by River Starr
“Sorry, love,” I said as I gripped his neck tighter. “You two will never get to finish this.”
He gripped my hands with his, prying them slowly apart. I reared back and slammed my head against his. Pain exploded across my forehead and darkness threatened to pull me under.
Dammit, Nyx. She was injured. Badly. But I fought hard and maintained control, even as this guard she loved so much fell backward, his eyes rolling back into his head.
I unhooked myself from this man’s body and stood, surveying my options. It seemed as though we’d been trapped in the entryway to the infirmary. To escape to the rebels waiting for me outside, I’d have to make it to the docking platform somehow.
I sighed and looked at the wall of debris in front of me. “Let’s see how much power you have stored up right now, Nyx.”
My eyes focused on the wall, I pulled on the water around us both inside and outside of the prison. As I commanded water to bend to my call, I realized the answer: not much.
The best I could do with Nyx’s limited magic, thanks in large part to the magic-muting rune on her neck, was to bore little holes in the wall with water. Over and over again, I pushed and pulled the water through. When I’d created several holes in the wall and light shown through from the other side, I kicked at the wall until bits and pieces of it broke away.
That was when I saw him on the other side, doing the same to get through.
“Nyx!” Dax called as he removed the debris piece by piece.
“Here!” I called in my best impression of my soul captor. “Hurry, it’s flooding fast!”
Dax cursed under his breath. Working together, we cleared enough of the wall large enough for me to crawl through.
On the other side, there we many dead. Some wore prison guard uniforms, but so too had many of my precious faithful fallen. Nyx’s other unit mate, the dragon shifter, continued to fight off prison guards as a new wave of them appeared.
“No,” I lamented, my gaze traveling over so many of their bodies. “My faithful.”
Dax’s eyebrows furrowed. “What? Nyx, are you okay?”
“I remember when you used to care for me that way.”
His eyes lit up with recognition. “Eos.”
I grinned. “At your service.” I glanced down at the ground, at the remaining debris still filling the corridor… and the broken runic teleportation circle. The one I’d need to get to the top floor of this prison. I cried out and turned, punching a wall. “No!”
“Frost ruined it,” Dax said, his tone deadly. “There’s no way off this floor until the fae create another circle. You’re trapped. We both are.”
I turned back to him and glared. “My faithful will find a way. Then we’ll escape together.”
“Your faithful? You mean the rebels on the floor dead? Good luck with that, Eos.” Then his eyes grew wide. He pushed me out of the way and threw a punch behind me.
I crashed into the nearby wall and spun around. Dax and Nyx’s lover were trading blows. I watched as they moved quickly, hitting in each other in the face and sides. Blood trickled down Dax’s lips, and I wished it was because he’d just fed on me instead of fighting the man Nyx loved.
Were she and I doomed to never have happiness because of all the ways in which our lives had become intertwined?
Nyx’s lover slammed Dax into the closest wall. Dax’s limp form slid down it, his eyes rolling back into his head. Then the sea fae turned on me.
“Nyx?” he asked as he chest heaved from exertion. “What is going on?”
I grinned cruelly. “Try again.” I launched forward, pushing off against the wall to gain enough momentum that when I slammed into the sea fae, we both toppled backward to the ground.
I landed on top of him and threw several punches into his chest before he grabbed my arms and rolled us over. He was bulky and strong, stronger than I could handle. And now that the sea fae was on top of me, I wasn’t sure I could knock him off.
Reaching out with my magic—and ignoring the lovely thrumming coming from where our magic met—I summoned water to wrap around his middle. His eyes widened and he growled as he realized what was happening.
“Nyx!” he cried out. “I know you’re in there!”
“She’s not answering right now. Can I take a message?”
With a mighty roar, the sea fae lifted me up off the ground only to slam me back down against the stone. My head spun, stars dancing along the edges of my vision as unconsciousness called me home.
“No…” We were so close to escape, Dax and I. So close to freedom.
The last thing I saw before going under completely was Nyx’s lover boy prison guard leaning in closer, another fist ready to attack.
25
Nyx
Hours passed between losing control of myself—quite literally—inside that walled-off section of corridor with Zavian, and awaking once more as myself here in solitary confinement. By the time I’d woken again, backup from the sea fae kingdom must have arrived and retaken the prison and used their magic to repair any structural damages. I also didn’t know for sure where Frost had gone, only that she was definitely gone for good.
Anxiety and fear had returned in full force, but no inky dark shadows arose. Not this time. Not yet. Still, I remained hypervigilant in case they did. I wasn’t sure how the Deep One would react to me having failed to get out of this prison when Eos’s faithful had returned. Or were they the Deep One’s faithful? I wasn’t sure. It seemed foolish to want to serve someone who had been dead for centuries, unless the rebels had somehow discovered that Eos’s soul was alive again within me. Worshiping a being as powerful as the Deep One made much more sense and—because of it—was much more terrifying.
But Eos had also had enough time to have an affair with Dax. What’s to say she also hadn’t had time to truly organize her faithful, tell them the truth about us being twin-souled, and begin reclaiming her throne in the quiet of shadows?
