Chapter 32 Nyx
NYX
The woman in the mirror no longer glares at me with red-brown eyes.
Now, when she rakes her gaze over my body through the post-shower condensation, she traces the new muscles that flex under glowing skin, the wet curls that now reach her waist. She’s strong.
Healthy. The only thing I recognize about the lonely, starving girl I used to be are the dozens of silver piercings in her ears and a thin septum ring.
The addition of five symbols faintly etched in white between my breasts are just the newest in a long line of changes that separate me from that broken stranger haunting my memories.
Around the size of a quarter, each one has a different pattern etched in raised white lines: a spiked starburst, a swirling spiral pinwheel, a multi-faceted polyhedron, a orbital ring with solid and dotted lines connecting smaller circles within it, and finally a layered star polygon with a circular border.
My fingers trace the patterns on my skin until they’re etched into my brain as well, but I’m not ready to confront what they mean yet. A knock at the door to my room makes me startle, and I hear Ramsey’s deep voice from the other side.
“Nyx? You ready to go?”
The cat, who’s been sleeping in the sink since I got into the shower, perks his head up at the sound and looks at me like he’s waiting for my answer too. He’s kind of growing on me, despite licking his balls on my pillow earlier.
“Yeah,” I call out, and pull on the nondescript sweats that came with my breakfast this morning.
When I open the bathroom door, the cat rushes out and hops back onto the bed, curling his tail around his paws again and glaring at the door until I open it.
Ramsey’s eyes flash gold when he sees the cat, but fade to his normal brown and cloudy white as he walks in, closing the door behind him and handing me my backpack.
“Thanks for bringing my stuff.”
“No worries. How are you feeling?”
I shrug and toss my backpack on the bed, digging it through it for my phone. “I don’t really feel any different.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It’s kind of a mindfuck,” I mutter. Ramsey eyes the cat warily as it sniffs my backpack.
“What’s with the cat?”
“No idea. He’s kind of an asshole though, watch he doesn’t bite you.” At my warning, the cat flattens his ears and stares down the six-and-a-half foot dragon shifter who keeps to the wall.
“Yeah… I can see that.”
I crook my eyebrow at him. “Are you afraid of cats?”
“No, but there’s something off about this one.”
I glance back at the cat still tracking Ramsey’s every movement. “It’s a cat. They’re all a little off.”
He scoffs, “Yeah, okay. Ready to get out of here?”
I shoulder my backpack but don’t move to leave. “How bad is it?” I ask, glancing up at him.
He winces. “Not great.”
“Fuck.”
“On the plus side, probably won’t have as many people bothering you now.”
I roll my eyes. “Let’s just get this over with.” The cat launches from the end of the bed when I open the door and trots through the halls with his tail straight up, leading us through the clinic. Dr. Mercer’s just exiting another room, and I manage to catch a glimpse of Thane’s side profile.
So. That’s where Luther’s been, then.
“Ah, Nyx,” she says, and Thane’s head whips around just as the door shuts behind her. “On your way out?” I nod. “Remember what I said—if you have any symptoms like headaches, dizziness, feeling emotionally dysregulated—”
“You’ll be my first call.” After hell freezes over.
“Wonderful. Take care then,” she nods and walks in the opposite direction. I follow the sound of yowling coming from the lobby and soon see the cat scratching at the main door.
“Alright. There might be something off about this cat.” Ramsey snorts behind me. Thankfully it’s Saturday and fewer people to run into as we walk to the dorms with the cat ahead of us, tail straight up in the air again.
“What’s everyone been saying?” I finally work up the courage to ask.
“Lots of rumors, but Church shut it down with the statement he released yesterday—that you had your epiphaneia and it was quickly contained, and that the few students who were injured were expected to make a full recovery.”
“He didn’t mention anything about what I am?”
“No,” he hesitates, “but it’s not going to stay quiet for long.”
“Ugh. I didn’t… hurt you, did I?”
He shakes his head. “Nah. It’ll take more than a once-in-a-couple-thousand-years-Bloodwitch to keep me down.”
I scowl up at him. “Dude. Too fucking soon.”
He wraps his arm over my shoulders and holds me in a tight side hug. “It’s not that bad. Give it a couple months and who knows, you might actually enjoy people being scared shitless of you.”
“What, like you?”
“Exactly.” The fucker only laughs as we watch the cat dart across the path and disappear behind the Student Union. “You want any food?”
I shake my head. “I don’t think I can stomach anything. Maybe later.”
“You want me to stay with you?” he asks more quietly.
Yes. But if he does, I know I’ll wind up doing something really stupid, like, crying in his arms or something. Nearly killing a bunch of people in a fugue state is enough stupid for one lifetime, thanks so fucking much.
