by Alexis Davie
The tip of the blade touched her skin, and immediately her skin started to burn, as if the blade had been heated to an infernally high temperature.
Her father had told her the blade was forged out of the steel of Livia Ambrosias' cradle, which set alight the moment she was born. No one other than her parents—who were mere mortals—could touch it without being instantly incinerated. Her father was a humble blacksmith, and after she had learned her first spell, which she had to figure out on her own, as no other witches even existed, he took a section of her crib and forged and crafted it into a dagger, with a guard made of opals and pure gold. Over time, the gold was stolen off it and the opals wore down, but the power of the steel was what kept it in immaculate condition. When Henry had inherited it from his mother, he restored the guard to its former glory and kept it for Romi, to one day pass onto her descendants.
That plan was looking a little bleak at that moment.
Romi cried out in pain as the tip of the dagger penetrated her skin and sank down into her flesh. Her chest was instantly on fire, and as she threw her head back, she noticed the true magnificence of Nyx, in his dragon form, flying overhead.
9
Romi’s pained scream shot through the air, triggering Nyx’s natural instincts of attack, and he swooped down, his large, gray wings slicing through the air. Henry held on for dear life, perched up on his neck, his eyes glowing.
Nyx caught sight of Flint as he circled around the site of Stonehenge and recalled a previous encounter, similar to this one, where Flint had run away, wounded not only physically, but also with his pride shredded into shards.
This time would be the same thing, only there was much more at stake.
A powerful roar pulsated from his throat and Flint glared up at him, moving his arm in a circular movement. Nyx noticed the army of bears, who now made their way toward him. Their growls grew louder as Nyx swooped down and spewed a ray of fire at them. Some of them were consumed by the flames, but others simply kept going.
Nyx found it rather amusing that Flint was under the impression he would be able to defeat him with an army of bears. They couldn't fly, or breathe fire, so what chance did they have?
Henry yelled out to him, his voice muffled by the wind, “Look down there! It’s Romiera! And the dagger!”
Nyx knew exactly what dagger Henry referred to, as his father had been stabbed with it several times on the night they were cursed by Rhaena. Much of that night was still unknown to Nyx, as his father never felt the need to share it with him or any of the sons, but the dagger was one of the most mentioned things in that story.
Nyx glanced down and spotted Romi, lying on the flat rock in the center of the circles, on what used to be the altar.
The sacrificial altar.
As soon as he noticed the ceremonial dagger stuck in her chest, his rage exploded and he plunged down onto the ground. The bears now surrounded him, but he didn’t even care. He trampled several of them with his powerful hind legs, or swatted them away from him like flies with his front claws. Still spewing fire at those who remained, he noticed a light gray bear running toward Romi.
Instinctively, he rushed toward Romi, curling his tail around the stone of the altar to protect her.
“I’ll get her,” Henry said and slid off his neck.
Nyx nodded gratefully and continued to deter the incoming horde of bears. It was hard to believe that Romi was able to create this many bears in such a short period of time, but then again, she was an Ambrosias descendent. Powerful beyond belief and wise beyond their years, they were a true force to be reckoned with.
Henry grabbed Romi, who was barely conscious, ripped the dagger’s blade out of her chest, and called out a series of chants. The wind suddenly picked up, creating a vortex around Henry and Romi, engulfing them completely.
Nyx felt powerless, as he couldn’t do anything to help them, except keep the bears away from them. He spewed fire around him at an alarming rate, his rage growing fierier with every second that passed. Knowing it was time to change things up, he released a large cloud of smoke from his nostrils, engulfing all the bears.
The bears were disorientated, unable to see or know where they were.
From deep within Nyx, lightning built up inside him, and as he opened his large mouth, his teeth glimmered even through the smoke.
Lightning bolts shot out from his throat, shooting straight at the bears, killing them instantly. When some of them tried to retreat, he shot them down like a sniper, with no chance of survival.
