Melas let out a light sigh. “Alright. I’ll let Ridhor patch me up so you stop hovering.”
“How very kind of you.” His voice lacked the usual teasing. “Be sure to keep this attitude up when you go in there. Orren will love it.”
Her cheeks puffed with held breath as she kept her words to herself. She watched Zura breathe for just a little while longer. “I’m sure he will.” She saw the tension in his shoulders when she walked back to the house with Zura in her arms, blood dripping from the cut Kiren gifted her. The muscles in his jaw so tight she was sure he would grind his teeth to dust.
The sooner she went to her room and faced off with them, the sooner she could go to bed.
Everything ached.
“Alright, let’s go.”
She turned her eyes up to Andrei’s not noticing the looming shadow seeping out of the corner of Zura’s room, bleeding across the white walls and swallowing any signs of light. It wrapped itself around the night light, sending the room into endless darkness.
45
MELAS
“I don’t want tea, Andrei. I just want to go to bed. I would even forgo being patched up for some sleep right about now. Even without the whole Demon tussle, I walked all over the property with Zura today after a day of swimming.” Melas walked into the room with Andrei on her heels. “I appreciate you trying to help but you don’t need to baby me.”
Their short walk down the hall to her room was filled with constant offers to make her more comfortable. Water, tea, snacks. Anything he could think of that would somehow make the events of the past two days seem less daunting.
She understood what he was trying to do.
Of the three of them, Andrei was the nurturer. He was that mom that made you a sandwich or cooked for you after a rough day. It was something he could control. It was sweet. It pulled at her heart in a way it shouldn’t.
She swatted at him when he brushed her hair over her shoulder.
Grinning, he followed her into the room. “Okay, okay.” His voice was light but tired. Crossing the room with her, he sat down on the white love seat across from the two chairs Orren and Ridhor sat in. “If you change your mind, let me know. I’d be happy to be at your beck and call. Even though you claim not to need it.”
She shook her head, too tired to do anything else before taking the only available seat left on the love seat next to him. Her emotions were high. She pushed so many things behind a dam she told herself she’d deal with later, the events of today were threatening to cause everything to flood over.
She didn’t want his soft attentiveness. It would only open the walls of her dam and let all the emotions out. She couldn’t be an emotional mess right now. They just needed to be normal until she could process all this.
Fat chance, but she could hope.
Ridhor got to his feet. He swatted his massive paw of a hand at Andrei’s feet resting on the coffee table, shooing him away. Groaning, Andrei pushed himself to his feet and reluctantly switched places with him.
“Anyone else hungry?”
“Just sit and stew like the rest of us,” Orren growled.
Rolling his eyes, Andrei folded his arms across his chest. His honey eyes suddenly seemed worn. He moved his mouth, murmuring something to himself before shooting Orren a look and slumping lower in his seat.
Orren’s mood was rubbing off on him, something that rarely happened. It told her he was thoroughly tired.
“How is Zura?” Ridhor asked, pulling up her already ripped sleeve to inspect the gash running from the inside of her wrist right up to the fold in her arm. If she weren’t magic, this wound would be deadly. After her fight against the horde and the Demon from today, she was unable to deny she was. Another thing she decided she would table for later.
Melas smiled at him, his words melting her heart and easing some of the tension she was feeling. “Good. Fast asleep. Kids are resilient. Unlike Vampires.” She avoided Andrei’s gaze as she ribbed him.
Ridhor laughed as Andrei scowled. “I’m starting to realize that.” He manipulated her skin gently. “This will need stitches. It will scar.”
Her shoulder twinged in reminder of her last injury. She was surprised to see it all but healed but didn’t want to bring attention to it yet. She wasn’t sure what it meant. It could be Alette’s remedy. Or she could heal, slower than Orren or Andrei, but faster than was normal.
Smiling lightly, she lifted her shoulders. “What’s one more?”
Ridhor busied himself preparing his supplies but she didn’t miss his slight glower. He hated she had any scars. Hated this one happened while all three of them were close by.
