by Lola Gabriel
“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.
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 wouldn’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.
“You can tell her yourself.”
Nyx frowned and as he turned toward the Jeep, Henry touched his shoulder.
“Look, kid. I know my feelings of hatred for you and your kind have come off a little strong,” Henry said, and Nyx’s eyebrows furrowed at Henry’s clear underestimation, “but my daughter is alive in large part because of what you did. And contrary to popular belief, you’re nothing like your father. Your bravery and sacrifice are something to be proud of. I guess I’m just trying to say that I’m sorry that I judged you before getting to know you. Your love for my daughter is written all over your face, and I am sorry that I doubted you, and thought you weren’t good enough for her. She deserves the best, and you can give her that.”
Much to his own surprise, Nyx felt shallow tears in his eyes and a warm feeling in his heart he had never truly felt before.
“You’re one heck of a dragon, Nyx, and if your father isn’t proud of who you are, then he doesn’t deserve a great son like you,” Henry continued and placed his hand against his heart. “I’m not your father, but I couldn't be prouder of you, and more grateful of who you are.”
A tear ran down Nyx’s cheek, but he didn't make a single effort to wipe it away. He wasn't the type of guy who simply cried for no reason, but he couldn't help but feel flattered by Henry’s words. Also, there was a sense of acceptance in his tone, and this meant a great deal to Nyx. Not only did Henry accept him for being a dragon, but he also accepted him as a person, and that was probably the most important thing of all.
Finally he felt like he belonged somewhere.
It surprised him even more when Henry stepped closer to him and hugged him, patting his shoulder slowly. Nyx didn't care whether anyone would think less of him as he hugged Henry in return, as the two men understood one another—finally—and appreciated one another.
Henry was the first to back away and he patted Nyx on the shoulder again. “I better go check on Romiera.”
“We’ll see you later,” Nyx said, his voice hoarse, and he wiped the tears from his face. “Thank you, Henry.”
“Always a pleasure, son,” Henry answered and walked back to the front door.
Nyx opened the driver’s door, trying to contain the emotions bubbling to the surface at Henry’s words as he climbed into the driver’s seat. The old warlock had no idea how much his words had meant to Nyx in that moment, and Nyx fought the tears from streaming down his face as he drove away.
As soon as he was a few blocks away, it had become too much and he pulled over, sobbing silently, his head resting on the headrest. He had almost forgotten about Adam, who stirred beside him.
Nyx took a deep breath and wiped his face again.
“Everything okay?” Adam asked sleepily, a little disoriented.
Nyx placed his hand on the gearshift and nodded. “I was just letting some feelings out. I was feeling a little overwhelmed.”
“I get that. Today was a little overwhelming.”
“You have no idea,” Nyx sighed, but cringed immediately after. “Sorry. I wasn't thinking. You have plenty to deal with right now too.”
“You’re lucky, though, Nyx. You have people who care about you. That old guy, he loves you like a son, I can see that, and why wouldn’t he? You saved his daughter. There’s nothing more powerful than the proof of love for a father when it comes to his daughter,” Adam said quietly.
Nyx frowned and said, “You’re a lot wiser than any bear I’ve ever met.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Adam chuckled, and then grew quiet. “I know how you feel, though, not fitting into the family you were born in.”
“Why’s that?”
“My dad was an alcoholic, an aggressive one at that. His actions were embarrassing and shameful to me,
and I didn’t want anything to do with him. I even denied that I was his son.”
“Where is he now?”
“He died in a bar fight a few years ago. He thought he was tough, and he got his ass handed to him.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. I hadn’t spoken to him in years, cut myself off completely. The only thing valuable I learned from him was to be the opposite of what he was.”
“Sometimes that’s the best thing you can do for yourself.”
“And others,” Adam said.
Nyx smiled slightly and drove onto the road again.
“Thank you, for taking me in, and just everything. You didn't have to do it. I am a bear, after all,” Adam said gratefully.
“I’m just doing what my father wouldn’t,” Nyx answered. “Now, let’s get you home and cleaned up, because there’s no easy way to say this. You stink.”
“Right back at you,” Adam countered.
Nyx joined in Adam’s intoxicating laughter, and he had to admit that he felt much lighter than he had felt in a long time. It wasn’t only because he knew Romi and Henry were safe, and that he had made a new friend and possibly a confidante disguised as a protege, but he also felt better as a person.
A good person.
10
Romi reached up and touched the soft fabric which covered her eyes with a sigh. “I still don’t understand why you had to put a blindfold on me, Nyx,” she said. “Normal people would have just told me to close my eyes.”
“But you’re one of those people who would peek even though I told you not to,” Nyx stated matter-of-factly.
Romi heard the car door open and shuffling noises as Nyx climbed out of the car. Or so it sounded. The door slammed again, and she tracked his footsteps going around the car to her door.
When Nyx had fetched her at her house an hour ago, she thought he was joking when he took the blindfold out of his pocket, but much to her dismay, he wasn't joking. She didn’t like it one bit, being blindfolded and not being able to see what the hell he was up to. Romi liked being able to figure out what was happening around her, so she felt rather hopeless as she sat in the car, waiting for him to open the door and help her out.