Page 127 of Graevale
“You know, you could at leasttryto not be such a sarcastic ass,” Alex told him quietly as Kyia pulled clothing and weapons from a chest and Zain hunted through a collection of vials on the bench.
“What would be the fun in that?” Niyx returned, but despite his teasing response, his body was tense as he watched the two Meyarins hurry back to them.
“Drink this, little human,” Zain said, approaching warily due to Soraya being in a protective mood and not at all happy that her mistress wasn’t safely back in her dormitory.
“Settle,” Alex murmured to the wolf, with a comforting rub along her now chest-high head and along the sleek line of her neck. Instantly, Soraya relaxed, plonking her hindquarters on the ground but still monitoring the room with watchful alertness.
More relaxed now that the wolf was in check, Zain moved closer and handed over a vial of what could only be described as gravelly sludge.
“If that tastes half as good as it looks, I think I’ll pass,” Alex said, eyeing the dubious-looking liquid.
“Just drink it, Aeylia.”
Both Zain and Kyia froze, realising from the name Niyx had used that he must also know about Alex’s trip to the past. Unlike them, however, heremembered—not that they would ever guess as much, nor the reasonwhy.
To keep them moving, Alex pushed aside her disgust and threw back the contents of the vial without further complaints… at least until she had to swallow the grainy muck.
Gasping against the sensation of lightning bolts zapping through her nerve endings, Alex doubled over and wheezed out, “What the hell did I just drink?”
Zain and Kyia were still frozen from Niyx’s revelation, so he was the one who answered, while prying the weapons from Kyia’s unmoving hands.
“Haesondel,” he said, adding the deadly arsenal to the rest of his collection. “Think of it like an instant shot of adrenaline. Only stronger.”
Holy heck, she was dying. Her body was zinging with electricity, enough that she was certain she was about to explode.
“Give it a second, kitten,” Niyx said, laying a comforting hand on her back. “You’ll thank us then.”
It took more than his promised second, but also less than a minute before Alex normalised enough to realise that she now felt incredible. Her energy levels were through the roof, not at all like she’d spent the night unconscious and bleeding out in a torture chamber.
“Whoa, that’s good stuff,” Alex said, doing her best to ignore the musty aftertaste.
“Yeah, but it comes with a nightmare of a hangover later,” Niyx warned. “Enjoy it while it lasts.”
He looked meaningfully at thestillfrozen Kyia and said, “Alex could use a hand with those clothes now.”
He’d used her real name this time—deliberately, Alex was sure.
“Soraya, stay,” Alex told her wolf, not quite trusting that Zain wouldn’t attack Niyx while Kyia helped her get changed. “Behave,” she ordered both Meyarins as she moved behind the curtain and began undressing.
It was strange getting changed with the sleeping Rokaright there, but Alex felt the urgency of the situation pressing her to hurry, so she put aside her discomfort and accepted Kyia’s help to swiftly don her new outfit. Other than the light undershirt, the Myrox-lined, fighting-appropriate gear was worthy of any fully armedZeltora, with the leather-like material unbelievably supple yet firm enough to offer an impressive level of protection.
Stepping back out from the curtain, Alex was relieved to find both males still alive, and she quickly returned to Niyx’s side.
“Ready,” she told him, rolling her eyes when he shoved a slice of seeded bread into her hand and indicated for her to eat it. She did so without further complaint—if only to get rid of the lingering taste ofhaesondelin her mouth.
“We’ll meet you at Graevale,” Zain said, the first words he’d spoken since Niyx dropped the bomb of her name.
Alex shook her head as she quickly swallowed her mouthful. “You can’t come with us. If this is a trap and Aven’s real plan is to lure you away so he can finish off Roka, then you need to be here.”
Zain gritted his teeth, knowing she was right.
“We can’t let you go alone,” Kyia said. “The risk—”
“I’m not alone,” Alex said, motioning to both her wolf and to Niyx. “And I’ll be calling for backup as soon as we arrive.”
“But—”
“I’m sorry, Kyia, but we don’t have time to argue about this,” Alex interrupted. “I want you fighting at my side, I can’t tell you how much, but right now it’s more important for you to remain here, watching over Roka—just in case. You know that.”
