Chapter 23 Reyes
Reyes
A stagnant sort of sweat coats my body. It’s sticky and uncomfortable, and the humid air is so thick it’s hard to breathe.
I love it.
Random shelves and tables line the outside edge of the greenhouse.
Some were pulled from empty houses, and others came from the collection of extras stashed in the storage building.
A few were haphazardly built with scrap wood, but they’re sturdy even if they aren’t pretty.
Nyx leans over one of them now, staring at the tiny sprouts in front of him with his face furrowed in concentration.
A thick, forest-green woven plait drapes over his shoulder.
Taryn taught me to braid, and I’ve been practicing on Nyx.
He sits between my feet, usually snacking on something I’ve brought him or chattering about whatever is on his mind while I weave the strands, and he doesn’t get impatient when I have to start over.
It isn’t perfect. Some sections are thicker than others, and there’s a distinct curve about halfway down, but it’s pretty.
He’s pretty, and I take a minute to watch him.
He’s oblivious to my staring, moving to the next plants when he’s satisfied those sprouts are healthy. “What are these?” he asks, leaning closer and scrunching his face again.
Fuck, he’s cute. “Broccoli.”
“The little trees?”
I chuckle, and he glances over with a sheepish expression. “Yeah, the little green trees. The little white trees are beside them.”
“Collie-flower?” he attempts, and I grin.
“Yeah, sweetheart. Collie-flower.”
“You are teasing me,” he accuses, standing to his full height—his tiny, five-foot-nothing full height—and putting his hands on his hips.
“Would I do that?” I put my hand over my heart, feigning offense, and he pushes another of those soft, breathy laughs from his nose.
“Whole ass,” he mutters, and I can’t stop the loud, barking laugh that escapes me. His grin deepens, and he looks awfully pleased with himself. I’m still chuckling as he crouches beside the half barrels on the ground. “Potatoes?”
“Carrots. The potatoes don’t do well in the heat, so I’m hoping they’ll grow better outside during the colder months.”
“Cameron was sad the other ones did not get bigger.”
“He was, but we had enough to make a few meals.”
Nyx nods, running his fingers across the edge of the makeshift planter. He looks like a witch from one of the fantasy books Cameron loves, standing over his cauldron and deeply in tune with the earth. His eyes snap up and narrow. “What is your face?”
“Someone’s sassy this morning,” I tease, and he rises as I approach.
He tilts his face up to mine, and I take him in, smiling at the fullness of his cheeks.
They’re no longer sunken and sickly, and though he is still too thin, he’s putting on weight.
Those tiny golden freckles shimmer in the sunlight that trickles through the glass.
“Can I kiss you?” I ask in a soft whisper, and he nods and wraps his arms around my waist.
“You don’t have to ask.”
“I like asking,” I murmur as I rub my nose over his. “It makes it even more real to hear you say yes.”
“Didn’t say yes.”
My mouth drops open as an incredulous laugh leaves me, and his lips twitch in another grin. “Do you want my kisses or not?”
“Yes,” he breathes, and pushes up on his toes to capture my lips.
It’s sweet, like the dozens of kisses we’ve shared over the past week, but there’s heat behind this one.
Nyx’s fingers clutch at my shirt and try to haul me closer, and I let him.
His confidence in this—in us—shows more every day, and my quiet whine slips free as he deepens the kiss, dipping his tongue into my mouth.
My hands roam down his spine, and he stiffens for a moment as my palms skim his ass.
But I keep going until I reach the back of his thighs and hoist him onto the table.
It thuds into the wall, and Nyx gasps against our kiss.
He pulls away and glances over his shoulder, and I sputter out another laugh.
“Did you just stop kissing me to check on the plants?”
The grin on his face takes my breath away as he turns to me again. “Yes.”
“And how are your precious plants doing?”
“They are fine,” he says, still wearing a teasing grin as he leans in and attempts to reclaim my lips, but I pull back.
“You’re sure you don’t need more time with them? I can leave you guys alone if I’m interrupting.”
“Ass,” he mutters, and I snicker like I do every time he curses. “Maybe they want my kisses instead.”
“Are you using broccoli to make me jealous?”
“I was going to kiss the collie-flower, actually,” he says, and it’s so matter-of-fact that I burst out laughing again.
He giggles. Giggles. A real, honest-to-the-gods giggle, and I swear my heart swells in my chest at the sound of his happiness.
His forehead falls onto my shoulder as his body shakes in silent mirth, and I wrap my arms around him and squeeze him tight, soaking it all in.
