Lerna forgot to breathe She purred when Rigel placed his finger on her lips. But at the same time, her body became languid in relief from meeting him. She wondered if she should step back and put some space between them out of fear that he might get killed. However, she couldn't. She just couldn't. Her logic went out of the window.
However, the moment his illusion broke and she saw another man instead of the Nyxer, shock was the last thing in her mind. Who was he? He had come to rescue her? And he had come under the disguise of someone else? So many thoughts ran through her mind? He wasn't a Nyxer, most definitely. How did he even manage to come to her tower and then to her room? Her eyes widened with fear. For him. His nearness and his gaze made it hard to think as to what she should do next. Under the sensation of his breath on her face and his touch, her body, her mind simply couldn't function properly.
He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen in her life. In that short glimpse of his real self, she saw his ruffled long auburn hair that fell to his shoulders. He had sharp blue eyes that reminded her of the cerulean tips of icebergs in the frozen sea during winter. He had chiseled cheekbones and a square jaw. His lips were so plump that she wondered what it would be like to kiss them. Liquid heat pooled in her belly and she clenched her thighs. The moment she did that, his nostrils flared. She whimpered, wanting him to sink his fangs into her flesh. Was she getting crazier by the minute?
The air between them grew thicker, as if they had moved deep into a mist-covered forest, and the forest was so crowded with branches, brambles and gnarled roots that it was impossible to walk past it without getting bruised.
When he lowered his finger, it took effort, but she managed to clear her throat and whispered, "Who are you?"
The nannies were behind her instantly. "What do you want?" asked one of them, shivering with fear. "Has the king called for her already? She isn't even ready. Give us an hour to get her ready for the ritual!"
Lerna reverie broke. She tilted her head and peered past him. There were three more Nyxers standing behind him. They were all so tall and broad and heavily built that they seemed to suck the air out of the room. She looked back at him with a thousand questions in her mind. All of them looked like regular Nyxers, except they were sturdier. And there was something about the air around them that was intimidating as hell.
"Just get dressed in a tunic and trousers," Rigel said. Then he gazed into her eyes as if asking her to trust him. "I have come to save you."
Her lips parted at his silent words. She didn't know how she understood him or why she was trusting him implicitly, but instinctively, she nodded. She did know one thing--she had to play his game. "Get my gray tunic and white trousers."
"Princess?" the nanny cried. "Those are hardly good clothes for the ritual. Moreover, who knows if you will have to go to the alphas after that."
"Stop. Arguing." She replied menacingly. "And do, as told." She knew that these men were in a great hurry. She could feel the vibes coming off of them. But how did they manage to get in despite so many Nyxers? She turned quickly to put on the tunic and trousers that a nanny had brought her. As soon as she put them on, she rushed to her closet in the adjoining room and grabbed her sweater and her fur cloak. She didn't know why she was doing it. But if these men were going to abduct her, then she better be prepared. Any place was better than this. She was ready to take the risk since the risk was with her mate.
"I am ready!" she breathed when she returned to her bedchamber, only to find that the nannies were all lying crumpled on the ground. Her eyes widened as her shoulders tensed. "What have you done?" she rasped.
Rigel grabbed her hand, but she said, "Wait!"
His brows furrowed.
Lerna rushed to the food trolley and picked up as much food as possible for all of them in a bag. Ileus chuckled as others smiled at her. Rigel was out of the door, holding her hand, but the moment she stepped out, she tripped on the floor. Rigel steadied her before she fell on her face. Lerna realized that she had tripped over a guard's body.
"Calaman's horns!" Her hand flew to her chest as she looked down at the guard with horror. She looked at the next one who was also sprawled at her feet. She skipped over them, as anxiety filled her. As they descended the stairs, she saw that more Nyxers were sprawled over the stairs in the same condition. A strangled sound scraped out of her throat as her body stiffened with a chilling alarm. She snapped her head back to look at the four Nyxers who were following them. One of them shrugged. What the hell were these men capable of?
"This was our only way to come in," said Ileus, shrugging. "We had to knock them unconscious." After they found out that Rigel's mate was in this tower, they rushed to the base. They had confronted the Nyxers and werewolves. While Rolfe had sliced through Felis's magic, covering their tracks, Ileus had flung his magic to stupefy them. He didn't want them to end up unconscious or killed. In fact, that was easy. But if they killed them, it would have gathered a lot of attention. Rolfe had coated them all with enough magic to cover their stupefied state for a day.
When the team entered the tower, through the hidden door, they confronted the Nyxers on the stairs. There were a total of fifteen Nyxers, stationed at regular intervals. Their leader wouldn't let them through so Rolfe had to blast them with his magic. They were all lying unconscious on the staircase.
Suddenly, they heard a distant roar, as if someone had bellowed out of anger.
"What is that?" Rolfe asked, raising his eyebrow.
"That's Felis!" Lerna wheezed as she sagged against the wall.
Ileus rubbed his ear. "Does he have indigestion? He sounds like he hasn't seen the face of a toilet for a few days."
Lerna paled. "He will come after us. He has sensed disturbance in the air! He is going to send an army to this tower. We are doomed!" She looked at the Nyxer who came and stood in front of her with teary eyes.
"I am ready to take my chances, Lerna. Are you?" he asked, as he placed his hands on her shoulders.
She gazed into his eyes and her conviction to leave this gutter called Hydra Kingdom, solidified. He was her anchor and gave her the much-needed energy. "Instead of leaving from here, we can leave through another exit," she said, as her eyes darted between his.
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