The words tasted bitter on his tongue. He glared at the female in front of him, fully aware of the dagger now clutched in her fist. Theia was a fucking fool to assume she could kill Nyx as easily as she planned- or kill him at all. His nostrils flared as he looked her over.
"I told you to leave."
Theia didn't budge. She stared at him, though her gaze seemed distant. Nyx took a step forward, feeling tortured by her presence. The fucking female had tried to kill him twice. He was eager to take her life, yet his father had ordered him not to.
"You don't believe me," she spoke softly. It wasn't a question. Nyx snorted, crossing his arms as he looked at her.
"Of course I fucking don't. You abandoned me centuries ago yet you expect me to believe that you did not steal from my father, or simply manipulated him into giving you what you wanted? I'm telling you once more, Theia. Get the fuck out."
He watched her nose scrunch as her face twisted with anger. The hood of her cloak fell as she stepped back.
"You expect me to be able to manipulate a High Lord into giving me an outrageous sum of coin?"
"You manipulated me!" Nyx shouted. Theia winced, though she recovered quickly. Her eyes leveled on his lips, and it made Nyx feel even more powerful in that moment.
"How?" Her voice came out in a breath. Nyx narrowed his eyes on her. How could she forget?
"You're more of a bitch than I thought. I want you out, Theia. If you're not outside of this house in one minute, I'll deliver your head to my father myself."
Theia clenched her jaw and turned her eyes to the door. Nyx rose a brow as he waited. She glanced back at him with a sigh and made her way to the door. Nyx watched her hand turn the knob and pull the door open. She didn't leave right away, but rather looked over her shoulder at him.
"Just speak to your father for the truth. He paid me to leave you. I thought you'd come for me a decade later, but I never saw you again. You're welcome to kill me, Nyx. I have nothing left. Just know that I hate you just as much as you hate me."
Nyx didn't soften his glare until she was gone. When the front door closed, Nyx breath rushed from him. He stumbled back, sitting on the edge of his bed. He hadn't expected her to be in his house, but the scent of her was strong. As soon as he made it up the stairs, he could smell the intensity of his own soap as though she tried to mask herself beneath it. He never expected Theia to attempt to kill him, but now it felt like war.
She was trying to say that Rhysand lied to him all these years. Nyx scoffed, bringing his knees up. His father wouldn't tear his heart out like that. Rhysand would have never let Nyx break for decades just to ensure he did his job.
Nyx ran his hand over his mouth, staring down at the floor. He was tempted to return to Velaris and speak with his father, but it felt like a betrayal to question him after so long. It didn't matter. Theia had a different agenda; she wanted money and she would do anything to get it. The Theia he knew so long ago wouldn't have pinned him against Rhysand, but she wouldn't have tried to kill him either.
She was different. A dangerous different. He'd like the chance to sit and speak with her about what truly happened, but he knew his anger would get the best of him. If she said the wrong thing, he'd surely try to kill her. He had centuries of anger directed at her.
Nyx groaned, shoving off from his bed. He threw open his bedroom door and marched down the stairs. He hated himself for the part of him that still cared. It would be easier if he could slit her throat and be done with it. Nyx threw open the front door and marched in the direction of Theia's home. As he thought of the time, he turned to go toward the tavern. She'd need to open it by now.
Indeed, the tavern was open. He slipped into the door, spying two females behind the counter. Theia had removed her cloak and hung it, now facing away from him as she rapidly scrubbed at a glass. The other female noticed him first, her eyes dancing over his body before she leaned forward with a smile.
"Hi, Nyx."
He saw Theia's body stiffen, her hand stilled on the glass. Nyx walked up to the bar, leaning on his elbows as he turned his gaze back to the other female. She seemed familiar, but he decided that was because of her constantly seeking him out.
"Whiskey," he grumbled, turning back his gaze to Theia. She was wearing a sweater and wool pants, a disgusting outfit on anyone. Though, Nyx's eyes trailed over her body shamelessly. She wasn't looking, so he didn't care to hide it. His eyes lingered on the way the pants stretched over her rear as the other female sat his drink in front of him. Nyx blindly reached into his pocket and dropped a coin on the counter.
"What are you doing here so early?" The female cooed, blocking his view of Theia. His jaw ticked as his eyes focused on her.
"Sorry, who are you?"
Her seductive smile dropped into a frown. "Elena."
He remembered her now. She was the bitch that pretended to be Theia's friend back when he first met her. He also fucked her back then. He grunted and took a swallow of the whiskey.
"I need to speak with Theia," he spoke, looking past Elena. Theia turned her head down, peeking at him through her hair.
