Page 75 of Nyx
He nods at my hair, and immediately, I understand what day he means. Old pains flare in my chest, and I’m hit with an assault of memories.
Laurent flashes me a smirk as his superiors gather around him, all staring into my cage like I’m an animal.He speaks, but I can’t understand his words as he holds up his glowing hand. It’s a trophy, nothing more. They all lean in, examining it, touching it,praisinghim for something he had no control over, and Laurent looks so proud. More words pass between them, then they step closer to my cage as one. I back into the corner, pushing myself against the bars even as they dig into my bones.
Too thin. I’m too thin to fight, not that I ever could. My ribs show, and my shoulder blades and spine are prominent. They throw me scraps of meat, and they don’t understand that I don’t want them. It makes me sick to eat it, and the lack of food has left me weak. Hinges creak as my cage is swung open, and it’s Laurent that grabs me. Hands that feel like they should save me but only ever hurt. I shout and push him away, hating the draw to him when he only causes pain. Hating myself for wanting comfort from this terrible person.
My defiance makes him furious, and the murmurs of his superior officers grow louder, but Laurent won’t be deterred. He snatches my chin. His fingers squeeze so hard my mouth pops apart, and his fingernails scrape marks into my cheeks. So much fury burns in those brown eyes. He says something else, awful, hate-filled words that make the others laugh.
Angry fingers fist my hair and yank, and I shout again as I’m dragged from the cage and thrown on the ground. Dirt fills my mouth and nostrils, and I choke, but I understand one word.
“Obey.”
More raucous laughter explodes in the tent as something slices through the air in a whisper. Green strands fall around me, chunks of waist-length hair strewn into piles as I sob. The last pieces of myself I recognized are scattered in the dirt, no better than straw in an animal’s den. Fury and mourning like I’ve never felt ring through my body, but when it fades, there’s nothing left.
They laugh and they laugh, but I feel nothing at all.
Reyes’s soft voice in my ear brings me back to the present, and I blink away the memories. “It’s alright… I’m right here with you.” When my eyes move to his, he gives me a shaky smile. “There you are.”
“He was awful,” I whisper, and Reyes whines quietly as he presses a sorrowful kiss to my lips.
“I’m sorry that happened to you,” he whispers back, and though I’m aware of the others watching us, I kiss him again to remind myself where I am, and who I’m with.
After a few shared deep breaths, I pull away and lay my head on his chest. “That day… I didn’t know. This is the first time I have heard.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Xeni says with surprising gentleness. “They wouldn’t have had a way to tell you, even if they wanted to. The only reason I learned of it is because I got… curious. I liked to read the old files.”
“Why?” Ronan demands.
“Because despite what you might think of me, there was more happening there than any of us realized. It was bigger than that one base, and I needed to know what it was, because someday it was all going to come crashing down on our heads. I wanted to be prepared.”
“And yet, you still didnothingwith that knowledge,” Ronan snaps. Xeni’s nostrils flare, but he steadies his anger with a few breaths.
“Hate me for it if you want. I did what I could with the resources I had.”
Ronan takes a deep breath, but a hand stops him, and we’re all shocked when Elas is the one to come to Xeni’s defense. “He’s right, Ronan. We’ve all done things we’d rather forget.”
“We have to go,” I say, and even though my voice is quiet, it catches everyone’s attention. “If we can do something, we must. It can’t all be for nothing.”
My eyes sweep to Ronan’s, but the steely determination I saw in them earlier is missing. Now he looks only resigned, and maybe a little scared as Cameron lays his head on his shoulder. “I’ll go with you then,” he says, his voice soft and somber.
“Me too,” says Elas, and my eyes fill with tears at their support.
“Having a medic is a good idea. I’ll tag along,” August offers, but Elas turns to him with a snarl.
“You are not running into danger again,” Elas growls, and August scoffs.
“Like you’re about to?”
Ronan leans forward, shaking his head at Elas. “We can’t leave the village vulnerable. You stay.”
“I am not your dog to boss around and heel at your command. I can protect—”
Ronan flashes his fangs even as he looks at Elas with nothing but pure adoration. “You can protect your mate,and mine, if something were to happen to me. You are the only one I trust to keep him safe.”
The indignation fades from Elas’s expression. “Drama queen,” he mutters affectionately, but dips his chin in silent acceptance and settles back against August.
“I’ll go.” Xeni’s words drag the attention to him, and he nods to himself as he swallows. “It makes the most sense. We’ll have a medic, and maybe being there will make me remember something I read.”
“The four of us, then?” Reyes asks, and Ronan cocks a brow at him. Reyes pushes his chest out defiantly before anyone can speak. “If any of you expect me to let you drive off with Nyx in that van, you’re fucking insane. He doesn’t leave my side.”
