Page 57 of The Fractured Veil

I let out a shaky breath, my chest tightening again. “I just want them to be okay.”

Nox’s eyes softened at my admission. He stepped closer, his presence grounding in a way that Damon’s intensity or Zarek’s teasing charm couldn’t be. For a moment, we stood there in the quiet, the fire crackling softly behind me.

“Theywillbe,” Nox finally said, his voice steady and reassuring, though I could tell even he wasn’t entirely sure. “Damon’s strong, and Zarek…” He trailed off, a faint, almost imperceptible smirk tugging at his lips. “He’ll charm his way out of anything, as usual.”

I tried to smile, and though it was weak, it didn’t feel entirely forced. There was something in the way Nox looked at me—an openness I hadn’t seen before—that made the fear feel just a little more manageable.

“Thank you,” I said, my voice quieter now, the words carrying more weight than I intended. It wasn’t just for his reassurance. It was for being here—for standing by me when everything felt like it was unraveling.

Nox’s gaze held mine, and for a moment, the space between us seemed to narrow, the tension shifting from anxiety to something else—something deeper. His eyes searching mine as if trying to find the right words, the right way to bridge the gap that had always lingered between us.

“I’m not going anywhere, Thalia,” he said, his voice low—almost a whisper. There was a promise in those words, a sincerity that made my chest tighten.

Before I could think better of it, I took a step closer, the pull between us growing stronger, undeniable. It was like an invisible thread tugging us together, defying the space that separated us. His eyes flickered, widening slightly, surprise swirling within their emerald depths, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he mirrored my movement. His hand lifted, hesitant at first, then brushed lightly against my arm, sending a shiver down my spine. The contact was electric, igniting a warmth that spread through my veins, chasing away the lingering chill of fear and uncertainty. His touch was gentle and careful, and my heart pounded louder in my ears—a frantic rhythm against the sudden quietness of the world around us. The air crackled with an energy I couldn't name—as if we were two halves of a whole, finally finding our way back to each other. I held my breath, waiting, hoping he wouldn't break the spell, and wouldn't shatter the fragile connection that was forming between us.

I could feel it—the sense that maybe, in this chaos, there was something steady. Something real. Something worth holding onto. Nox leaned in, his face inches from mine, his breath mingling with mine as the tension tightened, thickened—the world narrowing down to just the two of us. The scent of cedar and rain enveloped me, a comforting presence in the midst of the storm raging inside me. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for… a kiss? A touch? I didn't know. But I was ready for whatever he offered.

But just as the distance between us seemed to vanish, the door to the house swung open with a loud creak, and we both jerked back, startled. My heart leapt into my throat as I spun around, my pulse racing for an entirely different reason now—a mixture of guilt and the unwelcome intrusion of reality. Damon and Zarek stood in the doorway, shadowed figures against the dim light spilling from the hall. They both looked utterly exhausted.

The air between Nox and me shifted instantly, the unspoken moment we’d been leaning into shattering as reality came crashing back. The warmth of his nearness vanished as he straightened, his expression slipping back into its usual calm mask, though I could have sworn I saw a flicker of disappointment in his emerald eyes before it disappeared.

Relief surged through me, almost overwhelming, and for a moment, I couldn’t speak or even move. Damon’s cold blue eyes were the first to find mine, his expression as unreadable as ever, though there was a flicker of something softer—something like relief. Zarek, on the other hand, gave me a tired, lopsided grin, trying to brush off the weight of whatever they had just faced.

Before I knew it, my body moved on instinct, pulling both of them into a hug. I couldn’t stop myself; I needed to feel them, solid and real, to know they were truly here, safe. The tension that had been coiling in my stomach since their departure finally began to unravel.

“Awh, were you worried about us?” Zarek teased, his voice light and playful as he wrapped me into a tighter hug, pulling me flush against him. “Maybe she’s got Stockholm syndrome if she just huggedDamon.” He shot Damon a sly grin, which only deepened the faint crease of irritation on Damon’s face.

