Page 7 of Tethered Thrones

It occurred to me briefly that he had it in mind to protect me, blocking the entrance while I slept as he wedged his body inside awkwardly. It almost made me laugh.

But as I drifted off, it seemed more reasonable he was protecting himself. He thought me weak and saw me sniveling like a child. Hadi probably assumed I was in no shape to be alone.

And he was right. But I would die before I’d admit I wanted company if only to vanquish the voices inside my head leading me into despair.

“Rest,” he commanded, coming forward so close I could feel his breath on me. “Rest, Sun.”

I didn’t fight my exhaustion any longer, blowing out the candlelight.

The hot spring would do us all well. We needed to relax. And I’d join them soon enough. I’d lived from battle to battle for so long, hanging on by a thread. Meeting the goddess was just the beginning of the inevitable. Now, it would all come to an end.

Chapter 2

Hadi

Icurled my long legs beneath me and watched Sun as he drifted to sleep.

Life–including my brief experience in the afterlife–had always been full, but in these moments, when I watched Sun, everything seemed to slow down.

There was only us here. His breathing becoming slow and deep and even, his muscles relaxing, and me over him, shielding him. Like I was his protector.

I would have laughed but... everything had changed.

I was Alhadya, the king of the nocs for years. Feared and loathed, I had ruled my people and destroyed those who had opposed me. I would never belong to Sun the way the others did, and I knew he would never bow to me. Yet here we were, wrapped around each other's souls. Five very different beings made one. Somehow, I wasn't even upset about it. I could use it to my advantage even if that meant taking Sun along with me for the journey.

The door suddenly bumped against my back legs as it slid open, and I knew at once that it was Clem. He was the only one who moved so silently. All mothians had that trait.

He bumped the door against my leg again, clearly wondering what was in the way of it opening.

Scowling, I lifted to my feet and turned around, gripping the top corner of the door to glare down at him.

Clem looked up at me with innocent, surprised eyes.

“Oh, Hadi,” he said loudly. “I just came to–”

“Sh!” I hushed, irritated. “Sun is sleeping.”

Clem blinked.

I blinked.

For a moment, I was surprised with myself, shushing someone for disturbing the human, then Clem's expression shifted from surprise to delight, and I cringed.

“How sweet,” he whispered, smiling up at me. “Let me in, I want to cuddle with him.”

I frowned, glaring down at the delicate creature that had become part of my entourage.

“No.”

Clem stared for so long that I nearly closed the door in his face. Then, he seemed to come to some sort of conclusion and lit up as though I had said something marvelous, and I wished Ihadclosed the door in his face.

“Oh, of course! You haven't had enough alone time with Sun,” he agreed. “This is good.”

I held back a groan and moved to slide the door closed, but he was standing in the way.

“It's good for you spend time with him. See if you can get closer to him.”

I groaned softly.