Amongst the chaos, Nyx spotted Flint, who seemed agitated and irate that his plan hadn’t worked as well as he thought. He definitely didn't expect that Romi’s father would join in the fight, especially not alongside Nyx.
Nyx shot down even more of the bears until there were none left, expect for Flint, and a low growl formed in the back of his throat. His dark gray wings folded against his back as he transformed into his human body. The smoke still hung thick in the air, giving him a few moments to get himself together—and to get dressed, of course. He grabbed the backpack Henry had carried with him and quickly donned his clothes. When he was done, he stepped away from the altar, knowing he didn't need to check on Henry and Romi. They were perfectly safe inside their vortex of magic. Hopefully Henry knew what he was doing, as there would be no greater loss for Nyx than losing Romi.
That was it, he thought to himself as the revelation became clear. Flint needed Romi, not only to create a bear army for him, but also to lure him here. Once he was here, Flint would kill Romi, therefore weakening him so that he’d be easier to kill.
That wasn't going to happen, Nyx vowed as he stepped out into the meadow and the smoke began to clear.
Flint stood by an upright slab of rock, his eyes glowing an angry red.
“It’s all over, Flint!” Nyx called out to him as he slowly made his way through the thick grass.
“It’s far from over!” Flint growled and started to run toward him, transforming into a ferocious brown bear.
Nyx had the physical strength to take him down, but just as Flint came close to him, a gray blur swooped in and tackled Flint to the ground. Nyx was stunned as he realized it was the light gray bear he had noticed earlier, but why would one of his own kind—and a member of his army—attack him?
Nyx watched as the two bears fought one another, the gray bear being the dominant of the two. Newly created Immortals possessed so much more strength their first few weeks, which made them dangerous to control, especially in Flint’s case. He had been so hungry for power and blinded by revenge that he forgot the most important rule when creating new Immortals: keep them locked up for at least a few weeks until their initial rage wears off.
Given that Flint wanted to use their power for his purposes, he clearly forgot about that rule, therefore basically shooting himself in the foot. He was now being ripped to shreds by the very thing he had created.
Flint’s bloodied body lay motionless in the grass, and the gray bear stepped away, slowly turning to Nyx.
Nyx held his hands up in defeat and stepped back. “I’m not here to hurt you, okay? I’m a dragon, sure, but I’m not here for you.”
The bear continued to slowly approach him.
“I’m not here to hurt you. I just came to see Romi. She’s my True Mate, which might come as a surprise to you, because she’s a witch and I’m a dragon. But I love her, and I would do anything for her,” Nyx explained. “I’m sorry this happened to you, and that you have to go through all of this now, but if you want, I can help you with your transition. I’m no expert when it comes to being a bear, but I’m sure I can find out, or find someone who can.”
The bear came to a complete standstill a few feet away from Nyx and painfully transformed into a human, collapsing on the grass. The guy was young, in his early twenties, and Nyx felt sorry for the guy. He appeared so fragile, as opposed to the ferocious bear he was a few moments ago, ripping Flint apart as though it was no effort at all.
&
nbsp; Nyx carefully approached and crouched down beside him. “What’s your name?”
The man looked up at him, his blue eyes dull from pain. “Adam.”
“Hey, Adam. I’m Nyx.”
“I know who you are. Flint couldn't stop talking about you.”
“Yeah, he had the tendency to go on and on about a thing,” Nyx shrugged.
“You’re nothing like he described. Or at least you don’t seem to be an evil dictator.”
“No, that would be my father. Luckily, I’m nothing like him,” Nyx assured him.
“I’m nothing like my dad too, or at least I wasn’t until I killed someone,” Adam sighed and motioned to Flint’s corpse.
“You did a good thing, and even though it doesn’t feel like it now, you did what you had to do. Thank you for that.”
Adam nodded in acknowledgment.
“Why did you do it?” Nyx asked. “You were ordered to kill me, attack me, yet you didn't.”
“It didn't seem right, killing you,” Adam answered and looked over at the spinning vortex, which was now only a gust of wind. “And because of her.”
