Rin got the sense that there was something he wasn’t telling her. She thought they were past the secrets. Anger welled in her tired body.
"Auren?" she asked suddenly. "Is he okay?"
Lucien gestured to her other side, where she found Auren standing silently in the darkness of the room, watching. The Star beneath his eye glowed in the dimness. He was right behind Rhyden, and Rin met the vampire’s hard red eyes in her search for Auren’s.
As the blue lines of her heart rate flickered on the monitor with steady beeping, it made the dried blood on Rhyden’s lip glow purple. She scrunched her brows, trying to shove down the damn anger at the sight of him with a bloodied lip—she knew he deserved it, whoever it was that gave it to him.
"Auren? You’re okay, really?"
The Soul Searcher stepped forward, scythe in hand. "I am okay, Hunter. My immortal body heals swiftly, and I can take much more than you are able to. That was the second time I had to bear witness to the Nova inside you taking its toll—never again do I want to feel so helpless."
"Me either," Rin mumbled. All things considered, she felt strangely rested now, a little groggy, but not terrible. Her eyes kept being drawn to the terse line of Rhyden’s shoulders and the blood on his lip. She had to ask… "What happened to you?"
Rhyden stiffened. "What do you mean?"
Her fingers twitched in her desperate plea to move her hands as she felt herself come back from whatever sleepy haze she’d been thrust into because of the Nova inside her. She jerked her arms with a huff. Lucien caught her fingertips, stilling her. Gently, he loosened the cuffs. When she was free, she rubbed her wrists. The fabric had been soft—there were no marks—but that wasn’t the point.
She didn’t want to be tied up—especially with Rhyden in the same room as her. Who knew what he’d do when she was unconscious, at his mercy?
Rin waved toward his busted lip, purposefully using his last name. "Walk into any doors, Valkar?"
It worked.
He surged forward, his chair violently rolling backward as he stood and placed a hand on the reclined bed she was on. Leather creaked, and his peppermint scent softened the air around her. Why did he have to be so enticing?
"I thought we talked about this already, wife? You call me by my first name—or you don’t fucking say my name at all."
"Sounds good to me," Rin snapped, the frustration of always being weak and hurt burning in her chest.
Lucien tightened his hold on her hand, anchoring her like he always did.
"Do you want us to leave so you two can fuck some of that tension out? I mean, I can stay if you want me to. I give great pointers," Cyrus purred.
Just like that, the crackle of fiery tension between them was snuffed out as droplets of water splashed on Rhyden’s cheeks. He flinched away from her, standing with his arms crossed as he shot the incubus a look that could make a lesser man cry; nevertheless, Cyrus just laughed and raised his hands. He sat on a large, low recliner, wires popping from the back as he’d clearly moved it to be right at the foot of where she rested.
Cyrus rested his chin on his folded hands, red hair tumbling over his forehead. "I see you’re feeling better, doll. Much more like yourself."
Rin carefully sat up, feeling a twinge in her chest, but that was all. No dizziness or nausea.
"I do feel better—a lot better," Rin stressed, tucking her legs closer to her and wrapping her arms around them. "So whathappened after the… Pulse? And why do you all look like you want to kill each other?"
"Not each other. I actually quite like your other Soulbonds. Well, Rhyden and your childhood love leave something to be desired," Cyrus sang, the shadows under his eyes pronounced in the low light as he swung his head around to stare pointedly at Rhyden. "Why don’t you lethimtell you?"
Some time later,the lights still dim, Rin asked softly, "So you know?"
"We know," Lucien sighed. "I can’t believe Rhyden works with the Aetherborns. When he first told us, we thought he was hurting them, taking from them against their will." His other hand, the one that had been tucked beneath his thigh, settled on the chair at her side. His knuckles were red and busted. She reached for him, running her fingers softly over the cuts, tutting beneath her breath.
"We all acted on instinct. Auren even tried to cut him down with his scythe. It was Cyrus who stopped us. He’s good for you, you know?"
Rin’s cheeks warmed. She was glad they were alone now. In the middle of their talks, Auren had been called away to reap, then Rhyden left once they were done, mumbling something about teaching his underlings a lesson. Cyrus trailed after him like some strange little puppy, flicking water droplets at the back of his head. They’d stayed quiet until she’d heard Rhyden’s curses and Cyrus’s laughter echo from beyond the shut doors.
So, it was just Rin and Lucien.
Nessen had seen to her upon her arrival, and Rhyden had shared that the vampiric doctor had taken it upon himself to study the Nova within the Rogues in his absence. He’d casually tacked on that Nessen had deduced that there was Nova insideher. She was only surprised it had taken him so long to figure it out. When Rhyden had kept her and Cyrus trapped here, they’d been careful not to share anything about her lack of Stella.
Rhyden assured them all Nessen wouldn’tsqueal, as he’d put it. So Rin tried to trust that her secret would stay safe.
The more who knew, the greater the chance everything would come crashing down around them all.
