Page 115 of The Nymph Prince

The flicker of the candle made his shadow move eerily behind him as he walked forward; like an internal darkness just wishing to break free. His bare chest and strong shoulders gave a mouthwatering view, but it also made me uneasy. The body I’d worshipped so many times was changed; varying little by little over the past month.

Where we used to be somewhat equal in size, he was bigger. Taller.

“Do you want the truth?” I asked as he stopped in front of me. I had to tilt my head to look at him. “Even if the truth hurts?”

“Always speak truth to me, nymph. I care not how painful it is.” His eyes burned into mine. Eyes that looked black in candlelight.

Now mated to him, his closeness had my heart tingling and my blood pumping faster. I sensed his concern. I wondered if he sensed mine.

“I had a vision that you killed us all,” I said, holding his gaze. There wasn’t an easy way to tell him. “Malik, Troy, Reif…lay dead upon the earth, their blood mixing with the blood of the other hundreds of fallen warriors. And I lay at your feet, clutching your leg, as you landed the final blow. This vision is why I was distant in Talena. Of why it was hard to be in your arms while we slept.”

Alek’s eyes flashed purple and he hissed through clenched teeth, “You’ve kept this from me sinceTalena?”

“Yes.” The look of betrayal in his eyes made my stomach knot. “The vision is only one possible reality, Alek. It doesn’t mean it’ll happen. What point was there in telling you? It’d only cause you more worry and you already had enough to worry about without me adding to it.”

He wasn’t taking the news well. I hadn’t expected him to shrug it off, but the pain in his eyes and the anger as he gripped my upper arms was somewhat of a surprise.

“How can you be so stupid, Lorcan?” he hissed, squeezing my arms tighter. Almost painfully so. “You were goin’ to let us march for war, knowing I could kill you when we got there?”

“Release me, Alek. You’re hurting me.” His hands fell from my arms, but he remained standing close. And oh, how he seethed. “I didn’t want you to know, because now you’ll doubt yourself. That voice in the back of your mind will remind you of my vision, and it’ll speak lies to you, mage. It’ll say that you can’t beat the darkness; that you might as well surrender. Where there is doubt, there’s room for susceptibility.”

“Ah, so you think me weak,” Alek said, taking a step back.

“You put words in my mouth. That is not what I said.”

“You didn’t have to say it, Lorcan,” he snapped, lashing out and knocking over a stack of books. I jumped, but didn’t move away. “It’s written all over your face.” He grabbed the side of my neck, pressing his thumb against my jaw. “Here you are speakin’ of doubt, and you doubt me, too.”

Alek’s arm was knocked aside, and Malik appeared beside him. “Control your anger, mage, or I’ll control it for you.”

“It’s all right, Malik,” I said, not taking my eyes off my mate. “He won’t hurt me. We were having a lover’s quarrel, that’s all.”

While there was still anger in Alek’s eyes, what I saw most was his fear. Fear of going dark. Of losing me. Love made men do strange things.

“I am tired now,” I lied, walking toward the door. Before reaching it, I looked at Alek over my shoulder. “Will you join me?”

He nodded and followed behind me, saying nothing.

I passed Reif and the other guards outside my chamber before slipping into the room. After Alek came in, I shut the door and locked it. And we stood there in the darkness, just looking at each other.

The distance between us was maybe only two feet, but it felt like miles.

“Can we put this behind us for the night?” I asked, reaching out for his hands. He allowed me to take hold of them. “I don’t like being at odds with you, mage.”

“Nor I with you,” he whispered.

Hesitantly, I stepped forward and rested my head on his shoulder. His cheek pressed to the top of my head as his strong arms came around me. Our bond allowed me to feel his apprehension. I snuggled in closer, wishing I could take the worries from his mind.

“I have faith in you, Alek. Youwilldefeat the darkness. I know you will.” I kissed the base of his neck. “And I’ll be there with you.”

“I wish we could run away. Away from war. Away from destiny.” He moved his hand up and down my back. “We could find a town far away from here and build a life together. You could be a baker, maybe, since you love sweets and I’d be a physician. Eva taught me magic. I’m sure she could teach me the art of medicine. So I could heal people instead of hurt them.”

An ache burrowed in my chest at the life he spoke of. A life I wanted, too.

“The seer will find you no matter where you go,” I said, hating myself for speaking the words. Although they were true, I detested them. “The only way for us to have that life is to defeat her. To defeat all of the dark mages that wish to bring our world to ruin.”

“Aye.” Alek pulled away and walked over to the glass wall. The dark water outside the window was a sign that it was night in the surface world. No sun to light the depths. “Even now, I feel the draw. As if someone is beckonin’ to me. The darkness that lives inside of me wants to be reunited with them.”

“Come here.” I slipped my hand around his bicep and guided him over to our bed.