Page 56 of Nyx
“They left?” I nod, even if he can’t see me.
“She gave me a choice—wait for them at the village, or follow the others. I chose to stay behind.” It’s just another piece of my life that I spent alone, though I don’t give a voice to the thought. I run my fingers through his hair, and he shivers as he sits taller, giving me access to the top of his head.
“Did they return?” Nyx asks.
“Yes… but it wasn’t a happy ending. They were ambushed by a band of raiders with greater numbers and more weapons. My parents’ group was easily overpowered, and they led their captors back to the village. They believed the others were there to help fight, but they were already gone. It was only me.”
Nyx glances over his shoulder at me, and his eyes are sad as I give him a soft smile. “I never found out what happened to them,” I say, as I guide his head to face forward again. “The raiders took me, chained me up with a few other prisoners my age, and we started walking east. For weeks, we walked, only stopping at night to get a few hours’ sleep. A few of the raiders had horses, but the rest of us were on foot.”
“Where did they take you?”
A lump forms in my throat as I distract myself with the brush for a few moments. “A pleasure house in the biggest human village I’ve ever seen.”
“Pleasure house?”
“It’s… gods, there’s no polite way to explain it. We were expected to… satisfy their guests.”
“Satisfy how?”
“With our bodies,” I say quietly, and he whips around to glare at me with a new expression. Anger nearly shines through his eyes as his teeth clench, bunching the muscles in his jaw.
“Your people aren’t the only monsters, sirrha. Let me finish your hair.” Unable to help myself, I drag my knuckles across his cheek. It softens the rage that’s so foreign on his face, and reluctantly, he turns forward once more. “We got there, and we weren’t in any condition to work. Sunburnt and skinny, and too exhausted to be worth much. For those few weeks, it wasn’t so bad. When there was a roof over my head and food in my belly, I could pretend it wasn’t happening. But the sunburn faded, and the weight came back, and I was expected to… work. Earn my keep.”
“My first client took me by surprise. He wasn’t even human. It turned out that the village was so successful because it was on the military trading route. The human leaders were catering to them, serving their every whim… including the ones behind those walls. They had assigned me a small room with an enormous bed and little else, because what more would I need? A soldier came in—dark blue skin and not much taller than me. He didn’t even wait for the door to shut before he slung his scabbard aside and unbuckled his armor. He already had his cock in his hand as he kicked the door closed.”
“Katsurrel,” Nyx whines, but I soothe him with a drag of my fingertips along his scalp.
“He didn’t, sweetheart. I didn’t let him. They were so arrogant, so certain I’d lie there obediently and take it.” An angry laugh leaves my throat. “Pretty sure I’ve never been obedient a day in my life.”
“What did you do?”
“Grabbed his sword and drove it through his stomach.” I draw a deep breath, returning to brushing as I smooth the top of his hair. Nearly done. “Then sliced it through his neck before he could make too much noise. There was a struggle, but no one bothered checking on those,” I say, the words laced with a venom born of years of resentment. “Some of them preferred a fight.”
“How did you escape?”
“It was night, so I put on his armor and used the darkness to my advantage. My quarters were on the second floor… not tall enough to keep me from jumping. I stuck to the shadows and found a gate with only one guard. Killed him too, then ran. I left the others at the pleasure house behind and disappeared into the wilderness.”
The air is heavy with the weight of what I just shared with him, and I suddenly need to fill the silence. “Do you still have the flower?” I ask, voice thick.
He nods and holds it up with the stem pinched between his fingers. “You could not have saved them,” he whispers, like he hears my regret after all these years.
“I told myself the same thing for a long time… and then again when my camp was slaughtered and I stood aside. I was only one person, and one person isn’t enough to make a difference. Then I saw what Elas and August did, and I knew I was wrong. I could’ve done something, but I chose to be a coward instead.”
Nyx turns to face me and climbs to his knees until we’re eye to eye. “You are not a coward. You are strong, and brave.”
“I want to be,” I whisper as his eyes dance around my face, and I tuck the flower behind his ear. “For you.”
“It was brave to stand up to the soldier. Brave to kill him.”
“I didn’t go back for them. Didn’t even consider it.”
“You were achild,” he stresses, and when his hand lands on my thigh, it sends a shockwave through my entire body.
“Not at the camp. Not when I watched that group come in to attack.”
“How many soldiers?” he demands.
“Lots… dozens. I couldn’t keep track.”
