The Heir of Night

12

Another week passed and Theia was growing fond of warm meals and baths. In short time, possibly due to her quick healing, her body was growing used to full and balanced meals, making it easier for her to shovel down breakfast and dinner. It wasn't often that Theia went into her mother's room and was met with an awake Maia, though she didn't mind. She only went in there to gather clothing, nothing more. She also had begun avoiding Nyx, seeing him only during dinner if he chose to eat with her.

Today, she had left early for her shift at the bakery to take a stroll past her home. No work had been made on it, not that she could see much from the road. She was afraid to take a step past the threshold, to see the life she had been so used to now that she has experienced more. Would she wish to return? Would she be disgusted and hate herself more? She didn't know what would come of it, so she avoided it entirely.

The village was quiet, surely a heavy training day. The snow was thick and solid, blanketing the village in a cloak of white. Theia had spent most of her shift at the bakery watching the flakes fall, looking away only when the occasional customer walked in. The tavern wasn't any busier, either. It gave Theia and Elena plenty of time to toss coins into glasses or scrub the floors. As the evening hinted at dusk, Nico walked in. He told the female's to close early after they finished cleaning.

Theia was more than happy to leave the tavern when the sunset still ghosted across the mountain. She took a longer route back to the house, savoring the silence and solitude. She returned when the orange sky muted to purple and blue, pushing open the door with a yawn. Her yawn quickly turned into a shriek and she leapt back onto the porch, slamming the door shut.

On her makeshift bed of the couch, Nyx had been on his back. On top of him had been an equally nude female, her head thrown back and moans leaving her wide mouth. Theia leaned against the pillar on the porch, eyes wide at the closed door. Wasn't her mother upstairs? Bile threatened her with a burn in her throat and jaw, but she kept her composure. She'd just wait outside until they were finished, and then she would find whatever cleaning supplies were around and for Nyx to clean Theia's only place to sleep.

Not long after she had walked in, the door creaked open and a female with pink cheeks and messily placed clothing went barreling down the steps. Nyx widened the door, inviting Theia in. She glared at him as she walked into the house, kicking her boots off.

"I'm sorry about that," he murmured, though she could see the damned grin ghosting his lips. Her eyes fell to the couch, her blanket crumpled on the floor and pillow shoved into the crevices of the cushions.

"How often do you do that? On there?" She snapped, returning her eyes to his. Nyx shrugged, his hand reaching to scratch the back of his neck.

"A few times a week." Her eyes bulged, hands clutching her rolling stomach.

"Nyx! I sleep there! Are you joking? My mother is upstairs!"

"We aren't loud enough for her to hear, and it's not always on the couch. We just didn't make it far enough to get up the stairs this time," he argued, though pink still tinted his cheeks. She was sure dinner would not be an option tonight. The image of them in the same place she sleeps was enough to curb her appetite for a month.

"How fresh are your sheets?" She asked, jaw clenching.

"Changed them this morning."

"Great. You're down here tonight until I know those cushions and the blanket are cleaned thoroughly," she seethed, shoving past him and heading for the stairs. Nyx didn't try to stop her, and if he did, Theia would've certainly had a fist in his nose. She went into her mother's bedroom, grateful to see that her mother was asleep, and Madja was no where to be seen. She gathered the silk garments and marched into the bathing chamber.