by Alexis Davie
“You can tell her yourself.”
Nyx frowned and as he turned toward the Jeep, Henry touched his shoulder.
“Look, kid. I know my feelings of hatred for you and your kind have come off a little strong,” Henry said, and Nyx’s eyebrows furrowed at Henry’s clear underestimation, “but my daughter is alive in large part because of what you did. And contrary to popular belief, you’re nothing like your father. Your bravery and sacrifice are something to be proud of. I guess I’m just trying to say that I’m sorry that I judged you before getting to know you. Your love for my daughter is written all over your face, and I am sorry that I doubted you, and thought you weren’t good enough for her. She deserves the best, and you can give her that.”
Much to his own surprise, Nyx felt shallow tears in his eyes and a warm feeling in his heart he had never truly felt before.
“You’re one heck of a dragon, Nyx, and if your father isn’t proud of who you are, then he doesn’t deserve a great son like you,” Henry continued and placed his hand against his heart. “I’m not your father, but I couldn't be prouder of you, and more grateful of who you are.”
A tear ran down Nyx’s cheek, but he didn't make a single effort to wipe it away. He wasn't the type of guy who simply cried for no reason, but he couldn't help but feel flattered by Henry’s words. Also, there was a sense of acceptance in his tone, and this meant a great deal to Nyx. Not only did Henry accept him for being a dragon, but he also accepted him as a person, and that was probably the most important thing of all.
Finally he felt like he belonged somewhere.
It surprised him even more when Henry stepped closer to him and hugged him, patting his shoulder slowly. Nyx didn't care whether anyone would think less of him as he hugged Henry in return, as the two men understood one another—finally—and appreciated one another.
Henry was the first to back away and he patted Nyx on the shoulder again. “I better go check on Romiera.”
“We’ll see you later,” Nyx said, his voice hoarse, and he wiped the tears from his face. “Thank you, Henry.”
“Always a pleasure, son,” Henry answered and walked back to the front door.
Nyx opened the driver’s door, trying to contain the emotions bubbling to the surface at Henry’s words as he climbed into the driver’s seat. The old warlock had no idea how much his words had meant to Nyx in that moment, and Nyx fought the tears from streaming down his face as he drove away.
As soon as he was a few blocks away, it had become too much and he pulled over, sobbing silently, his head resting on the headrest. He had almost forgotten about Adam, who stirred beside him.
Nyx took a deep breath and wiped his face again.
“Everything okay?” Adam asked sleepily, a little disoriented.
Nyx placed his hand on the gearshift and nodded. “I was just letting some feelings out. I was feeling a little overwhelmed.”
“I get that. Today was a little overwhelming.”
“You have no idea,” Nyx sighed, but cringed immediately after. “Sorry. I wasn't thinking. You have plenty to deal with right now too.”
“You’re lucky, though, Nyx. You have people who care about you. That old guy, he loves you like a son, I can see that, and why wouldn’t he? You saved his daughter. There’s nothing more powerful than the proof of love for a father when it comes to his daughter,” Adam said quietly.
Nyx frowned and said, “You’re a lot wiser than any bear I’ve ever met.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Adam chuckled, and then grew quiet. “I know how you feel, though, not fitting into the family you were born in.”
“Why’s that?”
“My dad was an alcoholic, an aggressive one at that. His actions were embarrassing and shameful to me, and I didn’t want anything to do with him. I even denied that I was his son.”
“Where is he now?”
“He died in a bar fight a few years ago. He thought he was tough, and he got his ass handed to him.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. I hadn’t spoken to him in years, cut myself off completely. The only thing valuable I learned from him was to be the opposite of what he was.”
“Sometimes that’s the best thing you can do for yourself.”
“And others,” Adam said.
Nyx smiled slightly and drove onto the road again.
“Thank you, for taking me in, and just everything. You didn't have to do it. I am a bear, after all,” Adam said gratefully.
“I’m just doing what my father wouldn’t,” Nyx answered. “Now, let’s get you home and cleaned up, because there’s no easy way to say this. You stink.”
