ONYX(unedited;1st draft)

I Guess That Was Strike Three

34. I Guess That Was Strike Three

  "Can you look after him? I have to go." I whisper hurriedly to Ace, glancing down at the little boy, still has asleep in my arms and pressed against my chest.

  He looks down at him briefly, reaching up to wipe away the sweat on his drenched forehead, "Syl, I'm really sweaty right now, as you can see," He gestures down to his torso, covered by a grey shirt that was soaked through and clinging to his body, "Not to mention we're all still training." He says.

  I force myself not to stare at his sweaty torso and hold Dante tighter to my chest, "What do you want me to do? Put him on the ground!" I hiss.

  "No," He says slowly, "Take him back with you and lay him on my bed," He shrugs.

  I let out a breath, "Okay, thanks." I whisper.

  He stares at me for a moment, his eyes flicking back and forth from me to the little boy, "Yeah, they're kinda my responsibility for the day."

  My eyebrows furrowed, "What do you mean?"

  He smiles, "That's what I had to talk to you about this morning. These kids," His eyes flicker behind me to the rest of the kids, still playing happily in their small portion of the clearing, "They're all from the pack's Orphanage. I take them for a day out once every couple of months when I'm free."

  My insides felt like they were being mushed together, "Really?" I said softly.

  He chuckled, "Yeah," He grins as he stares at my face, "Don't give me that look."

  "What look?"

  He jerks his chin upward, gesturing to my face, "That dreamy look that says you want to have my babies." He grins.

  I made a face at him, "Oh shut up," I wasn't stupid enough to not know he was mocking me, but it's not my fault I don't know.

  I turn to look at the other kids, "I'd take them with me, but I have a class..." I say lowly.

  "Syl," He says softly and I look back over at him to see him smiling at me, "You do know you hold as much power as I do right?" I nod slowly, "You can always cancel your class if you want to spend the rest of the day with them." He informs me.

  I shook my head, "I can't." My jaw clenched, "I'm tired of walking around being dumb-"

  "You're not dumb." He cuts me off with a glare, "You don't know stuff because you were never taught. That's not your fault and that doesn't mean you're dumb," He says hardly and I just stared at him, "Look, take them back if you want to and have the maids look after them. They're probably starving and I'm gonna be here for a bit longer." He tells me.

  I nodded again, "Okay," I drop my gaze, staring at Dante.

  "Hey," I looked back up and he was staring at me with soft eyes, "You're the smartest person I know."

  I scoffed with a low laugh, "You're just trying to make me feel better about it." I murmur.

  He pretends to think about it, "Well yeah," If I wasn't holding this kid I would've punched him square in the gut. He chuckles at my blank stare, "But I'm also being one hundred percent honest. You might not be book smart, but you sure as hell are." He winks with a grin.