Page 30 of What Lies Beyond the Realms

“No . . . but he should be.” His jaw tightens.

“What are you going to do to me?” I ask, finally getting a little bit of courage from the wine.

He looks at me furrowed brows. “I’m not going to do anything to you.”

“I just mean, what now? You brought me here, and Samael is still alive. He’ll want to get me back.” My voice comes out smaller than I would like.

He places his hand on my cheek, gently coaxing me to turn to him.

“What do you want, Lyra?” He holds my gaze.

I look down self-consciously. “I don’t want to go back, if that’s what you’re asking.”

He places his hand under my chin until my eyes meet his. “Then I’ll never let him have you.” His voice comes out thick, and his eyes glow for the briefest moment. “I don’t know everything you’ve been through, Lyra. Maybe one day you’ll tell me, but I promise you’ll always be safe with me.”

Nyx’s words are reassuring, and I can feel the sincerity in his voice. Despite my reservations and fears, I can’t help but trust him. “Thank you,” I whisper softly, my eyes meeting his. “I don’t know if I’m ready to talk about everything yet, but I appreciate your kindness and understanding. It means more than you know.”

I blink back tears. I don’t know why I feel so emotional right now, but I believe him. I feel safe with him, and it's something I haven’t felt for a long time. I always went to bed afraid, afraid Samael would visit my bedroom or my nightmares would haunt me in sleep, but right now I feel a warmth in my chest and something inside me telling me I’m going to be okay. Although deep down I know I’ll never be truly safe until Samael is dead. I watch the fire and let the silence stretch on between us. It doesn’t feel uncomfortable though.

“There’s a rumor that Samael killed your parents, that it wasn’t an accident. He’s broken all the laws of decency your parents swore to uphold. Worse, there are rumors he’s collecting grimoires by any means necessary, searching for something. He’s even tortured and killed entire bloodlines to take their grimoires,” Nyx says, breaking the silence. A dark feeling inside me starts to take form. It’s a feeling of rage.

“He must be stopped. With my parents gone, there’s no one to leash him. I think I know what he’s looking for in the grimoires. I spied on him in the castle that night I ran into you after dinner. He was speaking to someone, a woman. He was trying to find the Moon Grimoire. I’ve been racking my brain ever since trying to understand why he would want it.” I get to my feet, feeling the need to move.

“What is he looking for?” Nyx asks.

“I believe he is looking for a way to make his magic dark permanently. You see, when we come into our powers on our nineteenth birthday, we either inherit light magic or dark magic. It has been over a hundred years since a Sorcerer has inherited dark magic. Samael can do dark spells with his light magic, but it’ll never be as powerful as it would be if his core magic was dark.” I swallow the rest of my wine and pace in front of the fireplace.

“So why would that make him want to find your mother’s grimoire?”

“My mother has never confirmed it, but there have always been whispers that someone in her lineage used to have dark magic. I don’t know who or if it's even true, but I do know if I heard the rumors then Samael has too.”

“Do you believe it’s possible for him to turn his magic dark permanently?” Nyx gets to his feet and touches my forearm, stopping me from pacing.

“I don’t know if it’s possible. I’ve never even seen my mother’s grimoire.” I run my hands through my hair and sigh loudly.

“Hey, we’ll figure this out together. I’m going to help you.”

Before I can respond, we hear scratching and yipping at the door. Nyx looks at me, brows raised, and I laugh.

“It’s Chepi. He’s ready for bed.”

He laughs under his breath while heading to the door. He opens the door, and Chepi comes running in, doing circles around our feet before jumping onto the bed, rolling on his back. I give him a few belly rubs, and so does Nyx.

“I better let you get some sleep. Remember, you’re safe here. Goodnight, Lyra.” He gives me a gentle smile, but it doesn’t meet his eyes. I wonder what’s bothering him.

“Goodnight, Nyx.” I crawl into bed and pull the covers up over me and Chepi. He turns out the lights and leaves without another word.

Chapter Sixteen

I wake to Nyx on top of me, shaking me.

“Lyra, wake up!” His voice sounds panicked. I meet his eyes and push him off with both hands.

“Don’t touch me,” I hiss.

“You were having some kind of nightmare. I heard you yelling, and I couldn’t wake you . . . I’m sorry.” He sounds genuine, and I feel bad for my reaction.

“I’m sorry. I just . . . please don’t take it personally.” I relax a bit. My body is hot and damp with sweat. I was having a nightmare, but it's all jumbled in my head. I was reliving the night Aidan was on top of me and saw Luke’s murder again. The thought makes me shiver.