Chapter36: A Private Family Moment

Chapter 36: A Private Family Moment. XENOIS I walked out onto the balcony, my bare feet were silent on the cool stone tiles.  The night air was cold against my skin, which seemed to be crying the noise of distant night traffic and the faint scent of jasmine and honey from the garden below. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders from behind, feeling the tension in her body as she leaned back against me.  Her hair smelled like her usual shampoo, it was a familiar scent that reminded me of safety and a bit of normalcy in the life we lived. A life I kept hidden from her. "Why are you still up?" I asked softly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as she closed her eyes and exhaled, leaning deeper in my embrace. "I couldn't sleep," she said, her voice sounding so low that I had to strain my ears to hear what she wanted to say.  "Every time I close my eyes and try to have a bit of rest, I see those men. I hear the gunshots that don't seem to end just echoing over and over in my ears. I kee