We were all still awake when morning came, most of us congregating in the kitchen. Jessica was in the process of making coffee, dark circles prevalent under her eyes. Ben, who I had only met a few time, had his arms wrapped around her waist; his dark hair was ruffled from sleep and he was whispering in her ear, but it didn't seem like whatever he was saying was helping. Despite the fact that his words apparently weren't soothing her, she sunk into him, finding some comfort in his touch.
My heart panged and I made eye contact with Landon, who had obviously caught me watching his foster parents. He sent me a soft, sympathetic smile as if he understood my inner turmoil, but he didn't at all. He had known his entire life he was a werewolf, meanwhile, I was not only just learning about this world, but learning that I wasn't crazy. I was far from crazy, in fact, I was witch-demon hybrid.
I sunk low in my seat, the sweatshirt I had borrowed from Isaiah comforting and warm. Mik sat right beside me, his head leaning against my shoulder. He had fallen asleep about fifteen minutes earlier and I hadn't had the heart to ask him to move his head. I smiled softly at him and pressed a kiss to his head before leaning my head against his' and allowing my eyes to slide shut.
I had almost slipped off into sweet oblivion when the front door slammed open in a familiar fashion: Paisley and Morgan were here. I jerked my head up, startled to full attention. Mik was jumped, obviously having been woken up from the racket. He lost his balance from the way he had been sitting on his chair and nearly fell to the ground, but I caught his arm and let him lean against me. He sent me a shy but thankful smile, and despite the chaos in my head, I tapped his nose affectionately.
His beaming smile made me want to sit and talk with him, but I forced myself to my feet and towards the door. Morgan's face was bare of any and all makeup, and she was in pajama pants that were too big for her, evident by the way they were slipping down her hips. The moment her eyes landed on me, she pulled me into a big hug and began to apologize profusely in my ear. I hugged her back, but remained silent; the boys had informed me on the girls heritage.
They were both witches. I could see it in their personality, if I was being honest. They were charming and sweet, but also mischievous and always up for good fun.
Paisley knocked Morgan out of the way, yanking me into a hug as well. She looked more put together than her girlfriend, as if she had been up for hours, but I didn't comment on it. Rather, I revelled in her hug and the fact that even after being thrown into essentially a cluster fuck, I rely on my girls. I had never admitted to anyone, let alone myself, but they were my best friends.
"So this is Thisbe's daughter." The voice that spoke was smooth but confident, demanding attention and radiating power. I took a step away from Paisley, peeking over her shoulder.
Two women stood in front of the door, both giving off similar auras of power and authority. If I had any energy left in me, I might have been trembling where I stood. The taller of the two had golden blonde hair, falling around her pin straight, as if even it was afraid to defy her. Her eyes followed my every movement, but that wasn't what made her gaze so unsettling; it was the color of her eyes. They were a pale shade of green with a tint of yellow-gold, reminding me of the shade of a wild cat's eyes. Her stature was slim and she was tall, towering over even Morgan and I.
The other woman was slightly less intimidating, but still had me cowering behind Morgan and Paisley. Her dark waves were pulled back in a ponytail, strands falling around her pretty face. She had the same blue eyes as Morgan, though hers were significantly less friendly than Morgan's. She was curvier than the other woman, but no less beautiful with tan skin, bow lips drawn into a frown, and sharp cheekbones.
"Pais," I whispered, even though I was sure the women could hear me regardless. "Who are they?"
Paisley grimaced, eyes settling on the floor, making me wonder if she found the women as unsettling as I did. "Nyx, meet me and Morgan's mothers."
"That's not a proper introduction, Paisley," the blonde said. The words sounded benign enough, but the way she spoke it made it as sharp as the crack of a whip and I couldn't blame Paisley for flinching away. The blonde's eyes settled on me and her face broke out into a smile. I relaxed slightly, finding that smile made her seem a little more friendly. "Pleased to meet you, Onyx. I'm Liliana Shaw and I was a good friend of your mom's."
Before I could tell Liliana it was nice to meet her too, Morgan's mom stepped forward. She didn't smile but her eyes were soft as she looked at me, as if she felt the same fondness towards me that her daughter did. "Hello, Nyx," her voice was sweet, but low like her daughter's. "I'm Iris Hudson. I've been waiting a long time to meet you, dear." She paused, a distant look forming in her eyes. "I was also a good friend of your mom's..."
"We were best friends." Jessica spoke from behind me. I turned to face her, frowning at the hard look that came over her face when she looked at Liliana. Her gaze softened and turned welcoming when she faced Iris, a small smile even forming. "Iris, your mom, and I. We were the best of friends."
A look of irritation passed over Liliana's face. "Yes," she said, slowly as if she was choosing her words carefully and maybe she was from the amount of animosity there seemed to be between her and Jessica. "You were a rather closed off group."
