Page 55

Chapter 50

Aaliyah

"I regret ever asking you for help," I wheezed, lying back down on the ground.

Every muscle I had hurt. Every joint, every ligament, even my lungs . When Prince had asked Fallon for a spar, I'd thought it would be a great time to do some work of my own on that little trick Azer had shown me in the Void.

The only problem was, I forgot how much it drained me the last time I tried to work through Fallon's grueling training. At least then, it was just him.

With Prince and Eirik on his side? They were practically slave drivers. It had started with some kind of running exercise, something that kept me moving until my legs physically gave out. Then the push-ups, then something they, I hope jokingly, referred to as a dead hang. Now I was here, halfway through what they assumed was a reasonable number of sit ups, questioning if they would notice if I crawled away.

All of that in between trying to get the shadows to do as I asked … which still hadn't bore any fruit.

"You'll thank me later," Fallon said with a chuckle, the deep timbre vibrating through me as he crouched by my side and extended a hand for me to take. "Strength training settles the body, should help you stay more in tune with yourself."

I groaned and covered my eyes, unwilling at this point to move. Sweat clung to me, and I doubted my ability to stand again, even if I wanted to.

"Come on, smár Valkyrja . One more." Eirik pushed from the side, his fingers hovering over the braids he'd wound into my hair before we'd begun.

"I liked it better the last time we trained," I grumbled, taking Fallon's hand. I'd like to say that I stood on my own, that I was ready to go another round … but in reality, Fallon was the only thing that kept me standing, and my knees only grew weaker when his lips brushed my ear.

"I liked that, too. Maybe we can have another reward later," he whispered before he nipped the sensitive skin, and I shivered.

My cheeks flushed, and I looked around Fallon to find both Eirik and Prince watching me with suddenly heated gazes. As much as I wanted to follow up on that, my body wasn't in a place to move.

Not that I didn't think about it.

"One more try," I whispered.

Fallon searched my face before he backed up, sticking close as my legs trembled.

I closed my eyes, and Red moved around me like flowing water. His presence was soothing, a balm that I leaned on as I went searching for the Void. It had become easier these last couple of tries as I pushed back the dark voice and focused instead on what I could feel. Red. When I lifted my hand, a small sliver of shadow bloomed across my palm.

Sweat pooled down my back.

"There you go, Aaliyah. You've got this." Prince's quiet praise pushed me to hold on to the feeling.

Red danced around me, almost like he'd reached out and grabbed my hand, before I took a steading breath. The Void pressed, reminding me it was there, and I flinched hard enough that my control wavered. I held my breath, forcing it to stay solid.

I launched the shadow forward with a grunt, straining as I did. It hit the wall, the sound reverberating through the floor, and I sucked in a breath at what it left behind.

A gouge, the largest one I'd seen yet at maybe an inch. I threw my arms up and cheered.

The others followed, pride radiating from them as they moved toward me.

"Knew you could do it, trouble," Fallon whispered, his arms again encircling me.

I fell into him, literally, unable to keep my legs under me as they trembled. He held me, gentle hands rubbing circles on my back. Eirik and Prince were close by, whispering the same words of praise. Adrian wasn't here, but I knew he was close, in the kitchen making something to eat.

The only one missing, truly missing, was Osiris.

His absence hit in ways I never thought it would have. He was a presence, a man of few words that somehow managed to steal the entirety of whatever space he was in. I craved the gentle cadence of his words as he spoke, translating a book as he read.

His soft touch, the gentle press of hesitant lips. I missed him.

"What's on your mind?" Prince asked, tipping my head up with steady fingers.

His thumb brushed my jaw, his eyes searching mine.

"Just thinking about Osiris is all," I said. I knew he was okay, could feel him in the mark on my wrist, but that didn't help to lessen my worry. "I hope he's all right."

Prince's chest expanded in a soft chuckle before he leaned forward and pressed his lips to my forehead. "He is. Trust me on this. We'd know if he wasn't."

"Do you really think he'll find something down there?" I asked.

"I don't know. But if there's something to find, Osiris will find it," Eirik chimed in.

Fallon hummed at my back, his lips drawing a path down the column of my throat.

I was a sweaty mess, and I protested for just a second, until I was shocked silent by the press of his fangs against my pulse point, his tongue trailing a line that shot straight to my core.

"Now about that reward, Ali." His voice was followed by a rolling, husky moan. "I think you deserve one after that."

Prince moved in tandem, covering my front, claiming my lips in a fierce kiss. His fangs dropped, and his tongue must have hit one of them. Delicious ambrosia swapped between us, and I moaned at the taste of him.

"Hm, and some blood," he whispered, pulling back with a dark chuckle when I tried to follow him. "Let us take care of you?"

Like I'd ever be able to deny that.

The distraction was a welcome one, one I fell into as they both surrounded me. A rumble filled the air, and Eirik showed his presence with a soft brush of gentle fingers against the exposed skin at my throat.

In one move, I was lifted and turned. My legs wrapped around Prince's waist in a familiar position, Fallon to my back drawing breathless kisses against the expanse of my throat. I never expected that I would grow this ravenous for touch, but I needed it, wanted the press of their fingers into my skin, wanted to feel them for hours after, so I'd always remember how they'd moved against me.

I arched forward, my lips finding Prince's. It was a consuming kiss, one I savored as much as devoured, a needy pulse in my core making me cry out when Fallon's fingers dipped confidently under my shirt.

He toyed with the exposed skin, fingers brushing taut nipples as I shivered. Prince, my beautiful Prince, gripped my hips ferociously, grinding me perfectly against the budding arousal in his pants.

It was a perfect moment. It should have been the perfect moment.

Until I heard the first whisper, the first sickening voice in my ear, as if Nilus was right behind me. I froze at the hint of the depraved things he used to promise, leaving me cowering under my bed at night, watching Prince as he stood sentinel by my door, waiting for the monster to go away.

Then Hugo, a man that I'd only just remembered. He used to steal touches when no one was looking, his hands invoking a touch I remembered all too well, enough to make me sick as I fought the constricting arms that I suddenly found around me.

He'd done it enough that eventually Flinn noticed, and then Hugo wasn't there anymore.

I struggled to pull in breaths, my feet finally hitting the ground as I stumbled away, my vision blotting out. I hit the floor, palms first, then the rest of my body followed.

A hand reached for me, setting on my cheek, warm to the touch. I waited for it to bite into my skin as Nilus went flush in sick satisfaction.

"Don't touch me!" I screamed, jerking away, only finding breath when the hand shot back.

I curled up, desperately trying to hide away, frantically searching for the cool touch of Prince. I tried to count my breaths, to settle myself, but nothing seemed to work. Until the cold appeared, settling easily over my shoulders, like a weighted blanket.

Like a gentle hand on my back.

It was easier to breathe with each brush they gave me, my eyes clearing as the tears fell and weren't replaced with more. My surroundings came next, fading back in as I was able to pull in more steady breaths, and I remembered where I was.

I looked up, just in time to catch the horrified faces of Fallon, Prince, and Eirik. Red moved around me, the one whose touch dragged me back to the present, one soft comfort at a time.

They stared on, hands flexed at their sides, agony so open in their expressions I felt it in my chest. The worst, though, was Eirik, as his face morphed and pulled, his beast fighting under the surface of his skin and behind his eyes.

Like he was scared of me … or terrified I was scared of him .

I reached out, my voice caught in my throat like the mantra that rang in my ears. He jerked away, his head darting back and forth as his eyes flushed between sky blue and ocean black. "Eirik?—"

His pupils dilated, his nose flaring wide as he looked to the door.

Before he was gone.