The Heir of Night

37

"Are you staying in the guest room?" Nyx asked as they climbed the stairs. Theia chewed on her bottom lip, unsure. She didn't like how dependent she felt on Nyx after the week with him; she didn't like how she felt like she needed to cling to him in this estate. She hadn't been alone in too long. After wanting to throttle him for a week from breathing down her neck, she decided it was time to test herself.

"Yeah, I am," Theia responded, shooting him a quick glance before turning down the corridor to the familiar room. He caught her wrist, harsher than his other touches today. She gasped and turned to him, glaring at the bruising grip on her arm. Nyx leaned down, using his other hand to brush her hair back.

"If you make a single attempt to end your life, just understand what a mess that will cause for my family. It's not just me who will have to get rid of your body," he warned. His voice was as aggressive as the fingers pressing into her bones. She'd been missing that sense of anger towards him since they'd arrive, and now it filled her. Theia tore her arm from his grasp, narrowing her eyes.

"If I killed myself, I'd make sure you're the only one who has to deal with the aftermath," she spat. She felt his eyes on her as she turned and shoved the door to her room open. It was surreal to enter the room without his presence. It had felt like years since she was further than twenty feet from him. Theia dropped her bag onto the ground and hurried to the bed, dropping down on it.

Theia wanted to go see Velaris. She'd only seen glimpses of it, but now she was eager to be within its streets. Theia sat up, gazing at the window. The pane was lined with shrubs and flowers, but she could peak over its edge to see the mountains and sky. Nyx didn't say she had to remain in the house, maybe she could slip out the door and spend the evening walking the city.

Theia slid from the bed and eyed her bag. She wanted to fit in to this city, look as though she were one of the many to live within the walls of the mountains. Nyx had to have packed something that could be considered High Fae fashion rather than the wool leggings and tunic she wore.

She dropped down and began pulling clothes from it. Her face brightened when she pulled a long sleeved gown out. It was a thick fabric, warm enough to run across the property. Excitement in her belly, Theia stripped down and pulled the gown on. Just as the other dresses she'd worn, the back was a low hem that grazed the base of her wings. It pooled at her feet, obviously meant for someone taller than she was. She didn't like how the lavender fabric gapped at her waist and chest, though she supposed it was her own fault.

Theia dropped down and pulled her boots on, glancing at the door as she laced them. Finished, she rose and went for the door. She slipped into the corridor and hurried for the stairs. Hoping to leave without notice, she slowed her steps as she made it to the hard wood of the main floor. Voices still came from the sitting room, so Theia kept to the far wall as she passed.

Her eyes locked on the main door, heart racing. She craved that taste of freedom, the bittersweet tang of solitude. Her feet quickened, hand reaching for the door. Instead of closing around the bronze metal, her fingers collided with a hard stomach. She gasped and flinched back, eyes wide on the male who stopped her. The Shadowsinger stood in front of the door, arms crossed and head cocked.

"Escaping?" Holy gods, she wanted to slaughter him.

"No," she snarled, "I've never wandered through the city, I'd like to see my new prison on my own."

The Spymaster laughed, shockingly enough, and stepped aside. "I was warned to keep an eye on you if you leave the estate. I'll remain here, but I think you should know that not a single thing you do when you think you're alone will go unnoticed."

She didn't like that threat. Theia glared as she slid between him and the door, turning the handle and pulling it open. She felt his damn eyes long after she closed the door and made her way down the walkway.