He casts a longing look over his shoulder, and it takes everything inside me not to call him back and tell him thatheis what I desire.
9
Nyx
The tipsof my claws scrape against the ground as I stalk down the long tunnel, the neon flare of my eyes the only source of light guiding my way. Stopping in front of one of the doorways, I gaze at the faint pink glow seeping from beneath the hide covering.
There you are.
Brushing the covering aside, I step into the room, my gaze landing on Rhune’s crouched form in the corner of the space. His shoulders are hunched, wings wrapped and concealing whatever it is he’s so concentrated on.
“Why didn’t you tell me about our new toy?” I ask.
Rhune snaps his head up, his eyes flaring bright with shock, only to be replaced with irritation in the next blink. ”Nyx.”
Laughing, I saunter closer to Rhune, interested in what he’s working on. “So? How come you were hiding her from me?”
“I wasn’thidingher.”
“It seemed like you were. You even chained the poor thing to that wall.” I tsk, wagging my finger in his face. “That was very naughty, Rhune.”
Rhune whines, hanging his head. “It was for her safety.”
“Oh? Safety, was it? You weren’t just being greedy, wanting to keep her all to yourself?”
“I…”
I throw my head back in a deep laugh. “You’re too predictable, Rhune. Is sharing reallythatbad?”
Rhune refuses to meet my gaze. “Of course not. I just wanted…”
“Something of your own. Right?”
He whines, the sound echoing through the air and twisting my heartstrings.
It’s hard being a piece of something that was once whole. Me and my brothers share everything—emotions, pain, thoughts, and pleasure. Because of our bond, there is no real privacy, or sense of individuality. All of us look different and have distinct personalities, but deep down, there’s an ever-present knowledge that we are one and the same.
Rhune is the most sensitive and caring of the group by far, and he’s been searching for his other half since the moment he was conscious. He desperately wants something to call his own, something to set him apart from the group to prove he matters.
Me, Cin, and Dravik know how important he is, but I think sometimes Rhune forgets that we need him. He’s the heart, and we’d be lost without him.
I sigh, moving over to wrap him in a bear hug. “I’m sorry I teased you, Rhune. I know how much this means to you. I can feel it through our bond. I have since the moment you set eyes on her.” I pull back with a sad smirk. “I think part of me was just jealous you found her first. As strange as that may sound.”
He shakes his head. “My soulsangfor her, Nyx. She’s not just any human. She’s special.”
“I don’t doubt that, Rhune. Not in the slightest.”
My mind flashes to an image of Willow, and my soul sings a strange song—aching and lonely and desperate. I’ve only knownher for half a cycle, and I can tell she’s already altered something fundamental inside me. Whether that is good or bad, I cannot say.
“What are you working on?” I ask, gesturing to the lump of furs in his hand.
Rhune sighs, his wings drooping sadly as he stares down at it. “I was trying to make something for Willow to wear. She has been wearing one of my furs as a dress, and it looks most uncomfortable. But, this is all my hard work has reaped.”
I gaze down, taking in the haphazard stitches and the sleeves of two different lengths. It truly is a mess.
“Ah. I see what you mean.”
Rhune hangs his head, a pitiful whine sounding from his throat. “It is hopeless. She will look at this and denounce me as her mate.”