My only company in solitary was the screams and cries of Dax and Titus that sifted through between the walls. I pulled myself into a ball in one corner of the tiny cell and listened to both of them wail for hours. Titus sounded more frustrated than anything else, which I understood. Dax… I couldn’t decipher the tone behind his shouts and cries.
The only thing I knew for sure was that the prison guards likely weren’t causing it. They were cruel, to be sure. But if the guards really feared that the Deep One might haunt this prison, they’d let us go insane a bit first before bringing torture into the picture.
Maybe that was where the Deep One was. Maybe it was too busy with Dax and Titus to deal with me.
I worried what might become of us once we got out of solitary. Assuming we ever did. We’d never had our final trial, so I assumed that was still on the table. But for escaping during the rebel’s attack and maiming and killing security guards, our unit was just as likely to be thrown into an execution as a normal trial for reform. I couldn’t say I’d blame the prison guards for doing it, either. The Atlantis Institute for Dangerous Criminals was meant to be a horrifying place from which there was no escape.
The only thing I couldn’t escape right now, though, aside from this room, was the feel of Zavian’s lips on mine. The memory only slipped away to be replaced by the memory of the way his hands had pressed against my back, the way he’d held me close to him while I suffered iron-poisoning. In the privacy of that chaotic moment during the rebel attack, I felt real feelings for Zavian bloom and grow within me. Not just needy, primal, necessary emotions. But also raw ones. Maybe even love. None of which made any sense at all for the situation in which Zavian and I had met and continued to live.
I rubbed my neck where the tracking tattoo lay. He’d broken its hold on me to help me stay conscious. To relieve some of my pain. I leaned forward and rested my chin on my arms.
Assuming we got our final trial after this, there might still be a chance for me to prove I was reformed so that I could get out of here and help my siste
r. I hadn’t done any of the killing or maiming of the prison guards. Zavian had hopefully seen that. I’d also saved him from Frost. I wasn’t sure how Dax or Titus would fare against the sea fae for what they’d done, but I was confident that I could prove myself if given one more chance.
I had to. There was no failure, because failure meant death for both me and my sister. And that was unacceptable, even now knowing I might be falling in love with Zavian.
“You hear that?” I called out to the Deep One. “I don’t need your faithful to escape. I just need time.”
And a healthy serving of luck.
The door to the cell unlocked and was pushed open slowly. I covered my eyes with my arm to block out the suddenly bright light. By doing so, I didn’t see the person walk in, but I recognized the sound of their footfalls as they entered the solitary confinement cell and shut the door. It clicked locked behind them.
“Nyx?” Zavian asked.
I glanced up from my arm and watched as Zavian lit some magic inside a lantern and hung it from a hook on the ceiling in the center of the room. Zavian’s magic lit up the room with dim blue light that washed over the sea stone in such a way as to imitate the sea floor. It was beautiful.
“Are you feeling all right?” Zavian asked, his tone low as he stood beneath the lantern and crossed his arms.
I stayed seated on the floor. I remembered how Eos had taken over and nearly strangled him to death. I had no desire to give him the impression that might happen again. To be honest, I was a little terrified he might want retribution for that. As beautiful as my mate was, he was still a full-blooded sea fae, and they were as cruel as they came.
“I’m fine,” I said quietly.
He stepped closer and I swore I could feel his presence wash over me like a summer rainstorm—soothing, refreshing, and cool. “I made sure they gave you the antidote for iron-poisoning since you saved my life.”
“Thank you.”
“Will you stand?”
“I’m comfortable here.”
“The floor is cold.”
So are you, I wanted to say reflexively. Those words couldn’t be further from the truth. Zavian’s tones were often disconnected, commanding, or serious. But his very presence was as bright and warm as the sun.
I sighed and picked myself up off the floor, standing before him in my still damp and cold uniform. “Happy now?”
His mouth tightened. He wasn’t wearing his armor right now, which I thought was strange because he’d worn it during his first visit to me in solitary confinement. Those days felt like a lifetime ago now. Instead, Zavian was clothed in his tight-fitting guard uniform.
“What did you come here for?” I asked quietly. “Or are you here to drag me out?”
Zavian lowered his gaze to me. Only a foot of space separated us now. His fingers twitched at his sides, as if he couldn’t decide what to do with them. “I wanted to ask you a question.”
I looked over his shoulder, too afraid to make eye contact. I didn’t trust myself around him anymore. His ocean scent, his strong shoulders, the way our magic intermingled and blew away all normal senses…
“Okay, ask it.”
“Nyx…”
I met his gaze. I shouldn’t have. Longing reflected there, and need. Not to mention desperation. I hated that he looked so desperate when he looked at me. Like he was longing to lose control, like he wanted to, but he let rules stand in the way. I wanted to kiss him again and make him forget all of that. To make him feel what I’d felt in that corridor. To bring back the Zavian who’d kissed me and both undone and restored my soul at the same time.
“What is it?” I whispered.
“Was it you who escaped and attacked me? Or was it the other soul inside of you?”
My stomach dropped. “I…”
He lifted his hands as though he were going to hold my face. Instead, he balled them into fists and leaned in. “Answer the question.”
