by Alexis Davie
“That’s really sweet of you to say, Nyx,” she answered with a smile.
“Or maybe you can come to Echoes tomorrow night. I’m doing a few sets, and we can have a few drinks afterwards, or get something to eat.”
“You’re really persistent,” she pointed out and he nodded shamelessly. “I’ll try to come. I promise.”
“Okay, that’s great. I’d really like to get to know you.”
“Yeah, me too. I’ve heard so many things about you.”
“From your dad?” he asked.
“From everyone I know.”
A shiver ran down his spine and he took a step back. What had she heard about him? Was that why she was keeping her distance from him? Did she hear something she did not like and did not want anything to do with him?
“Don’t look so worried. I’m sure not everything is true,” Romi tried to reassure him. “I’m sure you’ve heard a lot of bad things about my family.”
Nyx frowned at her and shook his head. “How would I know anything about your family?”
“I’m sure that we were discussed at length, especially by your father, the Dragon King,” she told him, her voice lowering at the mention of his father.
Nyx’s eye widened and he took a step forward again. “How do you know my father?”
“I don’t know him personally, but I know about him, and you. All of you, actually,” she answered softly. “I have to go.”
“Wait,” he called out to her as she was about to turn away. “Will you come to Echoes tomorrow night? Please? I think we should talk.”
“I think so too,” she agreed. “I’ll try.”
Nyx watched as she turned away from him and walked in the direction she was going before he had stopped to talk to her.
He felt unsettled by the fact that she knew his father, and everything about his family. She had mentioned that she knew him at the bar, but he thought she knew about him from his performances at Echoes. The fact that she knew about his past gave him reason to believe that she wasn't a human. Humans never possessed that type of knowledge about the dragons without using it to their advantage, or keeping it to themselves. Humans were crafty, and they knew nothing of loyalty. They would sell out their own race if push came to shove.
Romi was different, though; there was a fire which burned in her eyes and in her heart like he had only seen in the species which he hated most of all.
The witches.
Maybe that was why Romi was so abrupt with him and couldn't get away from him fast enough. She was a witch, and the witches hated the dragons even more than the dragons hated them. Their feud was as old as time itself, and no matter how many meetings of peace were held, they simply did not get along.
“Fucking typical,” he muttered as he watched her disappear into the crowd of people walking along the same sidewalk. If she was indeed a witch, it would be typical of how things worked with regards to the True Mate selection. The two species of Immortals who could not stand one another would make the most perfect couple of True Mates, especially for Rhaena.
Rhaena knew exactly what the relationship between the dragons and the witches was like, and it would be typical of her to ensure that his True Mate would be a witch. They’d probably end up annoying each other to death, or some sick twisted shit that would make Rhaena laugh wickedly wherever the hell she was.
Nyx did not have any proof that she was indeed a witch, but he had his suspicions. Something about her was familiar to him, as if he had seen her before. He had even felt that way the night he saw her sitting at the small table in Echoes, her drink in her hand. Staring directly at her, that was the moment his world came to a complete and utter standstill, and it would never be the same again.
He had spent the last two nights obsessing over her and what might have repelled her from him, but in actual fact, it was his own insecurities shining through, cracking through the surface.
Nyx had never been the most confident of the four princes and at times he wished he could have his older brother Pyre’s aloofness, or his younger brother Dax’s confidence. Nyx had found it very hard to live with such strong personalities in his family, and mimicked each one of his brothers’ behavior. It had been easy when they were in close proximity to one another, but ever since they had split up and moved to the four corners of the world, Nyx had found it difficult to be himself without them. His brothers were a very important part of who he was as a person, but he also felt the need to discover who he was without them. Sure, it had taken him longer than he thought it would, but he was doing it on his own.
Until now.
Now he just felt lost again.
The crowd inside Echoes was already seated when he stepped in through the front door with his guitar case in his hand, and immediately he was greeted by people inside. They approached him and shook his hand as he passed them, and it made Nyx feel welcome and like he belonged there. He had considered leaving his job and becoming a full-time musician, but he did not want that kind of exposure. Sure, the people inside Echoes loved his music, and he was in the right city to make it big, but taking a chance like that wasn't something he was up for. At least not yet.
And he really did not need that kind of attention, especially with his father being in the news all the time. He already had billions of dollars; he did not need the fame to go with it. He really treasured his privacy. Besides, no matter how famous he could become as a singer, he’d always live in his father’s shadow. People would always refer to him as Arlo’s son, or the son of that philanthropist billionaire with the hot wife. Everything revolved around his father, and Nyx knew it would never change.
Nyx ordered a bottle of water from Josh at the bar, and he scanned the room.
“She’s not here yet,” Josh pointed out.
Nyx frowned as he turned to Josh and asked, “What?”
“She’s not here yet. The pretty redhead you saw here the other night.”
“I was just—”
“We all know you were looking for her, Nyx.”
“She’s probably not coming. She thinks I’m just like my father, or so she’s heard anyway.”
