Chapter 55
It’s hot outside, but I’m cold and sweaty all at once. My stomach rolls around, the queasiness pushing up into my throat.
Nyx… the beautiful dark-haired woman studies my eyes. “I’m so happy to meet you. The guys have been gushing about you.”
I blink and realize I’m biting my lip. “Oh.”
“Shall we take a stroll?”
Not only is the woman stunning with her inky dancing eyes and midnight hair, her skin is a warm mocha, but it’s the accent that’s the icing on the cake. British, I would guess, mixed with something exotic. Whatever it is, is cluttered and beautiful, befitting someone that looks like her.
“Uh. Okay. Sure.” I fumble for words to agree, even though I’d rather stick my hand in boiling water.
I follow her to the edge of the lawn, away from the gathering, and a weird part of my brain that has watched too many horror movies wonders if I’m about to be dragged into the bushes and murdered.
A tendril of fear crawls up my spine.
When we reach a beautiful forest plant, she reaches out and picks a bright red flower. “You know he’s not to be blamed.”
I swallow hard. But I have no idea how to respond.
“Lucas has the biggest heart.”
My hands are fisted so tight in my pockets my knuckles ache. “Yes, he does seem to be exceptional.”
Did I just say exceptional? I’m clearly wound tight.
Her gaze darkens as she peers down at the flower, twisting it in her fingers. “He was very handsome, and I couldn’t resist his blue eyes. It was a crush really, there was never any hope of anything….” She clears her throat. “You see, I was supposed to have an arranged marriage. But what I felt inside was so exciting. Did they tell you about Alex?”
Confusion tightens my brows. “No. No one mentioned Alex.”
Her brow tightens, and her gaze shifts from the flower to the trees. “I’m not surprised. It’s too painful for most of the team to talk about. It’s taken me almost a year to be able to talk about him.”
“I’m sorry, was Alex part of the team?”
She nods, then moistens her lips. There’s a quiver in her chin. “He was. He was so sweet.” She laughs ruefully. “If you can call a big six-foot-plus SEAL killing machine sweet. Anyway, what I was trying to tell you about Alex was that I cared for him, and I didn’t get to say goodbye.”
My heart melts on the spot for this woman. “What happened?”
“It was after I had been kidnapped… So, I don’t have all the details, but when I was recovered, I learned that Alex had died the next night during the op intended to find me.” She pushes her hair back and looks toward the sky with pain etched on her pretty face.
Kidnapped? Died during the op?
My pulse speeds. “That’s terrible. I’m so sorry.”
When her eyes shift to mine, she searches my face. “Beast blames himself for both. For losing me. For Alex getting killed.”
Everything inside me stills. “Oh, god. Now I understand him so much better.”
Now everything makes sense. The way Truck alluded to Beast’s painful past. The fear he has of letting someone get hurt. It’s all tied.
She reaches for my arm and squeezes. “I know. It’s terrible. Of course it wasn’t his fault. So many things happened. It was a risky op in the dead of night. I made a mistake. The mission went sideways and when they were trying to find me, Alex took fire.”
I don’t know what to say. My mind is reeling.
Nyx sighs heavily. “When I saw Beast earlier today, I literally could not believe he is the same man I saw a few months ago. You make him feel alive again. I love those men like brothers. They protected me with their lives. They didn’t stop until I was home safely.”
I’m starting to feel even more like an ass for jumping to conclusions about her. But a kernel of pain remains. A deep part of me knows what it is—Lucas’s team is tight. Nyx is part of that team. They’ve been through so much together. Tragedy and pain.
And I feel like an outsider.
She tucks the flower behind her ear. “We should go back to dinner before one of those protective meatheads comes stomping over here.”
As she turns, I call her name. “Nyx. Thank you for speaking with me.”
She smiles softly. “I can see questions in your eyes.”
“It’s just… I just have all these strong feelings for Lucas, I mean, Beast. He’s sort of swept into my life and knocked my feet out from under me.”
She nods. Contemplates something for a second. “I can see the bond already. And when you saw me in the house, I saw your expression.”
A wave of embarrassment courses through me. I feel so bad. “I’m really sorry, I just felt unsure.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Can I tell you something?”
She straightens and tilts her head compassionately. “I hope you will feel comfortable talking with me.”
“I saw Beast hugging you earlier. He doesn’t know. But it… it hurt me, and I let myself get in my head. It’s just been a rough time for me. That’s no excuse, but I want to make sure you don’t think you’ve done anything.”
Her brows knit together and then she smiles brightly. “It was you! I saw a glimpse of someone when I was hugging your man. Now I know! You should have said hello.”
I laugh at myself. “I assumed… well, I made something out of nothing.”
She grabs my hand. “Come on, sister. It’s easy for someone like that man to make your head swim. You should try working with the whole team of them. Anyway, we need to get back to the food, before they inhale it all.”
I glance up as she tugs me toward the gathering.
Lucas is standing on the walkway, with his laser focus on me. Guess we were gone too long… my protective Beast came looking for me. Either that or something else is wrong.