over to us. Looks up at Angel first.
"Thank you for cake, Uncle Angel."
Angel's whole face softens. He leans down and presses a gentle kiss to Anio's sticky cheek.
"It's okay. You're such a cute kid."
Then Anio turns his big, shining eyes to me.
"Thank you, Uncle Zy…ren."
My gaze isn't on him. It's trapped on Deniz, standing beside the granny like a statue carved from ice. Angel's voice, soft beside me, barely registers.
"Zyren…?"
I flinch. Tear my eyes away. Look down at the little boy and force a smile onto my face. It feels brittle, like sugar glass. I pat his head.
"Take care, little king."
