Page 63 of What Lies Beyond the Realms

My heart sinks into my stomach as I struggle to come up with a response. Which questions did I sidestep? Did I avoid telling him about Aidan's abuse or if I was still a virgin? I had been truthful about everything else, but now those unspoken questions weigh on me, leaving me unsure how to proceed. If I reveal too much, it could change our approach with Aidan, and I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet. Before I can form a reply, he breaks the silence.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I just hope one day we can talk about it. I hope one day you’ll feel safe being open with me.”

His tone breaks my heart, because I do feel safe with him and don’t want him to think otherwise.

“I do feel safe talking to you. I’m just still getting used to having someone like you in my life. I’ve never really had someone to talk to and share things with. Someone I could trust growing up. Forgive me if I’m not as open as I’d like to be. Just give me time.”

“Take all the time you need,” he says gently, kissing the top of my head. His voice sounds slightly somber though, and I feel bad for not telling him everything.

“I’m not a virgin,” I say then snap my eyes closed, bracing myself for what his response will be.

“Oh . . . I assumed that you were. I just thought you didn’t want to answer that question because you were embarrassed.” Nyx moves onto his side so he’s facing me, but I keep my eyes closed.

I can feel my cheeks flush, and I don’t know why talking about it makes me uncomfortable.

“Was it someone you had a relationship with back at the castle?” he asks, and I can feel his eyes on me.

I don’t want to reveal Aidan’s name, and I don’t want to tell him exactly what happened. I try to think of what to say but decide a vague truth is the best route.

“No, I’ve never been in a relationship before. It was a friend of my parents. I was drunk. It was a mistake.”

I turn onto my side, facing him, and let my eyes look up into his. He stares at me, his lips set in a flat line. I feel like I’ve upset him, but he just pulls me tighter to him, and I relax into his chest. He wraps his arms around me to comfort me and runs lazy circles up and down my back until I fall asleep.

Chapter Twenty-Six

I awake to the sound of—nothing. I sit up quickly, and the unnatural silence of the room sends a sharp pang of worry through my chest. It’s pitch black in here, the orb no longer illuminating the bunker. I blink in the darkness, but my eyes don’t adjust. There’s not even a hint of light for them to latch onto. I start feeling around the bed, and I don’t feel Nyx anywhere. Maybe he went to the bathroom. I throw the blankets back, feeling for Chepi. He’s usually snuggled under the covers at the foot of the bed. I can’t find him either. That pang of worry in my chest starts to expand.

“Chepi? Where are you, boy?” I whisper into the dark. I don’t know why I’m whispering, but it feels wrong to yell. I stay silent for a moment waiting to hear Chepi, but nothing . . . just silence. I fumble to my feet and start feeling for the wall. Once I find it, I start going around the room.

“Chepi,” I call, a little bit louder this time. I pause and then hear Chepi yip. I’m relieved that he’s okay and still down here with me. It sounds like he came from down the hall by where we entered the bunker. I keep my hands stretched out in front of me and make my way toward Chepi. Once I reach the ladder, I find Chepi pacing at the base of it.

“What’s wrong, boy?” I pick him up, petting his head. He lifts his head, looks to the entrance in the ceiling, and yips again. Nyx must’ve gone outside. It’s incredibly disorienting being in complete darkness underground. I have no idea if it’s morning yet or not. I’m barefoot and in nothing but Nyx’s tunic. It’s not exactly the best choice to wear outside in the snow. But what if he’s in trouble? What if he went outside to relieve himself and was attacked? It’s going to take too long for me to go find more clothes and shoes if Nyx really is in trouble. Shit.

“Chepi, stay here. I’ll be right back,” I say while placing him back on the ground. He yipped and pawed at my legs in disapproval. “I’m sorry, but I can’t risk you getting hurt too.” I feel for the ladder in the dark. Once I grab hold, I start to climb the long narrow path to the surface.

As I get closer to the surface, I start to hear noise from outside. I can’t quite tell what it is, but I hear thumping. The sound sends a wisp of panic through me, and I pick up my pace. I reach the hatch door and stop and listen for a moment before I can reconsider. I push the hatch open as hard as I can. Bright morning light blinds me momentarily, and chunks of snow and ice fall in on me. I climb out of the hatch, looking down at Chepi then close it behind me. I get to my feet quickly and look around. At first all I see are pine trees covered in snow. Then I come face to face with an utterly horrific creature.

I feel frozen in my tracks, holding my breath as I take in the sight before me. Standing tall at around six feet, the creatures body resembles that of a skeleton with abnormally long arms and chunks of rotting flesh hanging from them. Its forehead is adorned with two giant S-shaped horns in the darkest shade of obsidian extending a foot above its head. My gaze travels down the grooves of its horns, eventually resting on its face. The face of this demonic being is half-skeleton, half-something that may have once been human with red slits for eyes and no nose. I lock onto the creature’s eyes, slowly starting to back away as it opens its mouth. A dark black hole reveals no teeth, but a reedy sound echoes out of its throat. I cover my ears on instinct as the loud, piercing call sends shivers down my spine.

I turn to run as the unnerving sound snaps me out of my shocked state. I take a few steps when Nyx appears, covered in black blood. His eyes glow as they meet mine, and he grins.

“How can you smile right now when that thing with red slits for eyes and rotting flesh is coming after us?” I exclaim.

He moves past me, sword in hand, and begins battling the creature. He quickly cuts off the horrific sound it was making by kicking it in the chest, causing it to stumble back a step. The monster is surprisingly agile for a rotting skeleton, but Nyx is faster. He slices off an arm, black blood splattering his face, but the creature keeps coming for him, undeterred by the missing limb. Nyx dances around, popping up behind the thing and cutting its head clean off with one swift swipe of his sword. Black blood mists into the air, staining the snow, and the creature’s head lands right next to me, its horns glinting in the snow.

“What was that thing?” I ask, panting.

“A Monstrauth,” Nyx replies. I want to ask for a further explanation, but two more Monstrauths I hadn’t noticed before start heading our way. “You’re very distracting when you’re wearing nothing but my tunic. We should really go back down the hatch before you freeze to death.”

Nyx moves toward the Monstrauths, and I know I should head back into the bunker, but I find myself strangely aroused watching him fight. Gods, his body and the way he moves. I can’t take my eyes off him. The Monstrauths are fast, but he’s always faster, ducking and swinging his sword, slicing the monsters to pieces. Nyx stabs one deep in the chest, its frail bones cracking as he pulls the sword back out. He swings his arm backward and beheads the other, and before I know it both Monstauths are lying in a pile of crumbled bone and flesh, staining the snow.

Perhaps it's my return to this place and my closeness to the Lycan Realm, but I have a feeling that my body temperature has gone up, like Flora predicted. She said that I might start to manifest some of the secondary Lycan abilities and feel warmer. I’ve been standing barefoot on the snow all this time and still feel cold. However, it's not as uncomfortable as it would have been before, which is odd.

“Quickly go back down the hatch. I need to cover this up, and I’ll be right down behind you,” Nyx says while pulling the hatch door open.

I nod, quickly fumbling down the ladder, my feet slick and frozen. Once the door slams shut, I’m left in utter darkness again. I finally reach the bottom and sit down on the ground, pulling Chepi into my lap. He sniffs me frantically then licks my face. His warm tongue makes me laugh despite what just happened. Only a few minutes of silence pass, then Nyx opens the hatch door and hurries down the ladder. He waves a hand, tossing the small orb of light out, which illuminates the bunker once again.

“What is a Monstrauth? Where did those things come from?” I ask, getting to my feet. I look him over head to toe. He doesn’t seem to be hurt.