9. Rhys
RHYS
My boots hit the marble as I stalked back and forth across the kitchen. The urge to claw at my chest and remove the organ—which had never beat in the way humans’ did—was so strong, it nearly took me out at the knees.
Soraya.
Her face bloomed in my mind. It was crazy to think that I’d only seen her twice in the human realm and her features were already carved into my memories. Spelled as though sealed with black magic—the darkest kind.
I saw blond hair slipping free of her braid in long tendrils, porcelain skin that I wanted to bite—to mark.
Long, languid curves. And those eyes—I’d seen the telltale sign of magic sparking in their depths.
Silver embers coming alive after years of suppression.
It was as dangerous as a dropped match in a forest doused in gasoline.
“Rhys?”
I whirled at the sound of Pax’s voice.
He instantly froze. It was a smart move. My beast had control of me. The monster that wanted to hunt, wanted to rip apart the world because of the distance between him and his mate.
Pax dipped his head, showing deference, telling me he wasn’t a threat. “You need to drink.”
He didn’t mean whiskey, though that might’ve helped, given the circumstances.
“No,” I growled.
Pax’s jaw worked back and forth. “I got some of the animal stuff.”
He understood that I wouldn’t take human blood. Not Nocturnae. Not any other magical creature…save one. And he knew why.
But animal blood was different. It was our version of being a vegetarian.
“It’s in the fridge,” Pax said quietly.
I didn’t want to get it. Didn’t want to show the weakness of needing to drink. But if I didn’t, I might end up ripping out my best friend’s jugular, and we couldn’t have that.
Swallowing hard, I stalked toward the massive fridge and yanked open the door, nearly taking it off its hinges. There were countless blood bags. Most were human, marked by whatever donation service Pax had pilfered them from. But next to them were plastic containers marked chicken blood.
My lip curled. Cold. Not from the vein. And an animal’s. But it would have to do.
I took one out and didn’t even bother to pour it into a glass like a civilized Nocturnae who abstained. Instead, I felt my fangs lengthen, piercing my gums. I bit into the lid and began to chug.
Everything about it tasted wrong, but four gulps in, the worst of the beast quieted. It would only get worse from here on out, and I knew it. Because the monster within me only wanted the blood of one creature, and now that he’d seen her—scented her—there was no turning back.
I drained the container far too quickly, but I didn’t reach for another. I couldn’t show weakness. Not even in front of my best friend.
Wiping my mouth, I tossed the empty plastic into the trash and hoped Pax had enough strength to mind-control the housekeeper.
“Feel better?” he asked, leaning against the counter.
I simply grunted.
“I’m taking that as both a yes and a no.”
I didn’t dignify that with a response.
He knew. Pax may not have a mate—fated or otherwise—but we’d all been raised on the lore. The blood of your fated would sing to you like no other. Even now, I could hear its call, enchanting me from a mile or so away.
I could make the trip in seconds, rip her lock out with the flick of a finger, plunge my teeth into her neck, and—
“Rhys. Your eyes,” Pax clipped.
I let out a snarl, snapping them closed. I knew they gave me away, gave away my need for her. It was something that made me absolutely despise myself.
“We’re running out of time,” he said softly.
Inhaling deeply, trying to chain the beast, I opened my eyes again. “Yes.”
Surprise flickered in his green gaze, then wariness. “What happened?”
“I saw her today.”
“You mean you were stalking her?” he challenged.
“Potato, po-tah-to.”
Pax scoffed.
My brother would’ve had his head for such disrespect. I was never quite as touchy. “Her magic is reigniting.”
Pax froze, his own irises swirling. The sparks weren’t nearly what my eyes revealed, but that was a measure of the magic in our blood. Still, the emerald fire gave him away. “What do you mean?” Each word was strained, as if he was desperately trying to contain his fury.
“Her eyes. When we touched. Her magic is starting to return.”
He stared at me for a long moment. “Have you prepared? Sent a message to your brother?”
My insides twisted into a vicious knot. “You mean tell him that he doesn’t get to play King much longer? Or so someone can assassinate me upon my return?” I asked drolly.
As far as Lumaria was concerned, I’d kidnapped the promised of the Luminary Prince in retribution for her father’s crimes. They had no idea that it was so much worse.
And Ayden? The power of ruling the House of Firelight had gone to his head. He might turn me in just for shits and giggles.
A muscle fluttered in Pax’s cheek. “You’ll need his help. Our House’s help.”
I would. But giving them a heads-up wouldn’t get them on our side. It would mean we’d be greeted by a firing squad.