“It’s weird he came here, don’t you think?” She tried to change the subject. “The same guy from Hollywood Boulevard. He didn’t seem like he wanted to fight and he came alone.”
“He was stuck outside the wards. I have no doubt he came for a fight. All those stitches are evidence of that much.” Orren’s lips were turned down in distaste. “He wouldn’t have been able to get a fight at all if you stayed inside the wards.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She was tired and not in the mood to argue with him. She also wasn’t in the mood to listen to him take little quips at her every chance he got. “I guess I’m not used to hiding behind wards.” She shot Orren a look to let him know she didn’t have the patience for this right now.
The sensation of being watched sent tingles up her skin. She couldn’t just stand there. The wards hadn’t even been something she considered. She hadn’t thought to stay inside them because that wasn’t how she was wired.
There was a threat. She needed to know what it was to eliminate it.
She ruined his plan, whatever it was. Engaged with him, forcing him into a fight. She would have had him if she hadn’t heard Zura. It startled her for a moment, thinking she would get close enough for him to grab her. In that split second, he cut her.
All it ever took was a moment with her guard lowered.
Chance was not on her side, neither was Luck which she knew now were actual beings. If she ever met either she would ask why the hell they seemed so neglectful when it came to her.
“I think you’re wrong.” She pursed her lips, remembering the way Kiren stood there, looking up at the house.
Orren threw his hands up. “Why am I not surprised?” The look she gave him wasn’t enough to keep him from taking swipes at her. Irritation pushed her fatigue away, taking centre stage.
Ignoring him and the needle working through her flesh, she instead focused her gaze on Andrei. As soon as he felt her eyes, they locked on. “He was hiding when I found him. I have the feeling if I hadn’t shown up and engaged with him he would have just stood out there. Watching the house.”
Andrei frowned. “Gathering intel maybe. Seeing when we come, when we go, when we have Melas and Zura. When they are alone. It makes sense.”
“I’m sure now he knows it doesn’t take much to get you to wander off on your own. Something that will likely aid them in grabbing you or Zura. The two of you don’t think. You can’t see past whatever is right in front of you. Tunnel vision, the pair of you. You walk headfirst into danger and Zura follows behind you. You’re going to end up getting both of you killed.” Orren seethed.
Biting down on the inside of her cheek, she tried not to snap at him. He was right. She proved that today. She hadn’t thought twice before running into the woods, Zura hadn’t thought twice about following after her.
As painful as it was to admit, they were one another’s weaknesses. If she wanted to keep Zura safe, she had to keep herself safe.
Throwing her head back to rest on the back of the couch, she closed her eyes. She was so tired.
“What?” Orren’s voice was full of displeasure, his lip curling up as he spoke. “Nothing to say now?”
Melas kept her eyes closed, her mind counting the stitches as Ridhor worked his way up her arm. “I’m confused. You seem annoyed with me when I argue and annoyed with me when I don’t. If you want to fight with
me, put on your big boy pants and tell me so. Don’t sit there like a petulant child and snark at me every chance you get.”
The room fell quiet.
“I get it, I fucked up and you’re pissed. I’m not used to working as a team. I’m used to protecting myself and Zura without having to consider anyone’s feelings. You keep trying to pull me in, keep me here with the lot of you because we’re fated mates, or you have feelings for me. I’ve been trying, but I can’t become what you guys want overnight. I can’t forget all my instincts because you want me to. I can guarantee you this whole pushing me thing, it’s not going to work. I’m not going to stay because you’re difficult and take your frustrations out on me.”
“I’m not allowed to be angry? My anger is a reaction to your actions.”
“Orren,” Ridhor growled.
Andrei’s smooth voice cut through the tension. “Ease up a bit. She said she knows she messed up. There’s no use beating a dead horse.”
