Chapter 23
Veylor
"Fuck," I muttered under my breath. I clenched my fist tightly around my shaft. My hips moved with a restless energy, a memory of their earlier rutting flashing vividly in my mind.
I had glanced through the large, ornate painting hanging on my wall in my room earlier, its brushstrokes a mere disguise for what lay beneath.
To any observer, it was just art, but with a subtle wave of my hand, the image shimmered and transformed.
It became a window, revealing a panoramic view of my laboratory and the sprawling estate beyond, every detail visible as if I were standing right there.
It was a gift, one that I hadn’t used before until this day.
I watched them intently. How she widened her legs, how she begged him to fuck her.
How is she not afraid of him? Was she ever? She wasn’t even scared of me and yet all the fae of this realm have stayed away.
Oryx never did.
Her skin glowed with a sun-kissed hue, looking irresistibly smooth and inviting.
I found myself yearning to reach out and feel its warmth under my fingertips.
The air around her was filled with the delicate fragrance of a rare blooming flower, a scent almost unheard of in the dark, musty halls of the Shadow Court.
My desire was to nestle my face into her cascading locks, to wrap my fingers gently yet firmly around her slender neck, feeling the pulse of life beneath.
She would like it. The hint of arousal I smelled earlier between us told me so. The way her breast pressed up against her corset, how she gasped when I pressed her against the stone wall…
I squeezed the head of my cock.
“Fuck, its like you’re kissing me from the inside.” I remember her gasping as Oryx pounded into her.
I threw my head back and watched my seed spatter against the wall of the shower. I leaned up against the shower with my forearm, letting the water run down my back.
It was hopeless. Oryx had been taken by this woman, and somehow I found myself ensnared by her as well. What a fool I was, captivated by this human.
I shut off the shower and exited, unaffected by the chill as I wrapped a towel around my waist and moved into my bedroom. Benedict was there, his sleeves rolled up, as he prepared the bed.
“Greetings, my Lord, I figured you would want to sleep here rather than the lab tonight.” His face showed nothing, but the tone was enough.
The room was spotless, thanks entirely to Benedict.
Over the years I had spent alone, this space had gathered dust and been cluttered with books and papers strewn across desks and tables. Now, there wasn't a single cobweb to be found. Oryx had attempted to tidy up my room once, but I quickly ushered him out, insisting he wasn't permitted in there.
The last time he was here…
“Veylor, please,” he begged.
“I’ll take care of you, I’ll be gentle.”
“Nghnn, more.”
I rubbed my eyes with my thumb and index finger, feeling the fatigue settle in, and sank into my worn desk chair by the window. The sky outside was painted with hues of orange and pink as the sun dipped below the horizon.
Normally, the aroma of dinner would drift up from the kitchen, signaling it was time for our nightly meal. But today, the dinner tray sat on the small table by the door, untouched and waiting, its contents growing cold.
“Are you sure you don’t want to have dinner with them? They said they would wait.” Benedict stood from the bed and walked over to the tray of food, knowing full and well I wouldn’t change my mind.
I propped my chin on my hand and gazed out the open window. “No. They can do as they please. I have other matters to focus on that I couldn’t address because of that foolish woman.”
Benedict set the tray of food on the desk and leaned over it. “My Lord, may I speak openly?”
I raised an eyebrow, “Don’t you already?”
“Touche’, anyway…” He pulled up a chair on the other side of the desk. “I can see you are upset about Oryx and his lady friend, but I have a theory as to why he is so taken with her.”
I huffed in annoyance. “I don’t know what you are talking about.
Oryx is composed of animal parts, he is releasing sexual desires he doesn’t understand.
He only needs her for release and he has a compelling obsessiveness over her.
It isn’t anything to worry about. I will continue on with my plan, and soon he will fall out of this infatuation with her. ”
And I will ignore that she told him she loved him.
Benedict made a noise of disagreement. “I see what you are saying, and agree with you about him being composed of different parts of animals, but he is also composed of different beings as well.”
Right, incubus, minotaur, dragon shifter.
Water dripped down my torso from my hair and I turned to him. “Go on.”
“I know the high courts don’t believe in fated mates, but here me out.” He held up his hand in surrender.
Benedict leaned in, his eyes gleaming with a conviction that made me pause. "What if she is more than just a mere distraction? What if she is his fated mate? That would explain his obsession, his protectiveness. It's not just lust, my Lord. It's something deeper."