“I’m good, thank you though. Brandt said he’d send me whatever research he could find, so I should probably read up on that before the Council hearing.”
At the mention of the Council, he stiffens. “Do you know when it is yet?”
“Church said he’d notify the them after I was discharged, so I assume sometime soon.”
“You’re not going by yourself, right?”
I shake my head. “No, Church and Brandt are coming with me.”
“Good. That’s good.” He nods, but doesn’t continue. When I glance up, he’s got a thousand yard stare.
“You okay?”
He sighs, and looks down with a grimace. “My father’s the Shifter King. He’s got a seat on both Councils. He’ll be there.”
“Oh shit.”
“Yeah.”
“So… I probably shouldn’t call him a ‘cockless fuckwit’?”
He blinks rapidly. “That would probably be ill-advised, yes.”
“Hmm. Bitchass chucklefuck?”
His lips twitch. “Accurate, but no.”
“Cumhuffing assclown?”
“Jesus Christ,” he exhales, slowly losing the battle to keep a straight face.
“How about, ‘limp-dicked ignoranus’?”
“How are you coming up with these?”
I grin at the memory even as my chest tightens.
“My old boss, Eileen, held a contest for the regulars to see who could come up with the worst insults. We’d use them on asshole tourists and handsy truckers passing through and whenever a customer tried to complain, she’d tell them to fuck off and then put it on the leaderboard.
Whoever came up with the insult got a free drink at the end of the month. ”
We’re both laughing by the time we get back to the dorms, but even recounting every appalling insult I know can’t keep my mood from sobering when we reach my door.
“Hey,” he says softly, brushing a lock of hair behind my ear. “It’s going to be okay.”
My vision blurs when I look up at him, and he wraps me in a tight hug, smushing my face against his hard chest.
Oh. That helps.
“Text me later, okay?”
I sniffle and give him a crooked smile when I pull away before I admit to myself and him that I actually maybe shouldn’t be alone right now. “Thanks, I’ll let you know.”
“Okay. Bye, Nyx.”
“Bye, Ramsey.” I unlock my dorm but selfishly watch him walk away before collapsing on my bed.
I have no idea how much time passes before I finally plug my phone back in and open my computer to a new email from Church with details about my hearing on Monday.
Brandt’s research is next, sparse as it is.
I’m just opening the first document and flinch when my phone lights up with dozens of messages.
Ramsey Mondragon
Hey where are you? Campus just went on lockdown.
I just got to the field, what the fuck happened?
Nyx where are you?
Someone just said you were in the Medical Center I’ll be right there.
What room are you in?
Fuck they’re not letting anyone in. Are you okay?
You had your epiphaneia??
Please text or call or something when you get this.
I tried to stay but they threatened to tranq me if I didn’t leave.
They said you’re stable but don’t know when you’ll wake up. Fuck.
Reading his panicked texts makes something in my stomach twist with a longing I have absolutely no business feeling. Milo’s texts are no less panicked, but instead of terrorizing the nursing staff, he processes trauma with humor. It’s one of the reasons we get along so well.
Milo Monroe
Okay what the FUCK. You had your epiphaneia??
Since your ghostie isn’t following around I’m assuming you’re not dead, so I’ll repeat what the FUCK?!
Alright well Ramsey doesn’t handle stress well, just fyi.
He’s threatened to eat me no less than eight times since I found him in the library rearranging the furniture to wall off his corner.
He told me you were stable, so you’ve got that going for you, which is nice.
[Bill Murray Caddyshack gif]
When you wake up you need to remind the dragon that as your friend, I’m not on the menu, please and thank you.
DDUUUDDEEEEE A FUCKING BLOODWITCH??
Go big or go home amirite?
I’m just going to send you memes until you wake up. Fuck knows you’ll probably need a laugh.
Of the nearly thirty memes and gifs I scroll past, the ones he clearly made himself are my favorite. The group chat with Tori, Evie, and Brynne is next
Tori Hektreia
Nyx I just heard—are you okay??
Brynne Pembroke
Babe, she just nerfed the school wards with her epiphaneia. At best she’s freaking out. You know how well she handles change. And emotions. Lol.
Evie Hektreia
They’re calling in everyone who can wield primordial magic to fortify the wards again. We’re all going.
Tori Hektreia
Don’t worry about getting in trouble. This kind of thing happens all the time.
Tori Hektreia
Well, no it doesn’t, but everyone knows how dangerous epiphaneia’s are. They can’t expel you for something you had no control over especially when they brought you here in the first place.
Evie Hektreia