AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"I try to be as transparent as I can be with the women I bed," he says. "I know despite my honesty about my intentions, they might think they can change my mind and they end up hurt or angry when they realize they can't."
My glare softens. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I don't want you believing I'm some asshole. I know my lifestyle isn't suited for everyone and most people won't understand why I don't want to settle down but…"
"Why don't you want to settle down?" I ask when he tapers off.
"I'm not sure if I'll ever die."
"Nyx – " I scoff but he gently cuts me off.
"Shaye, I'm serious." He presses his hand along the bookshelf I'm pinned against and takes a deep breath before admitting, "I don't know what my magic is capable of as far as life expectancy."
"Are you saying you think you're immortal?"
"Is there a way to kill me? Maybe," he shrugs. "But I'm not sure. I'm the only man on record to ever have regeneration magic." He meets my gaze, all joviality wiped clean from his face. "What if I literally cannot die? What if I'm doomed to spend the rest of eternity unable to leave this realm? Finding someone to settle down with, to raise a family with, only to watch every single one of them pass away, would break me. It's painful enough believing I'll most likely outlive every member of my own family. So, I would rather live life on my own, have some fun with women around the six kingdoms, and not be tied down. You can't be hurt, if you don't open yourself up to it."
"Oh, Nyx." The sorrow in his gaze brings a tear to my eye and without thinking, I wrap my arms around his torso and hold him tight.
He rests his chin on top of my head and drags his fingers in lazy circles around my upper back. "I just don't want you thinking lesser of me because of how I choose to live."
I pull back just enough so I can look him straight in his hazel eyes when I say, "You are one of the most incredible people I have ever known. I wouldn't change one thing about you, Nyx Harland. Flaws and all, you are worthy of my friendship, and most certainly deserving of love."
He clears his throat and quickly swipes under his eye by his three-dot tattoo before a smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth. "I was unaware I had flaws, Kitarni. Care to name a few?"
"Oh, there you two are!" Penelope pops around the corner, out of breath. "I must have been walking too quickly and lost you."
Nyx stands up straight, and I smile at our guide. "My apologies for falling behind, Penelope. We'll try to keep up this time."
When we make it to a wooden table tucked against a window, there is one leatherbound book laying there. I scoop it up and scan the title before saying it aloud. "The Account of Oryn and Naya." I flip through it and my stomach drops at how thin the book is. "Is this it?" I glance up at Penelope who looks as if she's failed me.
"I'm sorry, but that's all we have on Tethering."
I thank the Master of Literature before settling into one of the cushioned chairs with Nyx sitting directly across the table from me. I carefully crack open the ancient text only to discover the handwritten account is the same story Professor Riggs already told me. Oryn was a Celestial with light magic. Naya was a human with shadow magic. Oryn used Lumos, his Transcendent form to defeat a demon army and Naya held him in her arms as he died. Her drowning stung the same way it had when Professor Riggs recounted their tale.
Thirty-two pages and no new information to glean. I think I only saw the word Tether once, maybe twice, the entirety of that short account.
Frustration seeps into my soul, rotting away at my bones. Here I was, ready to finally get somewhere, only to find another dead end. I suppose it's not a complete loss, but I'm no further along in understanding Tethering or my magic any more than before I walked in. I glance across the table at Nyx, who is staring into space, and startle him when I say, "Take me home, please."
I leave the book Penelope so graciously hunted down for me on the table, and quietly walk side-by-side with Nyx down to our awaiting carriage. Neither of us says another word the entirety of our journey back to the rowhouse.
Having noticed not only my frustration after my trip to Calmara, but my unusual quietness, Eris insists that we have a girls' night out on the town. At first, I decline, but Eris is persistent and finally secures my compliance. When Nyx gathers his belongings to come as my shadow, Eris gives him the night off, noticing the dark bags underneath his eyes. He's had very little time to himself since being assigned as my personal protection, so a little rest would do him some good. Honestly, Tronovia is extremely safe and between Eris' water magic and my light, we should be perfectly fine going window shopping and grabbing a bite to eat.
By the time we walk out the front door, Nyx is passed out in one of the leather armchairs in the sitting room, with the fireplace crackling and a blanket tugged up to his neck. At least one of us can get some decent rest, since I can't seem to stop having nightmares where I see Bastian's face or feel Vesper's knife slicing across my throat.
"Are you alright?" Eris' voice slices through the horrific images flashing in my mind and I nod, happy to be out of the house doing something fun.
"I'm fine. Just a little tired."
"If you would prefer to go back – "
"No!" I nearly shout like a child. "I need this. Thank you for inviting me to go out."
Her smile widens and she slips her arm around mine as we walk down the sidewalk filled with people. The chilly season is coming and the leaves on the trees are starting to fade from green to all sorts of colors – orange, red, yellow, pink – I've never seen autumn before, and I think I quite like it.
Eris and I spend our night strolling in and out of different shops, admiring the trinkets, clothes and jewels they offer. I spy a small dagger that would fit perfectly in my boot, but refrain from buying it, since I don't have any money to my name and would feel downright pitiful asking Eris or one of the brothers to purchase it for me. I know they wouldn't deny me, they'd snag it up no questions asked, and I don't want them to feel that I'm taking advantage of their generosity or kindness. They've already done so much for me, so I make a mental note about the dagger and press onward.
We duck inside a pastry shop I've never been to before, and I catch Eris up on everything I've learned about Tethering, Oryn and Naya, and the first Great War. She listens quietly while munching on a scone and nods her head once in a while to prove she's paying attention. When I ask her what her thoughts are, she admits she doesn't have any. She heard the tale of Oryn and Naya throughout her childhood but thought it was more lore than factual. To learn they were actual figures in Dalerin's history is a revelation to her.
