Chapter 40 Nyx
Nyx
Consciousness finds me not in scattered bits and pieces, but all at once. I gasp, sitting up with a jolt as everything comes crashing through my mind. The soldiers, Xeni lying unconscious at their feet, Ronan bound, and Reyes…
Reyes.
A hand squeezes mine, and I turn to find his eyes wide open in the darkness.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” he soothes. “It’s…
you’re okay. You’re okay…” He chants the words in a whisper, over and over, as he buries his face in my chest and wraps his arms around me.
The relief that floods my system is so potent it leaves me lightheaded.
My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth as I search the strange tent. “Ronan? Xeni?”
“Everyone’s okay. We’re fine.”
“What happened?” He releases me for just a moment to grab a bottle from the ground beside him. The water is warm, but it quenches my thirst as I drain the whole thing and hunt for more. Reyes kisses my hand before he steps a few feet away and refills it for me.
“Drink this one slower,” he warns, and I only grunt as I accept it. I do as he asks, though, and force myself to take small sips. “What do you remember?”
“We were running, but they caught us. Xeni was hurt, and Ronan was tied up, and I… I was so angry. Scared. And they touched you, and I…” I trail off, shaking my head. “That’s the last thing I remember.”
Reyes hums as he climbs into the cot beside me, and I curl into him.
There’s barely enough room for the two of us, but I don’t mind.
“You used your magic,” he explains quietly as he runs a palm over my hair.
“It was incredible. The plants… it was like they came alive to do your bidding. Tree branches were grabbing them by their wrists, and vines were holding their ankles. It gave me the chance to get Ronan free, and we… took care of them.”
“I don’t remember,” I whisper, and he hugs me tighter.
“That’s probably for the best. It wasn’t pretty.”
“Where are we now?”
“Matuk’s camp. He was headed to meet with us and got captured. Those soldiers had taken him and locked him in your old cage.”
“He is okay?”
Reyes nods as he plays with my hair, and I nuzzle into his touch. “A few broken bones, and some scratches, but he’s alright. He led us here to his camp, but Ronan is anxious to get on the road again.”
“Ronan is always anxious,” I mutter, and his breathy huff of a laugh brings a touch of lightness back to my heavy heart.
“I heard that,” Ronan says, but there’s humor in his tone as he crouches next to our cot. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired, and hungry, but okay. How long have I been sleeping?”
“Eight hours, give or take,” Reyes answers.
“It’s the middle of the night right now.
” Ronan glances around at the other cots surrounding us, assessing their occupants.
Xeni sleeps beside me, and Matuk lies in a cot a few past him, though he looks like he’s awake and staring at the ceiling.
“If there are no other complications, I’d like to leave before first light.
We have another long drive, and half our crew is injured or not in fighting shape. ”
“There is room?” I ask, and Ronan nods.
“They have a vehicle they took from Ljómur. It runs well, and since we took that extra fuel, we have plenty to get both home.”
“You trust them?”
Ronan hesitates at my question this time, but eventually he nods his head slowly. “I believe this is best for our family, even if it scares me.”
Family.
The word echoes in my head as I curl into Reyes, a sudden rush of emotion stealing my words. It’s been almost a century since I had a family. Decades since I saw my parents, and decades since I forgot what they looked like. For the last ninety-one years of my life, I have never belonged.
Not until now.
“I want to go home,” I whisper, and Reyes nods as he pets me, dragging his hands over me like he needs to remind himself I’m here. I melt into him, relishing the comfort in his touch.
“Yeah, sirrha, me too. We’ve had enough adventures for a while.”
Ronan’s wish is granted, and the dawn brings with it a rush of packing as we get ready to leave.
My body is weak this morning, and I’m exhausted, despite sleeping off and on through the rest of the night.
Reyes holds me protectively at his side as the others cast me curious glances.
I watch them from a distance as they gather their few possessions.
Samuel and Audra smile at me, his shy and hers cautious.
Everyone else looks terrified to approach me.
When Reyes points out the scientists, we’re both relieved I don’t recognize them.
It’s hard for me to separate the faces that handled me inside Ljómur from my experiences there.
Even Xeni can scare me if he takes me by surprise, despite the time we’ve spent together.
Sprocket isn’t very big. She’s shorter than Reyes and wiry, though not as thin as I am.
Her dark gray skin is shimmery in the faint morning light, and her eyes are a burnished copper.
Grayish-purple hair is pulled into a messy bun between the horns that hug her scalp.