I scoffed, looking away from him. "Fated mates are a myth, Benedict. A tale to make young fae dream of impossible things. Oryx is driven by his instincts, not by some magical bond."
Benedict shrugged, undeterred. "Myth or not, there is something different about her. She is not afraid of him, or you. She carries herself like she belongs here, like she is one of us. And Oryx... he responds to her in a way I have never seen him respond to anyone else. With the different beings in him, it’s easier to spot.
I’ve seen shifters act that way toward their fated. "
I stood, the chair scrapping loudly against the floor. "Enough," I growled. "I will not have this conversation. Oryx will tire of her, and things will return to normal."
Benedict sighed, standing as well. "As you wish, my Lord. But remember, sometimes the things we plan for are not the things that are meant to be." He bowed slightly and left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I looked back out the window, the sun now a distant memory on the horizon. The room was filled with shadows, the only light coming from the faint glow of the moon. I could see her in my mind's eye, her laughing with Oryx, her eyes shining with love. Love. The word left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I pushed away from the desk, the tray of food left untouched. I was not hungry. Not for food anyway. I walked to the bed, Benedict's words echoing in my mind. Fated mates. It was ridiculous. It was impossible.
What Oryx and I shared before the accident was an all-consuming love. He was the sole man who could light up my world, the only one who brought true joy to my life.
He was the person who helped everyone in the courts understand that the Shadows could bring peace and that the souls dwelling here were not all monstrous. We longed for peace. That was my single wish for this land: for other courts not to be afraid of us.
We could be useful in the night, even if we could not bear the sunlight for too long.
While fated mates were taught to be fiction, there were times I’ve seen the lower classes and their bonding ceremonies look so joyous. Lord and Lordesses not so much.
I’ve seen fae look like they were truly in love, that their souls were really woven together. I would pretend Oryx and I were the same.
Did Oryx and I have that before?
We lived in the upper classes, we weren’t told such stories because we lived in prestige, honor. We had to keep the balance, there was no time for fated mates, we didn’t have that luxury.
I rubbed my chin. Could he have been my fated?
We weren’t taught the signs…
It was difficult to discern my own feelings; my heart was absent, and my soul? How could it possibly be tied to him now? It was shattered to bring him and those around me back to the living plane.
Perhaps this is his second chance at living, and my life has truly died.
“I’ll always love you, Veylor.”
My lip quivered uncontrollably, and I quickly slapped my hand to my face to conceal the telltale sign of my turmoil.
I felt shattered, a chaotic mess of emotions, utterly broken.
It was as if I had no heart, no soul left within me.
I was unworthy of him, undeserving of even the slightest touch from this woman.
A deep-seated hatred simmered inside me—for her, for the fact that she could possess something I would never be able to reach again.
My Oryx deserved… everything. He deserved happiness even if it wasn’t with me.
Was I selfless enough to do such a thing?
Hardly.
For Oryx I could try. It could be better that way, since I have no heart or soul to bind myself to him. Perhaps it was more of a reason why I didn’t spend time with him all these years, because subconsciously I knew I couldn’t connect with him, or anyone. Not anymore.
Movement flittered to my right. The incoming mail basket flashed golden until it died and shadows filled around it. The handwriting was neat, cursive and a return address with Sylvaine’s name written on the back side. I opened it quickly to check the contents.
Veylor,
I’d be happy to check the specimen. I’ll let you know a few days after the next full moon what I find.
I’m delighted to hear from you. I hope this means you are ready to keep our communication open.
Sylvaine
I hummed and put the letter into my desk for safekeeping.
While I would back away from Oryx, I will find out who this female is if he is to pursue her.
He doesn’t have his mind back completely, and if she is a mate for him, I will know her origins.
It would be utterly strange to have a human as a fated mate, to have someone from another realm.
A break from Vesper and time in the library would be more beneficial for the morrow.
But as I lay down on the bed, the scent of her still lingering in my memory, I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy from Oryx too. I don’t know why I lust after both of them.
I turned on my side, looking out at the night sky. I would push these thoughts aside. I would focus on my plan. I would not let some silly female disrupt my life any more than she already had. But even as I made these promises to myself, I knew it was too late.
She had disrupted my life. She had disrupted everything.
I wouldn’t get my lover back and I would end up alone.