Theia stayed with Felix for two more weeks. She had thought he was kind, gentle, caring. She hadn't asked for pleasure, only happily accepted when he pursued her. Felix had fed her, and Theia paid him for her portion of meals. Quite frankly, she didn't care if she was fed. She wanted a distraction, wanted someone else to be around her.
When he began demanding that she repay him, Theia learned how to please him. He taught her, and requested it every night for the past week. He'd begun to urge her to let him take her fully, but she wasn't ready for that. Somehow, the effort of trying to take care of his needs while also slipping from his arms at night to lay in the sitting room, Theia was growing more exhausted than she had been. She didn't want to be alone, and she craved the pleasure he offered so rarely now.
Theia thought she could leave, find another who'd give her that same oblivion, but she was afraid that she had met the only male in the war camp that wouldn't take her maidenhood forcefully. Felix, at least, had never forced her to do anything with her own body.
Theia had told Calliope and Nico that she wouldn't make it to her shift the day before, and she hadn't gone the next. She laid in Felix's bed, staring at the window. Felix would return from training, bathe, then have her climb from the bed and get on her knees.
Now, her third day of not going to work, the sun set as she laid in the bed. Felix told her he wanted her naked when he returned, and so she laid there bare, staring at the window. The oblivion hadn't returned in days, she hardly felt when he touched her. Theia was left with the emptiness eating away at every part of her brain. She didn't want to feel anything, but she'd like to forget the thoughts running through her mind.
The front door opened violently, the walls shaking. Theia didn't sit up, only rolled her head to the other side to watch who walked in. Boots thudding against the floor in a fast pace. The bedroom door flung open, Felix storming in. Theia sat up at the sight of him. His face was bloody, eyes swollen. His lip looked as though it had been torn off, he was walking at a limp, and his shirt was torn.
"What happ-"
"Get the fuck out. Get out!" Felix shouted, slamming his fist against the wall. Theia flinched, scrambling to the other side of the bed. He was acting like someone entirely different, not once had he screamed at her.
Theia grabbed at the first shirt she saw, which happened to be his. He didn't seem to care as she threw it over her head and gathered her own clothes that had been strewn about and shoved them in the open bag. She didn't care if she was missing something, because he was stalking up behind her. Felix grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking Theia to her feet. She yelped, tugging the bag to her chest. His fists were just as bloody, drops and flakes of already dried blood catching in her knotted hair.
"Fucking whore! Using me to get your cunt wet but I got nothing! That fucking heir made it clear that you weren't worth getting my cock sucked. I want you out of my house, Theia. I'll make sure to let everyone know what a waste of time you are," Felix snarled, shoving her backwards. Theia fell back, her back hitting the edge of his wardrobe. As soon as he stepped toward her, she scrambled to her feet and ran. She grabbed her boots from beside the door and didn't stop.
Alone, alone, alone. Anytime Nyx was involved, the only other person in her life left her. The bitter chill of the snow bit at her feet and legs. Theia slowed only when she reached the edge of the village, where the drop to her home was. She didn't want to bear the deafening silence of her home, the complete change in it.
Her eyes caught smoke rising from the chimney, then the upturned dirt starting between her home and the abandoned one next to it. She trailed it to the road, then up the hill into the village. Running water. Rhysand had her home connected to the water supply. She bit down on her lip, tasting the scab left from Felix's teeth the night before. Feet numb, shivering from the cold, Theia pushed her door open.
"No," she croaked, dropping her bag to the floor. Nyx was sat in one of the chairs, a cup of tea beside him on the side table. He was in lounging clothes, a fire burning behind the hearth.
"Welcome home, Theia," he spoke, rising from the chair. She backed up, out the door and into the snow.
"Get out, Nyx," she demanded, willing her legs to stay standing. He crossed his arms and frowned at her.
"Get in the house before you freeze to death." She'd prefer that to his presence. Theia took another step back, shaking her head. Nyx groaned and stalked toward her.
"No!" She shouted, trying to shove his hands away. Nyx caught her arm and dragged her through the threshold, kicking the door shut behind him.
"I started a bath for you, I suspected you'd be showing up any moment. Go bathe, and then we can talk," he ordered, staring down at her. Theia glared up at him, feeling her face twitch with the emotions she hadn't felt in weeks.
"I swear, Nyx, get the fuck out of my house," she screamed, shoving against his chest. Nyx didn't move, simply stood there while she shoved, punched, and kicked him. Her lack of meals and water caught up to her, arms growing tired too quickly. Nyx sensed that, because he grabbed her arms and began dragging her to the bathing chamber. Theia wasn't shocked to see a massive bathtub installed, steaming water and soap suds within.
