9. Nyx
Nyx
The tips of my claws scrape against the ground as I stalk down the long tunnel, the neon flare of my eyes the only source of light guiding my way. Stopping in front of one of the doorways, I gaze at the faint pink glow seeping from beneath the hide covering.
There you are.
Brushing the covering aside, I step into the room, my gaze landing on Rhune’s crouched form in the corner of the space. His shoulders are hunched, wings wrapped and concealing whatever it is he’s so concentrated on.
“Why didn’t you tell me about our new toy?” I ask.
Rhune snaps his head up, his eyes flaring bright with shock, only to be replaced with irritation in the next blink. ”Nyx.”
Laughing, I saunter closer to Rhune, interested in what he’s working on. “So? How come you were hiding her from me?”
“I wasn’t hiding her.”
“It seemed like you were. You even chained the poor thing to that wall.” I tsk, wagging my finger in his face. “That was very naughty, Rhune.”
Rhune whines, hanging his head. “It was for her safety.”
“Oh? Safety, was it? You weren’t just being greedy, wanting to keep her all to yourself?”
“I…”
I throw my head back in a deep laugh. “You’re too predictable, Rhune. Is sharing really that bad?”
Rhune refuses to meet my gaze. “Of course not. I just wanted…”
“Something of your own. Right?”
He whines, the sound echoing through the air and twisting my heartstrings.
It’s hard being a piece of something that was once whole.
Me and my brothers share everything—emotions, pain, thoughts, and pleasure.
Because of our bond, there is no real privacy, or sense of individuality.
All of us look different and have distinct personalities, but deep down, there’s an ever-present knowledge that we are one and the same.
Rhune is the most sensitive and caring of the group by far, and he’s been searching for his other half since the moment he was conscious. He desperately wants something to call his own, something to set him apart from the group to prove he matters.
Me, Cin, and Dravik know how important he is, but I think sometimes Rhune forgets that we need him. He’s the heart, and we’d be lost without him.
I sigh, moving over to wrap him in a bear hug.
“I’m sorry I teased you, Rhune. I know how much this means to you.
I can feel it through our bond. I have since the moment you set eyes on her.
” I pull back with a sad smirk. “I think part of me was just jealous you found her first. As strange as that may sound.”
He shakes his head. “My soul sang for her, Nyx. She’s not just any human. She’s special.”
“I don’t doubt that, Rhune. Not in the slightest.”
My mind flashes to an image of Willow, and my soul sings a strange song—aching and lonely and desperate. I’ve only known her for half a cycle, and I can tell she’s already altered something fundamental inside me. Whether that is good or bad, I cannot say.
“What are you working on?” I ask, gesturing to the lump of furs in his hand.
Rhune sighs, his wings drooping sadly as he stares down at it. “I was trying to make something for Willow to wear. She has been wearing one of my furs as a dress, and it looks most uncomfortable. But, this is all my hard work has reaped.”
I gaze down, taking in the haphazard stitches and the sleeves of two different lengths. It truly is a mess.
“Ah. I see what you mean.”
Rhune hangs his head, a pitiful whine sounding from his throat. “It is hopeless. She will look at this and denounce me as her mate.”
A smirk tugs at the corner of my mouth. “Your mate, huh?”
Rhune nods, resolute. “I know she is. My soul has already claimed her. I only need to impress her and convince her to stay with me.”
“Hmm.” I reach down, taking the garment from his hands. “Maybe we should ask Dravik for help? He’s good at sewing.”
Rhune shakes his head. “We cannot.”
“Why?”
Instead of answering, Rhune whips his head toward the doorway, his pulse skyrocketing. “Fuck.”
“What?” I ask.
“Dravik. He’s back from his hunt.”
“Perfect. We can get him to help with the sewing.”
“No!”
“No?” My brows rise. “What aren’t you telling me, Rhune?”
“Dravik… he’s not going to like the fact that Willow is here.”
“And why is that?” I ask.
“He might have… ordered me to take Willow home.”
“What?”
Rhune cringes. “She barely survived the journey here! I could not bring her out there in the elements so soon after I had gotten her safe and warm. I would never put her through that.”
“So what you’re saying is we have to hide her from Dravik?” My grin widens.
Rhune’s eyes shine with appreciation. “Yes! We should absolutely do that!”
With our plan in mind, Rhune and I rush down the tunnel toward his bedroom. We crash through the doorway, our movements hurried as we begin collecting furs so we can hide Willow beneath them.
“Guys? What’s going on?”
Me and Rhune stop what we’re doing, turning to Willow with guilty smiles. “Nothing…”
“It sure seems like something.”
Rhune whines. “We have to hide you. Dravik is coming, and if he finds you, he’ll want to take you home.”
Willow raises a brow. “Then why would I hide? I want to go home. If Dravik is willing to bring me back, I’d like to talk to him.”
Me and Rhune look at each other, thinking the same thing. She is ours now. Our treasure. We are not letting her go now, or ever.
Dravik’s footsteps grow louder, and I know we don’t have much time left. “Hurry! He’s almost here!”
Willow lets out a soft yelp as Rhune grabs her off her feet, placing her gently into the corner of the room. Swiftly, we begin covering her small body in furs, ignoring her muffled protests in our haste to hide our treasure.
“There, there,” I whisper, patting the top of her head—at least, the lump that I think is the top of her head. “We will let you out once he is gone. Just try to stay quiet for a bit, okay?”
There’s a string of muffled curses from beneath the layers of hide, and I press my lips together to stifle my laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
Me and Rhune whip around to face our soul-brother, watching as his massive form ducks to fit through the doorway.