A shocked inhale from the door causes us both to turn. Ronan stands there with his jaw slack, eyes darting between me and Nyx. “Has he ever been speechless?” I whisper loudly, and Nyx breathes another of his quiet laughs.
“No. Always with the things to say.”
Ronan blinks a few times, mouth still agape, and Cameron comes into sight with a sigh, pushing on his chin.
“You’ll catch flies, babe,” he says as he walks past him and steps inside the greenhouse.
One of his brows arches and a troublemaker grin spreads over his face as he clocks the way I stand between Nyx’s knees.
“Were you two making out in here?”
“Making… out?” Nyx asks, turning to me in question.
“It means kissing… a lot,” I explain, trying to keep a straight face because that’s exactly what we were doing. Nyx’s cheeks flame as he ducks his forehead to my shoulder with an embarrassed squeak.
“Oh my gods, you were!” Cameron squeals, and I tuck Nyx against me as I glare daggers over his head.
“I will cut you,” I mouth, but Cameron only laughs, so I make a stabbing motion with one hand. Ronan snaps out of it and steps inside, his eyes still locked on me and Nyx.
“Is that why you’re so stunned, Ro? Did you catch them playing tonsil hockey in here?”
“Cameron,” I groan, hugging Nyx tighter.
“No,” Ronan says, eyeballing how Nyx is curled into me and the protective way I’m holding him.
“No, they were laughing.” Cameron’s eyes go wide, and I give him a pointed glare, begging them not to make a big deal about this.
If Nyx feels uncomfortable letting himself laugh, he might not do it again, and it was such a tremendous step for him.
Cameron and I stare off for a long moment. He seems to understand what I’m silently projecting, because he gives me a single nod and walks over to the plants. “What’s growing?”
Nyx squirms, and his head pops up at the question.
“Do you want to show him what we’ve done, sirrha?
” I ask as I run my hand along his braid.
He nods excitedly as Ronan’s glare becomes more concentrated.
It’s like I can feel it burning through me like pissed-off little lasers, assessing my every move with Nyx.
Overprotective ass. I love him and hate him for it.
“You haven’t trained in a while,” he says as I step closer, half listening to Nyx explain what plants are sprouting on the tables and shelves. “Treasure.”
“Shut up, dick. I’ve been busy.” I’m still distracted, a smile playing on my lips as Cameron asks questions.
I have no idea whether he genuinely doesn’t know the answers, or if he’s just encouraging Nyx to talk.
Either way, I appreciate it. I realize Ronan is quiet, so I force myself to pay attention.
“Between the garden and getting the greenhouse put together, I’ve been preoccupied. ”
“Let’s not forget your mate.”
The skeptical tone of his voice grates on my nerves, and I cross my arms over my chest with narrowed eyes. “Do you have something to say about that?” I challenge.
His cheek pits in a dimple as he chews on the inside, but then he deflates with a long, pointedly annoyed sigh. “No.”
“You look upset by that.”
He scoffs again and rolls his eyes. “Yes, I was searching for a way to insult you and tell you why it was such a terrible match. Explain how he could do so much better than a tiny, irritating human with stabby tendencies. It would’ve made my whole day—”
“You really are evil,” I realize, and he ignores me.
“—but…” He trails off, and dear gods, his entire face twists into the ultimate show of annoyance.
“Are you… constipated? Is this your ‘I need more fiber’ face?” I ask, but once again, I’m ignored.
He finally speaks, forcing the words through gritted teeth. “You’re good for him. It’s obvious when I watch you together,” he says, then grimaces as if it left a foul taste in his mouth.
“Wow, don’t go overboard with the flattery.”
“It is painful to say nice things about you,” he complains, but his expression becomes impassive as he shrugs, and he turns serious.
“When we first freed him from that cage, I wasn’t sure he’d ever truly escape.
If you had told me back then that I would see him like this?
Smiling and laughing? I would’ve called you a liar.
The Fates may have made mistakes over the years, but the two of you?
” He glances over my shoulder at where Nyx and Cameron chat, then he focuses on me again. “This isn’t one of them. You heal him.”
“Gods,” I choke, horrified as tears pool in my eyes, so I drop my gaze to the ground.
I refuse to cry in front of Ronan because I’ll never hear the end of it, but I can’t seem to swallow the heavy emotion.
Soft footsteps from bare feet approach, and tiny, adorably round green toes appear in my line of sight.
“What is wrong?” Nyx asks quietly, wrapping his fingers around my chin as I obediently meet his eyes. Sweet, excruciating tenderness assesses me before Nyx turns to Ronan. “What did you do to him?”