"It's been a long time, Liliana." Jessica made it sound like she was pleased that it had been a long time since seeing her old friend. I shot a look over at Landon and Jase, silently questioning what had happened between the two. Jase shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest, closing himself off to me and practically communicating I was on my own. "You should have stopped by. We could have had coffee and caught up."
Liliana's smile was cold. "I've been helping Iris run the Coven. Ever since Thisbe died and you left, it's been rather difficult maintaining order. But no worry." Her eyes drifted over to Morgan, her smiling turning fond. "Morgan is learning her duties quite well."
"Duties?" I muttered questioningly to Morgan. She shrugged, avoiding looking at anyone. My heart throbbed at the fact that she was obviously uncomfortable in front of her own mother.
Liliana brushed past us and towards Jessica, her lips drawn into a tight line. "We need to discuss Onyx and what we're going to do now that she knows what she is and what her heritage is."
"It's Nyx," Jessica snapped, quick to defend me even if there was no need.
"Thisbe named her Onyx. Therefore, that's what I will call her. Undoubtedly, that's what everyone else will call her it too." Liliana replied, tapping her foot and crossing her arms as she stared at Jessica.
"It makes her uncomfortable," Jessica attempted to explain, scowling at Liliana.
Liliana released an exasperated sigh. "What's uncomfortable," her voice losing all of the last evidence of false politeness. "Is the fact that you thought it was okay to keep Onyx's presence a secret for so long. Now, we need to discuss our plans and how to proceed moving forward. Kids, go pack. You're leaving for Portum tonight."
My eyes widened and I wanted to question what Portum was, but before I could Paisley grabbed my hand and was dragging me down the hall. No matter how fast everyone tried to usher me away, I could still hear Jessica shouting at Liliana and Iris. I expected Paisley and the boys to lead me to my room, but instead I was pushed through the back door, stumbling out into the backyard. Mik caught me by the waist to ensure I didn't trip and I sunk into his touch, staring at him wide eyed.
He shot me a sympathetic grin then lowered me to the ground, sitting beside me. I leaned against him, seeking support and comfort. My mind was reeling from the amount of information that had been thrown at me in the past few hours. I was a queen, a hybrid of witch and demon, and Paisley's mom seemed to hate me.
"Your mom is real warm and fuzzy," I finally said after several moments of tense silence. Paisley barked out an abrupt laugh and I managed to crack a grin, pleased that I had diffused the tension somewhat.
"Oh I know." Paisley replied, settling in the grass, leaning back and using her elbows to support herself. "I think Jessica raised me more than my mom really did, if I'm being honest."
I bit my lip then burst out with the question that had been killing me, "What's Portum?"
"Portum is the country for our kind," Isaiah explained, sitting on the other side of Mik and peeking around him to look at me. He was wearing his glasses, a rarity that I had come to appreciate due to the fact that it made his stern face seem softer. "The paranormal, I mean."
I blinked several times, trying to digest even more new information. "Where is it located that humans haven't heard about it?"
I could have winced at the use of the term humans. Up until a few hours ago, I had thought of myself as human, only to be proven wrong. The way that my mind had been rewired in such a short time span alarmed me, but there was nothing I could about it; this was the life I would be living from now on.
"A little a bit away from the Caribbean." Morgan shot me a grin, the mischievous in her eyes hinting at the fact that she was at least a little excited to be going on a trip. "It's an island but also a country. It's beautiful there, you'll like it."
"I'm going for business purposes, Morgan," I pointed out, though I was fighting to contain the smile that wanted to break through. I was so grateful for the fact that they were all trying their best to make me feel better and get me out my head, a place that would prove to be dangerous if I got too caught up on my thoughts. "I don't think I'll be enjoying much."
"Don't worry!" Jase exclaimed, shooting me his trademark flirtatious grin and a wink. "I'll make sure you have plenty of fun."
"Jason," Cassius said, his eyes portraying his usual amount of sterness, but the slight quirk of his lips signalling he was amused. "Please refrain from trying to sleep with her. She's a queen, and therefore, shall be treated as such."
I groaned, throwing myself backwards to lay on my back, but before I could, Mik caught me by the shoulders and lowered me to the ground gently. I shot him a questioning glance and he blushed then said, "I didn't want you to hurt yourself by doing that."
My heart warmed at his thoughtfulness and I motioned with my hand for him to lean down. When his face got close enough, I pressed a kiss to his cheek, causing his cheeks to redden again. No matter the situation I was in, I knew that it would be okay, purely because I had the boys, Paisley, and Morgan.
"Excuse us, boys," Morgan said, cheerfully, dragging Paisley to her feet as well as doing the same to me. "I have to go help Nyx pack. Feel free to join us, if you'd like."
