Page 78 of Guided by the Stars
“Nora, you okay?” His worried words register as I throw myself forward. His hands wrap around me, pulling me into him. His head finds the crook of my neck, dipping low, burying himself in. All distance between us closes as he breathes me in deeply. We fit together like the moon and the stars themselves as he holds me tight, securing me in place against him.
I let the tears fall, my body trembling as they roll, cascading against his chest. Anxiety is taking control, but his grip on me never falters.
“I got you,” he whispers. His lips are feather soft against my ear, giving me a comfort I never knew I was looking so hard to find. “I need you to tell me now, my love.” His voice is panicked and the same pressure is building in my chest. “How bad is it? How much did he hurt you?”
“He didn’t,” I choke out, running my thumb as softly as I can over his cheek through the dried blood that ran down from his eyes. “What did he do to you?”
“Wait!” Daemyn exclaims and I look towards him. He’s kneeling next to Alexius, placing one hand on his best friend’s shoulder. They’re both looking at me with concern in their eyes despite the pain they must feel. They look like Vikings who lost in battle. Their faces are pale with dried blood coated to their skin where just moments ago it streamed out of their eyes and ears.
“Your ears are fine? No headache, anything? No ringing?” I shake my head to each one of Daemyn’s questions, keeping my eyes on Alexius. The fear behind them burning into me.
“Did you hear his shriek at all, maybe a little muffled?” Daemyn continues as Alexius’ fingers run up and down my back. He’s still scanning my body from head to toe, mute, unsure what to do.
I shake my head again as Daemyn cuts me off, deep in thought, his mind racing, “I don’t for a second doubt your strength, but there is no way you could block out an eagle’s warrior shriek. Not with how he surprised us. And we didn’t even—”
“What? Boys—” I stop Daemyn, not caring about whatever the fuck the eagle just did. I push down the tears, looking towards Alexius. “Are you okay?”
Alexius’ jaw tightens and he swallows a few times, but Daemyn ignores his mute friend, “We’re gods. We’re fine, Baby Girl. This, though, is different. Eagles have an ability to use their screams to emit intense vibrations through your head, bursting your eardrums and any veins along the way. We were caught off-guard, not prepared, so he was able to attack while we were distracted. Very unlike him, but we’re fine.” He looks to me, smiling, his mind still spinning a million miles a minute. “But even covered, you should have heard something. At the very least, you should have a headache right now.”
“Not a thing, Big Boy. He told me I wouldn’t.” My voice comes out shaky with the reminder of how easy it is to lose someone you love. With a heavy heart, I face Alexius again, “And then you jumped over me, didn’t even protect yourself. I’m so sorry.”
“Love.” Alexius nuzzles against me, his chin scraping the side of my neck and his wet lips touching down in the softest kiss he has ever given me. “He was only warning me. I’m right here with you.”
Daemyn’s warm hand lands on my shoulder, offering me some of his reassurance. “Babe, it looks worse than it is. He’s fine.” I turn, piercing him with a heated stare and he chuckles. “We’re fine. But that eagle just did something we haven’t seen in a long time to warn us.” He looks up at Alexius, nodding in their secret code before continuing, “Can you tell us what he said?”
When I shake my head in disbelief, Alexius cups my cheeks in his palms. “Hey, I want your face on mine. Remember when you first got here? Your feisty ass sunk that knife deep in me. I healed. We are both doing that now, stop your worrying. I told you I’m not leaving your side,” he says, gently pulling my attention towards him. “Can you please tell us what he said?”
I inhale deeply, trying to ease my rapid heartbeat and nod. Both boys listen intently as I describe Raynor landing in the middle of our picnic blanket. I panicked, frozen on the spot, not knowing what to do. But the longer he stared, the more it became similar to the Pegasus in the Golden Meadow. I wasn’t afraid of him. He drew in my curiosity, it’s like I was linked to his internal thoughts. His eyes were soft, almost caring as I heard faint stories of legends before my time running through his mind. He pictured things about fates aligning, warning me to be careful. It all mingled together, like he was speakinga foreign language, where I was only able to decipher small pieces. It wasn’t even until Alexius’ screams started ordering him away that I realized that the enormous eagle in front of me was talking. Something about him transfixed me.