“Me?!” Ronan barks, and I can’t help my wet laugh at his indignation. “I was being nice for once!”
“Doubt it,” Cameron chimes in as he leans his hip against a table, smirking.
Ronan’s scoff is loud, long, and dramatic. “I was.”
“He’s actually telling the truth,” I say, although Nyx still glares at him with a sternness that contradicts both his size and his quiet temperament. He curls into me like it’s second nature, though his eyes don’t leave Ronan’s.
“I hope he stabs you again,” Nyx grumbles to Ronan, and Cameron and I both burst out laughing as Ronan throws his hands up. I’m pretty sure he’s done with all three of us.
“Did you actually need something when you came down here?” I ask Ronan, and his eyes dart around the greenhouse, inspecting everything.
“We just wanted to check out your work. Before, you said our food stores wouldn’t last through winter… Do you think this will be enough?”
“Yeah,” I say as I glance at the hundreds of tiny sprouts. “A lot of this stuff grows fast. As long as you keep hunting, we’ll be able to grow enough to fill the gaps. Next year, we can expand the garden, but it’ll get us through.”
“Good,” Ronan breathes, and as he looks around at the budding plants, his guard is down for a moment.
Without the mask, it’s easy to see the weight of responsibility in the worried lines of his face.
I give him a hard time about being our self-appointed unofficial leader, but he has everyone’s best interests at heart. We all know that.
“Alright, big guy, let’s get out of their way.” Cameron takes Ronan by the hand and leads him outside, but not before he tosses me a wink. A sense of dread hits me in the gut, because there’s no telling what he’s up to.
“Katsurrel?” Nyx’s voice is muffled from his face being shoved against my neck, and I release my grip on him. His pointy chin lifts as I glance down, and I press a peck on his lips as I wait. “What is a blowing job?”
I choke on absolutely nothing, coughing so violently that Nyx recoils and jerks away. “Where did you hear that?” I ask as I try not to hack my lungs right out of my mouth. Something tells me he wouldn’t appreciate it.
He flushes, watching me with concern as I bang on my chest. “Cameron told me to ask you.”
“Of course he did,” I wheeze. My entire head and neck flush, and I’m guessing Nyx knows I’m about to say something that’ll embarrass him too.
Civilized folk don’t casually discuss blowjobs in the middle of daily chores like heathens.
Those are more intimate conversations, meant for…
private times. But fuck, if he isn’t looking at me with his unbridled curiosity, and I already swore not to handle him with kid gloves.
“It’s, um, a sex thing.” I awkwardly and needlessly gesture at his crotch like the classy man I am. “That involves, um, mouths and…” I gesture again.
Nyx makes a noise, a half-cough, half-snort I’m pretty sure is an embarrassed laugh. “He is…”
“Meddlesome?” I supply, and he tilts his head. “It means he likes getting in the middle of other people’s business.”
Nyx nods, still with an adorable flush to his cheeks. “He is meddlesome.” He glances at me and then his eyes dart away, licking his lips a few times. “Would it… that… be… something you w-wanted? With… me?”
Seven hells, I really won’t survive this. “Yes,” I say honestly, and he makes another of those sweet little squeaks deep in his throat. “But only when you’re ready. There’s no rush, Nyx. We have time.”
“All I have ever had was time,” he says as he finally holds my eyes. “Wasted time. I am tired of wasting time.”
My arms open in an invitation, and he rushes forward and buries himself in my hug.
I press my lips against the crown of his head, and the awkwardness disappears as I hold him there.
“Gods, I want to give you everything. You know that, don’t you?
How honored I am that you trust me with this?
Anything you want to try, we’ll try, but we don’t have to rush, and you can always change your mind.
You owe me nothing, okay? Even if you think I want something. ”
“What if I am the one who wants it?” he whispers, and I hug him tighter as I force myself to swallow.
“Then you’ll have it. Whatever it is.”
He nods, his hair sticking in my beard with the motion. We stand there for a few quiet moments before he says, “There is one thing I… that I want to…” He takes a deep breath and tries again. “Can you help me with something?”
“Anything.”
He hesitates, and I run my hand along his long, lopsided braid, waiting for him to gather his thoughts. “My cottage?”
“What sort of help do you need, love?”
“I want… to make it… better. More. Bring things in and make it… not… I want a h-home.”
A home.
Not a prison, or a cell.
Not a punishment, but a place of peace.
I’m so proud of him I’m afraid I might burst right out of my skin.
“Yeah,” I rasp, closing my eyes as he breathes a shaky, relieved sigh. “Yeah, of course I can do that for you.”