I expected all of them to make a face and decide to remain outside, but without missing a heartbeat, Mik jumped to his feet and followed us inside. Ever since he had found out about what happened, he had been following me around like a lost puppy, and while I wasn't bothered by it, I was beginning to worry about him. I wanted to ask him if he was okay, but didn't get the chance, as Morgan motioned to Paisley and Mik that she needed a moment with me, then dragged me into my bedroom and closed the door.
"Something wrong?" The question was dumb considering how many things were actually wrong, but neither of us batted an eyelash at my wording.
She smirked at me and shook her head. "Nyx Blakely, how you could not tell me that you're smitten with the boys?"
I gaped at her and plopped down on the edge of my bed. "Are you crazy? I'm not smitten with the boys whatsoever. And besides, aren't there bigger things to worry about than my love life?"
"Shut up!" Morgan threw a pillow at me and I had to duck to avoid it. I sent her an unamused glare which she completely ignored as she began to pace the length of my room. "What's crazy is that you're trying to deny your feelings. You should see yourself with them. The love and adoration is practically palpable!"
I blinked at her, truly starting to think that she had lost her mind. "Morg," I said slowly. "I'm not in love with any of them, and I can't even think about being in love at a time like this."
"Then why did you kiss Cassius last night?" She demanded, hands on her hips, staring me down. I jerked my head back, surprised that she was aware of that happening.
"Who told you?" I growled, shooting to my feet.
"Cassius," she said with a small shrug. "Text me after you had fallen asleep. Asking what he should do, how he should tell the others since they're quite obviously smitten too. I told him that it would take all of them to keep you safe, anyways."
My heart had come to an abrupt stop at the fact that they all had feelings for me and I hadn't even noticed. I didn't get the chance to question Morgan on what she had told me because Isaiah was barging into the room, shooting daggers at Morgan. She seemed unphased by the waves of anger rolling off of him, while on the other hand, I was cowering away. He noticed and shuffled across the floor, sliding an arm around my waist and pulling me into a comforting side hug. I pressed my face against his chest, closing my eyes and listening to his heartbeat.
"You can't lock Mik out like that, Morgan." Isaiah said sharply, obviously displeased. I began to wonder if Morgan got sick of being yelled at by Cassius and Isaiah, but kept my mouth shut, afraid of making the situation worse. "You know how he is. He was worried."
When I peeked at Morgan, she actually looked guilty as well as worried. "I'm sorry," she said, genuinely apologetic. "He can come in now. We'll actually start packing like good children."
"You lost your unsupervised rights," Isaiah told her, his hand running up and down my back in a soothing motion. I could have purred from how nice it felt, and there was also the fact that I hadn't realized how tired I was until I rested my head against him. "Landon is going to come help you pack. I'm taking Nyx to my room for a nap."
"What? No!" I protested, though it was weak. "I can't let them pack for me."
"Sorry, sweetheart," he said, though he didn't sound the least bit sorry at all. "But I need some sleep, and I know for a fact that you do too. So it's nap time."
Morgan sent a smirk my way, and I just knew how smug she must have felt. I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at her, and decided to cave in and indulge in a nap with Isaiah. Not only was I tired, but I was also craving comfort, and deep down I knew that cuddling with him would provide that.
"Don't let Mik or Landon get near my undergarments!" I told Morgan, causing her and Isaiah to both laugh.
Isaiah ushered me out of the room and I gave a finger wave as goodbye, giggling when Isaiah called over his shoulder to Morgan to be good. He kept his arm around me, holding me close as he lead me to his room. His room was dark, almost pitch black, but he didn't bother turning on the light as he lead me towards the bed, preventing me from seeing what his room really looked like.
"Are you comfortable in that?" he asked, gesturing to the sweatshirt and sweatpants. I nodded, which caused him to smile, even though I hadn't done anything other than tell him I was comfortable. I watched as he took off his glasses and set them on a bedside table, a small amount of light filtering through the curtains, giving me just enough light for me to see his face.
He pulled back the blanket and gestured for me to get in the bed first. I bit my lip, butterflies swarming through my stomach, but I pushed past in and crawled into the bed then under the blanket. Once I had gotten in the bed, Isaiah got in, laying next to me. He pulled the blanket over us both, then snaked an arm around my waist, pulling me tight against him. He laid on his back and I stayed on my side, resting my head on his chest. He ducked his head down and pressed a kiss to my head.
"Sweet dreams, Nyx," he whispered and I hid my smile in his chest, shutting my eyes.
I might have been Queen of Hell, but in his arms, listening to his heartbeat and breathing, I felt like Queen of the world.
a/n: some more information for you and a cute scene with Isaiah and Nyx. Finally we get to get into the paranormal aspect and delve into more romance.
xoxo,
ry.