Page 29 of The Heart of Nym (The Twisted Roots Duology #1)

She let out a disgruntled sound, finally lifting her skirts, fingers wrapping around the hilt of her dagger.

The moment she raised it in his direction, his hand was at her wrist and the world shifted under her feet.

When her back collided with the ground, a heavy weight settling on top of her, both hands pinned above her head.

With the simple slide of Aziel's finger, he flicked the dagger from her grip.

Again, he smiled. "You're pretty quick with a blade for someone who is only supposed to be a courtesan."

"Get off of me." She sneered. He moved immediately, rolling off of her and scooping up her dagger as he rose to his feet. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I want to know why you followed me here. I don't have any other questions to ask you."

"That's a lie." Aziel sighed. "You have a lot of questions.

But since you are in denial of all of the burning desires in your blood, I will ask you something.

" He slowly turned to her, extended his hand in her direction.

Nymiria only growled at him, scrambling to her feet and shoving him out of her way.

"Do you come here often, Nymiria?" He asked calmly, as if her anger meant nothing to him.

And why would it? Why would anything she felt matter to him? She shook her head incredulously, stomping through the foliage to the center of the labyrinth. She wished he would just come out with the purpose of him being here instead of her having to be interrogated.

This place was special to her—to Owen, really.

She hadn't allowed herself to come here in months, which was usually the case around this time of year.

It was nearing the anniversary of his death and to be faced with the things he held dear to his heart was unbearable at any other time of year.

Now, though, it felt impossible. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat, ignoring the sensation of eyes watching her.

She felt them everywhere—assessing her, judging her for the things she'd done to survive.

"This place was special to someone that I cared about.

" She muttered, fingers trailing over the pedestal, dipping into the runes that decorated its weathered surface.

She didn't dare to look at Aziel, but she knew that he was watching her.

"He brought me here. Years ago. When he discovered what I was.

" She shook her head, trying to fight back the instinctual habit of retracing her memories.

"This is the Anam Altar. He believed that being here would make me happy—make me feel closer to the gods that my people worshiped. "

"And?" Aziel hummed.

Nymiria shifted her gaze to him, their eyes meeting just briefly before she looked back to the runes and flattened her hand against the carved stone.

"The gods are dead, Aziel. Or they are dying.

There is no other way to explain their absence.

" She shook her head, a single tear rolling down her cheeks and splattering onto one of the runes.

"There is no other way to explain why they would have allowed all of this to happen.

" When Aziel said nothing for what seemed like an eternity, Nymiria looked at him again, sucking in a small breath when she realized he was now right beside her.

"I think you're right." He nodded, his gloved hand covering hers.

"Do you know what happens when gods die?

" Nymiria shook her head, her stomach turning over when he moved even closer.

"Their power leaves their corporeal forms and if they have not chosen someone to fulfill their roles, it absorbs back into the earth.

The essence of their power remains, but it isn't as strong.

It is the beating heart of their loyal servant that makes the power stronger. Gives it life."

"Is that what happened with Greia?" The question seemed ridiculous to ask, but she had to know—had to have some kind of confirmation in order to receive closure for all that'd happened. "Her power absorbed back into the earth?"

Aziel tilted his head to the side, eyes still following the path her finger made on the runes.

"No." He stated it so simply, so harshly that it took her by surprise, her eyes fixing on his face in hopes to gain some kind of understanding of his anger.

"She found an heir already. And we've been waiting for her for a long time. "

"We?"

He met her gaze, the blues of his eyes mixing with silver and black, shifting in such a way that made her feel breathless.

"Our people, Nymiria. Your people. And," Her heart started to pound erratically, flashes of her final moments in The Beyond flickering through her mind as she looked at him.

"I need your help finding her. You're the only one who can help me.

You were Greia's loyal servant—even when you believed her to be dead, you never stopped praying to her, did you?

You should be able to locate her immediately. "

The taste of Greia's name was still heavy on her tongue from her morning prayers, her knees still aching from how long she kneeled at the altar she'd hidden in her armoire.

Dorid didn't want anyone worshiping the Mystic gods.

She'd gone to great lengths keeping her faith concealed, even if the goddess she prayed to never replied.

She'd hoped that Greia was dead all along—anything was worth clinging to other than the feeling of complete abandonment.

Even if Aziel was claiming to be seeking the Anam, she was skeptical.

He hadn't done much of anything to gain her trust. And everything about him made her feel… wild.

"You did all of this—chased me and tackled me to the ground—just to ask me to help you find the new Anam heir?

" She questioned. She looked over his features, eyes darting from his strangely colored irises to the plump pout of his lips.

The wildness she felt when she looked at him came from deep inside of her, like another being was trying to wriggle its way to the surface.

It was not unpleasant, but it was unsettling.

The further it dug through her, the more the feelings she'd locked away started coming to surface.

Anger, confusion, hatred, and heartbreak.

She didn't want to feel it. And if being this close to Aziel was what made her feel this way, then there was something that had to be done. But killing him was not an option now.

Even though he roused something inside of her that she'd never felt before, she couldn't end his life. People needed him. Her people needed him, if what Phyona told her was true.

"I don't think you understand how important this is, Nymiria.

If we do not find her, darker forces will be able to take her power and use it for very dark things.

We cannot allow that to happen." He explained carefully, in such a calm manner that Nymiria had to blink to ensure that it was actually Aziel speaking to her.

She hadn't heard his voice sound so tender, so sincere.

Nymiria worried at her lip, eyes slowly dropping to the stone. "And you think that I would be able to help you with that?"

Aziel didn't hesitate. No sooner than the words left her mouth, he was already responding with a firm nod of his head. "I do."