She didn’t know what, but by the uneasy feeling that came with the bird’s warning, she couldn’t deny that something was amiss.
Nymiria.
Her body went rigid, hands trembling when she heard the voice of her ghost.
Nym, you need to go. Now.
Shedidneed to go.
Stomach in knots, Nymiria twisted the knob of the door and jerked it open. She prepared herself to run, that sinking feeling in her gut only heightening when she heard someone clear their throat at the end of the hall.
“I knew it.” Dorid sighed. Nymiria’s palms started to sweat, twitching into fists at her sides as he took long, languid steps in her direction. Predator and prey. “And the fact that you had poor Oran trying to help you conceal what I already suspected to be true…” he clicked his tongue in disapproval, shaking his head. “If you’d told the truth, Oran would probably still be here. But, you see, I cannot haveliarsstanding at my side. It is the one thing I detest the most in this world. Lying and scheming. And you’ve done quite a bit of that, haven’t you?”
Nymiria shook her head, chin quivering and eyes burning when he started to circle her. “Your majesty, I don’t—I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” She stammered.
“Enough of that.” He droned. “Do you believe me to be a fool? You’refuckingAziel, Nymiria. People seem to forget about the fae blood that I carry in my veins, but one thing it allows me to do isscentpeople. I can tell who they’ve fucked, where they came from, and who they have been around just by the smell of their skin. And that gods-awful smell of arousal and sex is one I cannot mistake.”
“I haven’t—"
Dorid gripped the back of her neck so suddenly and with such force that she nearly lost her footing. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears shamefully streaming down her face. “Stop lying. I know what I know and there is nothing you can do to save yourself.” He growled it against her ear, applying more pressure to her neck. “I should have kept you for myself, kept you as my pet and fucked you well enough that you wouldn’t have evendaredseek the comfort of others. I should have known that you would betray me. After all the freedom I gave you, I was such a fool to believe that it would change anything. All you fae are the same, aren’t you? Only good for fucking and fighting—hardly any of you are loyal to anything but yourselves and your own selfish desires.”
“I should have plumped you up with my seed. Made you bear me a litter of half-breed bastards. He wouldn’t have even thought of touching you.” He laughed. “It’s not too late to start, though.” Everything in her screamed at her to run—to fight. Todo something. But just as she had all those years ago when those men in Nym found her, Nymiria cowered.She could already feel herself shrinking as Dorid’s hands began moving over her shoulders, trailing to the curve of her waist.
“Yes.” He whispered. “I think I might just do that.”
“Dorid, please—"
His fist struck the back of her head. Nymiria fell forward, catching herself in one hand as the other came up to guard herself, but it was no use. His fingers were already gripping the back of her head and pulling, guiding her across the floor, back into the room that she’d just left.She let out a loud sob, a plea, as she reached for the hand still tangled in her hair. But Dorid was far too consumed with rage to realize she’d even spoken. It never mattered before, it certainly wouldn’t matter now.
Nymiria did her best to fight him off as he threw her onto the bed. Even though she was strong and skilled in combat, Dorid had more experience and more weight on him than she could handle. She kicked and thrashed when he lifted her skirts, striking her once more in the face as she screamed.
His weight was suddenly crushing her, stilling her movements, but there was no mistaking what he was doing when he reached between them to fumble with the front of his breeches.
This couldn’t happen again.
It didn’t matter what she’d done in the past. It didn’t matter. She didn’t deserve this.No onedeserved this.
Help me.She called to her Grace, inwardly tugging at it, pulling and screaming as she tried to bring it to the surface.Please. Don't let this happen again. Come to me. Come to me, please. Let me fight back.
WAKE UP.
With a visceral and blood curdling scream that sounded throughout the entire palace, Nymiria unleashed herself upon him. That seed of power that’d been twitching and wriggling in her core to work itself free finally bloomed, its closed shell unfurling.
Power pulsed through her body, her skin radiant and muscles contracting as the flowers and vines along her arms started to come to life. But that wasn’t what took Dorid’s attention. It was the thorned vines ripping from the palms of her hands that had him stumbling away from her, flaccid cock dangling in front of him. Vines cut through the air in his direction, but Dorid was quick enough to dodge the blow. His most futile efforts only lessened the impact, the vines ripping and cutting at his skin until he was stumbling for the door with his pants still undone.
Even with him gone, Nymiria did not relent. She stood in the center of the room, vines twitching all around her, eyes homed in on the door.It felt like hours had passed, but perhaps it was only her thoughts—her fear that made time drag on. As if time, itself, wanted to torture her too.
She wouldn’t go without a fight.
Her hearing was gone, replaced by a constant whirring sound that made it impossible for her to realize that someone was calling her name. Begging with her, pleading for her to put the thorns away so that they could help. It wasn’t until Desi cupped her cheeks and whispered a soft assurance of safety to her that Nymiria finally let go of her power.
She deflated almost immediately, falling into Desi’s arms with a quiet whimper before closing her eyes.
The first sign that something bad had happened was that incessant ache in hischest. It was with a sense of impending doom that Aziel bound up the stairs to the tower, pulse hammering as he skidded to a stop in front of his door.
He could hear her heartbeat. He could feel her fear—her anger and her sadness. He could feel it all.
Aziel didn’t think twice before busting the door open and all it took was one look from Desi for him to know exactly what had happened to her.
