Page 86 of What Lies Beyond the Realms

“Eavesdropping is not becoming of a princess, Lyra,” Lili says, picking me up from behind and pulling my parents’ door closed. The smell of lavender and vanilla fills my nose, then a hole forms in the ground, and Lili drops me into it. I’m falling into complete darkness. There’s nothing and no one. I’m flailing and screaming, bracing to land somewhere. But the darkness takes over, and I get lost in it.

Chapter Thirty-Three

I wake up feeling disoriented. My body is sore, and I reach down to feel my side. It’s all bandaged up.

“How are you feeling?”

Startled by Nyx’s voice, I whip my head around to find him sitting in a chair across from the bed, watching me intently. His face is etched with lines of exhaustion and worry. How long have I been out? I also vaguely remember the strange visions I was having from the tincture they gave me.

“I feel okay. A little fuzzy in the head I guess.” I smile at him, hoping to ease the tension in his features. “How long have I been asleep?”

“You blacked out while Athalda was stitching you up. Once she finished, I moved you to the bed in here, and you’ve been asleep for maybe three hours.”

Not too bad. Feels like I was hit over the head with something, but other than that my body surprisingly feels okay.

“My side . . . is it okay? It doesn’t hurt.”

“It’ll be okay. She did a good job and put a salve on it to make sure it doesn’t fester or cause you much pain,” he says, moving to sit next to me on the bed.

“Where is Athalda now?” I ask, slowly sitting up. Nyx helps me lean against the headboard next to him.

“Somewhere in the house. This place is pretty big considering it’s built into a mountain.” He moves his hand under my jaw to turn my head to face him. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay? You lost a lot of blood, and you expelled a lot of magic.”

That’s when I remember my magic.

The events of the night are a haze. I blink a few times, like it will help clear my head.

“I have fire inside me,” I tell him, a bit awed myself. “Everything is a bit of a blur. I’m trying to remember everything that happened.”

“It’s the tincture Athalda gave you. Your head should clear up soon. Pyrokinesis was one of your dad's abilities that came from him.”

“I know. I can’t explain it exactly, but I felt it. I felt him like he was there with me when my magic came to life.” I don’t know how to put into words what I was feeling. He seems to understand, nodding at me.

“How will we know what other abilities I have?”

“Like Elspeth said, they’ll show in time.”

Nyx seems to be deep in thought, but I continue telling him about the Monstrauths and how my magic manifested, at least what I can remember. Once I finish, we sit in silence for a few minutes.

“Did you learn anything from Athalda? Can we trust her?” I finally ask, breaking the silence.

“I don’t trust anyone in Cloudrum. But she did help you, and she’s hiding us for the time being. I haven’t talked to her about anything yet. I wanted to stay with you and wait until you felt up to it to start questioning her.”

“Okay, I’m feeling up to it now, but let's wait just a few more minutes.” I give him a shy smile, and he carefully pulls me to him so I’m sitting in his lap.

“I need some clothes,” I say realizing I’m still naked and covered in bandages.

“I prefer you like this.” Nyx gives me a playful smile while running his hand through my hair and guiding my face to his. He kisses the tip of my nose, my forehead, and my cheek. He trails soft kisses all over my face until the anticipation is killing me, and I reach up, gripping each side of his jaw with my hands, and take his mouth. He laughs into my mouth for a moment then deepens the kiss, taking my mouth like it belongs to him.

My core is heating with need. I feel his excitement pressed against me, and I fumble my fingers on his pants, trying to undo them to release his hard cock.

“Lyra, you're hurt,” he breaks off the kiss, finding my eyes.

“I don’t care. I need to feel you. I need you inside me, Nyx,” I tell him breathlessly, and he pulls his pants down.

My eyes find his thick length, and I move to get on top of it.

“Easy, don’t hurt yourself,” he says, placing his hands on my hips to slow me.