11. Nyssa #2
It was a bold-faced lie. But he didn’t have to know that. The comment was quickly followed by a smirk, and a zap of lightning striking the wood two inches higher, dangerously close to my throbbing core.
Traitorous hormones.
Distracted by the near-devastating loss of one of my favourite body parts, I was too slow to dodge Caelus when he launched himself over the rotten log, tackling me to the soft earth.
I grunted as my body hit the ground with a hard thud. All air rushed from my lungs, sharp and painful, but it was not the impact that had stolen my breath. It was him .
I could feel him everywhere, against every limb, every sliver of exposed skin. Caelus’s calloused hands roughly cuffed my wrists above my head while his thick, tree-trunk thighs lay bracketed by mine.
No.
My senses warred with the duelling sensations of his body’s heat at my front and the cold ground beneath me. Panic was setting in.
No, no, no, no. Stop touching my skin!
The rapid thrum of his heartbeat pounded against my sternum, racing mine to an increasing tempo, not an inch between us. Then I felt it — his breath, warm and close, whispering against my neck. Goosebumps bloomed in its wake.
My mind rebelled, overwhelmed by the sudden sensory overload and the increasing danger from our skin touching.
“No, no, no,” I whimpered.
Nobody had ever touched me like this. None dared to get this close. Not even Charon. To do so was to court death.
No sooner had I thought it, did I notice his white locks start to droop and wither — like a steadily decaying flower. Wrinkles now lined his face; his eyes hollowed.
“No, no, no, no,” I repeated, ensnared in an endless loop of denial.
I was death.
I was darkness.
I was something to be afraid of.
And I was involuntarily killing him.
Panic had me caught between fighting and fleeing. I hovered somewhere in the middle, unable to do either. I thrashed, growling at Caelus as terror writhed through my veins.
Trapped.
I did the only thing I could think of: unleashing my second gift.
Shadows erupted from my chest, my hands, even my damned open mouth — until we were both engulfed in the maelstrom of my power. Instant darkness robbed us of sight as invisible winds howled, ripping my hair free from its braid.
And still he did not let go.
“Nyssa.” A voice called my name from some far-off distance.
“Nyssa.” It called again when I failed to respond.
It was him . I knew it, just as surely as I could feel his body still pressed against mine. My pulse was a wild drumbeat in my ears, drowning everything out — everything except him.
“Nyssa, look at me!” His voice pierced the storm, low and steady. Then, slowly, I saw them, his glowing eyes. Caelus was using his lightning to cut through my darkness like no one else could.
He released his hold on my wrists, bracing himself on the earth as his face hovered above mine. His power thrummed through the air, sharp and crackling, and I could taste static on my tongue.
I swallowed roughly, unable to look away.
“That’s it. Keep those pretty green eyes locked on me, okay?” he murmured.
I couldn’t look away if I tried.
“That’s it. Now breathe. That’s all you have to do, Nyssa.”
My throat was closing, saliva catching in the back.
I couldn’t.
I couldn’t breathe.
I couldn’t swallow.
“I can’t control it,” I pleaded, shaking my head roughly. Panic still had me tight within its grasp, my heartbeat galloping in my chest, lungs clawing for air.
“You can, Nightshade,” he said softly. “You’re safe. You’re safe with me.”
His words were a tether — a lifeline. Something to cling to while my panic ebbed and flowed. Slowly, it began to wane. Slower still, air returned to my lungs.
I sucked in short, stuttering breaths as the shadows steadily recede.
“Caramel,” I whispered.
Caelus shifted back, confusion etched across his features. Features that were once again youthful and vibrant.
“What?”
“You smell like caramel,” I explained, cheeks heating. The sticky, golden deliciousness had always been one of my weaknesses — now, I feared, in more ways than one.
Caelus grinned and time seemed to pause. His grin, like the caramel, was too enticing. Too rich.
I needed space. Distance. I donned my cold mask like armour and sat up. I was lucid enough to recognise how dangerous the game had just become. I had never bared my vulnerabilities so nakedly before, much less in front of a sweet-smelling rival.
Caelus reached out tentatively to brush an errant tear from my icy cheek. I flinched back, out of reach. He paused, hand suspended mid-air, a sad look ghosting across his face.
I truly wasn’t sure how I’d managed to hold my power back during the height of my panic, but I was grateful all the same. The entirety of Olympus would come crashing down on my head if I’d murdered their golden prince — accidentally or otherwise.
Caelus’ metallic eyes bore into mine, infuriatingly free of judgement. His face softened, white brows drawing together in concern.
He pities me.
So, I did what any exposed, embarrassed woman would have done in my place — I lashed out.
“Don’t fucking touch me, you overgrown taser,” I seethed, launching to my feet and storming away into the forest — directionless but uncaring. I just needed to escape the stupidly brave man and the maddening, conflicting way he made me feel.
“Really?” Caelus laughed. “That was the best you could come up with? A mortal’s pitiful attempt at replicating my power?”
He lumbered along beside me, catching up in just a few paces, thanks to his overly large legs.
“Do you make a habit of pinning girls to the ground, or am I just special?” I sniped. His amusement was pissing me off.
“Why? Are you jealous?” he returned with a smirk.
“In your dreams, golden boy.”