Dravik stands in all his eight-foot-something glory, the tips of his massive orange wings brushing the walls as he moves deeper into the room. “Why do you two look so suspicious?”
“Perhaps it’s just your paranoia,” I say.
Dravik stops, his scowl deepening. “No. You two are up to something.”
I press a hand to my heart, my expression twisting in pain. “You wound me, brother. Do you not trust us?”
“Not in the slightest,” he growls.
Rhune leans in, his voice lowering to a whisper. “I think he’s on to us…”
“What was that, Rhune?” Dravik asks.
“Nothing…” He swings his wide eyes to mine again. “He’s definitely onto us…”
“No. What would give you that idea?” I roll my eyes, fighting the urge to slap him upside the head.
Just then, the lump of blankets begins shifting, catching Dravik’s attention.
“What is that?”
“Nothing,” I snap. “Leave us be, Dravik.”
“Mmmph! Mmmph!”
Muffled shouts emanate from beneath the layers, causing Dravik’s eyes to flare bright. “What was that?” Dravik demands.
“Maybe we have shardmice?” I look at Rhune for confirmation.
“Yes! Shardmice!”
Dravik snarls. “Shardmice? How would the shardmice get in here?”
I shrug. “Eesles, then?”
“Mhmph! Lemehouttahhere!”
Dravik’s expression turns thunderous. “That is no eesle, Nyx. Step aside.”
“I don’t think that’s the best idea—”
“Out of my fucking way!” Dravik shouts, using some of his magic to push us aside. He storms toward the pile of furs, ripping the layers away in one powerful movement.
Willow stares up at the three of us, her mouth slightly parted and eyes filled with fear—or is that excitement?
“Hi…” She raises her hand, wiggling her slender, clawless fingers. “You must be Dravik…”
“What… is… she… still… doing… here?” Dravik turns to Rhune with a murderous expression, and I swear I can see steam billowing from his ears.
“She’s mine. This is her home now,” Rhune says.
Dravik rolls his eyes. “I will not have this conversation again. There is no bond between you, and therefore, you have no claim to her. Not really.” He steps toward Rhune, his expression softening. “I know you’ve been lonely, Rhune. But this is not the way to get what you want. She’s not yours.”
“My soul claimed her! I know what I felt,” he snarls. “If you try to take her, I will have no choice but to fight you.”
Dravik balks. “You would attack me?”
“If you gave me no other option, yes.”
His expression closes off, a mask of stone covering his emotions. “I see. In that case, it will be a fight.”
Before either of them lose their head, I step between them, placing a hand on each of their heaving chests. “Down, boys. No need to get physical.”
“He wants to take her from me!” Rhune snarls.
“I don’t want to, I’m going to!” Dravik roars.
“You’ll have to rip my heart out first.”
“Gladly!”
“Oh my gods, shut up!” I shout, power thrumming in the palms of my hands, sending a shock wave into my brothers to get them to snap out of it. Luckily, it seems to work.
When I’m sure they’re not going to rip each other’s throats out, I step back with a casual smirk. “Much better. Now we can have a civilized conversation about this. Right, Rhune?”
He growls, but nods. “Yes.”
“Dravik?”
“Fine.”
I clap my hands together. “Excellent! First thing to note: we can’t take her back now. Even if we wanted to.”
Dravik opens his mouth to disagree, but I hold a finger up, silencing him. “Have you seen the state of the weather up there? She would die before we even managed to find the portal to her world. You know it’s true.”
Dravik’s wings flare, the tips bristling, showcasing his displeasure. “Fine. She can stay until the storm lessens. But not a moment longer.”
“Sweet!”
The three of us whip to face the little human, surprised by her outburst. Her cheeks turn the cutest shade of pink, and she lowers her eyes as if embarrassed. I cannot figure out the reason, though.
“Sorry,” she murmurs. “I’m just excited to go home and put on some warm clothes.”
Rhune’s expression crumbles at her words, but he turns his face away from her so she doesn’t see. I do, though. It makes my heart ache.
“So, um… how long until the storm calms? A day or two?” she asks, her eyes hopeful.
“It is unknown,” Dravik says. “It could be a cycle. It could be twenty. Things have been… unpredictable, as of late.”
“I am hoping for the latter,” Rhune whispers to me, his expression brightening once more. “Think of it. Twenty whole cycles with her. It would be the most splendid experience.”
I chuckle under my breath. “It would, Rhune. It really would be.”
“It’s settled, then,” Dravik grunts. “Rhune. Nyx.” He jabs a clawed finger at us, his eyes wielding a threat. “If any harm comes to the human, I will personally rip your hearts out and cast you into The Never.”
“We’ll be good. Right, Rhune?”
“Yes! We promise!”
Dravik grunts, seeming unconvinced. “Very well. I need to rest for a while and see where the hell Rufus has gone off to. Be good while I am gone.” He levels me with a glare. “That’s for you especially, Nyx.”
“What? I’m an angel.”
Dravik snorts. “Right.” He gazes at Willow, his mouth pinching. “I have to go.”
With that, Dravik storms out of the room—which seems larger now that he’s not taking up half of the space with his hulking body. The grumpy oaf…
I turn my attention to Willow, who is staring at the space Dravik used to be, a faraway look in her eyes. “Feel better now? You get to go home soon.”
She nods, taking her bottom lip between her teeth. Her eyes are uncertain, her heartbeat erratic, and I know deep down she feels at least a fraction of the pull I do. She belongs here, with us.
I only agreed to take her back because I know that Dravik will fall for her before the storm is over. Cin will become obsessed as soon as he sees her, and once Dravik is on board, she will be ours, forever.
The way it should be.