The Dark Heir - Nyx

4. Theia.

Silas didn't distract Theia from the thoughts in her head. She couldn't finish, not while the thought of her first love was dragging her beneath water. She focused on finishing him instead and laid in his arms through the night. She hardly slept. Theia stared at the moon, knowing Nyx was within walking distance and she had questions. She couldn't help but let a few tears slip in the night.

"I need to get out of bed," Silas muttered from beneath her. Theia hummed in response, clinging to the warmth of his body. "It's the start of the new trainees today. General Cassian brought his daughter yesterday and she is starting in a more advanced group. I'll have to watch their training. Apparently I met the heir yesterday, too. He's staying with her until she gets settled."

Theia physically recoiled at the mention of him. She curled her body up on top of Silas, pressing her face into his chest. His arm hooked over her shoulder, his hips lifting. She frowned when she felt his morning hardness against her.

"I have some time, do you want to have some fun?" He asked, lifting his hips again. There was no heat to his touch, not like there had been before. Theia sighed and pushed herself from his body. Silas grinned up at her, not having any clue of her change in demeanor.

She did what she did best: Pleasuring someone else when her mind was in shambles. It took him a few minutes before he was moaning her name and clutching at her hair, and Theia had never been so relieved when he finished against the back of her tongue. She climbed up his body and kissed him slow, allowing him to taste himself on her tongue. Even if they weren't in a true relationship, he likes the possessiveness of claiming her.

Eventually, Silas had to climb from the bed and bathe, leaving Theia curled in the slowly cooling spot his body had been. She felt like a failure. After two centuries, she still couldn't function at the thought of Nyx. This particular breakdown seemed to be more for herself- sorry for the loss she had. It would be anger soon enough, she just had to suffer through.

Her usual distraction of pleasure and alcohol didn't work. Even as Silas bathed, Theia brought her hands down to her bare core, trying to encourage anything with her fingers. All that came to mind was Nyx, and that had her nauseous. Sighing in defeat, Theia crawled from the bed and followed the sound of Silas humming into the bathing chamber.

The air in the room was hot and sticky, and Silas was combing back his hair with a towel on his hips. He shot her a grin as she started the faucet in the tub and sat on the edge. He was beautiful, kind, caring. He could offer her more than just a nightly fuck and someone to hold. She wanted that, but Theia was terrified of the aspect of love. After Nyx, she couldn't believe that people gave their full love and trust to one person. It felt as if she would be putting her life in someone else's hands.

"What's on your mind?" Silas asked as Theia reached over to turn the faucet off. She stood and began pouring in soaps, determining what to say next. Nobody in the village knew about their situation. Everyone was under the impression that Silas put his full days into work, and that Theia was as lonely as she had been as a child. She could offer him a small fragment of herself, more than just her body.

"Would you want to leave work early and go to dinner together? Not here, but at the cafe in the village?" She asked as she lowered herself into the steaming water. Silas's comb slipped from his hand as he turned to look at her. His eyes were widened, and Theia couldn't blame him for his shock. She had never shown interest in being a couple outside of her home.

"You'd want that?"

Theia nodded, running a cloth over her legs. "I think so. Should I meet you around sunset?"

Silas grinned as he nodded. He swooped down and collected his comb from the floor and placed it back onto the shelf. His towel nearly fell as he moved to the tub, lowering his face to hers. Theia hated herself for the forced smile as she kissed him. Silas had more feelings for her than she did for him, but Theia decided it had to be time to open herself more. Having Nyx back in the village showed her how much of a hold he still had on her, and perhaps she needed to love another to move on.