Josh frowned deeply and shook his head. “Does she even know your father?”
“Unfortunately, yes, and all the shit he’s done.”
“Come on, mate. It can’t be that bad. Besides, you’re nothing like your old man, right?” Josh asked.
“Right. I’m not.”
“Be sure to tell her that when she arrives,” Josh tried to sound encouraging. “You’re up next, alright?”
Nyx nodded gratefully; he appreciated Josh’s attempt to make him feel less like an asshole. He walked toward the stage and opened his guitar case.
He started to play a song he had loved for a very long time, one for which he had always received a standing ovation when he was done, so what better way to start off his set than with it? He scanned the room as he sang, which was something he never did. He did not want to set himself up for disappointment, but he couldn’t help but hope that she would be there. He looked down, focusing on the song, and a sudden feeling of calmness enveloped him, like a silk veil covering him from his worries and feelings of despair and rejection.
Nyx scanned the crowd once more and finally saw her. She was slowly making her way to a table at the back. Instead of sitting on the chair, Romi perched herself up on the table to see him better, and a small smile formed on his lips. Her face instantly lit up when she saw him and everything seemed to move in slow motion. The strums of his guitar, the beat his left foot tapped on the ground, the flames of the lighters swaying to and fro in the dark bar, even his heartbeat slowed down. His words became automatic, and he did not even have to think about the lyrics—they simply flowed from his heart and out of his mouth. The crowd was mesmerized as per usual, but they did not matter to him. His eyes were focused only on Romi, staring at him from beyond the crowd. Her blue eyes were bright, and her red hair framed her beautiful face and hung down her shoulders.
> Nyx couldn’t wait to finish his set, and after what felt like a lifetime, he eventually ended his last song. The crowd went wild as the last notes of his guitar were drowned out by the noise, and he sat back on his stool with a modest smile.
“Thank you,” he whispered into the microphone and stood. He placed his guitar back in its case and closed it, shifting it behind the stage.
As he made his way to the back of the bar where Romi sat on the table, the people he passed greeted him with handshakes and pats on the back, and told him how much they enjoyed his set. He thanked them for coming out and proceeded toward Romi, who had now slid off the table and seemed to be eagerly waiting for him. Her blue eyes sparkled brightly, and Nyx couldn't help but smile as he stood in front of her.
“You came,” he managed to say.
Romi shrugged and said with a sly smile, “Well, you asked so nicely, I figured I’d come listen to you some more.”
“Thank you for coming. Can I get you a drink?”
“Yeah, that would be nice. I’ll have whatever you’re having,” she answered.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Absolutely. I trust your judgment.”
“Okay,” Nyx smirked and walked over to the bar. “Two waters, please, Josh,” he said and held up two fingers.
“Whoa, easy with the drinks, mate,” Josh laughed and placed two bottles on the counter.
Nyx scooped them up and returned to the table where Romi was seated. He placed the two bottles on the table and sat down.
“You got water,” she answered slowly.
“To be fair, I did warn you.”
“That you did,” she laughed and opened her bottle. “Thank you.”
She held up her, but when he looked at her with confusion, she tapped the neck of her bottle against his. “Cheers.”
Nyx nodded and took a sip of water.
“So you don’t drink at all, or just when you’re performing?” she asked.
“I’d hardly call it performing, but—”
“You’re on stage, playing the guitar, and singing in front of an entire bar. I am pretty sure that classifies as performing,” she interjected. “And if I can say so, your voice is amazing. It just makes me feel so much. More than I ever thought I could.”
“I am pretty sure that’s not just because of my singing, but thank you.”
“Are you always this modest, or are you just incapable of graciously accepting compliments?” Romi asked with a twinkle in her eyes.
“I am really bad at accepting compliments, I have to admit,” he conceded.
“Did Dax and Pyre always steal your thunder?” she asked.
Nyx sat back in his chair and stared at her in disbelief, although it shouldn’t have surprised him that a complete stranger knew everything about him and his family. It was unsettling, to say the least, and Nyx frowned at her. “You know a lot about my family. Why is that?”
“The Veskovic name is quite the topic of conversation among my father and the elders,” she answered.
“The elders?” Nyx asked with a blank stare. “As in witch elders?”
“Exactly.”
“I knew it,” he whispered.
“What did you know?” she asked and rested her chin on her palm.
“That things are always too good to be true, and that because of my name I am doomed to never get anything good.”
“Why do you think that?” Romi asked, but before he could answer, the bar went completely dark and music started to play.
Nyx let out a breath of relief, as no one could now hear them talking, even though they sat all the way at the back of the bar.
“When I saw you for the first time, something happened, and I’m not sure if you felt it too, but—”
“I felt it. I knew exactly what it was too. My dad, he talked about it a lot. He discussed your family at length, and at times I felt as though he would never stop talking about you all. I know everything about you and your family, not because I wanted to, but because I was forced to. No offense.”
“None taken. My family isn’t exactly the clean-cut group of people I would have liked them to be. We’ve got such a history of bad shit, especially with your kind. I don’t even know why you came here in the first place,” Nyx sighed.