When she catches me looking, she examines me with open curiosity.
Aryn stands beside her, and I take a moment to assess him as well.
The only Dreven I’ve ever met was another prisoner, and I only saw her when she’d walk past my cell door.
His movements remind me of Ronan’s—sleek and prowling, and armed with a quiet grace.
Aryn is around Cameron and August’s height, with a build that falls between the two.
He has red skin that isn’t as vibrant as Lillith’s, onyx hair in a wavy ponytail, and a long tail draped across his neck like a serpent.
He looks up and offers me a shy smile, and I draw in a breath at his large fangs.
His brows narrow in a moment of concern, though only understanding shows in his eyes as he closes his mouth, nods, and returns to packing.
Matuk stands with Audra near the doorway, and it’s comical how far he leans down to speak with her.
I take them to be the unofficial leaders of this small group.
Matuk doesn’t appear to want the responsibility of looking after others, but the tiny fire-haired woman doesn’t seem to mind stepping up.
Human ages are a mystery to me, but I can tell she’s young.
She couldn’t have been in captivity very long—a few years, perhaps.
Not long enough to drain her fire.
Samuel is older and more docile, though I don’t know if that’s his nature or a result of the years spent inside that place.
Faint wrinkles pit the skin around his eyes and mouth, and touches of gray pepper his short black hair.
He sits on the edge of a cot beside Daiwyn, and as he reaches for her, I note the purple mark on his palm.
She hasn’t spoken since I’ve been awake, but he holds her hand and allows her the quiet.
Good.
People too often think the best way to infiltrate a broken mind is with brute force. They want to bore inside with forced conversations and constant noise, but sometimes, you need the silence to heal.
Daiwyn’s skin is paler than Ronan’s, and her hair is cut just above her shoulders.
All Anunians are formidable in their size, but she looks so small as she sits with her upper body hunched and her tails piled limply on the bed.
Samuel squeezes her hand, and they look at each other for a moment with such devotion, it gives me peace.
She will be okay, with him.
She will heal as I have healed.
Ronan distributes food from our stash, encouraging everyone to eat before the drive.
After he feeds them, he crouches beside the cot where I sit with Reyes.
“They have little to bring,” he says as he glances around the tent.
“These cots fold, so we’re going to pack as many of them as we can carry.
They'll come in handy while we figure out living accommodations. Their food supply is gone, but there’s an apple tree in the camp that they’ve survived on for the past few days.
Matuk has snared a few small animals, but they’re weak. It’s a miracle they made it this long.”
“We will feed them,” I say, and Reyes nods and wraps an arm around me.
“There is nothing here worth bringing then?” Reyes asks, and Ronan shakes his head.
“I scouted last night while I was patrolling. This place has been empty for years and has been stripped of anything valuable.”
“Apples,” I say, and they both look at me in question. “Bring the apples. Seeds.”
“Smart cookie.” Reyes presses another kiss to my forehead that I lean into.
“Grab some and meet the rest of us at the vehicles,” Ronan says. “If we want to get back before dark, we need to leave within the hour. There are no more reasons to stay.”
Reyes grabs a towel that he ties into a makeshift sling, and we step outside into the morning. The sun’s rays are blazing as always, but there’s a hint of a chill in the air. “The cold months will come soon,” I say, and Reyes takes my hand and turns his face to the sun.
“I feel that too. Honestly, I’m looking forward to it. Chilly mornings under the blankets with you.”
“You are the pervert,” I tease, and he throws his head back in a laugh.
“Reading! And snuggling. No one said anything about sex, mister. Who’s the pervert now?
” I chuckle as we approach the apple tree.
It’s a pitiful thing, barely hanging on with the limited nutrients the dried soil is willing to share, but it bears fruit like it’s too stubborn to quit.
We pick two dozen apples and leave the smaller ones to grow.
Maybe more hungry souls might stumble upon this place and find a little relief.
Back at the vans, cots are being folded and loaded into the trunks. The pile of belongings is tiny, though I notice Aryn carries a stack of weathered papers several inches thick. He catches me looking and gives me another tentative smile, but he keeps his lips sealed for this one.
We split into our original groups, and the others fall in line behind us as we hit the road.
Minds wander and conversation is distracted as we drive.
Without a place to bathe, Xeni is covered in his own blood while Ronan and Reyes are covered in the blood of others.
My body is exhausted and my mind foggy, but I stay awake for the entire trip back.
Just in case.