“Right back at you,” Adam countered.
Nyx joined in Adam’s intoxicating laughter, and he had to admit that he felt much lighter than he had felt in a long time. It wasn’t only because he knew Romi and Henry were safe, and that he had made a new friend and possibly a confidante disguised as a protege, but he also felt better as a person.
A good person.
10
Romi reached up and touched the soft fabric which covered her eyes with a sigh. “I still don’t understand why you had to put a blindfold on me, Nyx,” she said. “Normal people would have just told me to close my eyes.”
“But you’re one of those people who would peek even though I told you not to,” Nyx stated matter-of-factly.
Romi heard the car door open and shuffling noises as Nyx climbed out of the car. Or so it sounded. The door slammed again, and she tracked his footsteps going around the car to her door.
When Nyx had fetched her at her house an hour ago, she thought he was joking when he took the blindfold out of his pocket, but much to her dismay, he wasn't joking. She didn’t like it one bit, being blindfolded and not being able to see what the hell he was up to. Romi liked being able to figure out what was happening around her, so she felt rather hopeless as she sat in the car, waiting for him to open the door and help her out.
He sure took his sweet time too, she thought to herself.
The past few weeks had been nothing short of memorable for her, and she was grateful for all the good fortune she had been getting. Her magic and strength were restored, thanks in large part to her father, whom she had grown so much closer to. He couldn’t stress to her enough how important she was to him, and that it was wrong of him to try and control her life the way he had done up until now. He promised not to interfere, but on the condition that she allowed him into her life more. He wanted to know how she felt about things, and what her thoughts were as she developed her relationship with Nyx.
Sure, she wouldn’t tell him everything, as her relationship was of a personal nature to Romi, but she talked to her father more, and allowed him into her world.
Romi also admired the way her father’s attitude and demeanor changed toward Nyx. He was so much more accepting toward him—completely, actually—and it was heartwarming to see those two interact in the way they did. Nyx was now a part of the family, a family who accepted him for who he was, and the sins of his father stopped with him. He wasn't his father, and when her father gave him that acceptance, Nyx blossomed into the most amazing and confident man.
The man whom her heart belonged to, forever.
Although it didn’t quite feel that way at the moment. She was growing annoyed with the blindfold, and after what felt like another hour, the passenger door opened.
“Take my hand,” Nyx’s voice said right beside her and she felt the heat of his hand close to hers.
She reached out and took his hand, or his arm, and he helped her out of the car. The door slammed behind her, and the beep of his alarm being activated sounded twice.
She slowly walked along a smooth path, which was easy to walk on, considering she was wearing heels, guided blindly by her Dragon Prince. She heard a doorbell ringing, one she did not recognize, and the door opened. It was quiet around her as Nyx guided her inside—where to, she wasn’t really sure—but she simply
followed. She didn't have any other choice or say in the matter, so she simply threw in the towel and went along with whatever he had planned.
Romi tried to think what the reason behind this secrecy could be, but nothing came to mind. It wasn’t her birthday, and they hadn’t been together that long for it to be an anniversary celebration.
Her brow furrowed under the blindfold, and she pouted her lips. “How much longer do I need to wear this stupid thing?”
“Stop your pouting. Just a few more minutes,” Nyx chuckled, gently placing his hand against the small of her back. Shivers of delight ran down her spine and her annoyance was suddenly replaced with excitement, although she wasn't quite sure why.
What was Nyx up to?
“Okay, are you ready?” Nyx asked all of a sudden.
“I’ve been ready for more than an hour, Nyx,” she retorted.
His chuckle was closer to her than she had expected, and he kissed her softly on the cheek.
“Okay, here goes,” he said, and Romi heard rushed footsteps moving away from her.
“What the hell is going on, Nyx? I swear to god, if this is some kind of—”
“Henry, would you help Romi with her blindfold, please?” Nyx said from across the room.
