Months passed and we settled into our life. Acasia was my blessing and I cherished our time. It hurt me when I felt her sadness. She would offer a smile, but I knew the sadness was there. Often, making love would take the feeling away, but sometimes she went into a melancholy that lasted days. It frustrated me because my other brides rarely did this once they settled. Acasia was different. She loved deeper than any human I'd ever met.

I flew to my bedroom perch and shifted to ...