“Tessa! Please, just please.” I feel a smack against the door, and I think he’s given up. Leaning my head against the door, I break down into a silent ugly cry. A waterfall of tears starts to stream down my face, drawing a silent release of pain. I can only hope to purge all of the emotions out of me, wishing for the survivor in me to just kick in and get past this hurt. Sliding against the door, I fall to my knees and feel my chest heave from the agony. I need to give my heart a break, a break from this pain I’m experiencing, and a break from the passion I have for Nyx. I need to recharge and be able to tell my heart everything will be okay. I fall into a deep sleep without Nyx on the other side.
Waking up to the sunlight blinding me, I lift my hand to rub my puffy eyes. I don’t know when I fell asleep, other than I had done it crying, a reminder of the reason I feel so hollow. Empty. I didn’t exactly have an easy upbringing. I’m not familiar with this type of love either. It’s new to me and completely overwhelming...the kind of love I have for Nyx, the very man that has the power to break me. I don’t even have the will to do anything anymore. I’m just hollow. There isn’t a reason to get up in the morning; it’s as if I’ve lost my will to live. I can just lie in this bed and exist. It’s all I want to do lately. I don't even care how I got here; I want to just stay in bed, lie here and exist, and will the time to go by faster until the pain stops. I pull up the light green comforter up to my neck and turn to my side. I want to fall back asleep and force the time to go by faster.
Catching movement in the corner of my eye, I see Nyx sitting in the corner chair asleep. He looks exhausted; his shirt’s crumpled and pulled out of jeans. His hair is messy, as if he’s ran his hand through it nonstop, and it’s sticking out in every direction possible. My heart aches for him. I want to go over there, crawl into his lap, and have him tell me everything will be better. That he will put the pieces back together. My mind is telling me I need to distance myself from him. He doesn’t want to be with me, but he is currently invading my space. I already can’t move on with my life, and him being in the same room makes it harder for it to be even possible. He looks uncomfortable, and I’m sure he is cold.
I don’t want him to get sick, so I crawl out of bed to grab a nearby blanket to cover him. Just as I place the blanket over him and turn to leave the room, Nyx grabs my hand. My shoulders fall, and I close my eyes. I don’t want to talk to him. I’m exhausted from crying. I need to ask Nyx to leave now that he is awake. “Tessa, please. Let me explain,” he says. A moment of silence passes, and he won’t let go of my hand. I finally respond.
“Nyx, there’s nothing to explain. I love you, and this is what hurts. The very person that I manage to love chooses not to be with me. The exact person that told me he loved me, then turned around and asked me to leave. Here you are. I don’t know what you want anymore; I just want to stop hurting. Please, Nyx, leave. I just want the hurt to go away. I can’t do that when you’re around.”
I feel Nyx standing behind me, and I can’t physically turn around to face him. He won’t let go of my hand, but I’m not able to pull myself away. “I’m so sorry, Tessa, I never meant to hurt you. I was so scared when I saw you standing there bleeding. I could have killed you; I wouldn’t be able to live in this world without you,” he declares in a tormented voice. I can feel him breathing against the back of my neck, and I know he’s close. “It’s hard enough living with the knowledge that I have killed others for survival. I did it to protect my people.”
“I don’t know why you think you could hurt me in any way. The only way you’re hurting me is by breaking my heart. I’m still here; I’m not dying.” I turn to face him. “You’re the one that sent me away, as if I meant absolutely nothing to you; after you declaring how much I mean to you. How we’re meant to be. I have the capability to be more careful, accidents happen. I’ll heal from the cuts.” I lift the sleeve to my t-shirt, showing both of us the cut isn’t there anymore, to my surprise. I don’t know how I am able to heal so quickly, but I don’t argue it. It is as if it was never there: not even a scab or any indication or a possible scar. It’s as if it never happened. “I’m trying to heal from the pain you’re putting me through. I need you to decide what you really want. I need to know if it’s going to be me that you want in your life. If it isn’t, I need you to leave and not come back. You being around makes it worse, and I can’t handle it anymore.” Nyx raises his hand and places it against my cheek, and I embrace his warmth. “What is the deal with you being a prince? I thought that you agreed not to hide from me.”
