Page 15 of Nyx
And he needs to stay a fucking coach, because seven feet of adrenaline-boosted blue monster rushing towards you? That shit isnightmare fuel.I might never sleep again without seeing the sadistic happiness in that grin as he chased me around the ring. What was I supposed to do against three-hundred-fifty pounds of enthusiasm?!
Run, that’s what.
And run I fucking did, except it didn’t do any good. He’s fast as a motherfucker and only needed two strides with those freakishly long legs before he was on me. Over and over, he took me to the ground, then cheerfully encouraged me to get back up and try again.
I even tried to stab him, andnotin a fake, ha-ha, this-is-just-training type of way. No, I was trying to gut the fucker so I could escape.
“Why?” I groan to myself as I shuffle between the trees and stare at the gurgling, crystal expanse of water. The surface is smooth, tinted in shades of green from the leafy reflection. A watery grave sounds like a fucking delicacy if it means my muscles can relax. I beeline towards the stream with every intention of diving right in, fully clothed. It’s not like they can getwetter.
“Oh,” a quiet voice whispers, and I glance over to find Nyx staring at me with those otherworldly wide eyes. He clutches a shirt against his bare chest, and my heart achesas I catalogue his thin frame. Prominent ribs form ridges along the side of his torso, and his waist dips too tight above his baggy shorts. As he rushes to put on his shirt, I stare at the deep-pitted scar just above his elbow.
“Sorry,” I force myself to say as my gaze drops to the ground. The wispy, defeated sound of my voice makes my exhaustion obvious, but I’m beyond hiding it. “You blend in with the trees. I didn’t see you there.”
“You are… hurt?” Nyx moves a tiny step closer, and I take it as permission to lift my eyes to his. He’s clothed now, wrapped in a shirt three sizes too large for him. It hangs so low it almost hides his shorts.
A wheezing laugh leaves me, and he startles, jerking back and squeezing his long, thin fingers around the hem of the shirt. “Sorry,” I apologize again, waiting for his apprehensive gaze to return to mine as I offer him a smile. “Elas kicked my ass today.”
His brows furrow as his eyes flick to my hips, confusion wrinkling his nose. I bite back my smile as he asks, “Elas… kicked?”
“It means he… beat me up…” I trail off, searching for a better way to explain. “He hurt me.” Nyx’s expression goes from confused and curious to shocked, and I rush to finish my thought as I realize how that sounded. “Not like that. Elas is teaching me. He and Ronan are showing me how to fight.”
Understanding dawns on his face, and he nods slowly. “Ronan says… you are a fighter?”
Another laugh rockets from my nose, this one snorty and obnoxious and not attractive in the least. “Yeah, he would say that.” I clear my throat and smooth my sweatyhair back, trying to regain some level of chill that escapes me every time Nyx is nearby. “I try to be, but I’m not very good.”
“Why do you want to fight?”
“To protect y—everyone.” My face flames as he tilts his head, batting those enormous eyes at me. “Ronan and Elas are amazing protectors, but let’s be honest. If something happened, they’d only be focused on their mates.”
“Can you blame them?” he asks softly, and my gaze falls to the scarred mark on his arm. He covers it with a hand, absentmindedly rubbing.
“I guess not, but I’m not the best judge of that. I have nothing to compare it to.”
“You have never loved another?”
His eyes flick up to mine but settle back onto the ground as he shuffles between his bare feet. “No,” I answer honestly. “Most of my life, I’ve been alone…” As I realize who I’m talking to, the words die on my tongue. Nyx glances up at me, but there’s only relief in his expression, not anger or accusation.
“I understand,” he whispers.
“Yeah, I guess you do.”
An awkward silence falls as we both stare at each other, not knowing what to say next. Nyx gestures towards the water, then nods at my sweaty clothes. “You came to swim. I will leave you.”
The words are right there, begging to be said. An unspoken plea, hoping to convince him not to go. They want to invite him to… what? Stay and swim with me? He’s already uncomfortable enough, if the nervous flick of his eyes and fidgeting fingers against his thin arm tell me anything.
His reserve is empty. There’s nothing there to give.
“Okay,” I finally say, and I try not to be hurt by the relief on his face.
“Enjoy.” He gestures towards the water, and I nod before he wanders off into the forest. The moment the shadows cover him, he blends into the underbrush and disappears.
Without his presence to distract me, my exhaustion hits me in full force. I dive in and relish the cool water as I wash, then stay for a few minutes and float on the surface. Droplets fall from my clothes and hair as I shove my feet into my shoes, grimacing at the squelch of wet fabric. I trek back to my house, cursing my lack of foresight in not bringing a change of clothes.
Not wanting to bring any water inside, I kick off my sneakers to dry in the sun. When I take a step towards the door, a lump presses into the arch of my foot. I stop and hop on one leg, staring down at the ground.
A rock the size of a small plum sits in the center of my doorframe. It looks like it came from the stream, with its edges polished smooth. The dull brown is unremarkable until the sunlight hits it and causes gold speckles to appear. I glance over my shoulder and find no one there, but swear I see movement in the window of Nyx’s cottage.
Did he leave this for me?