“You did not do anything to me, so why would that affect how I feel about you?” she asked.
Nyx raised his head slowly and their eyes met. “Normally, the witches I meet don’t have the kind of mindset you have.”
“Well, it was presumptuous to think that I was anything like them in the first place,” she answered. “And it was also presumptuous of me to think that you were like your father.”
Nyx looked at her without a word. Maybe he had been wrong about the witches. Maybe they weren’t all the same as those he had encountered in his life. Romi wasn't like those witches, but he sensed there was something about Romi which gave him the impression that she was strong in her abilities as a witch.
Nyx and Romi spent the rest of the night talking at the small round table at the back of Echoes until it was dark and quiet. They laughed and shared stories late into the night, and Nyx simply couldn't get enough of her company. For the first time in his life, he could speak freely to someone without feeling judged. Her presence made him feel comfortable and he did not have to pretend to be someone she wanted him to be. All she wanted was him, or at least that was what he hoped. They shared amusing stories of their childhood and did not once mention any of the sad, tragic, or heartbreaking moments they had lived through. Nyx did not want to dwell on it at all, because he knew those days were behind him, now that he had found his happiness.
His forever.
Her.
Nyx noticed Josh approaching their table. “Hey, Josh.”
“I’m really pleased to see Nyx can smile once in a while,” Josh retorted.
“He does strike me as a really serious guy,” Romi laughed.
“A typical brooding and pensive musician,” Josh pointed out.
“Exactly right,” Romi agreed and looked over at Nyx, “but he does it so well.”
Nyx arched his eyebrow at her, and she winked playfully at him.
“As much as I love the fact that you’re making him smile, because let’s face it, it’s not something that happens all that often, I’m going to have to kick you both out,” Josh told her, wincing apologetically.
Nyx glanced at the clock on the wall and his eyebrows rose. “I did not realize it was so late.”
Romi’s eyes widened as well and she nodded. “Neither did I. I have to get going.”
After Romi and Nyx apologized to Josh for keeping him there later than usual, they stepped out into the cold night air and Romi turned to him.
“I had a really great night. I am so glad that I came,” she whispered, but her words were as clear as day to Nyx.
The stars sparkling overhead, accompanied by the bright crescent moon, bathed Romi in a silver glow that made her look even more beautiful than she already was to Nyx.
“I’m really glad you came as well,” he said shyly, “and I’d really like to see you again.”
“We’ll see,” she answered coyly.
“Can I drive you home? To yours, I mean,” he offered.
“No, that’s okay.”
“Can I at least walk you to your car?” he offered again.
“I’ll walk.”
“You’re going to walk alone this time of the night? It’s not exactly safe,” he pointed out, concern quickly rising up inside him.
“I’ll be fine,” she answered. “I am more than capable of handling myself, but thank you for caring.”
Nyx stepped toward her, hoping she would allow him to kiss her, as he desperately wanted to. He had wanted to kiss her from the very first moment he saw her, but he did not want to force it. It would happen when the time was right, and when she was ready. It did not surprise him when she reached out her hand, pressed it against his chest, and stepped back. “Good
night, Nyx.”
Although Nyx was a little taken aback, he did not blame her for not wanting to kiss him, even if they had spent most of the night talking. He respected her enough to move at a slow pace, as he realized the new feelings could be overwhelming to her.
They certainly were to him.
“Good night,” he said simply as she glanced at him, lowering her hand and digging it into the front pocket of her coat.
They stood in silence for a few seconds, and much to Nyx’s surprise, Romi moved closer to him and softly kissed him on the cheek. She shyly bit her bottom lip and stepped away.
Once again, Nyx watched her as she walked away from him along the empty sidewalk, but this time, his heart was filled with hope.
He would see her again.
Undoubtedly.
4
The smoke twirled in spirals above Romi’s head while the scent of sage and rosemary filled the air around her. The serenity of the moment she had found herself in caused her energy to manifest itself in a glow that was brighter than ever. It was obvious to her why this was, as she had not felt happier or lighter inside her heart in a very long time, if ever. She had not been overly cheerful, especially not while she was at her father’s house, but at times she had to force herself to hide the wistful smile she wore on her lips. She had seemed to fool her father up until the moment her energy radiated like the sun.
Romi stood in the middle of her father’s conservatory, the frosted glass around her looking like a large lamp from the outside, ensuring that their neighbors would not think that wicked things were brewing in the house. Her father stood on the other side, paging through his grimoire, an ancient, leather-bound book as old as time itself, which he had inherited from his father. It had been in the family for thousands of years, and one day it would belong to Romi, or so the prophecy said, but being the kind of witch Romi was, she doubted her father would ever allow her to have the grimoire in her possession.
As her energy grew even brighter, a mix of yellows, oranges, and pinks, her father had stopped paging and studied her carefully, but he did not utter a single word to her. He was probably afraid of what she would tell him, or he already knew.