Just as the towering demon began to drop the ball of power into the sea, the storm disappeared, leaving Nadira exposed and windswept on the beach.
With a whip of his head, giant white eyes set against the blank black face found her and her world was swallowed by darkness.
*
Having been tossed unceremoniously onto the bed, Nadira scrambled to sit up as the shrinking black shape stomped toward her. Quickly Idrak faded back into himself, his sharp fae-like features coming back into focus like a fading polaroid.
Standing at the foot of the bed, Idrak seethed, heat tumbling off of his body like flares of the sun.
"What has she done to you?" he rasped, reaching for her leg and pulling Nadira down the bed. "Are you hurt? What did she say? I know she was out there, I could feel that bitch's power. She opened the gate, she took you. Tell me?!" he demanded as his clawed hands prodded and moved her body so he could inspect her fully. "I should drain the fucking ocean for that witch and drag her out by her hair!"
A pathetic little flare of relief bubbled to life within her as she realized he wasn't angry at her—yet.
"Idrak, please, I'm fine. I am, see," Nadira waved her hands up and down her form. Pushing back her messy hair, she watched as he let his eyes give her one last inspecting glance before he visibly calmed in relief.
Now for the terrible part, Nadira thought. "I was the one who went down to the beach," she confessed all in one big breath.
His white eyes crackled in fury as he absorbed her words. "You what?!" he roared.
"She…she just told me what you've done," she rushed to explain.
Leaning back in shock, Idrak stared at her. "What I have done?"
"Yes! What you have done!" she yelled back, tired of the only one being racked with fear. This was just as much his fault as it was hers. Sitting on the bed, she pointed an accusing finger at him. "I asked you if you had been doing anything to me, and you said nothing. I asked you what the marks on your skin were but each time you deflected my question. I have been losing sleep for days now, worrying about dreams of you writing on me and worrying if I was going mad. You lied to me, Idrak."
"You little fool, I was trying to protect you!" he snarled. Pacing from one end of the bed to the other, he held out his hands and grabbed at the air violently. "I nearly destroyed the whole goddamn ocean for you!"
"And how was I supposed to know that?" Standing onto her knees, her eyes tracked the pacing demon. "I..I kept imagining things. I thought...you were trying to get rid of me or something."
At that, Idrak whirled around, his face a mask of shock and rage. "After everything I've done for you. After all the times I have bared my soul to you, you think this of me?!"
His words felt like a shot to the gut, but Nadira did not relent. "Don't you dare try to put this on me. If you would have just told me-"
"If you would have just trusted me," he countered with a snarl.
"Trust you?! How can I just blindly have faith when you tell me nothing? How dare you even say that?" Tears threatened to choke her words but Nadira savagely pushed them away as she pointed at him. "I'm already the fool for you. I love you so much and it makes no sense. I love you despite you betraying and attacking me. I love you even though we aren't even the same species. I love you even though you have the power to snap your fingers and make me forget that you ever existed if you decide you have had enough playing house with me."
"I would never do that to you." The intensity in his bright gaze and the heaviness of his solemn words crumbled the wall of her pride with one fell blow.
Sinking to the bed, Nadira sat wilted with her legs folded underneath her. She didn’t want to argue, and she didn't want his anger, she just wanted to understand and reach a common ground together. "I'm sorry I put on the stone. I shouldn't have run away."
His eyes narrowed at her words, and he turned to look out the windows in their room towards the dark sea beyond. "The stone? Was that how you hid from me?"
Nadira hung her head at his words. When he said it like that, it made it sound so much worse. "Yes. The first time it happened was purely accidental. But this time I just wanted-"
"To leave me," he bit out savagely. Idrak didn't even turn to look at her. Still facing the window, his hands were clenched into fists, his claws digging into his palms.
Her gaze sat longingly on his muscled bare back, willing him to turn and look at her again.
"I thought you were trying to hurt me," she explained. Couldn’t he see this from her point of view? Wouldn’t anyone think the same thing?
"Trust me, I should," he muttered bluntly.
Choosing to ignore that statement for the sake of progress, she thought of the stone. "I think after I released you, you must have wished to never see the stone again or something. At least I think that's what I think happened. That could be why when I put it on, you could not see me."
"Mmm, that makes sense," he said thoughtfully as he turned from the window. "I can't tell you how many times the slip up of that phrase has gotten me in trouble over the years."
Nadira felt a tremulous glimmer of hope at that and decided to grasp onto her chance. Scooting forward on the bed until she was at the foot of it, closing the distance between them she gave him a pleading look. "I don't want to fight anymore."
For a long while, Idrak said nothing. He just stared down at her past the bridge of his nose, his empty white eyes shining imperiously at her. Eventually, his chest rose and fell with a grumbling sigh that vibrated the air around them. "Neither do I."
Sweet relief flooded her bloodstream. Reaching for his hand, she wrapped her fingers through his and felt her heart quicken when he responded, allowing his fingers to close over hers in return.
"I want to hear it from you," she began. "What are the marks on your skin and the ones I cannot see on mine?"
Indignation flashed in his eyes, but he did not let go of her hand. "If you think I'm going to let this drop completely, then you-"
Irritation so hot and fierce sparked to life within her and she reacted before her brain could stop her. With a quickness, neither one of them knew she possessed she grabbed the base of one of his beautiful black horns and yanked him forward, cutting his words off with a startled growl. Pulling him to face level, she gave him a furious look.
"It has been dropped," she said firmly, "and you will tell me, Idrak. I'm tired and I have been through too much tonight to have even one more shred of patience, I want the truth."
Grumbling something under his breath he obliged her. Sinking onto the bed beside her, they both sat face to face.