“A drink. A psychedelic of sorts.”
“Isn’t that bad for her?”
He shakes his head. “Circe is a magical spirit. It won’t hurt her. She can enjoy it just like any other creature of The Far Place.” His eyes squint down at his familiar. “Andenjoy itshe does. I’ve caught you twice in the last cycle alone trying to break into my stores, haven’t I?”
Circe lets out a chirp, nudging her forehead aggressively into Nyx’s thigh as if to sayyou bet your ass I did, and I’ll do it again.
“You said she’s your familiar? What does that mean?”
“Remember the hide-wrapped rock in my story? She was the soul—the cloth—that was bound to mine. I am here in part because of her.”
I watch the way the two of them interact, and I realize that there’s a lot of love between them. It’s sweet to see.
“I saw a pink capybara right before Rhune took me. Was that…”
“His familiar? Yes. His name is Sasu, and he is a rather odd creature. Gods only know how or why the two of them were bound, but Rhune seems happy with the pairing, so that’s all that matters.” He shrugs. “I, myself, am glad to have been bound to Circe.”
Circe changes her attention to me, her cunning eyes trained on my unused hands.
“You can pet her,” Nyx says. “She’s extremely gentle when she wants to be, and she appears to be in a good mood right now. You’ll be safe.”
Cautiously, I reach out to the large cat. Soft fur greets my fingertips, and my lips tilt in a smile as Circe nudges herforehead into my palm. If possible, her purr grows louder, a physical sign of how much she’s enjoying my touch.
“I think she likes you.” Nyx grins down at us. “She has good taste.”
“Does she?” Circe licks my palm, the scratchy pad of her tongue tickling my skin and causing me to giggle. “I love her already.”
As I continue giving Circe her much-needed scratches, I notice that the room is growing brighter. The source of the newfound light stems from the symbol on Circe’s chest—it’s glowing, pulsing with a powerful turquoise radiance that takes my breath away.
There’s a humming in my ears, a warmth surging in my veins, originating from my wildly beating heart. The air around us seems thicker than before, filled with a tangible kind of magic.
“What…?” My words get caught somewhere down my throat as I witness Circe’s jaws widening in slow motion. Her eyes flare bright as she turns her head, muscles coiling as she prepares to sink her teeth into my hand. At the last second, I rip my hand away, stumbling back into Nyx’s chest in my desperation to get away.
“Willow!” Nyx’s arms curl around my middle at the same time his large turquoise wings swoop in, covering my body and drowning me in darkness.
A powerful roar fills the room, pouring from Nyx’s throat with so much ferocity and rage, it makes the very ground quake. “You could havehurther! Howcould you?”
In response, Circe lets out a sassy yowl. Though I can’t see anything, I’d bet that her eyes are squinted in annoyance, too.Cats, man...
“If you’re not going to be polite, then I can’t allow her to pet you. Those are the rules.”
Circe grumbles in feline annoyance, and I hear the swish of her tail against the floor as she stalks out of the room.
A few moments later, Nyx’s wings uncurl, and I blink rapidly to adjust to the change in brightness.
Nyx turns me around to face him, his sea-colored eyes scouring my face for any hint of discomfort. “Are you okay, lovely? Do you hurt?”
I shake my head, a small smile tipping my lips at the sight of this massive, scary creature looking so concerned.For me.
“I’m okay,” I say. “Just a little embarrassed.”
Nyx tilts his head, confused. “Embarrassed? What for?”
I shrug. “She probably tried to nip it because I did something she didn’t like or got tired of being petted. I can’t fault her for that. It’s just her nature. I just feel embarrassed and a little guilty that I may have caused her some discomfort.”
Nyx’s eyes twinkle with a strange emotion as he stares down at me. “You are truly a beautiful treasure, Willow. So sweet and kind, even when there is no need to be.”
He reaches down, cupping my cheek with his large clawed hand. My core heats, and everything inside me begs me to move closer, to follow that invisible, inexplicable tugging in my chest.
