Page 62 of The Heart of Nym (The Twisted Roots Duology #1)

When the sun set on the horizon and the mists of Yaar were rolling in thick over the land in a strange orange hue, Nymiria and Desi stepped into the room in her tower, both of them collapsing onto the bed and staring wordlessly at the ceiling.

Nymiria didn't know what to think or feel about her circumstances.

Thorn was her father. After all these years, she should have been able to guess it.

He'd doted after her from the moment she was born.

And though it was customary in her family for the queen to have full parental control over the children, she would have at least expected for her mother to tell her who her father truly was, seeing as Thorn was a permanent presence at Inasha's side all those years.

She was not angry with Thorn, she'd known the truth of why he hadn't been there to protect her from the people who tortured her.

Thorn was doing everything in his power to gather forces throughout The Beyond, venturing into other Mystic courts to create a larger army that could defend their home.

He was gone, and from what he'd told her, returned to a burned down kingdom—a massacre.

He'd searched for Nymiria. And his only stipulation in bringing her home, after he and Aziel started rebuilding the kingdom, was that Nymiria would be returned home when it was safe to.

He'd spent years raising her brother on the run and couldn't put Raven or the other orphans at risk.

She wasn't angry at him for that. Those children deserved all the safety and stability that Thorn could provide for them.

She didn't remember her mother being pregnant.

Granted, the queen had been in and out of the kingdom those last few months, barely paying Nymiria any mind.

Her last few visits to their kingdom, Nymiria hadn't even seen her.

And then Inasha was gone. Her brother was smart and kind, looking at the world with wide eyes filled with wonder.

Even if she'd only known of him for a few hours, she could feel love for him in her heart—that deep connection that was rooted in their being.

Nymiria imagined what life would be like if she ever chose to leave Yaar.

When she finally mustered enough courage to kill the king and his queen, as she'd wanted to for all of these years, she wondered if she'd be brave enough to set foot in that kingdom again—if she could receive the love that was waiting for her.

She'd never been very good at that. Even with Owen, it had taken him seven years to break through her defenses. With Desi, only four.

"You must say something before I drown you with a thousand questions." Desi sighed. "Above all else, what in the world is going on between you and Aziel?"

Nymiria turned her head, a weak chuckle escaping her when she saw Desi's amused expression.

"I wish that I could tell you, but I am not even certain.

" She shrugged, fingers trailing over the dark fabric of Aziel's tunic.

He'd arranged for her to have her own clothes and left them hanging in the armoire in his bedroom, but she'd taken one of his shirts once again.

The smell of him was a nice touch, but the choice was made carefully.

The clothes he had for her felt too personal.

As if he knew she would be visiting there frequently.

It was terrifying.

It was hard to despise him when he was close to her, when he looked at her in that peculiar way he did.

Apart, it was easy for her to bask in her distaste for his rudeness and the brute force behind his words.

She could pick him apart, tear him to shreds, and revel in satisfaction when she remembered delivering that solid punch to his throat.

But then, even in her ire, she remembered how he looked at her when she spoke of the things that haunted her, how he carefully assessed each word.

She remembered how his hands felt on her body, the scent of his arousal, and how the aura of his power exuded from him.

It awoke something inside of her each time they'd lost themselves in their anger or their passion.

It licked the dormant creature inside of her that was trying so desperately to show itself.

With a sigh, she pushed herself up onto her elbows, eyes flickering over Desi's outstretched and exhausted form.

"I don't think that Aziel is just a godling.

" Nymiria whispered. At her words, Desi's eyes snapped open.

Her placid features quickly turned to something clouded with fear and shock.

The look on her face turned Nymiria's stomach, ice filling her veins and her palms starting to sweat. "He's the Mortem, isn't he?"

Desi sat up fully, nearly launching herself from the bed when the question left Nymiria's lips. "Why would you ask that?"

The dream she had in the forest with Aziel was the first clue. After the Choking Vines and seeing how he'd watched her, it all started to make sense. Oran's ominous words when they ran into one another in the library, Aziel following her to Greia's altar in the Wander…

Could they both be something… more?

No. It couldn't be.

Even with that dreadful feeling adding weight to her chest, she brushed the thought aside, turning her head just enough to look out the window.

"Just curious." She muttered. "But that's silly, isn't it?

" Desi was still staring at her, bewildered.

And though Nymiria could sense her friend's shock, she did not discuss it any further.

Nymiria stirred at the feeling of the corner of her pillow being lifted.

She turned onto her side to face whatever or whoever was at her bedside.

It was too late in the night for her to feel true terror about someone being in her room, but her lack of fear did not matter when she saw those gorgeous blue eyes staring back at her.

He didn't seem worried that he'd been caught, he only peered back at her—observing her as his gloved hand slid out from underneath her pillow.

It had to be another dream. That was what she told herself, at least.

"What are you doing in here?" She asked groggily. "Has the forest demon finally come to take my soul?"

Aziel smiled as he shook his head. "'Fraid not, love. You have quite a bit more damage to do in this world before I steal you away in the night. I've actually left something for you. Consider it an apology."

Nymiria started to reach for the edge of the pillow, only for Aziel to gently close his hand around her wrist and move it away. She huffed, shooting him a look before propping herself up on her elbows. "An apology for what? Nearly throwing yourself off of the balcony in order to get away from me?"

He chuckled in response, rubbing his fingers along the sharp curve of his jaw.

"Not entirely. If I hadn't left when I did, I would have done something that I would not be able to take back.

This apology," he tapped twice on the corner of her pillow.

"Is for what you've been forced to endure while living here. "

She didn't know what to say. While she appreciated the sentiment, Nymiria did not want to be seen as someone to be pitied. What she'd suffered though in Yaar paled in comparison to what others were facing, even here in the walls of this palace. "I don't need you to pity me."

"It is not pity." Aziel's eyes dropped to the pillow once more, the shadows on his face seemingly growing darker.

"It is an apology. When I brought you here, I knew that I would be leaving you in the hands of monsters, but it was much better an option than having you taken to the camps or leaving you where I found you. "

Her body slumped onto the mattress. "You probably should have left me.

" Her indifference was a ruse, but a necessary one.

If she let on that her heart felt like it would burst from her chest, he would leave again—scared of her emotions and her desire.

Scared to cross that line that didn't truly seem to matter anymore.

"It could have saved you from that strenuous climb off the balcony. "

"Never in a million years would I have left you under those circumstances."

"What if I told you that I wanted you to stay now? Would you do it?" Damn her mouth.

Though she wished she could bury her head in the pillows and hide until he left, there was a moment that he looked at her as if he had wanted that too.

Even though he remained silently knelt at her bedside, she could have sworn that those words came from his mouth, but his lips hadn't moved and the words were not spoken, they were felt.

Her body ignited under his stare, the color to her cheeks surely giving her away.

Nymiria hated to believe it but it seemed that he did have a heart, after all.

A good one. Beneath his pensive stare and his brooding, his murderous tactics and his violence, Aziel was kind.

And she knew well enough that in the world in which they lived, being kind and gentle would get you or the ones you loved, killed.

Finally, his mouth stretched into a lazy grin and he moved to his feet, lifting the weight of the tension between them.

"My apology still stands. I am terribly sorry for bringing you here and subjecting you to all of this.

" His teeth sank into his lower lip for a moment, eyes narrowing on the moonflowers that shimmered along her arms and chest. She was wearing nothing but a lace shift that hardly left anything to the imagination.

The realization struck her, heating her to the core.

Aziel chuckled as she pulled the blanket a fraction higher, concealing her pebbled nipples.

"And for climbing off of that fucking balcony. "