“I am neither dead nor a horse.” Melas frowned, still irritated. She felt Ridhor bandage her stitches after rubbing tonic on it before she opened her eyes and narrowed them at Orren. “You’re an alpha, I get that. But so am I. I haven’t been open to any of this. Anything permanent with any of you. Whatever it is you want from me isn’t going to work if you think you’re going to bark orders and I’m going to fall in line.”
He had patience that couldn’t be measured. Walking a line that straddled his calm and his chaos. As harsh as his words seemed, she knew they weren’t even close to what he wanted to say. She knew he was burning with anger she put there. He was doing all he could to contain it because he did care about her. “Barking orders,” He scoffed, shaking his head.
“Orren,” Ridhor warned again.
Pushing to her feet, she walked over to the bed. Kicking off her boots, she slid her pants down. They wanted to argue, have at it. She was too tired right now to take part. She felt the heat of their gaze on her back as she threw back the duvet and climbed into bed. She sunk against the thick pillows, pulling the blankets around her.
“You’re going to go to bed?” Orren asked, outraged.
Closing her eyes, she let out a slight groan as her muscles relaxed and she sunk deeper into the mattress. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do. You want to argue? Knock yourself out. I might as well get some rest, since I have no intention of participating in this argument you seem to be so adamant on having.”
“We can talk about this in the morning,” Andrei agreed. “When we’ve all calmed down a bit.”
“As though rest will make her any less difficult.” Orren threw his head back and laughed. “We will be right here, having the same fight no matter when we decide to have it because she’ll never change. She’s always going to be this stubborn ass that does whatever she wants. You don’t like taking orders? You don’t like listening to us? Newsflash, princess, you have no idea how these realms work. You don’t even have any idea who you are. How can you possibly think you know best?”
Her heart slammed against her chest as anger exploded inside her.
Whatever plan Orren had, she wasn’t sure she could make sense of it. They spent weeks trying to convince her she belonged with them, they could complete her and keep her safe. Now, he seemed to be trying to push her away, trying to put distance between them.
Being close to someone hurt sometimes. You weaved your very being together with theirs, tangled in a way that prevented either of you from surviving if something happened. It was scary, making you feel helpless. She felt that way. It was why she fought against this as long as she had. Fighting against them.
She was vulnerable enough, she didn’t think she would survive opening herself up to anyone else.
Throwing back her blankets, she hopped off the bed and stalked towards him. “Oh and the great and powerful Orren knows everything, does he?” Sarcasm dripped from every word as she stepped into his space, barely an inch separating them. “Is that what you want, Orren? A woman who will just bow to your every word?”
“Orren. Why the hell are you being like this? Look at her. You’re just pushing her away.” Andrei snapped at him, getting to his feet. “We talked about this.”
Melas frowned. “You talked about this?” Though she asked the question, she wasn’t the least bit surprised. “Of course you did. Why am I not surprised? What did you talk about? How to get me to go along with whatever plans for me you already had? Gods forbid not everything goes according to Orren’s plans.”
She could feel herself spiralling. She was going to say something she couldn’t take back. That was the thing about dams. You open them up and everything comes pouring out. You didn’t have time to sort through it.
Her fury burned bright, ready to unload on him when an icy chill ran through her. Something pulled in her chest, powerful enough to have her almost doubling over. Her hand shot up, clutching her chest. Eyes wide, she stumbled towards the door.
“Wait.” Andrei whirled at Orren. “Look what you did.”
The two of them argued while Ridhor followed her out into the hall. “What’s wrong?”
Her breath caught in her chest as her feet moved quickly down the hall. “Zura!”
* * *
The shadows seemed alive, the blackness hungry and infinite as it swallowed every inch of the room. The only light was faint, a small circle surrounding Zura’s bed as she slept.
“This is Zura.” The voice was slimy, dripping with fear, cold sweat and chattering teeth. The shadows at the end of her bed took shape, large arms reaching towards her with long, claw-like fingers. The only other thing that could be seen in the darkness was his smile, pure white in the blackness. The teeth pointed and tight together, the sides of the smile curling up.
A shark in black waters.