I bit the inside of my cheek as he said my name once more, especially like that. Like the answer to this question could finally set him free and then nothing, nothing, would stand between him and me.
Unfortunately, the truth might not be the answer he wanted.
“I was escaping,” I murmured as his body loomed closer still. “But it was Eos who attacked you. I would never.”
He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly as he lowered his hands. “I don’t know how to handle this.”
“I’ve been trying for a year and don’t either.”
Zavian touched his forehead to mine. “Is there no one who can separate you two?”
“I was told it’d be nearly impossible.” I cupped his face and ran my thumb in tiny circles across his cheek. “Although, that was said by the necromancer responsible for this situation in the first place. The truth is, I don’t know.”
Zavian took my hand in his and kissed me softly. It was enough of a change from his normally rough and needy demeanor that it stilled my breath. “We’ll find a way. There has to be a way to separate you two. She needs to pay for what she’s done.”
I didn’t have the heart to tell him it might truly be impossible. “It’s second priority to saving my sister. If she dies, Zavian, I don’t care about being a twin-soul.”
His body stiffened. “I care. I won’t let you stay like this forever.” He leaned in and captured my mouth once more, fierce and strong. I moaned and wrapped my arms around his neck. “You’re everything, Nyx,” he said between kisses along my jawline.
I wasn’t sure what to say, so I kissed him back harder and molded myself against his body. With Zavian here, the dark and what lurked inside the shadows of solitary confinement didn’t bother me so much. It emboldened me, having him here. I moved my hands to cup his cheeks and let my tongue explore his mouth.
He moaned against my lips and walked us toward the closest wall. My back hit softly against the sea stone. We broke apart and met gazes for moments that stretched into long seconds, both of us breathing heavily.
I didn’t know how much time we had before we’d inevitably be interrupted. Or even if anyone might be listening in right now. All I knew was that the walls down here were thin as ice and I didn’t care. Zavian was here with me, promising to help me find a way to escape Eos’s hold, and all I wanted to do was get down on my knees and show him how much I appreciated him.
With one last kiss to his jaw, I slid down the wall to my knees. Zavian’s breath hitched as my face came level to his waist. Already I saw the bulge in his uniform, even in the low light. I grinned and began to unzip his uniform.
Zavian’s hand steadied over mine. “Nyx.”
I looked up at him. “You’ve given me so much. It’s my turn to give to you.”
His jaw locked as he watched me pull down his uniform bottoms and free his hardening member. As soon as my fingers brushed him, his entire body stiffened again.
“What?” I asked, throwing a playful tone in my words. “Are you not used not being in control?”
“Let’s get something straight,” he said as he moved his hips forward, placing his member right by my lips. “I always have the control. Take me. Now.”
I leaned back the tiniest bit and smiled innocently up at him. “And if I don’t?” A man like him needed to lose control every now and again. It would be good for him.
His cerulean eyes held a dark, hungry glint. “You’ll earn another punishment.”
That was hardly a threat after the last one had given me so many releases. Still, I wouldn’t deny him what he wanted. Slowly, I ran my hand up and down his length. Zavian’s breathing stilled. I made sure he was watching as I brought my lips to his rock-hard arousal and took him into my mouth.
Zavian hissed and fell forward, placing his palms against the wall for support the way I had in so many of my fantasies. I smiled and took him as far in as was comfortable and worked him with my hand. Zavian groaned my name slowly and thrust into my mouth, slowly at first and in time with my hands, but then wildly. I eas
ed up, not wanting to be finished with him too quickly. Besides, I still intended to exert the control for once.
“Gods, you’re amazing,” he said, the approval sending a tingle of excitement shooting straight to my core.
I hummed along him and bobbed, quickening my motions only to slow them again and elicit groans of mixed pleasure and frustration from my mate. When Zavian could no longer keep still and started thrusting in time faster and deeper, I guessed he was close. I increased speed and pressure, working him as hard as he’d worked me during my first “punishment” when suddenly he stepped back, slipping from my mouth.
I looked up to question what had happened, but Zavian was already kneeling to the ground beside me. He captured my mouth with his and tangled his fingers in my hair.
“I need this,” he breathed between kisses. “I need to be inside you.”
I could hardly complain. My own arousal had grown, and I was ready for him.
He maneuvered us so my back laid against the ground and he hovered over me, unzipping and undressing me with lightning speed. My underwear was once more ripped, as if he couldn’t be bothered with the final layer, and then he was in me, sliding home as if we were made for each other. I gasped, digging my fingernails into his shoulders as my body adjusted to his size. Zavian didn’t wait, though, but thrust wildly into me like a man afraid of losing everything before him.
Sex with Zavian wasn’t slow, or even gentle. But the passion of our encounters burned me from the inside out.
He dropped a hand between us and massaged my most sensitive spot. I cried out his name, feeling my release building in quick but powerful waves of pleasure that rippled through me and curled my toes. Every time Zavian delved into me, diving as far as he could, a new wave of ecstasy crashed over me. Then came his magic, mingling with mine and spiraling over both of us.
“Come for me.” His fingers increased pressure and speed. “Now, Nyx. Come for me.”