The night passed quickly. Before Nikhail knew it, it was noon the next day. His phone dinged with an emergency alert that had been sent to all military personnel. In order to protect the remaining Representatives and their families, Chancellor Rose was instituting new safety precautions that were to begin immediately.
They were extreme, but as Nikhail scrolled through the document detailing the new measures, he understood where the Chancellor was coming from.
After all, even though Nikhail agreed that the Republic of Balance was being unjustly run, the Black Night was threateningthe one person who meant more to him than anyone else. And because of that, he would do anything, put up with anyone, to stop them.
Whatever it took to keep River safe.
CHAPTER 9
Yours
Four days had passed since River left the Hub, and she still hadn’t turned on her phone.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about it. It was just that every time she picked up the wretched device and stared at the black screen, it seemed more daunting than before.
Last night, after a quiet dinner with Ryker and Brynleigh, River had forced herself to bring the phone upstairs. She’d placed it on the pillow next to her head and had fallen asleep staring at it.
But now, morning was here, and she couldn’t put off turning on the phone any longer.
Today, River could wallow and feel heavy and tired and sit in darkness. Tomorrow, she had to be whole. Or at least… less broken.
Tomorrow, they were saying goodbye to Cyrus.
The mere thought of saying farewell to her father for the last time had River wanting to scream and cry and curl up into a ball, never to move again. Even normal, everyday actions felt impossible. Everything seemed darker than before. Bleaker.
But even with the dark clouds covering everything in sight, coupled with the emptiness inside her reminding her of her curse, River knew she couldn’t miss this. She would never forgive herself if she didn’t show up for her father.
She had woken up a short while ago, taken a shower, and brushed her hair. The cold strands hung around her shoulders, a reminder of the icy water that had flowed over her.
Shivering, River wrapped yet another blanket around her shoulders as she sought elusive warmth. The phone sat on her pillow, taunting her.
“Do it,” she urged herself. “Just turn it on. Get it over with.”
But her words rang hollow, even to her own ears. The longer she stared at the screen, the more intimidating it seemed.
This really shouldn’t be difficult….
But then again, a lot of things shouldn’t have been as difficult as they were right now.
River wasn’t worried about the slew of emails that were surely waiting for her, or that she’d eventually have to talk to her boss and sort out the mess that was her job. That would undoubtedly be bad, but she could deal with it.
At least, that was what she was telling herself.
The unknowns were what had River frozen. The messages that may or may not be present.
Texts from one air fae, in particular.
The logical part of River knew that she should let Nikhail go, that it would be better if she didn’t hear from him.
The illogical part wanted there to be a text with his name on it. She wanted to talk to Nikhail because he made her feel safe.
River knew Nikhail was still here in Golden City because Ryker had mentioned it in passing, but her brother hadn’t provided any more information. Why would he? He had no idea that River couldn’t stop thinking about Nikhail or wonderinghow he was doing. As far as Ryker was concerned, River only saw Nikhail as her brother’s best friend. Nothing more.
On one hand, things would be better if she turned on her phone and didn’t find any messages from the air fae. Better, because it would make it easier for River to keep her distance. Better, because that way, Nikhail would stay out of harm’s way.
It would hurt. River was sure of that. The emptiness inside her would grow until it consumed her. She’d deal with the inevitable pain, knowing that it was the cost of keeping Nikhail safe. The few stolen moments they shared would remain cherished memories, and she’d cling to them for the rest of her very long life. She would keep her distance from him and everyone else.
On the other hand, River was desperate to hear from Nikhail. There was no one she wanted to hear from more than him. Just once, so she could make sure he was okay.