The Dark Heir - Nyx

37. Theia

"I read the letter from Zenova. Cassian is driving her crazy and she wants you home."

Home. That was the wrong word to use. It wasn't home, the village never would be. Not for Nyx, and never again for Theia. Nyx sighed and took the paper from her hands. Theia laid her head on his shoulder as he read through it, his chest rumbling with a small chuckle.

"She's really struggling, huh? I just- I don't know if I can face my father yet," Nyx murmured, laying the letter on the bed and wrapping his arm around Theia. He sent them both backwards, making her giggle as he pressed his face into the side of hers and inhaled.

"Well, maybe you don't have to yet. We could go to Windhaven, and then, when the time is right, go to Velaris," she suggested.

"He'd know I'm back. If Cassian doesn't tell him, Az would. If I don't go to Velaris in a week, I'm sure he would come to me."

Theia turned her face, pressing a soft kiss to the tip of his nose. Nyx sighed and nuzzled his face into her neck. Theia closed her eyes, running her fingers along his growing beard. She adored these gentle moments, almost as much as she loved to argue with him.

"I think that if we go to Windhaven, and your father follows us there, then it's time to speak to him. I don't like him, but he's your father, Nyx. You can't hide forever."

Nyx lifted his face, his eyes scanning hers. Theia offered a smile. "We should go, then. Get it over with," he sighed.

Theia's stomach dropped. She didn't mean to leave today. Her eyes drifted to the balcony, to the sea far below. They would come back, she was sure of it. If she stayed with Nyx, she had a lifetime of experiences like this.

"If I get called to Velaris, will you join me?" Nyx asked, drawing her attention back to him. Nyx lifted his head to meet her eyes. Theia frowned, watching her fingers graze the thick hair on his jaw.

"I don't want to be left alone with Rhysand. I will come with you if I stay with your mother or you," Theia murmured. Nyx lips tightened in a poor effort of a smile.

"I understand. How about we shower and I'll start packing? I'll winnow us to the house, you can wear my clothes when we get there." He sat up, pressing his face into hers and smothering her cheek in kisses. Theia laughed, her arms going around his neck and her hands slipping into his hair. He smelled of the sea, of sweat and lingering arousal. It would be horrible to anyone else, but Theia couldn't get enough of it.

Nyx's hand closed around her thigh, pulling her body onto his waist. His beard tickled her cheek, though as he moved to kiss her neck, the sensation had her moaning. Theia arched her back as Nyx's hand slid up her thigh and cupped her rear, his fingers digging into the soft skin.

"As much as I love hearing that sound, I know you're sore and I know that if I start with you, I'll never stop," Nyx growled against her throat. Theia grinned, tugging on his soft curls.

"Is that such a bad thing?" She cooed. Nyx pulled his mouth from hers and smiled. Theia's heart stilled. So often in these past days, she'd remembered the childish love they had once had. Seeing him like this, his dark curls messy, his eyes laced with sleep and lust, his lips upturned. Beneath his beard, she could glimpse the dimples that appeared at his happiest. It was inevitable, their love. It ran so deep within her, Theia would never get rid of it.

"I think that we should bathe and pack, and tonight when it's cold and all we have is the fireplace and body heat, I can see just how warm you can get."

Theia's cheeks flushed as she laughed, her face dropping into his shoulder. Nyx slid them across the bed and lifted her, walking them both into the bathing chamber. Nyx set Theia onto her feet before starting the warm water. Theia pulled his shirt from her body, dropping it on the stone floor and walking up to him. His eyes ran over her body before meeting hers, a smile on his lips so genuine that it stole yet another piece of her heart.

Nyx reached down and gripped her waist, pulling her beneath the falling water. Theia smiled up at him, her eyes squeezing closed as his hands brushed her hair back. The sweet scent of flowers and the sea filled her nose, and then Nyx's fingers were massaging her hair. Her arms snaked around his waist, her cheek pressing into his chest as he washed her hair.

It was such a simple gesture, but Theia had never felt so loved. Nyx used to bathe her during the time after her mother died, but it had never felt like this. Each touch was full of intimacy and tenderness that she'd never felt from him before. What they had between them centuries ago was entirely unsure, a foundation of dependency and desperation. Maybe it was different now that they were older, more mature, but it felt stable now.

Nyx rinsed her hair, tipping her head back and planting a kiss on her lips. The overwhelming presence of him fell and Theia blinked her eyes open. Nyx was kneeling down, a cloth in his hand as he poured soap onto it. He grinned up at her before pressing a kiss between her breasts and running the cloth over her skin.

Theia savored it for a moment, watching the way his hand glided over her skin. He turned her around, running it over the backs of her thighs and over her rear. The cloth went over her back and between her wings. Like Theia always loved, Nyx laid a kiss at the base of her spine before he turned her around. He moved to stand, but she put her hands on his shoulders.

"It's my turn," she murmured, taking the cloth. She placed it on his shoulder before grabbing the soap and pouring it in her hand. Nyx smiled at her, his eyes falling closed like hers hand before. Theia began massaging the soap into his hair, smiling to herself when his arms went around her waist and he laid his cheek against her breasts.

"I'm so glad you're back in my life," Nyx whispered so softly, she hardly heard him over the water. Her hands slowed in his hair. Nyx tilted his face, resting his chin between her breasts as he blinked up at her. Theia's throat worked on a swallow as she tried to think of what to say.

His confession wasn't as explicit as it felt. Theia swore he confessed his love for her, but it was more than that. It was a confession that he wanted her in his life, the bad and the good. Mother, she wanted him, too. Not for stability, not for a future, but just to have him beside her. To hear his voice in the mornings and nights, to have moments like this. Moments where she is responsible for his happiness, his comfort.

Nyx tilted his head back, helping Theia wash the soap from his hair. She glanced between his eyes, brushing her fingers through his wet hair.

"I'm glad, too. I hated you for so long, I almost forgot how nice it is to love you."