“Tessa, I don’t want to hurt you. You have no idea what it does to me when I know I’m the one that cut you open, causing you to bleed.” A single tear slides down my cheek; I’m waiting for him to tell me it’s finally over. I need to be strong; I need to let him go. I’m angry with myself for making Nyx feel this way. I can’t blame him for hurting. His reasons are valid, and there isn’t any possible resolution that I can give him. I could be more careful, but accidents happen. “I can’t fathom existing without you; it has been miserable since the day you left my house. It’s an empty shell without you. You’re my life. The reason I exist. I want you more than my next breath; you give me life. I don’t know how we’ll make this work, but I want to try. I promise, I’ll try to be more careful; I’ll have to keep my wings at bay.” He stares at me. “I’ll give up my title for you. It’s a big responsibility and now that I have you…I can pass it on to somebody. I just want you.”
I’m relieved to know he wants to try. I don’t know the semantics of it all, but knowing he wants to try is enough for me. We’re meant to be with one another, and we both feel it. There isn’t anyone else for either of us. This is it; these are the cards dealt to us, and we will make this work, no matter how many walls we need to knock down. I lean into his body, and he places his arms around me. Carefully wrapping my arms around his waist, I melt into him. This is my home.
“I don’t want you to have to hide them from me. I’ll be fine. I heal fast. It was an accident. All the times I’ve been with you; you haven’t hurt me. It was just that one time. It was probably just something in the shower and it hurt, but even then I healed quickly. You can’t even tell anymore. It went away in a matter of a couple of days,” I babble nervously, just wanting him to feel comfortable and reassured about the accident. That was all that it was to me. “What is it like being a prince? I have never met one.”
“I protect all Fae in this world. Being a dark Fae, someone that doesn’t mesh well with others as I can harm them, I make a good protector. I am threatening…dangerous. It is a lonely life sometimes, or at least it was until I met you.”
“How many people have you killed?” I whisper to him as he sighs.
“Many over the years, but I make the choice carefully. It tends to reside inside of me too much.” His eyes darken as he looks at me and he shakes his head. “Kris will be next if he doesn’t leave us alone.”
He offers to hurry to my aunt’s and grab the luggage there with my belongings. I thank him, and he kisses me softly before he leaves the house. I relax on the bed and look around with a slow smile. My mate is a prince, and I wonder if he will make me a princess. I have mixed feelings about my possible role in Nyx’s life.
I have seen the look in his eyes when he admits the things he has done in the past. I can tell that it bothers him, and I want Nyx to find peace.
A familiar man steps into my view, with a familiar sense about him. I look into his eyes and remember him. Ryder. “How did you get here? What are you doing here? Did you know about this place?” There are all these questions that flow out of me, and I’m confused as to how Ryder is connected to everything, but ecstatic that he’s here. Last time I saw Ryder was when he passed me the envelope that changed my life.
“Hey, Tessa, I couldn’t tell you when I saw you. I couldn’t place everyone in danger, especially when you didn’t understand everything about this place.” His voice is full of sincerity, and I narrow my eyes at him as
anger sets in because he withheld information from me.
“I ended up here because of the package you left me. The key, my aunt’s cabin, her closet, there’s this door and this place.” I should feel like a complete moron tripping over my words, but I have a feeling he holds some of these answers.
“I belong in this world, Tessa. I followed your aunt to the world you lived in. As soon as she found out about you, she was determined to find you, and I couldn’t let her go alone,” Ryder explains as pain crosses his face.
“What happened to her? Why isn’t she here? If she’s Fae, she should be here. Where is she?” I begin to look frantically all around me, hoping she will appear at any moment. That perhaps she really wasn’t dead. She cares about me; she wants to find me. She isn’t just going to leave after looking for so long. I’m here in the flesh, and I can finally have some semblance of family.