Waving a silhouetted hand, gilt dust misted the air before gently twinkling down to settle on the bed. His shadowed arms grabbed the bottom of the duvet, tugging it slowly. Zura stirred slightly. The stolen sands from the Sandman, quicksand holding her captive in slumber.
His arms moving tar, thick and cavernous halted as Nyx appeared at the side of Zura’s bed. Her pale arms porcelain with blackened cracks wrapped around Zura’s face as she pressed their cheeks together. “Don’t you dare touch her!” Her voice was torment, the feeling of your fears surrounding every dark shadow in your room when Nightmares came calling.
Nox appeared on the opposite side of the bed, mirroring her sister’s stance. A look of pure defiance on her face. More Nightmares were pulled from the dreamscape, creating a protective circle around their sleeping friend.
The sinister smile broadened, his pitch arms swatting them away. “You’re mere children of the night. Do you think you’re any match for a Boogey? There would be no you, without me. My presence births the terror and misery pumping through your veins.”
Nox squared her blackened jaw, the thick threads binding her mouth vibrating as she growled. “She’s not yours to take.”
“Or yours to keep.” His laugh was nails on a chalkboard.
As the Boogey lashed out at the Nightmares, the scene was enough to rip any shreds of sanity from your mind. Blackness moved through the room thick as tar, devouring all light as the small, pale bodies of the Nightmare seemed aglow as they were whipped around the room.
Everything pulsed, the heavy beat of a drum vibrating through the room as the Boogey laughed and the Nightmares screamed. The macabre consonance was deafening, a soundtrack of bad omens and sinister intentions.
The blackness was ravenous, taking hold of the Nightmares and bleeding into their skin. It ate away at them, pulling them into the shadows until the only sign of them left in the room were echoed whimpers and chilling pleas.
Nyx’s pale arm reached out to Zura, her body like paper turning to ash. “Don’t—”
Shadowed arms lifted Zura from the bed.
“Zura!” The door flew open, Melas stared at the struggling nightmares, a man of shadows clutching her daugh
ter, holding her floating in the air.
As soon as she stepped over the threshold, white teeth turned to grin at her. Then, all the blackness in the room sucked under the bed, leaving them in dim light that seemed harsh and bright in comparison.
Her heart was in a vice, desperation devouring her as a sob filled the space in her chest. Her eyes glassed over, her bottom lip quivering in disbelief as her eyes glued on the space under her bed. Melas slid across the room, her hands grasping the ground under the bed as she knelt on her knees. “Zura.”
“Melas?” Orren and Andrei burst into the room as Ridhor flipped the bed onto its side. His wide eyes scanning everywhere.
“What happened?” Andrei barked.
“Boogeyman.” Ridhor’s voice was thick, his hands curling into fists.
“They took her.” Melas’ voice was far away, her eyes wide as thick tears rolled down her cheeks. They felt like fire blazing a trail down her face, ignited by the fury burning in her chest.
Heartache gripped her heart so tight she could feel it cracking, splintering as it was wrapped in heat so hot she couldn’t breathe. Her chest heaved, her hands scratching at her chest, trying to ease some of the pressure building there. Her heart exploded, a display of hot fireworks in her chest as every piece of her shattered.
Panicked breath heaved in and out of her, sobs gripping her throat in a tight grasp. “Zura,” She could barely push her name past the tightness in her throat. Her everything, her moon and stars.
Gone.
Taken.
Fury took hold of those splintered pieces, coating them, making them spark. The heat was unbearable. White-hot heat licking over every inch of her, consuming her.
It took hold of her in a hungry grasp as she burst into flames.
Author’s Note
Hey guys,
This book is really special to me in more ways than one. Melas was a character I felt needed to be written after I became a mom and lost a little bit of my creative self. The solution was simple, write something with a strong female character who was a mom. Make the readers feel that bond and see if I could do it in a way that reignited my passion for writing and my creativity.
Hidden In Darkness (A Seven Realms Book Book 1) Page 37