The damned woman curled up next to him and he hadn't even the energy to protest and demand she get the hell away from him, take his boy and go far away from him. They were exposed now. He'd ruined them already. He shouldn't have tried to follow Leliana. It had probably been days since then for all he knew. Or weeks. He was such a lost cause.
"Hi, Daddy," his baby boy said. He peeked an eye open at him, that dark little face with worried eyes.
"Nah, baby." A pause, a few slow breaths. His chest filled, then he exhaled a rattling cough. Then filled again so gradually. "No healer. I'm good." And maybe he was. What did he know? Still, death would be fine too, really. No more pain, no more hurting everyone that mattered to him. No more ruining their lives and breaking their hearts, disappointing them.
How had he gone from a single woman to a whole family of people?
Zoryn's fault, probably. And Luster's.
"Just tired," he finally added and closed his eyes again. She felt so good pressed against him, and her touch was so damn gentle and sweet. Where the hell had she even learned to be like this? Zoryn's fault too, probably. That bastard.
And she even shushed him. His damn eyes wouldn't open or he would've given her a look for that. Sassy ass.
"We've got you, baby."
Well. Fine. When she put it that way. He was damn exhausted anyway, and dying alone probably would've sucked. He'd rather his baby wasn't here to watch it though. What if Defy died from this sickness? Dov would have to die with him, of course. He couldn't very well let his boy leave the world without him.
It wasn't like Atrani would ever notice he'd died, anyway.
She was still the poison in his heart, clinging to glass shards with a bloody fist. He could never let her go. His last piece of Cerva.
The blood from his eyes watered down with a tear, and he let out a long, shaky breath. "Go away," he was finally able to protest weakly, but it was useless. She'd never leave him here this way. Neither would that damn defiant boy either, he figured. Got that from his momma.
we're slaves to any semblance of touch
Lord, we should quit but we love it too much
