I turn my attention to Willow, who is staring at the space Dravik used to be, a faraway look in her eyes. “Feel better now? You get to go home soon.”
She nods, taking her bottom lip between her teeth. Her eyes are uncertain, her heartbeat erratic, and I know deep down she feels at least a fraction of the pull I do. She belongs here, with us.
I only agreed to take her back because I know that Dravik will fall for her before the storm is over. Cin will become obsessed as soon as he sees her, and once Dravik is on board, she will be ours, forever.
The way it should be.
10
Willow
1 cycle later…
After Nyx, Dravik, and Rhune leave my room, I fall into another deep sleep. Just like the other times, I wake up disoriented and aching, feeling more exhausted than when I closed my eyes.
What the hell is wrong with me?
I stretch my arms over my head with a massive yawn, my joints creaking and popping as I do so.
I must have been out for a while. That’s… alarming…
Pushing my fears to the back of my mind, I force myself to sit up, hoping that will take away some of my desire to go back to sleep. Realizing I’ve woken, the baby antethorpe lets out a happy bleat, its hoofed back feet clicking against the icy floor as it hurries to my side. It presses its flat face against my rib cage, a strange rumbling noise building in its chest as it nuzzles me.
“What a cutie.” I reach down to give it some scratches. “I guess if we’re going to be spending more time together, I should give you a name, huh?” I bring a finger to my lips, thinking hard. “How about… Kevin?”
Kevin does a little hop, reminiscent of the playfulness I’ve seen in baby goats back on earth. My lips tilt into the barest of smiles, and for a moment, I forget all about the dangerous situation I’m in.
Then Kevin lets out a monstrous whine, and I’m reminded just how different this world is from my own. The creatures, the atmosphere, the very material that makes up the land mass—everything is foreign. And I haven’t even seen the state of the world above ground yet.
I gaze upward, noticing that the ceiling has taken on a darker hue, and it shimmers like stars in the sky. I can’t directly see the sun, but if I had to guess, I’d say it’s nighttime.
As I gaze up at the sparkling ceiling, I find myself wondering if anyone from Earth misses me.Are they looking for me? Are they worried?
When I look inside myself, I find that I don’t missthemat all.
For years, I twisted myself into knots trying to conform to what they all wanted me to be. I think I lost a piece of myself in the process, and now that I’m so far away from that place and those people, it’s like I can breathe again.
My heart is still raw from the betrayal—obviously—but if I’m honest, it doesn’t hurt nearly as bad as it did just a day or two ago.
I don’t know whether it’s this newfound peace inside myself, or if I didn’t love Nathan as much as I thought I did. Either way, I have to admit that a part ofwhyI’m so okay is this inexplicable desire I have for Rhune and Nyx.
Dravik is a bit of a mystery to me now, but my soul still calls to him, and I want nothing more than to figure him out. And Cin…
I haven’t even met him, and whenever I think of his name, my body reacts—as if itknowsthat Cin is that last piece of the puzzle I’m missing to become whole.
Even though they’re demons, the way they look at me, speak to me, and touch me makes me feel precious, cared for, andsafe. Which is highly ironic, considering that Rhune literally kidnappedme and chained me to a wall. For some reason, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m ashamed to say a part of me evenenjoyedit a little.
But just a little.
“What the hell is wrong with me, Kevin?”
Kevin bleats and does another happy hop, unhelpful as ever.
“Thanks for the input, little guy.” I let out a deep sigh, dragging a hand through my hair. I cringe as my fingers get caught in the tangles and reluctantly pull away. “You think any of these demons have a hairbrush, Kevin?”
Instead of responding, Kevin’s face snaps toward the doorway, the fur between his shoulder blades standing on end as a piercing wail fills the room.
Damn… Kevin is pissed.