“We need to go,” Damon said, his voice cutting through the moment with cold precision, clearly unamused by Zarek’s jab. His jaw was tight, the muscle ticking beneath his skin.

Zarek’s playful smirk faded, his grip on me loosening as the gravity of Damon’s words settled over the room. The teasing atmosphere evaporated instantly, replaced by a palpable tension that crackled in the air like static electricity. Whatever had happened out there, it had changed everything. It had shifted the very air we breathed, replacing the lighthearted banter with a heavy, suffocating dread.

"And where exactly arewegoing?" I asked, confusion knotting my brow. The academy had always been the one place I thought we could count on—a fortress, a sanctuary from whatever was out there. A place of learning and magic, not a launching point for some unknown danger.

Damon’s gaze met mine, his expression hardening. His voice was sharp, clipped. “For once can you not be difficult?” The words were laced with an icy undercurrent.

Zarek sighed, his amber eyes, normally sparkling with mischief, now held a shadow of concern. “Damon, stop. Thalia, we’re not taking any chances. We need to stay ahead of them.” He gave me a look that told me more than his words ever could—a silent plea for understanding.

“Okay, so tell me where we are going?” I asked, my voice steady despite the growing tension. My eyes flicked to Nox, and the memory of our moment by the fire sent an unexpected warmth rushing to my cheeks. The intensity of his emerald gaze, the way his hand had brushed against me… I quickly looked away, trying to regain my composure, but I could feel the pull between us still lingering—a magnetic force that drew my attention back to him again and again.

Damon let out an exasperated sigh, the sound loud in the quiet room. His hands ran roughly over his face, as if trying to wipe away the frustration, but my gaze caught on the dark streaks across his fingers. Dried blood.

“We don’t have time for twenty fucking questions right now,” Damon snapped, his tone harsher than usual as he stormed up the stairs, frustration radiating off him in waves. “We just need to go.” He yelled, the force of his anger slammed against me like a physical blow.

I stood frozen for a moment, watching him disappear, the weight of his words sinking in. Before I could even process the fear coiling in my stomach, Zarek slung a casual arm around my shoulders, pulling me close with his usual easy charm. The warmth of his touch was polar opposite to the icy chill Damon had left behind.

“Don’t mind him,” Zarek said with a playful grin, though his eyes held a touch of seriousness. “He hates going home.”

I blinked, turning to look at him, confused. “Home?” The word felt strange—foreign in this context.

Zarek nodded, his playful tone dropping just slightly, as if the word carried more weight than it should. “Yeah. You’ll get to meet who created that demon.” His gaze shifted toward where Damon had disappeared upstairs, a flicker of something darker passing over his expression. “Damon never handles it well.”

“The dark kingdom awaits, my lady,” Zarek added with a playful bow, his lighthearted grin returning despite the weight of everything going on. His ability to keep things casual, even in the face of chaos, was always a bit disarming. It must be a blessing and a curse for him. A way to shield himself from whatever darkness loomed over them all.

I forced a smile, trying to mirror his lightness, though the mention of where we were headed—the dark kingdom—sent a chill through me. It sounded like a place of nightmares, a place where shadows held dominion and light dared not tread. “I’m sure it’ll be… lovely,” I replied, though my voice betrayed the growing unease gnawing at me.

Zarek’s grin widened, but there was something almost sad in his eyes, before he brushed it off. “Oh, you’ll love it,” he teased, his voice laced with a hint of irony that I couldn’t quite decipher.

As Nox walked past us, heading upstairs, he patted Zarek on the shoulder in a silent exchange that spoke volumes between brothers. A wordless understanding passed between them, a conversation that excluded me. I watched him disappear up the steps, feeling a pang of guilt. Guilt for the warmth I felt towards him, for the connection that sparked between us. I bit my lip, my thoughts swirling back to the moment by the fire with Nox, to waking up beside him, the pull I’d felt between us still lingering in the air, a silent promise of something more.

---