Chapter 2 Reyes
Reyes
“What are these?” Lillith asks, and I lift a few leaves to show her the cluster of green growing underneath.
“Oh, I love tomatoes! What about those?” Her curiosity has me chuckling as we walk over to a plant lower on the ground.
Giant thick-stemmed leaves drape along the soil, and I brush one aside and give her a peek at the yellow gourd.
“Squash and zucchini,” I say as I check a few of the larger fruits.
They aren’t ready to harvest, though we’re bursting at the seams to have fresh food.
These shouldn’t even be this big yet, easily double the length I’d expect at this stage.
The leaves are greener, and the bounty more plentiful than I’ve ever seen, and I don’t think it has anything to do with the weather.
Something tells me the garden has a midnight visitor that’s helping the process.
Movement in the corner of my eye catches my attention, and Nyx appears from the forest like my thoughts summoned him.
My breath hitches at the sight of him, and my hands fall uselessly to my sides as I stare.
Light shines off the green hues of his skin and hair, exploding into an entire spectrum as it radiates from him.
Hunter green and moss, emerald and sage, and every single color in between.
Nyx slowly turns his head in my direction as though he feels my attention. Those bright eyes meet mine and flare, but he jerks away as his long hair curtains his face.
I wish he wouldn’t hide.
The world needs more beauty in it, and Nyx is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
“Reyes!” Lillith barks, and I whip around, my eyes growing large. “You never answered me! What do you make with squash and zucchini?”
“Oh, um, well, they’re not very good raw. I normally sauté or grill them. Cooking them is definitely better, although I bet Ronan could make a few loaves of zucchini bread.”
“Vegetable bread?” Her lips pull back into a thoughtful grimace. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“Zucchini bread is delicious. It’s sweet. We don’t have any sugar, but I found some stevia in the woods.”
“What is that?”
“It’s a plant with leaves that are sweet, kind of like sugar. I transferred a couple into pots, but I’ve never grown it. If they don’t do well, maybe we could convince Cameron to give up some of his hoarded honey to make it.”
“Hey, Ronan!” Lillith bellows, and I jump again and clutch my chest. Her roaring voice would startle anyone, but after so many years alone, it damn near induces a heart attack. “Ronan!! Can you make us some vegetable honey bread?”
Ronan has joined Nyx on the hill, and even from this distance, I see the confused pinch of his brows. His mouth opens and closes again, and I snicker at his confusion. “What?” he finally calls back.
“Zucchini bread,” I yell with a wince, trying to find a volume where Ronan can still hear me without scaring Nyx. “She wants zucchini bread.”
“Zucchini bread?” Cameron gasps from behind me, and I turn as he darts to the fence with wide, manic eyes.
Ronan’s expression melts from bewildered exasperation to determined, and I bite back my smile. For all the flashing of his fangs and grumbling, he’s a giant softie for his mate. “You want zucchini bread, mo’sziv?”
“Can you make it?” Cameron asks, bouncing on his toes. Ronan nods, a pleased smirk pulling onto his lips, but my gaze snags on Nyx beyond him. That gorgeous waist-length hair still covers his eyes, and he shuffles between his bare feet.
I wish I knew how to help him be more comfortable here. He’s as flighty as an injured bird, eyeing the sky like he’s yearning to fly. Forever poised to escape.
Everyone says to be patient and allow him space, and I am. I do. But unless we’re forced to interact, he keeps his distance. I’m no closer to knowing him than I was the day we met.
I thought we were getting somewhere when Elas and August were leaving.
He let me approach, allowed me to comfort him when the others couldn’t, and damn, if that wasn’t a high.
Katsurrel… the word rings through my head far too often, and always in his soft, breathy voice.
That special name he gave the flower, and the one that means curls if Ronan is to be believed.
I want to believe him.
Nyx decided on it while looking at my hair, after all. It means something… it has to mean something. He didn't just take his flower—his katsurrel—but planted it right outside his cottage, and even went out that same night to collect more to plant beside it.
Not that I watch him at night, even if my bedroom window happens to point towards his cottage. That would be creepy, and not socially acceptable in the least, which is an important thing for me to consider.
Everyone already thinks I’m weird for living underground for so many years. Elas lovingly refers to me as Mole Man sometimes… At least, I think it’s lovingly. He smiles when he says it, in any case. But he also smiles when he brawls, so really, that’s probably not the best standard.
