Twenty-Five
Lysander
As the days passed, Avalon became Lysander’s new priority. At first, he’d wanted nothing to do with her, but now he couldn’t let a single second go by without stealing a touch, at the very least. She found ways to keep herself busy: gardening, painting, reading, even helping Varos with his ridiculous puzzle.
Today, however, he couldn’t be anywhere near her. He could feel his lycan lurking in the back of his mind, making his skin crawl. Lysander sought out the security of his office, closing the door and using work to keep himself distracted. Though they—Avalon especially—hadn’t made any definitive plans, he was slowly preparing for them to leave Houston behind. He also hoped that busying himself with closing the business down would distance Avalon. It worked for most of the day, but eventually Avalon grew impatient.
Her quiet footsteps sounded down the hall, and there was a gentle knock at the door before it opened. “You haven’t eaten all day. Could we cook something together when you’re finished?”
He suppressed a sigh. He always tried to limit his food intake on full moons to weaken his body even more .
“It’s just an offer.” Though she tried to hide it she seemed hurt, even a little worried.
“Come here,” he demanded, his tone much rougher than he’d intended. He cleared his throat and softly added, “Please.”
Biting her inner cheek, she hesitated before stepping past the threshold. Once she’d rounded his desk, he picked her up by her hips and placed her on the surface, her legs dangling between his knees. She leaned over, saving a stack of papers from being crushed by her ass.
Once she was no longer worried about his work being ruined, she looked at him and asked, “Did I do something to upset you?”
“No. I just don’t eat much on full moons.”
Her pupils widened. “I…” Avalon dropped her gaze and fidgeted with her shirt. “I didn’t know it was a full moon today.”
“How could you?”
“I could have kept track of it.”
“It’s not your responsibility.” He sighed and leaned back, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I try to keep myself as weak as possible. I used to fast for a week, but Varos and Marcus couldn’t cope with me so they only accept a day now.”
“Big old grump, huh?” She giggled, peering up through her lashes.
“Apparently.”
She held her hands out, palms up. “I’m sorry I didn’t check in with you sooner. I could feel that you weren’t feeling right, but I thought you were just having a bad day.”
He laid his hands on hers, turned them, and leaned in to kiss her knuckles. He took his time, first kissing each one on her right and then moving to the left. “I didn’t mean to worry you. Thank you for telling me.”
“What will happen tonight?”
He placed her hands back into her lap, but didn’t let go, soothing his own anxiety by stroking her hands. “I will go into the cellar where I will wait until the moon fully rises. Varos and Marcus will let my lycan fully emerge, then restrain him and drain him of all his blood.”
“Does it hurt?”
“It used to. Natural shifts don’t. Though I no longer shift naturally, I don’t fight the shift. I know Varos and Marcus are there to stop me. The moment I fully trusted them, I stopped fighting.”
“What is it like after you shift?”
“Since they drain him, we both pass out, only awaking with the sunrise. With the moon gone I regain control.”
“That sounds awful and exhausting.”
“I usually spend the day after sleeping.”
“Would you like me to stay away from you until you feel better?”
Did he? He didn’t know. Avalon’s presence was surely calming, but did he want her to see his darkest side? Was she ready for that? He didn’t want to scare her, and she already had so much on her plate. “It’s up to you. I just want you to know that you can leave at any point. I’m not myself when he takes over.”
“I have discovered that I can now fight back pretty well. So, if you’re a jerk I might have to punch you.”
That made his lips curl into a smile. “I’m sure I won’t hear the end of it from Marcus if you do.”
“Are you comfortable with me being there?”
He couldn’t place why, but something made him feel safe with Avalon. He laid his head into her lap and she immediately had her fingers running through his hair. “No. I’m terrified of it. I’m afraid that it will make you run from me.”
“If I walk out, the only one I’m turning my back on is your lycan. If I understand correctly, you’re two separate creatures, so if I walk out of there tonight, it’s not because of you.”
“That means a lot to me.”
Neither of them moved, her fingers calmly combing through his hair.
This felt good.
This felt right .
Half an hour before moonrise, he went down into the dungeon. He stripped and folded his clothes, placing them in a neat pile outside the cellar door. Then he took a deep breath, and stepped over the threshold. His mind eased—a calm before the storm. This was his safe haven, the room that would make sure he wouldn’t repeat his past failures. His friends would soon join him, watch over him. It was odd because for a long time, the moments before his shifts—before losing himself—had felt like torture. Now, after learning to trust his companions blindly, it had become—what had it become? Definitely easier and much calmer, but there was something else there.
Before he could sink deeper into his thoughts, cool arms wrapped around him and a soft cheek nuzzled into his back. He rested his hands over Avalon’s and twisted their fingers together. Her touch eased the crawling under his skin as his lycan battled his way out of confinement.
“I wanted to offer you one last out,” Avalon whispered.
“This feels good.” He turned in her arms and pressed a kiss to her hair, holding her tightly against his bare chest. “And remember, you also have an out.”
“You have goosebumps all over.”
“You would too if you could. This room is filled with pure silver. Even the walls are embedded with it.”
“I was wondering why it felt so yucky in here.”
Marcus and Varos appeared to either side of them. At their arrival, Avalon stood on her toes and kissed him passionately. Though the kiss was way too brief. She silently took a backseat, so as not to interfere.
He knelt on the floor in the midst of the room, Marcus behind him and Varos to his side, promising that they would look after him. The mantra embedded, something like a good luck charm, a superstition that if it was missed something would go wrong.
He stepped back, falling into his friends’ hands and giving up control to the lycan. The creature barged through the open doors of his mental cell, claiming Lysander’s body as his own. His bones cracked and his muscles ripped as he grew larger, and his canines broke through. Silver chains burned into his skin, and fangs dug deep into his flesh. The lycan raged as he yet again was bound by silver and felt his blood being drained and replaced by their venom, weakening him even more.
Then the pain was broken by a cool, soothing touch and a softly whispered promise. “I’ll stay with you.”