"You can beat the shit out of me when you don't smell like the cum of another male."
Theia clenched her jaw and curled her fists as Nyx tore the shirt from her. She hadn't had time to button it to secure it around her wings. She glared at his face as he stepped back and looked over her nude body, certainly taking in the marks Felix left with his teeth and lips. He shook his head and pointed at the tub.
"No," Theia snapped, crossing her arms. Nyx cursed under his breath and grabbed her waist, lifting her and dropping her into the water. Theia gasped for air when the soap and water cleared from her face, clutching the edge of the tub.
"You fucking reek of him, clean yourself and then you have full range to slap or punch me," Nyx said as he leaned against the wall.
"How'd you know I'd come home?" She challenged, knowing well what he did to Felix. Nyx bit back a grin, failing.
"How about I tell you what I learned today? Hmm? That fucking male you've trusted so much to sleep in his bed for two weeks? He was complaining about how all you do is suck his cock, how you wouldn't let him fuck you. He told his buddies that if you refused him tonight, he'd take you against your will. Would you rather be raped tonight, or have me here waiting for you?"
Bile burned her throat as she stared at him. Nyx shrugged, picking at a towel that hung from the hook beside him. She didn't expect Felix to plan something like that, though what did she expect? An Illyrian warrior in the village, there'd be no doubt he'd force her soon enough. Kindness and trust didn't exist, not here. Theia dropped back in the tub, staring at the shining faucet. In a way, Nyx saved her, again. She didn't want him here, didn't want him around at all. Yet, the heir swooped in and stopped her from being forced by another male.
She stewed in those thoughts, not moving when Nyx grew bored and dropped to his knees to scrub her with a cloth. When he told her to dip her head back, she went too far and let herself fall beneath the surface. He gripped her by the hair and brought her back up. Images of a bloodied Felix snagged her thoughts and she shoved Nyx's hand away. She had thought she was glaring at him, but the look on his face told her otherwise.
"Sorry," he murmured, brushing back the soap in her hair. When he pulled the plug on the water and reached for her, Theia stood on her own and stepped from the tub. She ripped the towel from the wall and wrapped it around herself, not wanting to meet his eyes anymore. She'd been humiliated enough, and it was only a matter of time before he threw it back in her face.
When he stood and watched her, she snarled at him and marched to her bedroom. She hated to see the full bed, the clean sheets and the soft blanket. It wasn't hers. It wasn't what her mother last knew, it wasn't what she knew. Theia tore a sleeping gown from the closet and pulled it up her body, dropping the towel on the floor. Unsurprisingly, Nyx was in the doorway and marched forward to pluck the towel from the floor and hang it over the closet door.
"You smell like you again," he muttered, eyes flicking over the sheer nightgown. She shivered, deciding it had to do with the winter and slid past him to sit in front of the fire. She dropped onto the new rug she hadn't noticed and stared at the flames.
Nyx walked up behind her. She felt his eyes on her wet hair, on her back, her wings. She shivered again, looking over her shoulder.
"I want you to leave, Nyx." His brow twitched as he shook his head.
"See, if I leave, I'm certain you're going to find a way to end your miserable life. I know you haven't been to work, and I know it's not because Felix had his fingers up you. He was at training, complaining that you've been in his bed fully clothed when he came home. I think you're giving up, and I decided two and half months ago that I was going to make sure you lived. If that means I have to sit here and babysit you, then I will."
Theia wanted to snap at him, to argue with him. Cauldron, she wanted to shove his head in the fire. Instead, she turned back and dropped her head against her knees. Nyx was right. She didn't care if her next breath was her last. She wouldn't have to fight anymore, she'd get to see Maia again. She'd see Penelope again.
"Now you're contemplating it."
"Get out, Nyx. I don't want to hear about myself from your perspective," she snapped, running her hands over her face. He kneeled beside her, making Theia cringe away. He caught her thigh, tugging her closer. Theia shot him another look, ready to claw her way out of this house if she needed to.
"What did you look for in Felix? Explain to me why you went and stayed two weeks at his house after meeting him that same night," he demanded, his voice harsh. It felt as though he was scolding her.
"I don't have to explain myself to you," Theia retorted, turning to move away from him again. She gasped when his hand caught her jaw, hauling her to face him again. She grasped his wrist, digging her nails into his skin. Nyx's eyes flicked down to where her nails were embedded and back to her face, a grin growing on his lips.
"Did you want a distraction? Did you want to be fucked and forget where you were?"