Noctisardor Bypass I own that technology now.

He stiffened for another volley. Go ahead, he thought — he would lay bare his chest for her next barrage, see which mark destroyed him. 

Instead, it was a simple spark that would be his ruination. He breathed in disbelief, his heart thudding against a ribcage so tight he felt his organs might escape. 

Two of those pups where his. His stomach twisted to have what he’d feared confirmed. It would be easier to walk away if these were Glaukos’s mistake; how was he to be a father? He was too young, too — was his life ending before it had ever truly begun?

His throat worked uncomfortably up and down. How do you know? How did she know his parents, or the parentage of her children, when she’d taken so easily to Glaukos as if their tryst meant nothing. 

Maybe it did mean nothing. Anselm was coming to terms slowly with the idea there was nothing profound about fucking besides the heartbreak.