“She’s not here; she’s gone. She passed away not long before I saw you. I’m sorry.” A grim look passes through his face.
“How?” Ryder is the only connection I have to anyone that could have been family. He is the only person that can give the answers to my questions.
“She was in a car accident; we are not completely immune. When there’s enough metal that makes contact with our blood, it’s just a matter of time. I brought her back here in hopes they could heal her. The iron had taken over and contaminated her blood beyond saving.” A tear rolls down his cheek as misery crosses his features. Ryder loved her, and I was the reason that he was alone now. “I stayed with her the entire time. She would have loved you; she’s missed you.” I begin to feel myself waver, and I feel Ryder rushing over to holding me up.
“Because she searched for me, I killed her.” My lips begin to tremble; the enormity of someone passing because they were searching for me hits me. The realistic part of me knows I couldn’t control what happened to her, since I didn’t know about her, but the emotional part of me is completely devastated. Ryder leads me to a chair, and I fall right into it. This is it. The realization of the pieces of my life that have been missing are now settling; the very sections that won’t ever have anything to complete the puzzle. I bury my face in my hands, silently sobbing, needing a moment to gather my thoughts and come to terms that there isn’t anything left of my family, as Ryder sits across from me watching.
Just then, I hear the door open, and Nyx is home from the quick errand he needed to run. He is carrying some clothes in my pale pink bag that he retrieved from my aunt's cabin. He comes into the living room and steps into view. “Tessa? What’s wrong?” Noticing my puffy, red eyes and cheeks still wet from the tears, he glances across the room and sees Ryder. Anger flashes across his face. Before I know it, Nyx takes off across the room and pins Ryder against the wall by his throat.
“Nyx! What are you doing?” I scream at him, running toward him to pull him off of Ryder.
“Who is this guy? What did he do to you?” Nyx asks with a deep snarl in his voice.
“Nyx let him go. He’s Ryder. He knew my aunt! He meant something to her.” I wrap my hands around Nyx’s arms and try to pull him off Ryder with as much strength as I have, but he isn’t budging. Nyx looks over at me, then turns to look at Ryder and lets him go. Ryder wraps his hand around his throat as he coughs.
“Your reputation precedes you, my Prince,” Ryder acknowledges Nyx as I look between the two of them.
I place myself between the two men, facing Nyx. I don't want the two of them to hurt one another. “Why were you upset, love?” Nyx asks, while passing a death glare to Ryder.
Rolling my eyes, I sigh. “He came to check on me. He knew my aunt.” Dropping my arms, I explain, “He was telling me what happened to Lauren, my aunt.” Nyx then reaches out and embraces me, placing a kiss on the top of my forehead.
“I’m sorry, love. I wish there was something I could do. Know that I will always be here for you. Nothing will ever happen to you. I will always protect you with every bit that I am,” he whispers. “Sorry about that. I don’t deal well with my girl being upset,” Nyx says to Ryder. I turn to face Ryder, and he is brushing his shirt and pants off, as if he’s gotten them dirty. Nyx really is something of a black sheep in this world. He hasn’t shown he’s changed much with the attack on Ryder.
“No worries, I understand. I would feel the same way with Lauren.” Sadness crosses Ryder’s face when he mentions my aunt, and my heart breaks for him. He really did love her as much as I thought he had. “I better go. It was great seeing you again, Tessa. I’m glad you’re doing well. Take care of her, Nyx.”
“Always,” Nyx responds.
Ryder turns around to leave, and a gasp leaves my mouth from shock. Ryder immediately turns around, and the expression on my face had to have been shock, adding to his confusion. “You’re Fae?” I ask him. Ryder reaches up around his collar and realizes he no longer has his cloak on. It had come off during his brief altercation with Nyx.
“We didn’t tell you because we were not sure how you would take it, and how much the human world may have affected you. While we want the best for you, we couldn’t take the risk that you might harm anyone here or have anything happen to you because of it,” he states with a serious tone.