Nyx followed his gaze and a wave of relief washed over him. On the altar stone, Romi sat upright beside Henry, and Nyx scrambled to his feet.
“Romi,” he called out and she turned to him.
His heart pounded in his chest as he ran to her and scooped her up in his arms. “Oh my god. I am so happy that you’re okay.”
“Easy, kid. She just got stabbed with an enchanted sword. It tends to hurt a bit afterwards,” Henry pointed out as a cautionary measure.
“Sorry,” Nyx cringed and set her down on the stone bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired, sore, and in pain,” she admitted and took his hand, “but grateful and relieved to be alive. Because of the two of you.”
“It was nothing,” both Henry and Nyx shrugged.
Romi smiled weakly and shook her head. “I have no words to describe how grateful I am toward the two of you. You guys saved me, and I could never thank you enough.”
“You don’t have to thank us, Romiera. We love you, and we’d do anything for you,” Henry said.
“Thanks, Dad,” she said with a smile and hugged her father. “I love you, so very much.”
“I love you too, kiddo.”
As Henry stepped away, she said, “Dad, can you give me and Nyx a minute?”
“Yes, of course. You two apparently have a lot to talk about,” Henry answered. “I’ll just get some extra clothes out of the car for the naked kid in the field.”
“What naked kid?” Romi asked.
“Oh, one of Flint’s bears went rogue and killed him,” Nyx pointed out and motioned to Adam on the grass, and Flint’s corpse lying nearby.
“Ew,” Romi said and lowered her gaze. “I’m actually sorry I asked.”
“Romi, I just want to say—”
“Wait,” Romi interrupted him and took his hand. “Before you say anything, I just want to apologize. I know that not telling you that I was related to Rhaena was a horrible thing and it shocked me just as much as it shocked you, maybe even more. I guess a part of me didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want it to affect or change the way you felt about me or looked at me.”
“Romi, nothing will change the way I feel about you. I realized that it was hard for you to talk to me about it. I understand why you didn’t want to. We both know it was a difficult and sensitive subject, and I’m sorry that I made you think that you couldn’t talk to me about it,” he said and tucked a lock of wayward red hair behind her ear. “You mean everything to me, Romi, and it doesn’t matter who you’re related to, because you’re the one who matters, not them or anyone else.”
A smile formed on her lips and her eyes filled with tears.
“I love you, Romi Friar, now and forever,” he said to her.
She caught her breath. “I love you too. Always.”
Nyx wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him, and kissed her.
The entire world melted away as the fire inside him was ignited once again, and their hearts pounded in perfect synchronicity.
As their lips parted, they gazed into each other’s eyes for a brief while until Henry cleared his throat behind them.
Nyx lightly kissed Romi’s nose and he turned toward Henry, who was slowly approaching them with Adam, now fully clothed and limping heavily.
“This is Adam,” Nyx said and motioned toward him. “Adam, this is—”
“Romi. I know who you are.”
“Nyx said that you killed Flint. Is that true?”
“Yes, it is,” Adam answered.
“And why did you do that? You were a part of his army, and he was the one who created you,” Romi inquired with a perplexed yet grateful expression on her face.
“With all due respect, you’re the one who created me,” Adam pointed out.
Romi slid off the flat rock and walked up to Adam, Nyx staying close to her. He didn’t know if Adam was completely trustworthy, although he wanted to give the poor guy the benefit of the doubt. Nyx had learned early on in his life to trust no one, even if they saved his life, and Romi’s.
“When I was on that rock,” Adam said, pointing to the flat altar rock, “I was scared out of my mind. I didn’t know what to expect, or whether I was going to live or die at the end of this battle. The way you looked at me, so reassuringly, gave me a bit of hope that everything would be okay. You gave me the strength and the hope to break free of the hold Flint had over me.”
“You are the light gray bear, aren’t you?” she asked in disbelief.
“I am.”
“You’re different from the others,” Romi said with a smile.
