Page 54 of What Beats Within the Tunnels

Rune pops in, asking, “Will you all be staying for dinner?” Considering the abundance of food on the table, I’d assumed this was dinner.

“You’re both welcome to stay as long as you’d like,” Colton offers, surveying the table.

“Yeah,” Bim responds to Rune, while Dorian nods in agreement before Rune swiftly exits the room. I glance around the table to see Chepi following at his feet and hold back a laugh. I bet he’s following Rix and Rune around, eating scraps and treats while they cook.

“I think I’m going to go change before dinner,” I whisper to Colton, rising from my seat.

I start to push my chair in and make my exit, but Colton catches me, pulling me back into his lap. He cradles me, places a soft yet assertive kiss on my lips, briefly exploring my mouth and running a hand down my bare thigh. Only when he’s satisfied does he allow me to stand once more. This act, reeking of sheer dominance, sends a pulse of heat through me, especially when he momentarily drops his shield, letting me feel a wave of desire.

Without turning back, I make my way down the hall and ascend the staircase, headed for a change of clothes. A thought tugs at the back of my mind — how will Nyx react when he discovers the tether?

Chapter 19

Nyx

“He’s been gone for hours,” I hiss through my teeth.

“Come on, dear, relax. I’m sure he’ll be back soon, and it’s not going to change anything,” Flora says, peeking up from her book in the corner chair.

“You don’t understand. I need to know if she’s with him. I smelled her. I’m telling you she was here, in her old room,” I say, continuing my restless pacing in front of the fire.

“I believe you,” Flora replies, flipping a page in her book. “I’m just saying, what will it change if she is with him?”

“Everything,” I mutter under my breath. She chooses to ignore my statement, recognizing it for the lie it is. The truth remains: it changes nothing. I love Lyra and want her back. I shouldn’t have left her at Drew’s. I should have made her listen, forced her to understand how deeply I feel for her. Maybe I should have locked her in that room until she grasped the depth of my love. No, that would have been wrong. But the image of her hands trembling while asking me to leave is still fresh in my mind. It took everything in me to leave when every part of my being wanted to stay close to her.

I’m overcome with frustration and need to get a grip. Running a hand through my hair and down my face, I move to the cart and pour myself a whiskey and water – minus the water.

I take my drink and move over to my desk, taking a seat. There should be enough work here to distract me until Bim returns. I start reading through complaints and incidents of attacks in Nighthold. But then I smell him even before he appears in front of my desk.

“Well?” I say, raising an eyebrow when he doesn’t immediately divulge if she’s with him.

“I stayed for dinner. That’s why I was gone for so long,” Bim explains, but my frustration is mounting.

I take a drink from my glass, trying to contain my temper. “Was Lyra with him?” I enunciate each word, inhaling deeply for patience.

“Yes, Lyra was there. Now, Nyx, damn it, don’t put me in the middle of this. It’s hard enough being friends with both of you. I’ve managed to maintain that friendship this long without betraying the other’s trust,” Bim argues. I glare at him over my glass, downing the rest and welcoming the burn it leaves in my chest.

“Tell me if she’s okay,” I finally say.

“She looks well, better than well. If you’re going to stress about this every day, then go see her for yourself,” he suggests, and I can’t deny that the thought has crossed my mind.

“A lot of good it did me last time,” I mutter.

This time, it’s Flora who speaks up. “Last time was different. Everything was fresh, and she was hurt. She felt betrayed by you. But now she’s had time to heal. As he said, she looks well. Maybe you’ll feel better if you see that she’s doing fine.” Yeah, but doing fine with him, when she should be here with me. I don’t say that part out loud though.

“He’s only using her to get back at me for Z. I don’t believe she’s safe with him,” I stress, and both Flora and Bim give me a look as if I’m taking it too far.

“Forget it. It’s late, and if you’re not going to tell me anything about the dinner...”

“I’ll tell you what I can. But I won’t overshare, because you wouldn’t want me doing that if our roles were reversed,” Bim responds, and I nod for him to continue, even though I’m irritated. After all, I’m not only his best friend but also his king. Regardless of his years of friendship with Colton, his allegiance should be to me.

“She did complete the final ceremony and unlock the bridge. The reason you haven’t heard anything about her whereabouts all this time is that she’s been in Zomea for the past few months,” Bim reveals. The thought of her spending all that time with Euric makes my skin crawl. That bastard was probably trying to turn her against me the entire time, playing his mind games with her.

“If there’s nothing else, I’m going to bed,” I declare, rising to my feet.

“Do you want us to stay? We can have breakfast together tomorrow,” Flora suggests, and I restrain myself from glaring at her. I’ve been insufferable these past months without Lyra, and I’m amazed they’ve tolerated me.

“No. Go home,” I tell them, heading to my bedchamber without another word. I change out of my clothes and put on a pair of black shorts before settling into bed. Occasionally, subtle hints of her sweet honeysuckle scent linger in the room, evoking powerful emotions within me. I’ve never felt such a strong desire to have someone. While I might’ve said “I love you” in the past to appease women, with Lyra I genuinely feel it with every fiber of my being. I yearn for her presence.