Nelson recalled what his grandfather said after he told Nelson to keep his eyes and his ears open. He turned from the fire and pointed overhead, and just off to their right.
“That bright star is Vega. Do you remember it?”
“I do.”
His grandfather had laughed fondly. “Of course, you do. You’re brighter than you let on, but that’s smart too. Never let them see you coming. Look at how the stars around Vega make up a shape. I think it looks like a necktie. See it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“It’s actually a harp. The King’s Harp.”
Nelson was suddenly alert under the hood, shaken from his self-loathing stupor. Where had that part of the memory beenfor all these years? Nelson reeled under the hood, dizzy from the revelation and the stifling heat. His hair clung to his brow and every hot breath made him more claustrophobic. He had never done well with tight spaces and Nelson had no way of knowing if he was in a broom closet or an airplane hangar. It might as well have been the former, for all he knew.
He ached to tell Nox about the King’s Harp and to hold him again. His regret and bitterness rose and Nelson gave the armrests a hard jerk, testing the bindings and the chair. The wood felt solid. Sturdy. Then, something cold and hard—like frozen twigs or claws—scraped along Nelson’s forearm, chilling his blood and stealing his breath.
“No!” He jumped when it slipped under the hood and stroked his skin.“What is that?” he asked, then lost his breath as his throat was squeezed and he was hit with blinding, searing pain.“No! Please… Stop!”
Chapter Eight
Why did he let Nelson leave alone? In the midst of his guilt and groveling, Nox’s instincts had warned that it wasn’t safe for Nelson to leave the house by himself. But instead of pushing harder or begging Nelson to listen, Nox had been cowed by his regrets and he didn’t want to make matters worse by starting an argument.
Alone in his study, Nox had no one but himself for counsel and hewas notthe best company at the moment. The house was full of friends and family, but Nox had ordered them all to turn in for the night. Nox’s thoughts weren’t pleasant and he didn’t want them to see him frightened or to lash out at anyone because of them.
How did Dùbhghlas know that Nelson would be alone or where to set a trap?
Questions like that plagued Nox as the sun went down and his dread mounted. He had never spent a night without Nelson after New Castle and Nox always knew where his love was and could summon him back at any moment. His soul was in disarray andenraged at the loss of Nelson and the godly voice inside his head was scaring Nox.
Dùbhghlas must have eyes or ears here.
None of his friends would betray Nox like that, surely.
His suspicions immediately honed in on Clancy and Merlin because they had fooled him in the past. They had betrayed Nox before but had ultimately done it out of love and to protect him. He refused to believe they could violate their oaths or their natures in such a way or turn on Nelson.
He considered the next most likely candidate: Smoak. Now, betraying Nox and Nelson would not be a violation of his principles and would probably be entertaining for Smoak. But giving Dùbhghlas an immediate and significant advantage was not in the demon lord’s best interest. Not if he wanted a long and peaceful life with Niall. All of that was over if Dùbhghlas defeated Nox because Smoak would be his next target.
Had Bryn run his mouth? Of the rest of Nox’s inner circle, Bryn was the only one who had started as a critic and a nonbeliever. His faith and friendship had been hard won and his hellhound instincts favored fighting and hunting. Would he do something like this to trigger a war and a Hunt?
Nox’s heart told him no, that like Smoak, Bryn had found happiness and fulfillment in a quiet life with Everly and would never jeopardize that. As Nox analyzed his friends’ hearts and their alibis, it seemed less and less likely that there was a mole. He was comforted by that fact buthowhad Dùbhghlas known that Nelson had left and that he was on his own?
Perhaps the leak wasn’t intentional…
Keeping everyone as close as possible was safest but also made it easier to control and monitor what kind of information was coming in andoutof the townhouse. Dùbhghlas had managed to find a way to spy on them and Nox wondered if he had played into the warlock’s hands again by closing ranks so tightly. Had a Trojan Horse been let in or was someone close to Nox unwittingly aiding Dùbhghlas?
With night quickly closing in on Nox, the thought of giving up and standing down for even a few hours felt like an act of betrayal in itself. Wherever Nelson was, he was not resting. He was alone and he was hurting. How was Nox supposed to close his eyes and sleep next to the empty space his soulmate was meant to occupy?
He’d been up to their bedroom a few times and Nox’s soul ached when he looked at the bed and imagined settling beneath his favorite quilt without Nelson. His beloved bed had lost its magick and would no longer heal Nox. Sleeping there alone would hurt.
Dùbhghlas could not have landed a more direct hit and Nox was bleeding, reeling as he struggled to assess just how much damage had been done. How deep was this wound and what exactly had caused it? The battle had suddenly shifted in Dùbhghlas’s favor and Nox couldn’t believe the warlock hadn’t had help, possibly from the inside.
I need him! NOW!
How was Nox supposed to solve this without Nelson? How was he supposed to do anything without his calmer, more intuitive half? Nelson was the one who kept a clear head and never lost track of what was right or what really mattered. Without him,Nox was awash in confusion and paranoia. That was exactly what Dùbhghlas would want but Nox couldn’t help it.
Someone is lying to you! Dùbhghlas couldn’t have done this without help from within.
His heart hurt and Nox didn’t want it to be true. It wasn’t his voice filling his head with these treacherous thoughts. There was a pounding throb behind his forehead from crying and from the force of his colliding thoughts. A thrashing franticness had replaced his inner peace and Nox didn’t know what to do with all the fury he was feeling. He had never experienced anything this big and dark and nothing had threatened to consume him so quickly.
This outrage was so different from the profound loss and grief of his parents’ deaths. Both of those had been not only expected, but ordained by destiny. Nelson was created for Nox! They were a matched pair and meant to remain as such. Nox wasn’t meant to keep his parents and see them grow old. That had been ahardtruth to make peace with but Nox had accepted a long, loving future with Nelson as a well-deserved consolationgiftfrom the gods for all he had sacrificed.