Regardless, I don’t need to fuel their fire by admitting to staring out my window at night, wondering if I’ll glimpse Nyx in the moonlight.
The fleeting smile he offered me that day is burned into my memory, and I’m becoming desperate for more. But it seems the more I want to be near him, the further he stays away.
And above all else, I will respect his wishes.
“What other kinds of bread can you make with vegetables?” Lillith asks me, pulling me from my head and forcing my attention back on her.
“Oh, uh… with what we have here, that’s probably it.” Distractedly, I glance around at the garden. Corn and pole beans take up a third of the area, working together to let the vines climb the thicker stalks of the corn as the beans search for sunlight.
Another large span is dedicated to wheat and soybeans, and the rest is rows of smaller plants.
Tomatoes, squash, and zucchini occupy a lot of the space, because they grow well in the hot climate, but there’s also okra, kale, collards, a few types of lettuce, eggplant, and a vast assortment of peppers.
Bell peppers, jalapenos, anchos, and even a few spicier varieties I’m not sure anyone but me will eat.
Well, that’s not true, actually. Elas will eat them. That fucker eats anything.
Root vegetables are planted closer to the forest, where they get some shade.
Potatoes, yams, onions, and carrots form rows with their leafy green tops.
I’m crossing my fingers I’m able to pull off the potatoes.
Typically, they don’t grow well in this heat, but Cameron is counting on me to figure it out.
Pots are sprinkled around the perimeter of the garden, housing herbs that can be brought inside if the weather requires it. Basil, oregano, lavender, and mint I found in the forest join the stevia plant.
“How could you forget cornbread?” Cameron demands from his spot at the fence, and Lillith’s eyes brighten.
“What are you, some sort of bread aficionado?” I ask, trying and failing to hide my grin. “Like, is this a weird kink with you and Ronan?”
“First, kudos for the good word. That level of vocabulary only comes from a man looking to prove he’s better than everyone, and that tracks.” He grins as I glare, narrowing my eyes. “Second, don’t kink shame.”
“I’m not kink shaming, man, but I’m definitely kink asking why.”
He snickers as he glances over to where Ronan and Nyx have settled onto the hill. Ronan leans against a tree while Nyx sits cross-legged, his knees barely sticking out from the shorts that are several sizes too big.
“When Ronan found me in the prison, he brought a loaf of bread to feed me while we talked. Bread was a luxury, you know? Something I hadn’t had in years because I was always on the run.
” Not wanting to interrupt, I only nod. It’s rare for Cameron to talk without the shield of his sarcasm.
“Don’t get me wrong, I do love bread,” he says with a huff of a laugh, “but it’s more about what it stands for.
It’s Ronan not having to hide behind a sword, and him taking care of me while he’s just… himself.”
“That’s actually really sweet,” I say, and Cameron’s grin turns mischievous as he looks at me.
“And it’s a bargaining chip for him. I will do disgustingly scandalous things for good bread.”
“Cam,” I groan, while Lillith chuckles. “Hey, Lillith, Cameron found a patch of wild strawberry plants, and he was just telling me he’d love to have someone to show.
What if…” I gasp dramatically, and Cameron rolls his eyes as he laughs.
“What if he took you? Like, right now? It would be so convenient for me to get back to work!”
“I would love to see them!” she says, and Cameron shakes his head with a smile.
“Come on, then. I’ll show you as long as you promise not to sneak too many of them.
” She nods her enthusiastic agreement, and the two of them walk towards the woods, talking animatedly between themselves.
My gaze drifts back to the hill, where Nyx’s eyes meet mine for the second time.
They only hold for a moment, though, before they drop to stare at the ground.
Ronan frowns and follows his line of sight, and when he spots me there, silent questions mark his face.
I know what he’s thinking. He’s wondering what I’ve done to upset Nyx and how any of us could make it better.
But I don’t know.
None of us do.
Frustration tightens my grip until the leafy vine in my hand snaps. With a heavy sigh, I stare at the plant as its leaves droop in defeat. I take the knife from my pocket and remove the crushed section to prevent the damage from spreading.
Sometimes, you have to get rid of the broken bits to let the rest flourish.
My eyes dart to Nyx again, a tiny emerald beacon on that hill. I wonder how many of his broken bits need to be pruned so the rest can thrive.