Chapter 28
NOX
I see the tree. Her. The night sky. The air is clean, earthy, and thick with the freshness of wet leaves and soil.
I remember.
There was a before. I was in these woods. Not me. A part of me. They aren’t my memories. But I feel them as if they are.
Mia looks as peaceful as she does when she’s in my bed. In our nightmare world. But the colors are sharper and brighter. Her skin glistens from the morning dew.
It worked. My dark one kept her promise. She sacrificed her soul to save mine. I kneel down beside her, my limbs shivering for the first time. The wind chills me. A sensation I only have a distant memory of.
I caress her cheek, thankful that I still have my claws. I wasn’t sure what form I’d take in this world. I touch my horns and my tail, making sure they are still there as well. We have crossed a dangerous line. My form is not supposed to be here. So, I will be confined to another prison, but at least it will be a waking one. I’m content with being bound to her home. As long as I am with her.
“I must get you back before anyone sees us, my love.” I scoop her up gently in my arms and lift her off the wet ground. I’m certain that a naked monster carrying a woman through the forest would not be taken well.
She whimpers against me. “Nox…”
“Yes, dark one. I’m here.” I continue down a narrow path, remembering the way to Harker Mansion as if I’ve been there before. It’s a shared memory, a collection of fragments that belong to other damned souls.
With each breath of this new air, my lungs expand. She seems tinier in my arms today. In the great expanse around us, I feel smaller as well. Even at nearly seven feet, I am but a speck in the great space that stretches beyond us in every direction.
I spot the back of the house a few feet ahead. I tuck her tight to my chest, afraid she might disappear if I’m not touching her.
She stirs in my arms. “Nox…” she repeats.
“We’re almost there, love. Almost home.” I choke back a sob as the words spoken aloud seem too good to be true. But as I round the back steps to the terrace, it couldn’t be more real. More tangible. I’m flooded with emotions as I carry her inside the mansion.
My heart races as I take in the colors and textures of the walls and the floors. Everything is more vivid than I imagined. I want to breathe it all in, but my love is shivering, and her hand needs attending to.
I follow the sound of voices. The ones who wait for her. Them . The other men I will have to share her with. I fight back the urge to revolt and steal her away. That wouldn’t make her happy.
I climb a flight of stairs to another level of the house, and I’m in awe. The tapestries are rich in deep shades of red and black, surrounding the painted portraits that decorate the walls. Portraits of Harker women who all look like my Mia.
A warm draft calls to my senses, urging me forward. I spot a flickering light from a room up ahead. The voices grow louder as I near.
Mia nuzzles her face against my chest. “I have to wake up. It’s time for me to go back.”
I stand in the doorway of the room with the voices. It’s a library. The light comes from a fire in a stone hearth. “You are back, dark one. I am here with you. No more nightmares.”
She gasps as her eyelids fly open. “Nox,” she rasps.
Three figures stare back at us, their eyes wide. A smirk pulls at the corners of my mouth. I snake my tail possessively around Mia. “Hello.”
They are beautiful in their own right, tall and muscular, with smooth skin and soft lips. The blond one is almost as tall as me, while the other two exude strength and power. They can’t take their eyes off us. The ache and desperation in their expressions are palpable. There is a synergy between them.
“Set her down on the couch so I can clean up her hand,” the man with jet black hair orders.
I’m not used to taking them, but I do because Mia is my only concern. I lay her down and tuck her into a soft blanket. Her cheeks are pale and clammy, her forehead sweaty. She shivers as she clings to my hand.
“Y-you’re here. It… worked,” she murmurs.
“Yes, my love. Rest now.”
The black haired man approaches with caution. I step back to show him I have no intention of hurting him. He sits next to her and cleans her hand before applying an ointment.
“Draven… are you okay?” Mia asks him.
She looks at him with so much longing, I feel it as if it were my own .
He nods. “Better now that you’re here.”
“Bones.” She reaches for the shorter, stockier man with tattoos.
“I’m here, Mia. Are you okay?”
“Yes, I don’t feel any different,” she murmurs.
The tall blond one stares me down. He studies my face, then my chest and finally his gaze lands on my cock.
“You must be Aries, then.” I make a point to lock eyes with each of the three heathens. “I am Nox because that is the name she gave me. That is what you can call me too.”
“I brought you some clothes, but now I’m thinking they aren’t gonna fit.” Aries snorts.
“I’ve never had any need for clothes, but I will wear them if it makes you more comfortable.” I look to Mia. Hers is the only opinion I care for.
Her eyes are wide as she gazes back at me. “Whatever you want, Nox.”
“I prefer you put something on, actually,” Draven snaps.
I nod and smile as Aries hands me a soft black sweater and black pants. I have to rip a hole in the back to allow my tail to fit through. They watch me like hawks, curious and leery of me at the same time.
“It’s snug, but it will do for now.” I pull down the fabric of the sweater. It just barely reaches my hips.
Draven glares at me. “She needs to rest now. Everyone out.”
I don’t like him telling me what to do. But he’s right. I prefer to watch over her, but I’m sensing that isn’t going to happen tonight. Not with them here.
“Come, let’s get you your first drink.” Aries pats me on the back, and I almost toss him into the nearest wall. No one has ever touched me except Mia. But I refrain.
“I’ll be back later, dark one.” I kiss her forehead before following Aries, Bones, and Draven out into the hall. “What are we drinking?”
Bones lets out a deep sigh. “Fucking everything.”
“That might not even be enough,” Draven huffs.
His aura is dark like mine. It’s odd to stand so close to another being that exudes the same energy.
“Lead the way, then.”
I chuckle as they exchange exasperated looks.
This is going to be a very long day. For them .