“My dad’s here?” she whispered, and for a moment she was glad she didn’t complete her sentence.
Nyx had been very sexually adventurous the past few weeks, and she almost outed him for his methods of seduction in front of her father.
Romi felt tugging at the back of her head where the blindfold was secured, and the soft fabric brushed down her face. She looked at her father standing in front of her, giving him a grateful smile, but her eyes suddenly focused as she noticed her surroundings. She stood in the middle of a dimly lit bar, which was completely empty apart from herself, her father, and Adam, who grinned happily at her.
“What is this?” she asked as she looked at the table in front of her, softly illuminated with a candle.
“Lady and gentlemen,” she heard a voice sound over the speakers all around her, and as she shifted her gaze to the stage, a smile formed on her lips.
Nyx stood on stage, his guitar secured against his torso, his one hand resting on the microphone on its stand in front of him. “Welcome to this special performance tonight, by me, of course,” Nyx said and winked at Romi
“Oh my god,” she gasped as her heart did a double flip. “You didn’t…”
“Oh, yes. I did,” he grinned and strummed his guitar.
Romi looked at her father and Adam, who sat at their own table, each with a bottle of beer in front of them.
“Have a seat, my love,” Nyx said to her, his voice low and seductive.
Romi pursed her lips briefly and sat down at the table in the middle of the bar. As soon as she was seated, the light dimmed, and someone, whom she didn’t even see, placed her favorite dessert in front of her, as well as a glass of wine.
She watched Nyx on the stage and shook her head in awe and disbelief.
“This first song goes out to that beautiful woman sitting over there,” Nyx said into the microphone. “She completes my world, and I can’t imagine my life without her.”
Romi sighed dreamily as she placed her hand against her heart and listening to the first notes of his guitar filling up the room. She instantly recognized it as the song he had played her in his bedroom, the song he wrote about her, the song he never got to finish, until tonight.
His tender and deep voice filled the room, as well as her heart, and her lips parted as she stared at him, softly singing along to the words she remembered. She hadn’t forgotten them since the first time he had sung them to her, but listening to him singing it perfectly to her, for her, tonight, was the culmination of her being. The notes he sang were beautiful, and soon it resonated in her soul. The love in her heart bubbled over and there wasn't any possible way she could love him any more than at that moment.
Her eyes filled with tears of happiness and everything around her, the bar, her dessert, and even her father and Adam, faded into the background. All she heard was Nyx’s velvety voice singing to her, the sound of the guitar, and their heartbeats perfectly in sync.
As the song reached a slight pause, Nyx cocked his head and smiled brightly at her, making her knees go weak and a swarm of butterflies flutter around in her stomach.
He continued with the chorus, each word imprinting itself inside Romi’s heart. Romi blinked back her tears and closed her eyes for a moment.
Nyx sang the last words, played the final notes, and it faded into the silence. Romi stood from her seat and applauded him, as did her father and Adam.
“Thank you, thank you,” Nyx said modestly and started to play a soft melody, which immediately eased the tension in Romi’s shoulders, even though she wasn’t even aware of it. “Babe, there’s something that I want to confess to you. From the moment I first saw you, I knew that you were someone special. Aside from the fact that nature and fate wanted us to be together, I felt your soul all the way from across the room. You sat at a table in the back, it was dark, and I was in a pretty dark place myself. You shone out in the darkness like a beacon of light, showing me the way, and sure, it might sound cheesy, but you make me better. You make me the kind of man I had always hoped I would be. You didn’t change me, though. I wanted to change, I wanted to be different, because you deserved it, and most importantly, I deserved it. I didn't want to hide under the stigma of being my father’s son, and you never treated me as such.”
Romi smiled warmly and nodded.
“I love you so much, and I want you to come and join me onstage for a song,” he told her.
“You know I can’t sing,” she protested.
“Now, I know that’s a lie. I’ve heard you sing in the shower,” Nyx pointed out.
“I can even vouch for her beautiful singing voice,” her father said from his table.
