The Dark Heir - Nyx

48. Theia

"You two look like a mess," he mused, a brow raised. Theia's cheeks flushed as she remembered her muddy gown and certainly disastrous hair. Nyx dropped into the seat beside his father, grabbing the plate from the spot to his right and loading it with vegetables and roasted chicken. Theia sat down, watching Nyx's hands move as he filled her plate. Finally, he laid a roll of bread on the top and sat it in front of her. It was enough food to happily fill both Rhysand and Nyx, but Theia felt hungry enough to finish it and more.

"We were in the garden all afternoon and then spent some time in mother's studio," Nyx explained as he filled his own plate. Rhysand leaned back with a hum, his eyes on Nyx's plate as he took a bite of the vegetables.

"How was the rain, Theia? I'm sure you haven't seen much of it before," the High Lord continued, glancing at her over the rim of his wine glass. Theia picked up her cutlery.

"I enjoyed it. It was refreshing, beautiful even." Rhysand nodded in agreement, his eyes lighting up as Feyre walked in. He sent his mate a smile as she dropped into the seat to his left, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before diving into her food.

The meal was surprisingly serene. Theia had expected to feel on edge after her past with this family, but it was warm and full of jokes and smiles. As Theia finished the last bite of food, her stomach pressing into the tight fabric of the gown, her find moved to the rest of the family. Cassian, Azriel, Nesta, Mor. She hadn't soothed the tension between any of them. Gods, she wasn't even sure who the tension was with. Of course, it didn't matter in this moment, but it still ate at her nerves.

Her eyes were heavy when Nyx was finished with his meal. Theia had drank at least two glasses of wine and it fed into her already growing exhaustion. They all bid their good night and Nyx took Theia's hand to help her from her chair. She gave him a grateful smile, tucking her body into his side as they walked to his room. She thought it was strange how happy she felt. Her mind and body felt light, her heart beat steadily, her lips formed smiles easier. She was used to having a constant weight on her chest and shoulders, never finding a reason to smile. It was almost frightening how quickly it changed.

Nyx opened his bedroom door and led Theia to the bathing chamber. She grinned as he unlaced her gown and pulled down her body. Her skin warmed when she watched him strip his own clothes off and start the bath. There was something surreal about finding comfort in a person that she had hated not too long ago. She loved him, she loved him. It was all too real now; the touch of his skin on hers, the heat of his breath, the way her name on his lips made her nose sting.

Nyx settled in the tub and Theia was between his large thighs. He washed her hair, and then she turned her body around and washed his. The weight of her childhood and trauma lifted as she watched the suds run from his midnight hair. The suffocating depths of her sorrow washed down the drain just as the mud and soap did in the tub. When Nyx lifted Theia onto his hips and carried her to the bed, they didn't care about drying off.

He laid her down and hovered over her, lips curving into a half smile as they traced her own. Her hands slid up the carved muscle of his torso, gliding over the hills of muscle on his chest. Theia felt real. She'd been a ghost of a female coasting through centuries of a torturing past and overwhelming sadness, and now, in this moment, she was real. Nyx was real. His body and hers, their minds alike. The emotions hung in the air like tangible threads between them.

Nyx kissed her in such a gentle way. Theia never thought a warrior like him could ever move with such grace and softness. She tasted the sweet wine on his tongue and the whispers of his love on his lips. Her skin sang as he mouthed his love for her against the column of her throat and his fingers danced over the plush skin of her belly.

"I love you, Nyx," Theia spoke through a rush of her breath, back arching as his fingers dipped to where she desperately wanted him. He smiled against her throat, teeth nipping at the skin.

"I'll never tire of hearing those words from your pretty lips," Nyx cooed before kissing the hollow of her throat and moving down. One finger pumped into her, and then two, and his lips were on her breast. Nyx was skilled with his body and mouth, better than anyone had ever done to her. Theia had countless males touch her before, but Nyx somehow made it all the better. Maybe it was his words, or perhaps the emotions tied within. This wasn't a desperation to feel something other than the hollow sensation that plagued her, but simply a show of their love for one another.

Theia parted her lips as his tongue flicked her pebbled breast and his fingers drove deeper. She opened them in a moan, but words tumbled out. "I thought I loved you back then," she gasped, squeezing her eyes shut when his thumb connected with the sensitive spot. "But I think it had been out of desperation. It's been long enough, and I love you. I love you now like never before."

Nyx pulled his mouth from her breast but he didn't slow his hand. Pressure built in her lower belly, her teeth grinding as he carried her closer to the edge.

"I hold that same truth," he murmured. Theia peeled her eyes open, crying out as his fingers curled deep within her. She met his lowered gaze, his tongue running over his lips. "I've fallen for you harder this time around. I crave you in every moment. I want to see that pretty smile and hear that beautiful laugh constantly. I want to hear you moan my name, only my name, and I want to be yours."

She felt herself clench around his fingers, her hips meeting the thrust of his hand as her fingers curled around his hair. He was far better at speaking his mind. She could only show him how she felt, but he spoke it so well. Nyx mouth met hers again as she crumbled. His fingers slowed, rising her through the high as she moaned against his tongue.

Even when the touches grew rough, her leg draped over his shoulder with his hand around her throat, Theia felt the rush of his words. Her eyes stung with tears as he held her gaze, thrusting into her hard enough for the bed to slam against the wall. His thumb pushed her chin up, his tongue tracing her throat as they both slammed into the oblivion of pleasure. Theia was sure she had cried out his name as he moaned against her skin, but when his hips stilled inside of her and kissed her until she couldn't breathe, she knew the words that left his swollen lips.

"I want you to marry me."