Chapter Eighteen
Castor Aegaeon
The crisp night air was uniquely refreshing.
This close to the wilt, it was a blessing that life still found a way to flourish.
The soft melody of the night birds and the scuffling of smaller nocturnal creatures meant all was well, for the moment.
The magic of the land was still fighting to survive.
I detected traces of it dancing along my skin like soft kisses a mother gives their newborn babe.
I didn’t speak to anyone, only granting warriors a nod if any of them recognized me.
I was consumed within the trenches of my own mind, thinking and plotting the next steps and then the ones after, tinkering with the different complexities of our strategy, and figuring out plan C, if plans A and B didn’t work out.
I was always calculating our subsequent efforts, always trying my best not to be surprised or caught off guard.
I reached a small outcrop of gray boulders that built a natural encampment overlooking the clearing below.
I decided this would be an excellent vantage point and a separation from the commotion of the warriors.
The natural rocky hill created a cascading staircase that I easily scaled.
The boulders under my hands held streaks of sparkling minerals that stood out against the darker stones in the reflection of the moonlight.
Skylar would know the name of this.
A twinge of pain burrowed within my chest. I worried for her safety, along with my brother’s.
When I reached the top, I searched for a restful dwelling to unwind in. A sound echoed from behind me. Against my best intentions not to be caught off guard, I froze in place, eyes wide with shock.
She was so still.
A stillness that I believed only the dead could truly achieve. Yet, she looked peaceful and, as always, exquisitely stunning.
I cleared my throat, half-wondering if she was asleep. “Nyssa,” I announced as bravely as I could manage.
She didn’t shift or even breathe.
“Nyssa.” I didn’t frame it as a question because I knew where she was, a part of me always knew—
A glimpse of fair skin atop a slender thigh drew my attention. The slit of her long ebony dress, which did little to curb my raging hunger, moved. I stilled as her leg straightened from its resting position and she sat up from the shadow cast by the large boulders and leaned into the moonlight.
Her narrowed almond-shaped eyes were so dark they were almost black, but she entranced me like none before. I knew that only in darkness could we see some of the treasures gifted to us in this life. Like the stars above, they shimmered with an ancient, all-knowing wisdom reflected in her gaze.
“Are you cold?” I asked, beginning to remove my cloak.
“No,” she signed. “I’m fine, Prince Castor. You don’t need to trouble yourself on my account.” She exhaled a heavy breath, and I could see a hint of the chill clutching onto her exhalation despite her previous statement.
I disregarded her protest and continued to unfasten my cloak.
Slowly, I walked to where she leaned against the rocks, securing it over her lap.
“This isn’t the most comfortable place for someone to sleep,” I said.
“But it might be the quietest,” I added with a grin that had won me the beds of countless females in my past.
“I didn’t want to worry anyone. I just wanted to find some peace,” Nyssa signed.
I waited for her to ask me to leave, but to my surprise, she didn’t. The fact that she didn’t immediately try to decline my offering was promising.
“I can find another place to keep watch,” I said, not wanting to leave, but still giving her the choice of privacy if that was what she desired.
Gods, I would give her anything if she only asked it of me. After what she was forced to endure and the courage it took to continue living, she deserved more than what I could give her.
“I don’t mind your company if you’re willing to give it. But just your company,” she signed, with her brows raised in a warning.
“Many say that at first,” I said with a flash of my smile, running a hand through my silver hair.
Nyssa tried to hold back her smirk as she signed, “Are all your female conquests so easily swayed with a simple bat of your long lashes and a sparkling smile?”
I couldn’t tell if she was teasing me or insulting me, but regardless, I decided to play along. “Neither. It’s the hair.”
Nyssa chuckled and shook her head, motioning for me to rest next to her. I happily obliged, and she lifted my cloak so we could sit closer. With our backs against the rocks, we were able to gaze out across the moonlit camp and field below.
“There’s more to you than just your handsome looks, Prince Castor,” Nyssa signed. “The most beautiful pieces of you are concealed from the rest of the world, camouflaged with flamboyant charades and tricks.”
I didn’t dare meet her stare. My eyes were focused solely on her hands, not wanting to miss a single word she chose to tell me.
My heart was beating so fast that I swear Nyssa could feel the vibrations of its thundering rhythm. We were alone together, the first time since—
“You’ve been watching me, then?” I teased in a sing-song voice. “It’s always the quiet ones you have to keep careful watch over.”
Nyssa elbowed me, and I laughed.
“What do you see when you watch me, Nyssa?”
My question hung silently in the air between us for a long moment. Her hands remained still in her lap, forcing me to dare to look upon the face I had dreamed of each and every night since Skylar’s healing magic saved her.
“Nyssa?”
Our eyes met, and my world stopped. My breathing became rapid as I recognized the desire I was feeling mirrored in her gaze. I shifted, daring to move closer, my lips only breaths away from hers.
Still, she didn’t speak, and I didn’t judge or blame her for this fact. Gods be damned, I spoke enough for ten people at times.
Nyssa silently raised her hands. Her fingertips grazed my chin before caressing the tips of my ears, causing my eyes to close and roll back. Her thumb traced along my bottom lip, and I could feel my cock throbbing against the restraint of my leathers.
Fuck, how could this female do this to me with only a whisper of her touch?
I felt Nyssa hesitate, and I opened my eyes to meet hers.
“Show me,” I said.
Nyssa nodded, and in a flash, she pulled me into a vision.