Page 97 of Nyx
Elas makes a strained noise from behind me, and I glance over as he swipes something from August’s hand. “Pretty sure that’s salt, not sugar, Doc.”
“Do you need help, August?” I call over, and he looks immensely relieved as he glances up at me.“I could take over for you.”
“You’d do that?”
“I’d be happy to,” I say, giving Ronan another smug smile as Nyx and I walk over to the cooking fire. Nyx stands beside me, holding on to my shirt and watching as I work. He asks questions as we go, wanting to know what I’m doing and why. I’m no master chef, but I’ve learned the basics of cooking, and I’m thrilled he’s taking an interest in what I’m doing.
August, thankfully, hasn’t done anything aside from boiling the oats. I send him to pick a bucket of strawberries from the plants just inside the woods, and ask Elas to grab a bowl of dried fruits and nuts we have in storage. They monitor the pot while Nyx and I make a quick detour to the greenhouse for a few stevia leaves.
I stand behind Nyx, holding his hands as I show him how to chop. He’s a little clumsy with the knife, but he pushes through it, and he looks so proud when we toss everything into the mixture.
Lunch turns out to be a crowd-pleaser, and Ronan glares at me with every delicious bite.
Nyx sits so close to me our hips and legs touch. He’s nervous, but he stays in the group, even if he doesn’t speak. While everyone else converses among themselves, I press my lips to his temple. “Proud of you,” I murmur.
“For what?”
“Being here with everyone.”
“You are here,” he says. “Where else would I be?”
I rest my forehead against his with a breath of a laugh, but pull back when Cameron coos from across the circle. I glare at him, silently warning him not to embarrass Nyx. He finally rolls his eyes and keeps eating, though he glances our way often. Troublemakers, the lot of them.
Once we’re finished, Ronan looks around at everyone and claps his hands. “By this point, most of you have likely heard pieces of the story about our recent trip. We made it safely to the rift. After a day, Nyx was able to get a small reaction out of it.” Eyes dart in our direction as a few inaudible murmurs arise, and Nyx cuddles in tighter. Ronan speaks louder over the noise. “It was only a fewsparkling lights, and it lasted only for a few seconds. If Xeni and I hadn’t been watching it closely, we would’ve missed it altogether. Right now, all we know is that it happens when there’s heavy emotion involved. We don’t have any specifics, and it isn’t anything that he could replicate or sustain for any amount of time.”
A few of the others still look Nyx’s way, and he stares at his knees, resting his head against my shoulder. Ronan clears his throat, drawing their attention back to him. For once, his drama queen tendencies are beneficial. “As I’m sure everyone has found out, we ran into some trouble.”
“I heard a rumor Reyes went stabby on someone,” Cameron says, and I roll my eyes.
“Oh, youheardthat rumor, huh? From your mate, who was standing right there beside me when it happened?” He grins and shrugs, but the others look at me with varying expressions. August looks concerned, Lillith and Taryn are openly curious, and Elas is like a proud papa, with an enormous smile splitting his face as he gives me a thumbs up.
Ronan shakes his head with a fond smile at his mate before returning his attention to the group. “Yes, we ran into a guard from Ljómur who had escaped Lillith’s Annihilation—”
The giant red woman chuckles and elbows Taryn. “I like that name.”
Ronan’s lips twitch into an almost-grin as he glances at her. “—and yes, Reyes took care of him. But we need to discuss what happened afterwards. More survivors from Ljómur approached us, ones that Xeni claims are good people.”
“And we’re trusting Xeni’s opinion on this?” Elas huffs, and August shushes him and tosses the Cavese an apologetic grimace.
“Nyx agreed that the other guard we met was one of the decent ones,” I add, and Elas’s expression sours, his dark eyes flashing as he shifts his gaze to me. “And he said he had met both of you.”
“Who was it?” August asks, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.
“Matuk,” I answer, and his eyes go wide as he shares a long glance with Elas.
“He was nice to me,” August says.
“Until he told you he couldn’t help Elas,” Taryn argues. “I was there, August. I listened to you beg him, and he walked away without a word.” August’s lips pull tight, but he doesn’t dispute her point.
“He mentioned that,” Ronan says with a sigh. “He said that he regretted not helping more, but that he was scared of what the consequences would have been if he’d been caught.”
Xeni clears his throat, scrubbing his hands over his face and refusing to look at anyone. “None of you understand what it was like to work in that place.”
“No,” Taryn challenges, her voice cold as she sits back and crosses her arms, “but I sure understand what it was like to be imprisoned there.”
“Listen, I’m not trying to downplay what was done to you. Really, I’mnot,” he stresses as Taryn raises her brow. “It’s comparing apples to fucking… watermelon here, and I get that. I do, I swear. But if you believe we had any choice in the matter, you’re wrong. Our assignments were handed out, and we were expected to follow any orders given. Ronan, Elas, Lillith… what would they have done if you refused orders? If you’d dared to say no?”
Ronan and Elas exchange a glance, and Elas pulls his lips into a flat line. “They would’ve punished us,” Ronan finally says. “Isolation, lashes, withholding food and water. If it kept happening?” He doesn’t finish his thought, but he doesn’t have to. The mood grows heavier as Xeni nods and continues.
