The Dark Heir - Nyx

35. Nyx

Nyx stared at his uncle, rage threatening to tear from his body. His jaw was clenched hard enough to ache, the white oak door cracking as his grip tightened.

"Collect me? I am not a child, Azriel. I am the Heir of the Night Court. I outrank you, and I could call for your dismissal. Speak to me like I am your inferior again, and I will act," he seethed. Azriel was furious, he could tell, but the Shadowsinger seemed entirely calm. The darkness in his eyes narrowed, his head tilting slightly.

"It's not like you to pull rank, Nyx. Are you intimidated or simply trying to impress your pet?"

Nyx exploded. A shout of frustration tore from his lips as he shoved the door open and sent his fist into Azriel's jaw. The Shadowsinger caught his wrist before he could step back, blood coating his bared teeth. Nyx tore his arm away and reached for the door to slam it. Azriel's palm splayed across the door and kept it in place. Nyx tried to calm himself, tried to breathe in deeply, but he could hear Theia's racing heart. He wanted to slaughter his uncle for frightening her.

"I've warned you once. Your father wishes for your return within the week. I will come for you, and I will leave her here. I thought you put this behind yourself, but you're hiding in the Summer Court, fucking her on a balcony. You're no better than the male who returned to Velaris covered in cosmetics and reeking of whiskey. You think you've matured, but you're still a child, Nyx."

Nyx scoffed, rolling his eyes as he took a step forward. He was taller than Azriel, just barely yet he still prided in the way Azriel's chin tipped up.

"Tell me why you've come here. Was it this letter from Zenova, or my father, or the fact that you're still a lonely male who wanted to feel superior? You live in the shadows, Az. When's the last time you felt loved by a female? Have you ever felt what it's like to do anything for them? She may not be my mate but I will walk away from the Night Court if it threatens her. She is not some fucking pet. If she was, I wouldn't have tried to kill my own fucking father for her.

"So, think about that before you sit here and call me immature. I've taken her from Windhaven, from the Night Court, to offer her a better life. I didn't fucking run away. I wanted her to see a better world than my father created. I am fucking her on this balcony, because despite all the shit you, Cass, and my father pulled, she still fucking wants me. I knew you were here, watching us, and I can't help but think you're jealous, Azriel."

Nyx knew he went too far, but the words flowed from his poison dipped tongue. He wanted to hurt Azriel, because he stood by while his father had him strung up like a butchered animal and told him to leave the court. Azriel was a hopeless romantic, always pining after someone but never acting upon it. He relieved the pressure in the pleasure houses or by whatever female caught his eye, but never more than that.

Nyx had always known that romance or love was something that tore his uncle apart, but he felt his presence when he was kissing Theia. He felt it many times throughout their travels. Azriel had been watching them for weeks and only chose now to reveal himself, after Theia accepted Nyx's offer of being with him.

Azriel's jaw ticked, his eyes flicking to the wooden door. Theia was on the other side, more than likely covering herself and watching them. Nyx glared at his uncle, waiting for his next move. He thought Azriel would throw a punch, say something hurtful and leave, but he didn't. Instead, Azriel suddenly shoved the door open and pushed past Nyx, marching towards Theia.

Nyx didn't run, he winnowed to her side, moving to step in between them but Azriel shoved his chest. He glared down at her, eyes scanning her heaving chest and the arm that barely covered her breast. Nyx waited, just to see if Azriel would do anything to hurt her, but he just towered over her.