Mother

The day had worn them both down, and evening settled over the estate like a soft curtain. The training was done—for now—and the two of them sat at a long wooden table in the dining room, flickering candlelight casting warm shadows across the plates of food.

Adrian ate in silence, stabbing at his food with unnecessary force. His shoulders were tense, and he kept glancing at Melissa like he wanted to throw the fork at her instead of finishing his meal.

Across the table, Melissa watched him with a playful smile curling at the edges of her lips. "Oh?" she said, giggling softly. "Is someone mad?"

Adrian didn't respond right away, chewing like he hated every bite. She leaned forward, elbows resting lazily on the table.

"It was your idea to carry me in the first place," she added, her tone light, teasing.

"I said it as a joke, you fat bitch," Adrian snapped, eyes narrowing. His jaw clenched as he forced down another mouthful.

Melissa only laughed more, completely unbothered. "Hmm… well I don't really care," she said, voice sweet like honey with just a hint of venom underneath.

She stood, slowly circling the table like a cat stretching its legs. "Anyway," she continued, tone turning mockingly chipper, "you need to be up at six. Be ready to get into the carriage for your big wraith-killing test."

Adrian rolled his eyes, but before he could retort, she stepped up behind his chair.

He stiffened slightly as her arms suddenly wrapped around him from behind—tight but warm, resting across his chest. It was a strange contrast: the soft, almost affectionate embrace and her sharp, maddening personality.

Melissa rested her chin lightly on his shoulder, her voice low near his ear. "So get some sleep, killer."

Adrian didn't say anything. He just stared ahead, chewing slower now, tense beneath her arms but not moving.

A tear slid down Adrian's cheek before he could stop it.

He didn't even realize it had fallen at first—his jaw clenched, shoulders tight—but there it was, warm and unwanted, trailing a path down to his chin. Then another. He blinked hard, tried to swallow it down with the next bite of food, but his hands were trembling just slightly as he brought the fork back to his mouth.

He didn't want to cry. He never cried. But the way Melissa held him—from behind, gently, without her usual sharpness—set off something he hadn't been ready to feel. Something buried deep.

The pressure of her arms, the light weight of her chin on his shoulder—it was too close. Too familiar. Too much like the way his mother used to hold him, before everything fell apart. Before they sold him. Before he became this.

Melissa paused, her teasing demeanor softening in an instant. She noticed the shift in his breathing, the wet sound of a sniff he couldn't quite hide.

"Oh, honey…" Her voice lost its usual edge, quiet now, and strange coming from her lips. "Don't cry. It's okay." She tightened the hug just a little, her cheek brushing against the side of his head. "You're okay."

Adrian didn't answer. He kept eating, slowly, almost methodically, like pretending nothing was happening would somehow erase the tears dripping steadily onto his plate. His face was blank, but his eyes betrayed him. Red-rimmed. Shiny. Vulnerable.

It wasn't even about Melissa. Not really. It was about that simple, sudden warmth—affection that felt like a memory. Like a wound pressed too hard.

As if some part of him, the part he kept buried under anger and sarcasm and sharpness, was still a child who wanted to be held by his mother. Still bitter that she let go.

Still not ready to admit how much he missed it.

Melissa slowly loosened her arms from around him, the warmth of the moment fading like the last flicker of a candle. Adrian didn't say a word. He stood up stiffly, his chair scraping against the floor, and turned his back to her.

No snark. No insults. Just silence.

He walked out of the room without looking back, his footsteps fading down the hall until they disappeared behind the quiet thud of a door closing.

Melissa stayed where she was, her arms hanging loosely by her sides. Her teasing smile was gone now, replaced by something quieter. Her eyes followed the empty hallway as if she could still see him there.

Poor boy… she thought, lips pressing into a thin line. No one should have to grow up like that.