Page 155 of Loving the Tormentor

I nod as my stomach flutters.

"Say it."

I don't hesitate.

"My heart will always belong to you."

"I love you, Nyx."

"I love you too."

I should realize what this peace means to a man like Achilles. Acceptance, resolution. It can only mean one thing, but I make the mistake of not letting it cross my mind, selfishly enjoying our moment of pure happiness.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Nyx

Hurts Like Hell – Tommy Profitt, Fleurie

Iwake up already knowing.

Something is terribly wrong. I justknow. It's so deep inside my body that I jump out of bed with an ache weighing me down. Achilles isn't here. The sheets are already cold where he should be. He's not a morning person, and that adds to the dread I’m feeling.

"Achilles?" I call out from upstairs.

There's a breeze running through the house.

"Achilles?" A little louder as I run down the stairs in nothing but his t-shirt and some cotton panties.

My heart races, my throat tightening.

"Achilles, answer me."

The front door is closed, and there's no one there. Where’s this breeze coming from? I check the kitchen, but there's nothing. That's when something inside me tells me the cold is coming from the door leading to the garage.

"Seriously!" I shout breathlessly. "Where are you?"

I don’t jog anymore. I sprint toward the garage on the opposite side of the house. There's a man in the doorway, broad shoulders, tall, chestnut hair.

"Wren?"

He turns around, and in the split second that he's not hiding the inside of the garage with his body, I see him. The love of my life. Hanging from the ceiling.

"Nyx, don't look." He's on me in a millisecond, but I avoid him, pushing past, escaping his hold.

I’ve seen it in films. Read it in books. But nothing…absolutely nothing could ever come close to what I’m feeling. No one can prepare you. It all happens so fast. In a flash of moments I refuse to understand.

"No," I choke out. "No, no, no. Achilles…"

I feel heavy, almost numb from complete disbelief.

"Don't let her in!" someone shouts.

Chris. His voice makes it feel too real, and it stops my brain from forming any logical excuse as to what’s happening.

I can't see him well. I need to see him, but Wren is too quick. I'm caught at the waist before I can enter the room properly.

"Achilles. Let me see him…Let me see him!" My scream is as loud as they come. "Achilles!"