“In more ways than one, it seems,” Henry said, and Nyx detected a hint of pride in Henry’s tone.
“I like that,” Romi whispered.
Adam turned to Nyx and continued, “You spared me, even though I was one of the enemies. You tried to reason with me, telling me that you weren’t going to hurt me, and that you were just trying to save Romi. That’s what a true hero is.”
“I’m no hero, Adam, and even if you think I am, I am probably the worst kind,” Nyx answered.
“We all make mistakes, but it’s what we do afterwards that matters, don’t you think?” Adam asked.
Romi and Nyx exchanged silent glances and Nyx nodded. “Absolutely right, Adam.”
“Nyx, we should get going,” Henry advised. “The concealing spell will wear off soon and we definitely don’t want to be out here when someone notices all these dead bears.”
Nyx nodded and as Henry and Romi turned away, Nyx looked at Adam. “Do you want to come with us?”
“I’d really like that,” Adam answered gratefully. “I won’t be any trouble, I swear. You won’t even know I’m there.”
“Well, that’s going to be a problem, because your presence is important to us,” Romi said, suddenly beside Nyx.
“Really?” Adam asked.
“Absolutely,” Nyx agreed.
“Thank you. It means a lot.”
Henry approached Adam and patted his shoulder. “Come on, kid. You can ride in the front with me.”
The four of them—quite the quartet—made their way back to where Nyx’s Jeep was parked, and they climbed inside. As promised, Adam sat in the front with Henry, who was driving, and Romi and Nyx sat in the back.
It wasn’t long until Romi fell asleep on Nyx’s shoulder, exhausted and frail from her ordeal with Flint and the bears. Nyx had his arm around her shoulders, listening to her breathing as his warmth flowed from his body to her. He felt Henry’s gaze on him and diverted his eyes slightly upwards. Henry’s gaze reflected in the rearview mirror and the gratitude in his eyes was evident. Without exchanging a single word, Nyx knew exactly what Henry was thinking, as he thought it as well.
They were grateful to one another, and despite their differences, they had worked together to not only save Romi, but to ensure that Flint wo
uldn’t try to kill any of the Dragon Princes.
Nyx realized that one way or another, Flint would have planned to kill him, as centuries had passed where his revenge built up to such a degree. It was disappointing to Nyx in a manner of speaking, as his friendship with Flint had been a good one. They had one another’s backs while they were friends, but this friendship was clearly not meant to be if a young woman could destroy it within the blink of an eye. Clearly their friendship wasn’t strong enough to withstand that kind of betrayal, although no betrayal was actually committed. It wasn’t Nyx’s fault that the young woman had chosen him, and it wasn’t Flint’s fault she didn’t choose him.
The Jeep came to a stop in front of Henry’s house and Henry turned off the engine. Nyx helped Romi out of the back seat and carried her into the house, while Adam waited in the car.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay, because I can,” Nyx offered as he and Henry stepped into the hallway after closing the door of Romi’s childhood room, allowing her to sleep.
“I know you can, but I’ve got it from here. She needs to regain her strength, as well as her magic. There are a few potions I need to give her to do that, and I can’t have you hanging around here seeing my special recipes,” Henry joked.
Nyx smiled slightly and said, “We wouldn’t want those secret family recipes to end up in the wrong hands.”
Henry tapped Nyx’s shoulder as the two men made their way down the hallway and out the front door. The sky overhead was overcast, covered in clouds, and Henry looked up.
“There’s a storm coming,”
“Storms aren’t always bad, Nyx,” Henry pointed out.
Nyx nodded. “Would you let me know when she’s awake, please?”
“Of course. She’ll be asking for you, no doubt.”
Nyx looked over at Adam, who was now asleep in the front seat of the Jeep. “I have something I need to deal with, but if you need anything, let me know.”
“You look after the kid, and I’ll look after mine,” Henry answered.
“Could you tell her that I love her, when she wakes up, please?” Nyx asked.