Nicon

XXVIII

                 

XXVIII

            SHE FELT AS if the last two days had been dedicated to a combination of sitting on the edge of her mattress, staring at the door in silence, and deep, dreamless sleep.  Despite her anxious attitude the past two days, all was forgotten as Nicon found her in his mother's greenhouse and it seemed as if they had picked up where they left off.  Elysie was just left to wonder what caused the divide between them in the first place.

            For a man so powerful, it was no surprise that he made Elysie feel weak in the knees.  Around him her head felt light and airy and she had trouble thinking straight.  It was foolish, but in her time alone she often practiced keeping her heartbeat steady because when she was in his presence, it pounded constantly.  Frankly, the surge of emotions frightened her.  Nicon had deceived her in the beginning of their relationship, but she found that she had forgiven him long ago.

            The sound of two knocks on the door jarred Elysie from her thoughts.  "Yes?  Come in."

            The first thing she noticed was hair the color of fire, followed by strikingly blue eyes and a bit of scruff lining his chin.  "Good morning, Elysie," Syd said.  Elysie couldn't help but notice heavy purple bags underneath his eyes and the way his body tiredly hunched forward. 

            "How are you, Syd?  You don't look well."  In response, the man walked over to her bed and fell over onto the side next to Elysie. 

            Averting the question, the man looked her over.  Her appearance was awfully less disheveled than it normally was, but he knew this was because her sight had returned.  The King had informed him early this morning before Syd went to visit her.

            His lips pulled up into a cheeky grin as he rested his head on the palm of his hand and stared up at the girl who was sitting next to his sprawled out form.  "At long last you can see my face."

            A bark of laughter escaped Elysie.  "Oh, Syd, I've missed you!"

            He smiled sadly, "Likewise, my Lady."

            Rolling her eyes, she narrowed her eyes.  "I recall telling you not to call me that during our first meeting."

            He shrugged, lazily lying back and looking up at her ceiling.  Elysie watched him in amusement, lying down as well so her legs hung off the bed below her knees and her nightdress swished softly against her ankles.  "It suits you," he said.         

She hummed in protest.

            "In all seriousness, when the King does mark you, you'll be one of us.  The rest of us will have to formally address you."

            "Elysie is formal enough," she argued.  "Hardly anyone called me Elysie back at home!"

            "At home," he echoed.  "You're not at home here?" he turned to look at her.

            "I associate my mother with home," she responded.  Elysie was attempting to smile reassuringly at her companion.  "You make me feel less homesick."

            He laughed.  "You're not alone.  Sometimes I feel homesick, too."

            "Your family isn't here, as well?"

            "I came here on my own.  It's very rare elder Shifters come to the castle; usually the men in the families come to join the ranks of other warriors.  Females because their mates are here."

            Elysie nodded, understanding that there was much she didn't know about the Shifters race and their way of life.  "One day you'll meet my family, Syd.  You, Killian, Nicon."

            Syd didn't say anything for a long minute.  "Nicon will be against the notion, no doubt."

            "Once I'm a part of your race, Syd, I will not have to be kept in this room."

            The man sighed sadly, "Elysie you can't simply join our race after being marked.  You will always be human."

            "I know," she said.  "In the eyes of Nicon, equal or not, I will not stay in this room."

            "I think you'll fit in nicely here, Elysie.  Might even gain the title of the new pup, even if you weren't born with Shifter blood."

            "Pup?"

            Syd got up.  "You'll find out soon, Elysie!"