Page 45 of Lady of the Drowned Empire

Rhyan stumbled into the room, cursing as he walked through the black shadows of Mercurial’s silhouette. He grasped at Mercurial’s arms, trying to pull him back, to overpower him, but the Afeya was gone.

I groaned, clutching my belly. My head was now heavy with a dull ache.

“Bastard! I’m going to—” Hearing me in pain, Rhyan lit a candle and immediately crouched beside the bed. “Lyr? Did he do it again? Is it burning?” He held out his palm before me, his aura filling with cold that left goosebumps on my flesh. An icy breeze swirled around us.

I shook my head and moaned. My stomach felt like it was punching me from the inside. I made another noise of pain, gritting my teeth.

Rhyan’s eyes narrowed on my waist. Frowning he pulled the blanket back, his mouth falling open in shock. “You’re bleeding!”

“What?” I looked down in horror and then absolute embarrassment. This was what had caused the cramps and the soreness. “Oh. Fuck.”

Rhyan’s eyes raced between my hands clutched to my belly and the blood staining his sheets.

“What the hell happened?” He looked frantic and scared, breathing quickly.

I shook my head again, my cheeks heating with shame. “I’m not hurt.”

He was still frantic, trying to search for the source of injury. “But you’re bleeding.”

“I know,” I moaned. “It’s…time.”

His eyes widened, and then softened with understanding. “Oh.”

I squeezed my eyes shut.

“Lyr. It’s okay,” he said quickly. “Come here.” He stood, reaching around me and pulling me into his arms.

“Wait, Rhyan, I’m sorry. You don’t have to—”

“Shhh,” he said. “It’s alright. Let’s get you cleaned up and feeling better.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, tears forming within them from my humiliation. “I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry, this doesn’t usually happen.” I gestured helplessly at the bed. “I ruined your sheets.”

“No, you didn’t. Hey, Lyr…Lyr look at me.” He stood, cradling me against him while I desperately tried to move my hips away, sure I was going to get blood on his tunic. “Come on, partner. It’s okay. I promise. Are you in pain?”

I opened my eyes, met his gaze in the darkness of his room, and burst into tears. “I just…I hate everything right now,” I sobbed.

As if witnessing my father’s murder, handing over power to my aunt, being forced into a deal with Mercurial, losing Tristan to Naria, and having had to kill my friend who’d become a monster wasn’t fucking enough…I was now on my cycle and having one of those months where it was bad. I had bled completely through my dress and all over Rhyan’s sheets. The pain in my stomach wasn’t relenting. I’d been so focused on Mercurial, I hadn’t registered the sensation of blood between my legs. But I could feel it dripping now.

“Gods. I’m so sorry,” I said.

“Hey now, no apologies. It’s not a big deal,” Rhyan whispered in my ear. As if to prove his point, he tightened his grip on me, pulling me closer. “Come on, Lyr,” he crooned. “It’s not like I haven’t cleaned your blood off my sheets before. I didn’t mind then, and I don’t mind now. To be honest, I much prefer having to do it for this reason.”

“Rhyan,” I protested.

He shook his head. “I mean it. Last time, you were hurt. This time….” He offered a soft smile and shrugged. “This time, it’s just your body doing what it’s supposed to. It’s natural. No big deal.”

He carried me into his bathroom where a small candle was already lit. Holding me with one arm, he lifted it to the torch, allowing the entire room to be bathed in a soft, fiery glow.

“Can you stand?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” I said, as my toes touched the ground. He started running the water in the shower while I stared at his bloodied bed in the mirror. “This doesn’t normally happen,” I said, feeling defensive.

Rhyan ran his hand under the water, testing the temperature. “Hmmm. It might be from stress.”

“Maybe.” I bit my bottom lip. “I’ll clean your sheets up for you.”

“No, you won’t. I’ve got it. Now I want you to get in the shower and relax. I’ll take care of everything else, make you some tea and something to eat. Unless….” He frowned, one eyebrow furrowed as he looked back at me. “Do you need any help in there?” He sounded uncertain, like he really wasn’t sure if he should have asked.