Page 36 of The Dark Elf's Secret Twins

“Well, I have always wanted some more space to call my own…”

I cross my fingers behind my back.

“Alright Lykan, let’s do it.”

18

CYRA

Two.

Two years have flown by. It’s hard for me to believe that in such little time, my whole life has changed. But looking back, it feels like every memory before Lykan came to the theater is from another lifetime.

I still remember the day that he started. Admittedly, the first thing I noticed was how handsome he is. I originally thought he was a customer lounging by the bar, but his body language is all off. I could see how tense his muscles were, straining against his clothes, and his jaw set hard as his nearly black eyes swept the room.

For a moment, I was stunned. Really. His silvery hair frames his face perfectly, and I was mesmerized – still am – by black tattoo I saw running down his left arm, hardly concealed by his tunic.

As a good waitress, I approached him, and maybe there was a little bit more sway to my hips and heat pooling low in my stomach as I took him in. It’s not like I’m blind to the natural beauty of the dark elves, but Lykan…he’s different. I just didn’t realize at the time that the lack of cruelty written on his face shouldn’t have been mistaken for kindness.

“Can I get you anything?” I purred as I sidled up next to him. It was before I learned the mistake of flirting with customers.

His head turned toward me slowly, and when his eyes scanned down my body, I didn’t recoil in disgust. His gaze seared along my skin, and I reveled in it, even if I knew that I shouldn’t.

But then the corner of one side of his mouth curled, the fire I’m so used to now sparking in his eyes. “Space,” he snapped, his upper lip curling.

I blinked, taking a step back from him in shock. “What?”

“I’m not here to pay you for your pathetic body, human.” Though his eyes did drop down to look at my barely covered frame. “Get the fuck out of my way.”

It didn’t take long for me to learn after that that he was just a guard, not a customer. And our hatred for each other blossomed, fames fed with endless fuel until we finally combusted. For over a year, every interaction we had was like that, and every day, I hoped that he would get hit by a fucking cart and shoved off a damn cliff just so I wouldn’t have to tolerate his presence any longer.

I never could have anticipated what the past two years would lead to.

Seven.

Seven months ago Lykan found out about the pregnancy. It’s not the way I wanted him to, but his reaction shattered my heart. And for seven months I tried to stop thinking about him, tried to push away that heartache. But I couldn’t.

I told myself over and over that I should have never gotten my hopes up with Lykan anyway. It was purely physical – so why did it hurt so bad?

For days, weeks really, after, I could still see his face every time I closed my eyes. When I opened that door, my heart soared to see him. I had foolishly believed he sought me out – dare I say he missed me?

But I was clearly wrong.

His face said it all when his eyes dropped to my pregnant belly and I felt the stab of every single shard of my broken heart as it exploded in my chest. And no matter how hard I tried to, I couldn’t put the damn thing back together again. I don’t even remember when I gave him such access to the damn thing, but, just as I had expected I always would, I had regretted it.

“You know Braythe and Lykan?” Nasthyn had asked me that afternoon after they’d left.

It made it hurt worse to hear someone so casually mention him. But I sucked in a deep breath and did the one thing that comes so naturally to me. Lied.

“I used to work with Lykan. That’s all.”

For a moment, Nasthyn got quiet, and when I looked up from my cleaning, he was watching me. As a miou, a mapmaker, he is far too astute for my liking. “That’s all?”

I swallowed hard against the emotion that threatened to overwhelm then, the feelings I had yet to process. “It appears so.” My voice sounded too raspy, and I think that Nasthyn picked up on it.

But he only pursed his lips and nodded before going back to his work, and it felt like the greatest kindness that had ever been extended to me. Because I needed the time to heal, to forget Lykan and all that I felt for him. But I never did.

Even after seven months I still want him, still want to be in his life. Maybe I should have learned my lesson, but I couldn’t let him go.

---