“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. This is probably one of the secrets Rupert was talking about, right? But forgive me if I don’t trust a word out of your mouth right now. I mean, why help me so freely?”
Was I being stubborn? Yes. For good reason, mind you.
Instead of spouting some bullshit, a ghost of a smile graced her lips as she turned her back to me. She motioned for me to follow her out of the training room, leaving the boys to themselves. I didn’t want to but I followed her as best as I could, given that my eyes were glued to her shapely behind with every step.
Fucking heat cycle.
We stopped and took seats on the couch in the living room, her across from me—-one slender leg over the other.
“You must be in your heat cycle.” She said, amusement dripping from her lips.
My cheeks were so hot they could have started a fire. I shrugged. “Not my fault.”
She leaned back, raising a concerned brow. “You have two strapping young males in rut, just for you. Why not go to them?”
Because I’m punishing myself. Duh.
“Look, we’re not here to talk about me getting laid. I want to know about the class system and how you know about it.”
She pursed her lips but let it go, shaking her head slowly.
“I only know what I’m seeing. Tell me, when you close your eyes do you see anything other than darkness?”
“No but…” I demonstrated, closing my eyes slowly. I waited about 10 seconds. “Nope. Nothing but the emptiness of my soul.”
“I see.” She nodded like a therapist making notes about their patient. “I was afraid of that. Come over here, hold my hand.”
I blinked slowly, waiting for the punchline.
“I did not stutter. Come here, have a seat and hold my hand.” She held out her hand to me and I wanted to treat it like she had the plague. Biting the bullet, I did the unthinkable and complied. A small spark of lightning passed between us on contact.
“Oh!”
“Well, shit. Did you do that?”
“No. That is not in my capabilities.” The last word slowly stumbled out of her mouth as our gaze locked.
Why the hell is she blushing now?
I cleared my throat, beating out the thunder of my heartbeat. She smoothed out her skirt and held out her hand again.
“Let's try that again.” I nodded. This time no sparks flew, but my eyes were finally opened to something I’d only dreamed was there before.
A floating menu sat to my left. Ethereal and blue, it taunted me. Just within my reach this whole time.
“Has it always been there? Have I just been blind before?” I reached out, touching its see-through surface. It was cold to the touch like typical metal.
“I don’t think you’ve been blind. I think you’ve been busy fighting one battle after another. So busy that whatever mastery you’d gained from prior to waking up has been stuffed down into your mind.” She had a point.
Theia pulled her hand away and nodded at me.
“Do you still see it? The menu?”
It was fuzzy but I could just make it out.
“It's there but it's almost out of focus. How do I fix that? Fuck. I used to be able to handle so much on my plate at once and now look at me. I’m a goddamn train wreck.” My chest tightened, my lungs felt like they were on fire and whatever food I’d eaten was on a return trip.
“Sapphyra!” I heard Wyatt call out for me, just as the menu vanished.
Theia held out an arm, stopping Wyatt in his tracks. If looks could kill Wyatt would have ended her twice over.
“I know she’s your wife and you love her dearly. But she has to work through this on her own. It's her system. Her life. Her grief.”
He looked from her arm and back to her, a dark cloud marring his features.
“Move. I will not tell you again.” His fist tightened, nostrils flared. How many times have I seen him pop off for me lately? It was like we were children all over again.
“Wyatt. It’s okay. Just…just let me breathe. I’ll work through it because she’s right. I have to work through it.” It was hard to talk, my breath came in such short bursts. Every sentence felt like a marathon.
“Sapphyra, do you know why you haven’t been able to see your system menu? If you know it, tell me.” Theia softly added, dropping her arm. Wyatt scowled at her but made no movements towards me. I needed air. He’s been my crutch for so long—and there’s nothing wrong with a crutch but not when you’re me.
If I can’t stand on my own two feet, how can I stand for anyone else?
“Stress. Trauma. Distractions, all of them.” That was all that I could think of. Everytime I get one step closer to figuring out who I am as a Master Custodian, something happens to make me back pedal.
“And what else?!” Wyatt called out.
“I don’t know. What do you want me to say, Wyatt?”
His eyes softened. Soon he squatted in front of me. His naked chest reminded me of how I longed to repeat our honeymoon.
“Sapph.” He all but whispered. “Your mind is still trying to play hero.” I pouted, hating that he was right.
“It’s what I’ve been all my life, Wyatt. But right now I’m not thinking about that. I’m thinking about how big of a fuckup I am for…” I sniffled, letting the tears flow. I couldn’t say the words. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into him.
It felt like coming home.
“You’re not a fuck up.”
“Barnaby died because of me! Because I denied my body what it wanted, all because I’m fucking ashamed of that side of me. I loved being a superhero, but I hated being a dragon. It’s that hatred that killed our son, Wyatt!” His chest was soaked in snot and tears but that didn’t stop him one bit.
“Sapph—”
“How can you stand to look at me? To touch me?”
“There’s nothing you can do on purpose or not that would pull me away from you. Hey, look at me.” He cupped my face, wiping the tears away like he’d done a thousand times before. His voice was low and comforting, rumbling through his chest.
“Besides, my track record isn’t exactly clean. I live with that and you live with that. And somehow we’re still here, together.”
I offered him a weak smile and recited my vow to him. “Come hell or high water, you are my fire in the darkness.”
Wyatt pressed his forehead against mine, smiling through his own tears. “And you will always be my shield in the light.” His kiss set my soul free, if only for a moment. All the noise and guilt and pain—it slipped from me into him.
It came to me again, my menu. This time I pressed the settings before it vanished again, scrolling down.
“What are you doing?” Wyatt murmured in my ear.
“Changing the settings.”
He blinked and adjusted his glasses. “You can do that?”
“Let’s find out. Settings…Display…screen timeout. Huh. They have the word never listed as an option.” I pressed it and let the emotions come running back to me. I could feel the panic setting in.
“Who the hell are they?”
“You made the damn system! They must be you.” good, his anger is helping with my testing. The menu is still holding strong.
Now let’s just hope there are no side effects from staring at a screen for too long.
“I know I made the system, I just didn’t expect it to behave so differently outside of Sanctuary. It has to be fully integrated with an integral part of you that I can’t decipher yet.”
“Oh if I only had half a brain~” I teased him with a smirk. Deadpanned and unamused with me, he walked away, presumably back to Guy.
He did stop at the doorway, giving Theia one last icy glare. The moment he left, she shivered and stood by my side.
“He makes me unwell with just a glance. Are you sure he is just human?”
A soft chuckle escaped me and I shrugged.
“Human or not, that’s my man. Now then. I’ve pulled up the menu and it ain’t going anywhere so…”
I smirked at her, loving how disappointed she was that I didn’t just magically heal from everything. I used a fucking cheat code like a regular person.
“What are we doing first, teach?”
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter