13. Nyx
Nyx
Willow chokes on a scream, and the mirror slips from her slender fingers, crashing to the ground and sending shards of glass flying across the floor.
“I… I’m so sorry.” She reaches for one of the shards, but Rhune intercepts her—bringing her hand to his heart instead.
“Don’t worry about that.” Rhune works hard to keep his voice level. “We will clean it later.”
Through the bond, I can tell he’s seconds away from losing his mind. His heart rate is erratic, and his blood pressure is through the roof. He won’t let any of his fear show, though. He won’t allow himself to worry Willow any more than she already is.
“Does anything hurt?” I ask calmly. “Your eyes? Your face? Anything under the surface?” On the inside, I’m ready to leap out of my skin. If something is wrong with her… I do not know how I will survive…
Willow shakes her head. “Nothing hurts. I didn’t even realize…” She reaches up toward her face—no doubt to touch the blood—but Rhune grabs that hand, too, bringing it to where her other one rests.
“We will clean you, too,” I say. “But we have to make sure you’re okay, first.”
“I feel okay. Just a little shaky.” She gazes up at Rhune, her bottom lip quivering ever so slightly. “Am I dying? Is that why I’ve been feeling so… off, since I got here?”
“Of course you’re not dying, pup. You’re going to be just fine.” Rhune turns his attention to me, his eyes flashing with worry. She’s going to be fine, right?
His voice rings in my mind, full of doubt and heartbreaking despair, and I find I cannot tell him the truth. Of course she is. I’m sure there is a simple explanation for this.
“What did you mean when you said you have been feeling off since you came here?” I ask. In all my research, I haven’t found anything to indicate that living in The Far Place can make humans sick. Perhaps she has an allergy to one of the foods she ate?
“I’m just really tired all the time,” she says. “My body aches—mostly my joints—and I haven’t been getting hungry or thirsty as often as I would on earth.” Her brows pull together in a frown. “Oh, and there’s this weird tugging sensation in my chest that happens sometimes.”
I share a look with Rhune. Tugging? As in, the pull of a fated mate bond? It can’t be… she’s a human. It’s impossible. The sensation must be due to something else.
“Is there anything else?” I try to keep my tone level. “Headaches? Chills? Hallucinations?”
“Actually…” She drops her gaze, her bottom lip firmly clenched between her teeth. “I get these daydreams. They’re not hallucinations—at least, I’m pretty sure they’re not—more like memories. Visions of things I can’t explain.”
Hmm. “Fascinating. Can you tell me about them?”
Her eyes gloss with a faraway memory, and she whispers just two little words. “The tree…”
“The what?”
“The tree,” she murmurs. “It’s the only thing I can remember. That, and a horrible sense of dread.” She lets out a deep breath. “I have no idea what it means.”
“What does the tree look like?” Rhune asks.
She frowns, thinking hard. “It looked like a willow tree from earth, only it was completely frozen over, like someone dipped it in nitrogen and hung it from the ceiling.”
“A welwig?” Rhune’s eyes are wide as he meets my gaze. “What does it mean?”
“I don’t know… It’s almost unheard of.”
“Something is wrong with me, then?” Willow’s voice cracks heavily. “You can tell me. I can take it.”
“Nothing is wrong with you. You are perfect, Willow,” Rhune says. “And if there is something, we will fix it. Right, Nyx?”
“Right.” I give Willow a bright smile to assuage some of the worry in her gaze, and luckily, it seems to do the trick. “Now, let’s get that beautiful face cleaned up.”
I leave to retrieve a bucket of water and a small rag from the bathing chambers. When I return, I’m shocked to find Rhune and Willow gone from his bedroom. Rolling my eyes, I go to Rhune’s bedroom, and sure enough, they are sitting in the center of his nest of furs.
“What? She looked cold.” Rhune wraps a fifth blanket over Willow’s shoulders, and she casts me a pleading look. He has her bundled up tighter than a newborn in a snowstorm, and though she looks adorable, I can tell by the pink of her cheeks that she’s getting a little too warm.
“You need to get some of those off so I can clean her skin. We’ll warm her up after,” I tell Rhune with a wink.
Appeased, Rhune starts peeling layers of furs off Willow. Once her face and neck are exposed, Rhune takes a seat and pulls her into his lap, his arms curling protectively around her stomach as a low purr rumbles in the base of his throat.
Jealousy roils in my veins as I watch the two of them cuddling, but I push it to the back of my mind so I can focus on cleaning her. There will be time for snuggles later.
Carefully, I draw the moistened rag to her face, dabbing at the skin under her eyes where the blood is thickest. Willow sits still as a statue as I clean, her strange eyes scanning my profile with an intensity I can’t place.
“There. All done.” Sitting back on my heels, I grin as I take in my handiwork. Her eyes still have that strange ring of red around the pupil, but otherwise, her skin is clean, her gaze is clear, and she seems in good spirits. “How do you feel?”
“Better now. Are my eyes still…?”
Rhune nods. “I think the red is there to stay.” He slides his hand up, pinching the streak of red hair growing from her temple. “Your eyes match your mane. Brown and a hint of red. It is unique and beautiful, like the rest of you.”
She drops her gaze, a hint of pink creeping into her cheeks. “Are you always this sugar sweet?”
“He is.” I chuckle when Rhune shoots me a glare. “What? You’d have me lie to her?”
“I’m not sugar sweet.” He crinkles his nose. “I’m a powerful, dangerous creature of darkness.”
I snort, my eyes flashing with amusement as Willow claps a hand over her mouth to conceal her smile.
“Sure thing, Rhune. You’re downright terrifying… ly adorable,” I add.
“I am not adorable.” Rhune shoves his lip out in a pout, proving my point. “Willow, do not listen to him. He speaks lies.”
She reaches up, cupping the side of his face. “Being adorable isn’t a bad thing, Rhune. I like that you’re sweet.”
Leaning up as far as she can, she presses her lips to his lower jaw. Rhune’s eyes flare bright, and his entire body shudders with pleasure. “You… what was that?” he breathes, reaching up to touch the spot her lips touched.
“A kiss.” Her lips spread in a wide grin. “Did you like it?”
“I… yes.” He gazes down at her, his eyes full of wonder. “Could you do it again?”
She laughs, the sound of a beautiful melody that pulls at my heartstrings. Instead of answering, she presses upward, placing her lips to his jaw in another one of her kisses.
I want one.
“Don’t be so greedy, Rhune.” I inch closer to Willow’s beautifully flushed face. “Maybe she wants to share her magic kisses.”
Willow laughs, her cheeks turning an even darker shade of pink. “What? Now you want one, too?”
“I do,” I say without hesitation. “So very, very badly.”
Her lips part, but no sound comes out. Willow’s gaze heats, her heart stuttering wildly as she leans in. Slowly, softly, she places her lips on my jaw like she did for Rhune, and my world shatters around me.
Pleasurable electricity flows from her skin to mine, heating the spot her lips are touching and filling my veins with molten honey. A piece of my soul snaps into place, waking my inner demon from his slumber and prompting it to rise to the surface.
I fight against the transformation with every shred of willpower I possess, teetering the line between indescribable pleasure and unspeakable agony. Just a moment longer. I can bear one more second to feel her lips on my skin.
As soon as she pulls away, I’m able to think clearly again. The clarity would normally bring me comfort, but this time, I’m left with a sense of profound loss and a strange tugging sensation in my chest.
“Willow… I—”
I never get to finish what I was going to say. In an instant, Willow’s body goes limp, and her eyes slide closed as she falls into a deep sleep.
What…?
“Is she okay?” I reach out to touch her, but she doesn’t react, and the pit of worry in my stomach deepens.
Rhune leans in close, listening for breath sounds. “I think… she truly fell asleep.” He lifts his head, a small whine echoing in his throat as his desperate eyes meet mine. “Is this normal for humans?”
I don’t have the heart to tell him that, no, this is not normal. At least, all the research I’ve done on her kind points to something being wrong. I just don’t know what it is…
“She will be okay,” I say, more for my sake than for Rhune’s. “She needs rest, that is all. When she wakes, we can take her down to the healing pools for a long soak, just in case she is truly sick.”
“Okay…” Rhune looks down at Willow, brushing her dark hair back gently from her forehead. “She looks so peaceful while she’s sleeping.”
“She does.” Jealousy is eating me alive that he’s the one who gets to hold her while she’s in this vulnerable state, but I don’t have the heart to pull her from him.
Before I can say anything else, a piercing screech echoes from deep underground, powerful enough to shake the ground beneath our feet. Another ice wyrm.
“That’s the third one this cycle,” Rhune murmurs, looking worried. “What do you think it means?”
“I don’t know, Rhune… I wish I did.” There’s an ominous sense of dread settling in the pit of my stomach, a silent screaming in the back of my mind. My body is trying to warn me of something—I just don’t know what.
Unwittingly, I gaze toward the exit, and my mind flashes to an image of Cin chained in his bedroom. It’s been a while since I heard any howling or clanking from within. Maybe Cin is awake.
“I have to check on something. You’ll stay here and keep Willow snug?”
Rhune nods, his large wing curling around her small form. “Always.”
“Good boy.” With a grin, I ease out of bed and make my way toward the exit. Waggling my fingers in a goodbye, I step past the threshold and begin walking down the tunnel to Cin’s bedroom.