Page 75 of Crave Me

We only had a handful of witches and warlocks in this territory, primarily because Gold and Garnet wasn’t very close with Spirit and Sapphire—a House notoriously full of magic dwellers.

I ran my fingers through Nyx’s hair, noting the dry texture of her strands. “She feels like death,” I whispered, my heart in my throat. “It’s like she’s human.” A startling discovery that made me realize just how petite Nyx truly was.

Her power made her appear so much grander, her svelte form strong and athletic andunbreakable.

But now… like this… she appeared mortal. Small.So fucking fragile.

“What are we looking at, Cara?” Kaspian asked as she joined us on the ground.

“Everyone will live,” she said. “But we’re going to need to find temporary housing for over a dozen families.”

Kaspian cursed. “This was methodical, hitting in the residential district. But who?”

“I didn’t see anyone,” Cara said, sounding frustrated. “I was too distracted by the gunshots.”

My brow furrowed. “Gunshots?”

“Yeah, someone tried to shoot Nyx three times. She ducked the first two. However, the third one…” She trailed off, her lips flattening. “I shouted a warning at her, but she was, like, entranced by something. She fucking stood up and practically accepted the shot into her chest.”

That didn’t sound like Nyx at all. Just the other day, she’d created a shield to protect herself.What were you doing?I wondered at her.

“What were you two doing out here?” Kaspian asked, his question similar to my thought but an entirely different sort of inquiry.

“She felt her magic again and was following it. Then…” She gestured around us. “The gunshots came first, followed by the explosions. I don’t know if it was related, but the timing was… convenient.”

I frowned. “Are you suggesting she did this?” The words sounded defensive to my ears, but I couldn’t help the incredulity in my tone.Why would she attack us and herself? That makes absolutely no sense.

“I’m suggesting her power is linked to it,” Cara said. “But I don’t think any of this was intentional on her part.”

I shook my head, denying that line of thought. “Her power didn’t do this.”

Nyx was all about stardust and wishes and creating life, not destroying it. We might have only spent a little over a week together, but I’d gathered that much about her character.

I read people well.

I followed my instincts.

And right now, my instincts told me she was innocent.

“Sorry, I came as quickly as I could,” Paxton said, panting as he reached us. He knelt beside Kaspian, his midnight gaze sweeping over Nyx as a frown tugged at his features. “Why isn’t she healing?”

“That’s what we want to know,” Kaspian told him. “Can you sense any magic on her? A spell? Something that’s preventing her immortal abilities?”

“Something that’s making her resemble death,” I added, my voice low as I stroked her hair again.

That twist in my gut wouldn’t abate. It kept telling me something was very wrong, that I had to do something to fix it. I just had no idea what.

Paxton cleared his throat, his brow crinkling as he evaluated Nyx. “May I touch her?”

The question was for me, and I found it alarmingly difficult to answer him. So I nodded instead of speaking, the motion unnatural.

Because I didn’t want him to touch her at all.

I wanted to bundle her into my arms and disappear. Keep her safe. Ensure no one could ever hurt her again.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

I forced myself to release her hair, my heart splintering in my chest. These foreign needs were going to drive me mad.