“I didn’t know anything about the Fae until I arrived here. Although, this explains why there wasn’t anything in the letter mentioning the Fae. It is a bit of a surprise as you can imagine,” I reply.
Understanding is reflected from Ryder as he responds, “I would have thought she would tell you; she had to know that you would end up here. You’re part Fae, as well, Tessa.” Now I’m confused. Did Ryder just say I was Fae as well? That isn’t possible. I didn’t have any wings like the other Fae do, and I knew nothing about this world until I came here. Ryder continues to explain, “You’re mostly human. Your birth father was human; your mother was Fae. Your Fae features are minimal, but considering you’re able to be with Nyx; you must be mates?”
“She is my mate,” Nyx says firmly, with confidence. Ryder gives him a long look, before he gazes at me.
“You can’t hurt her with your wings, like you can everyone else,” Ryder says in a matter of fact tone. “I think that Lauren knew that when she had me give Tessa that envelope.
Nyx is now surprised “How did you know?” Nyx asks. Honestly, I want to know as well.
“Lauren told me about her sister’s escapades. She’d searched for Tessa for a long time, hoping to bring her to this world somehow, but she couldn’t. She had to find her in the human world, and when she did she would have stayed there with her. You know, as well as I do, we have no control what enters this world. Only those who are meant to be here find their way here,” Ryder reminds and Nyx nods. “Through tragic circumstances, she’s here.”
“I’ve heard about the mysterious skeleton key; I’ve never seen it myself,” he admits, as Ryder looks us both over.
“I think the universe seems to have been in both of your favors. The key shows up during mysterious times, and it seems to have brought you two together. I’ve heard the dark Fae couldn’t be with anyone without killing him or her by accident, unless they met their mate,” Ryder muses out loud, as Nyx drops his gaze to the floor.
“I’ve hurt her before; she’s bled because of me. She healed fast, but I still hurt her. How is this possible? I don’t want to hurt her.” I can hear the undertone of pain at the end of Nyx’s statement.
Ryder looks at me and asks “Is it true?” His face twists in confusion, as his theory seems to blow up in it.
“I think I hit something and hurt myself. I don’t think it was Nyx. I healed quickly, though,” I assure him as he nods slowly.
“You will always heal fast, but if you did get hurt, it wasn’t from Nyx’s wings. You’re destined mates. Accidents can still happen, but if you get hurt, it’s from your doing, not from Nyx’s wings,” Ryder explains.
“It’s in our bloodline that we are only destined for our mates,” Nyx whispers, then glances over at me. Then the
biggest smile I’ve ever seen on Nyx appears, and all the sudden he’s grabbing me and spinning me from excitement. Next thing I know we’re both off the ground. Nyx’s wings are beating up and down, and he’s treading air as he holds me close to him. I don’t know if I can ever get used to this, but I don’t want any other alternative, if there is one. I’m drunk off Nyx and don’t want to feel any other way.
“I knew you were it. The moment I caught you, there was something different about you. Everything changed. I wasn’t angry anymore. I no longer lived in the shadows of hell. You brought your gift of love. I wasn’t just known as the dark Fae anymore.” He pulls my body closer to him. “You’re my mate, my love. The one I was destined to be with,” he whispers, turning his head into my neck. “My forever.”
Nyx presses his lips against mine; he’s claiming me from the roughness of his kiss, his need, which leaves me breathless as we pull one another closer. I hear a door shut, and I know Ryder has left us alone. I hope to see him again, just to hear about my aunt from somebody that knew her so intimately.
I feel as if the universe was putting me to a test, to see how broken I am. I came close to moments of wanting to fall apart, and while there may be cracks, I know Nyx will always hold me together. He manages to be my foundation. “I love you, Tessa. My mate,” Nyx says, as his eyes sparkle from excitement.
“I love you too, my tinker fairy,” I respond with a tiniest smirk, knowing that this man is the one that will make my life complete and for once fulfilled.
Dark Fae (Skeleton Key) Page 7