Romi’s jaw dropped and she shook her head in disapproval. “Betrayed by my own father.”
“Come on up here, babe,” Nyx invited her on stage.
Romi took a deep breath and stood from her chair.
“Let’s give her a round of applause,” Nyx grinned as she walked to the stage, Adam and her father clapping behind her. “Don’t look so terrified. I’m right here.”
Romi smiled at him and took a deep breath. “Can I pick a song?”
“Sure,” he shrugged and looked at her expectantly, his fingers at the ready close to the strings.
She didn’t even have to think about a song and whispered it to him.
“Oh, good choice,” he replied and leaned closer to the microphone. “Henry, your daughter has good taste in music, and men.”
“Apparently,” Romi muttered, making Nyx chuckle.
“You ready?” he asked and winked at her.
“Just do it,” she sighed.
Nyx sang the opening words, tapping his foot on the ground. The first verse didn't have any music to it, but the sound of his beautiful voice made her insides turn to mush, and there wasn't anywhere else she would rather be than beside him.
As he finished the chorus, he played the melody on the guitar, which was her cue for the second verse.
She was surprised at the sound of her own voice, filling up the almost empty bar, sounding dreamy and ethereal. She had never considered her voice angelic before, but the combination of their voices was perfect and melodious.
Romi glanced at Nyx, who smiled at her as he continued the bridge and the last chorus. His eyes were bright and luminous, and she had no problem with the thought of spending the rest of her life gazing into those eyes.
As long as he didn’t ask her to join him on stage when he performed at Echoes. The stage was his place, his spotlight moments, and she would happily cheer for him in the audience.
As the song finished, Nyx played on for another few moments, and Adam and her father applauded them again.
The last notes faded away and Nyx smiled at Romi. “I’m gues
sing you’re not up for another one.”
“I think one was more than enough,” she stated.
Nyx smiled and slipped his guitar strap off his shoulder. After placing the guitar on the wooden table behind them, he took Romi’s hand and turned to her.
“Now, you’re probably wondering why on earth I did all this,” he said and she nodded. “Well, I wanted to recreate the moment I first saw you. The moment I looked into those beautiful blue eyes, saw your red hair, and the dimple in your cheek when you smiled. The way you stared at me in awe and wonder. I wanted to recreate the moment my soul found yours, the moment our subconscious had been waiting for a very long time. I wanted to remember the first time I saw you, because it was the start of something beautiful and powerful which would last the rest of our lives.”
A tear ran down Romi’s cheek, but before she could brush it away, Nyx got down on one knee and a gasp escaped her throat.
“Romi Friar, I fell in love with you within a moment of seeing you, and I promise to spend the rest of my life loving you with everything I have inside me, forever,” Nyx said, retrieving a small, black box from his pocket. He brought it up and opened the box, revealing a beautiful lapis lazuli ring.
“Oh my god,” she gasped again.
“Romi, will you marry me?” he asked.
Romi bit her bottom lip and nodded. “Yes, I will marry you.”
She watched as Nyx slipped the ring on her finger and she squealed in delight. Crouching down beside him, she put her arms around his shoulders. “It’s beautiful, Nyx. I love you so much.”
“I love you too. Now and forever.”
Their lips met in a magical moment of love and happiness, and Romi had not felt such feelings of intensity since she had seen Nyx for the first time. Even though it wasn’t that long ago when they had met, it felt as though an entire lifetime had passed after what they had been through. Nyx even looked different than the young, misguided man who had graced the stage of Echoes. It was as though he had gone through a metamorphosis of his soul, which radiated out of his skin, making him even more handsome than he already was. His smile now reached his eyes, and there were no more moments of doubt visible in his gray eyes. Sure, there were times when a dark shadow flickered in his eyes, but it soon vanished. Romi knew Nyx was still working through his own traumas, but he was doing really well. He still had his permanent spot at Echoes, which Romi would always accompany him to, supporting him in the crowd, smiling proudly at her man, or now her soon-to-be husband.
