Zero closed her eyes for a long second and I waited silently.
When she opened them, the warmth was back, but underneath it was a small persistent ache that I could see and that she was not bothering to hide.
"Lukas."
"Yeah."
"I'm jealous."
I nodded. How could I not see it? "I know."
She pouted and said, "I am very, very jealous. I am not going to pretend I'm not. I gave you my blessing for Mira and I meant it, and I gave you my blessing for the harem and I meant that too, and I am still, right now, thinking very hard about the fact that I am the one who could not be the first."
My voice softened, "Zero."
She put her fingers on my lips and said, "Don't apologize for it. You can't apologize for that. It's not your fault. It's mine, my strength's, my body's. I know. I'm just...I'm telling you. I want you to know."
I cupped her face in both hands, "Hey."
"Mm."
"You're going to be the first that matters."
She smiled sweetly, "Smooth, sugar boy."