"I'm working."
"I'm the only one here."
She slammed the glass onto the counter and turned. Nyx shot her a look as he took another mouthful of whiskey. Her eyes turned to Elena, who was back to watching Nyx with a glazed look. He grimaced at her and sat the empty glass down, motioning to the back door.
Theia sighed and threw the cloth onto the counter. "I'll be back in a moment."
Elena hummed and picked up where Theia left off, still watching Nyx. Nyx waited for Theia to make her way to the back door before following her. He nearly laughed at the way she tried to slam the door in his face as she walked out.
"What do you want? I assumed you threatening me to get out of your house meant that you didn't want to speak with me."
"Well, you did try to kill me. But I had a change of heart," Nyx responded, crossing his arms. Theia scoffed and copied his stance.
"You don't have a heart."
His eyes narrowed on her. "I wanted to hear you out. I understand that my father has made mistakes in the past. I don't see why he would have paid you to leave me, and I also don't see why you would have stayed here with that money instead of fighting for me. You have right now to explain it to me and I'm done."
Theia's eye twitched, her nails digging into her arms. "The night your father brought me into his office after dinner, he told me of the changes he planned to make in response to my argument. Then, he told me he planned to send you around Prythian and hold lessons for you as heir. He didn't want me to distract you, so he told me he would be sending me back here."
"And you chose to leave. Without speaking to me?" Nyx asked, his voice showing just how suspicious he was. Theia turned her eyes away, making his suspicion grow even more.
"I was meant to leave the following day. I thought about it, and I knew I couldn't leave if I had the chance to talk to you. You wouldn't have let me leave either. I decided that leaving that night would be best, and your father would explain it, and then you'd come for me when you finished your training."
Nyx shifted on his feet, staring down at her. It seemed possible, though it didn't account for the things Rhysand told him. How would he have known to come for her if she didn't tell him she was leaving?
"And he paid you?"
Theia nodded, meeting his eyes again. "He did. He brought the trunk with us when he winnowed me to Windhaven. He told me it would be enough to give me a good life until you and I met again."
Nyx studied her, praying for any hint of lies so that he could finish this. If she was lying, he could snap her neck. He could be done with the torture of her presence and live his life. She kept his gaze, though. Theia's throat bobbed as she watched him, his eyes falling to the movement.
"I have a proposition, then."
Her throat moved again before her lips parted. "What kind of proposition?"
"You'll join me next week in Velaris on the next day the trainees are off. You speak to my father, you tell him exactly what you've told me. If you're lying, you're dead. You've attempted assassination on me twice, which is plenty for me to have your head. If he has been lying, I'll ensure the money is returned to you and we will go out separate ways."
At least that way, he'd get the satisfaction of killing her, or never having to see her again. Theia's brows furrowed as her lips parted. His eyes dropped to her hands, seeing the way they seemed to tremble against her arms. A small grin lifted the corner of his lips as his eyes flicked back to hers. Dead or alive, Theia.
"Fine, that's fine. I'll do that," she breathed, lifting her chin with a heavy breath as she made to move past him. Nyx caught her arm, leaning down so that his words brushed across her pink cheek.
"You've agreed. If you do not meet me at my home at sunrise to go to Velaris in one week, I will track you down. You cannot hide from me."
Theia tore her arm from his grasp and hurried into the tavern. Nyx followed behind, frowning slightly when he noticed how packed the tavern had gotten. In fact, his two old friends were at the bar, smiling as they spoke with Elena. Nicholas's eyes lightened as he noticed Theia hurrying behind the counter. Nyx stalked closer, eager to hear what he had to say.
"Theia! Heard you and Silas had something going on but it's over now, right? How about you come by my house when you're off tonight. I promised you a good time years ago."
Nyx jaw tightened as his eyes shot to Theia. Her pink lips were parted, cheeks dusted with embarrassment as she met Nyx's gaze before turning her eyes back to Nicholas. He watched her tongue dart over her bottom lip as she thought about it. She was thinking about it. Nyx's hands curled into fists at his side as he stepped up to the bar beside Adonis and Nic.
"Okay, sure," Theia breathed out, offering a tight smile before rushing off to serve customers at the farthest end of the bar. Nyx watched her with a raised brow, a grimace finding its way onto his face. Nic's arm found its way over Nyx's shoulders as the male let out a loud laugh.
"Mother, she's so fucking easy."
Nyx couldn't stop his anger as he shoved the male away from him and marched out of the tavern. He may hate Theia with every fibre of his being, but he couldn't stand to hear how the fucking males talked about her.