Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 81261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
I cock an eyebrow at her and nod toward my bed. “Right there.”
“Of course,” she stammers. “And… um… do you always sleep naked?”
“Always,” I reply with a grin. “I’ll have more clothes for you tomorrow, but you should be comfortable enough in that dress to sleep in it for tonight.”
“Sleep where?” she inquires. “Do I go back to my cell?”
I nod again toward the bed. “Big bed. Lots of room.”
Nyssa’s eyes flash with indignation. “I’m not sleeping in that bed with you.”
I shrug as I pull down the covers, revealing satin sheets below. Love the feel of that shit on my body. “Floor is hard and cold. You’ll find an extra blanket in the closet.”
With a mere thought, I lower the glow of the artificial lighting in the various lamps throughout the room until the only light comes through the windows—the city glow of Otaxis.
Pressing my knee into the mattress, I stretch onto my stomach and wrap my arms around a pillow to lay my head on, facing away from Nyssa. I stretch my wings once, rustling the feathers to get comfortable, and they fold in against my back. It’s a pity their length completely covers my nakedness, as I’d like to see Nyssa squirm a bit more.
“I said I wouldn’t touch you without permission, Nyssa. If you want a good night’s sleep, get in the bed.”
She doesn’t respond, but I hear her moving about. I lift my head so I can see what she’s doing.
After folding my clothes, she lays them on top of a dresser and then moves to the closet. She comes out with a thin blanket, spreading it atop the marble floor before settling down on it.
Stubborn little thing.
I close my eyes and inhale deep, ready to drift off.
“Why do you have wings and no one else does?” she asks, her voice traveling across the expanse of the room.
My voice is lazy, hopefully coming off as nonthreatening. “Get in the bed as I know you have to be miserable down there, and I’ll tell you.”
I keep my eyes closed and the smile off my face when I hear her walking across the room. The bed dips slightly as she gets in, and I lift my head, turning it her way to see her practically clinging to the edge to stay as far away from me as possible.
I resettle onto my pillow. “God stripped us all of our wings when he cast us out. Most adapted and left the thought of them behind. I missed mine, so the first bit of stone magic that found its way into the Underworld I used to my advantage and gave myself back what had been taken.”
“Why?” I can see her eyes glittering from the filtered city lights.
“Because there’s nothing like the power of flight.” I can’t help but think of all the times I took Zora flying when she was a child, and then later, I bestowed upon her the ability to use her own magic to call forth wings. I have no clue if she still uses them as a god since she can transport anywhere she wants with a single thought.
“You have a daughter?” Nyssa inquires.
“Thalia. She’s a little older than you. Half human and thus mortal.”
“It’s weird to think of you having a daughter that age when you don’t look that old.”
“Ah,” I say softly. “But I’m very, very old. I’m as old as time.”
“And she’s your only child?”
“One and only. She just got married not that long ago, and I was able to be there. But I broke some rules while I was out, and Zora has banished me here indefinitely.”
“Why? What did you do?”
Chuckling, I turn my head away from her. “It’s late, Nyssa. Get some sleep.”
She huffs but doesn’t say anything else. She also tosses and turns, trying to get comfortable. I know it’s my naked presence and not the bed itself, which is actually quite dreamy to sleep on.
After more than an hour, she finally settles, and before long, her breathing deepens.
Only then am I able to let go and fall under myself.
CHAPTER 10
Nyssa
There’s no sunrise in the Midnight Realm, but it’s light that finally pulls me out of slumber. I open one eye and see the bedside table lamp is on. It glows with some type of magical light Amell controls.
It all comes tumbling back, from the minute Jago grabbed me until I climbed into Amell’s bed last night to sleep. The scenes flash by, although admittedly, I get stuck on the memory of naked Amell.
I’ve never given much thought to the beauty of a man’s body before, but his is sheer perfection. All that golden skin and muscle with those glorious black wings. He’s a giant of a man, and let’s just say all his parts are proportionate.
A sizzling bolt of realization hits that he might still be in the bed. I’m on my side, right on the edge of the mattress, and I can’t tell if he’s behind me. Once I fell asleep last night, exhaustion pulled me under deep. I strain to hear anything, but it’s absolutely silent.