Nicon

XII

XII

NICON WAITED PATIENTLY in the dining room, his knife twirling in his fingertips like always. Two long candles made of thin cream-colored wax burned brightly on the table, one on each end. Dim overhead lighting from the crystal chandeliers adorned the ceiling, lighting up the room with a faint bronze glow.

He had laid a navy blue dress on the human's bed to complement her eye color, a simple garment he hoped she wore to dinner. For the first time in ages, he had removed his leather jacket and replaced it with a blazer, although she wouldn't be able to distinguish one from the other.

Surprisingly, a tiny flutter of guilt erupted in his stomach as he thought of her lack of sight. Thinking back to his last encounter with her, Nicon didn't praise himself any. Her blue eyes had held nothing but anger as he aggravated her.

Syd, has she left her room yet?

He hesitated. No, Your Highness.

The growl that spewed from the King's throat was unintentional, but his patience was growing thin. The large grandfather clock resting in the Great Room had chimed eight times, loud enough that all the Shifters in the castle had ringing in their ears, which meant Elysie was an hour late.

For the duration of time in which Nicon sat waiting for her company, Elysie was pacing restlessly across the wooden floor, her bare feet striking the wood to the match the swinging pendulum inside the large clock.

She was well aware of Syd standing in the hallway outside her door; in fact, she wouldn't be surprised to find him nose to nose with it. Elysie had considered inviting the warrior into her room at first, but thought better of it.

Sighing, she retreated to the foot of her bed, quickly finding her place in the room. Regardless of the dark, her sense of direction was improving. Yet another reason why I shouldn't leave the room, she thought bitterly.

She imagined the dinner conversation to be an unfavorable reiteration of the argument from before and Elysie didn't think she could handle yet another dispute with Nicon, especially when she couldn't see him. Not being able to see his appearance bothered her greatly, not that she'd ever admit it aloud.

A sudden creak of a door opening sounded and Elysie's head turned up in the direction of the noise. "I apologize for not knocking. The King has requested your presence in the dining hall."

Syd. She sighed, "I don't feel well enough."

A response didn't come for a few prolonged seconds. "He won't like that answer, I'm afraid."

For once, she hesitated. If I don't go will Syd be the one receiving the punishment? Her conscience had already decided. With a heavy sigh, Elysie begrudgingly rose from the bed and held out her arm to Syd. "Would you escort me to the dining room, please?"

An image of a thin man's face erupted in her mind, characterized by a large toothy grin and kind eyes. Elysie imagined he was Syd.

A small arm looped through the crook in her elbow and she was tugged lightly forward. She could feel the air change slightly, a cooler sensation prickling her sweaty skin. Syd told her to be cautious as she passed through the doorframe, he didn't want her hitting the side of the wall. A tiny smile formed on Elysie's face at his warning.

"Were you by my bedside while I was unconscious?" she asked Syd as they walked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"For a brief period. The King was adamant about my presence being elsewhere."

"My presence isn't publicly known, is it?" He didn't need to answer; she already knew the answer to that.

"Please try not to upset The King tonight," he said, switching the subject. "The Council meeting this morning did not go as planned. Many questioned the disappearance of one of the Alphas."

What had happened to the other Alpha? Elysie didn't know if the word Alpha held any significance, but she wasn't in favor of the Council meeting again. They would just harm the people like her. What was next after hunters? The villagers? Her mother?

A longing appeared in her chest for the first time in days. Once her mother's image appeared in her mind, Elysie thought she felt another presence in her head; a small wisp of consciousness she didn't think belonged to her.

"We're nearing the dining room," Syd said, when her only response to his previous statements were a few thoughtless shakes of her head.

As she heard Syd open the thick double doors, a small shiver traveled down Elysie's spine. Like a shift in the air, she felt the mate bond drawing her inside.