Once I finish, both boys study my words, looking between each other like they usually do. No one offers me any explanation. “Is this the part someone tells me what the hell just happened?”
“I told you, Raynor can shriek—”
“No, Big Boy. That’s not what I mean!” Two sets of eyes stare right at me, and Alexius tenses under my skin. I might be emotional, but he has to realize this is too much. They’ve been hiding something, and after Raynor, there is no denying it. His voice sent a tingle to the back of my head, like how it felt at Crystal Waters and at the Golden Meadow. “Alexius, you said no more secrets. This is one, I can feel it in my bones. For crying out loud, we talked to each other. Like, without me talking. A huge eagle spoke to me! You’re just going to ignore that?” I study him, the frustration boiling in me as quickly as his scars are fading. “There is something more here. I know it.”
Daemyn laughs nervously. His already healed head faces the ground, his hands running through his sleek black hair. Both are guilty as hell and I push at Alexius’ chest, wanting some distance.
“Give it up and just tell her,” Daemyn says, surprising me.
Alexius’ jaw is clenched as he considers Daemyn’s words, studying me with his stony glare. “I don’t think you will like this.”
“Just spit it out already.” I roll my eyes, hating how empty I feel without his arms around me, despite being disappointed. That damn wall is still standing strong.
“I want to tell you everything, my love, but the less you are aware of certain things, the safer you are.” He grabs my legs, pulling and forcing me to straddle his body. His hand reaches the back of my neck, making sure my face stays right on his. “I told you, I will not put you in danger. I promised to get you out of here. What you did, that is one of those things. It was fucking incredible, love, but no one else talks to those eagles. This is what will make them kill to get you. Or worse. If word travels back to Zeus, I couldn’t live with myself, knowing what he would do to you. So I’m keeping certain things about your gene to myself.” His voice is low, tender even, and he slides one hand down my body, reaching for my clenched fist hanging by my side. “I know you hate it, but I didn’t mean to hurt you, my love. I’m sorry for that.”
When I don’t respond, he swallows multiple times, keeping his eyes locked on mine. They are wide and bare, exposing himself to me. “I need you to trust me,” his voice falters, sounding unsure of the hope he is clinging to. “We have to keep you hidden, and the less you know, the less likely you will be to use the gifts that would draw them towards you.” He swallows deep, his eyes on me, his fingers rubbing against my fist. “You’re special. I won’t even consider the idea of one of them taking you, Nora. I won’t let it happen. It will never happen.” He’s back to being vulnerable and insecure with every move he is making. The only certainty surrounding us is his will to do anything to protect me.
“I’ll need a little more, Alexius.” His shoulders slump down, relaxing as he releases the breath he was holding and I open my hands for his and continue with a smirk of my own, “So say it again. You know that part about how amazing it was talking to Raynor? That thing you thought was incredible?”He smiles, nodding and ready to talk, but I cut him off. “Just give me something, my big Beast. When you say special, what does that mean?”
His hand wraps around my braid, tugging me forward so my forehead rests against his. “Talking to you, you talking to him, that was beyond incredible. Woman, you did something few can do. You surprised the shit out of me and I look forward to seeing what else you can do. But fuck, connecting like that was beyond anything I thought you could do.” His eyes scan mine, lighting up with the certainty in his voice. “And I mean it, my love. I will tell you everything once you’re safe.” He seals that promise with a kiss, melding my mouth to his.
“Lovebirds, I get your kinky foreplay is just ending and you’re ready to retreat, screaming into the night. But since I’m still right here, I have some questions before you two disappear.” Daemyn’s teasing earns a growl from Alexius as he pulls his lips from mine.
They stare between each other and Alexius’ voice sounds in my ear “Just a minute. Get some ice cream and bring your ass right back out here.”
On cue, I hop up, heading straight for the kitchen, needing a minute just as much as they do. This situation is eating me alive.
I’m not naive, Alexius has been holding back. I’ve come to accept that. To my surprise, it’s the most annoying yet best part of him. My Beast thinks first about protecting me, even if I get pissed or it’s wrong. Should I be pissed? Hell yes, but I trust him for that. That’s kind of part of the problem. I can accept his lie because I lied, betraying him.