White-hot pain streaked through my skull, making my knees nearly buckle. For a moment, I thought I was having another vision. But it wasn’t quite the same.
A vicious jerk resounded in my chest. Like some invisible tether had pulled as hard as it could. Fiery tendrils of burning agony swept through my muscles.
“Rhys?”
I gripped the counter, trying to stay upright.
“What’s wrong?” Pax demanded.
Flashes filled my mind: Soraya stumbling. Clutching at the walls. Falling. Landing on the cold floor.
“Soraya,” I croaked.
Pax cursed but managed to help me toward the front doors. Moments later, I was spilling into the ridiculous sports car I’d rented as he climbed behind the wheel.
My vision blurred as a fresh wave of pain hit me. When the bond between fated mates was especially strong, they could sometimes feel what the other was feeling. It wasn’t exact or perfect, but there were flickers. But I’d never heard of it happening before a pair had cemented the bond.
That required a choice by both parties. A vow. And a ceremony of sorts.
Pax gunned the engine, racing through the streets of the sleepy town.
I hoped like hell he didn’t end up on the cops’ radar. I wasn’t sure I had enough mind control in me at the moment to get us out of a situation like that.
The closer we got, the more the pain intensified. Pax screeched to a halt outside a small house with cracks in the sidewalk and the siding. I gritted my teeth. “You. Let. Her. Live. Here?” I snarled.
Pax glowered at me. “You asked me not to interfere unless necessary.”
“My fated not living in a falling-down cottage is necessary.” I shoved the passenger door open, nearly taking it off its hinges, then stalked toward the cottage’s front door. “Key,” I demanded, knowing he’d have one.
Pax had inserted himself in Rae’s life when she was a sophomore in high school, after her adoptive parents were brutally murdered. It made keeping an eye on her significantly easier. But he’d always been there, watching over her, making sure she’d never come to any harm.
But now, she was harmed. She was hurting.
Pax quickly unlocked the door, and I shoved past him. Rae lay sprawled across the living room floor, and that organ in my chest jerked. I raced forward, pressing my fingers to her neck.
The moment I touched her, the echo of pain ended, and another sensation began—need coursing through me, my beast riding me to cement the bond before someone stole her away.
Rae let out a soft moan and rolled to her back, her eyelids fluttering.
A curse slipped free the moment I saw her irises. Silver sparks swam in them, her magic trying to help her.
“You,” she croaked.
Something howled within me, as if I were a godsdamned wolf shifter.
Confusion swam in Rae’s eyes. “Pax?”
I hated his name on her lips, even though I was the one who’d ultimately put it there.
“What happened?” she asked, her words slurring.
“You had another migraine,” Pax explained. “But we’re going to help you.”
I nearly took his head off. There was no we. There was only me.
I wrapped my hand around Rae’s neck, feeling her pulse pick up speed. The rapid thrum of her blood throbbed against my palm. My fangs pressed against my gums, wanting out, wanting to drink…just a tiny taste.
“Rhys,” Pax said, his voice dipping low.
Rae stared up at me with pain-filled eyes. I both hated it and craved it in the same breath. Because the blood that roared through her veins was the same blood I’d vowed to hate for all eternity.
“We need to go,” I gritted out. “There’s no time.”
Pax’s eyes flared. “Back to Lumaria?”
A whimper slipped from Rae’s mouth. “Hurts.”
“Now,” I growled, sliding my arms under her back and legs, lifting her. She curled into me as I strode toward the backyard. “Look at me, Petite étincelle.”
Her head jerked slightly, those gray eyes full of silver going wide.
“Feel this.” My hand slid beneath her ridiculous pajama top covered in plants. When my palm connected with her bare skin, I saw her pain ease.
“How?” she croaked.
“Hold on,” I ordered.
With a single inhale, I summoned my wings. Damn, it felt good after keeping them stored for so long. It was rare that I ever got to use them. And the cloaking magic it took to hide me from human eyes had a heavy cost, so I rarely flew here.
But there was no other way to get to where we needed to go now.
I glanced at Pax, taking in his wings, slightly smaller than mine but out in all their glory. He jerked his head in a nod. It was all the answer I needed.
“Hold on.” Bending my knees slightly, I pushed off the earth, letting my wings take over.
Rae let out a strangled scream. “Ohmigod, we’re flying!” She wrapped her arms around my neck as if she feared I might drop her.
Never.
Her heart hammered so loudly it was all I could hear. Tempting beats.
She pulled back a fraction as we soared through the air. “A-are you an angel?”
My lip curled. “More like the devil.”