MAHINA.

I stomp out of the building the flutter in my ears telling me Nyx isn’t far behind.

Heart in throat I head towards my dorm finally allowing thoughts of my beautiful boy to invade my mind, how was he did he think I had left him, would he be mad again?

The last time we went on tour Nyx had refused to talk or even acknowledge me for a whole week. I had spent half that week drowning my sorrows in Ryder’s bar serenading everyone with awful versions of my favourite songs, and the other half moping around the house stalking Blue while he went on about his activities like I wasn’t even a blip on his radar.

Mama had enough and dragged me out of Ryder’s by my ears and most of the patrons were happy to see me live, there’s only so much of a drunk girl singing about spring days, and loving herself they could take.

I had stayed out later than normal that day, giving up on any sort of reconciliation with my baby, but on getting home, ears smarting, I found the little hellion pacing on the driveway muttering to himself, the moment he saw me he had flung his favourite plushy to the ground and sprinted into me knocking my drunk self-flat on my ass.

The thought brings a smile to my face as I make it to the main entrance of the black house.

“Mama!”

I’m stunned for a moment thinking I’m still stuck in the memory when a colourful blur flings itself from the building into my arms.

I feel my knees grow weak and crumple as I struggle to contain myself, Blue, he was here, and he wasn’t mad.

I bury my face in his blue locks, sobbing my heart out. I feel his tiny hands creep up my back gripping and clenching as his wings try to fold me in, but they are too small.

His chest vibrates and I realise my baby was also crying which sets me off again, I don’t know how long we stay there, but I’m forced to look up when someone clears their throat.

“I didn’t know he could cry?” says Andrei and I turn my inquisitive stare on him, I hadn’t even heard them come out.

“what do you mean?” I ask standing up with Blue still buried in my arms, I prop him on my hips and he buried his face further into my neck, biting and gripping.

Hiding a wince, I cock my head at Andrei waiting for him to explain his outburst.

“He has been so chill the whole time, I thought babies are supposed to cry throughout.”

I go to answer, obviously in my baby’s defence when Ax raises his hand halting me, “can i…” he breaks off arms spread.

What did he want? Oh…

Spreading my free arm, I prepare to tease him when his face also crumples and he walks into the hug.

“I’m so glad you’re back and in one piece, I thought…I’m so sorry, we all are for leaving you alone that night, so sorry.” He whispers sound breaking.

Wait, what? Did he blame himself?

“Can we take this inside? we are attracting an audience.” Roan says before I get to speak.

We trudge after him with Blue still clinging onto me, but my mind is whirling, why do they blame themselves?

“they were with you before you were taken I gather, then they left you alone, and then you were kidnapped! they should blame themselves.”

I jolt hard, I had forgotten the damn talking lizard was with us.

We walk in towards the elevator and Ax pauses to let me in first.

“Open the window when you get there, so I can fly up, I’m not getting into that contraption.”

I scoff earning a glance from Andrei who’s nestled close to me and Blue but with how tense he was you would think I had spikes on my skin.

“Why would saying I’m not entering the cage be insulting to you?” Nyx yells and I look at him baffled as the door closes. Was he talking to me?

What do you mean, I didn’t say it stinks…”

His yell drifts off as we ascend then a new voice enters my head.

Mahina, child, are you overly attached to that obnoxious lizard? Dru sounds in my ear.

Ah, that’s who Nyx was yelling at.

“not quite, but don’t hurt him so, he’s growing on me.”

Mmph!

It goes silent, and it takes me a while to realise the elevator is silent too, the boys previously talking among themselves looking at me with expressions ranging from baffled to scared.

“What?”

“Who were you talking to?” Aziz asks staring at me like I was about to go off.

Oh, shit I had said that out loud.

Before I can explain myself, the elevator halts and the door opens to the hallway leading to the rooms.

We are all silent, and I even choose to overlook the fact that Andrei is the one who opens my door.

“What’s going on?”

“Who were you talking to?”

Ax and I ask at the same time.

“you first.” We go again and I can’t help but chuckle, and I guess that was a good thing because his face lights up, like a K-pop award show.

“We,” he motions to the rest of the guys, “wanted to apologize for leaving you alone at the party, even Andrei,” he adds as if reading my mind.

“Not that it mattered but apology accepted, I didn’t blame you, I was drunk off my ass, and walking home alone, that’s kidnap a bi...aby 101.”

“But we knew you were plastered, and have zero self-defence skills, so it’s on us for leaving you there,” Roan adds, with Andrei nodding furiously beside him.

I go to retort but Andrei cuts me off, “accept the apology so that we can move on to other things.”

“ok, sunshine, what things?" I retort moving to sit on my bed facing them as Blue finally lifts his head from my neck.

“like the lizard that’s trying to flip me off from your window.”

Oh, shit Nyx, I totally forgot about letting him in.

Jumping up and almost jolting Blue I dash to the window and push the button to the window furiously apologizing to a very pissed-off dragon.

"You could have just asked Dru to let him in," mutters Aziz also moving towards the bed and lounging back on it like he had done it 100 times before.

It must show on my face because he answered with a grin, “we sort of camped out in your room because Ax wouldn’t leave and Andrei…”

“Shut it,” the man in question growls as he moves towards us.

I watch as he moves closer, and I back up almost pushing Nyx back out the window.

“Who are you,” he asks eyes firmly focused on Nyx.

Puffing up his chest, or I assume that’s what he does, Nyx moves to hover right in front of his face, “I am Nyx Evernight of…”

“Doesn’t matter, question is why are you here with her?”

Good to know I wasn't the only one he had a habit of rudely cutting off mid-sentence.

“Why you little…”

“Nyx! baby,” I chastise him knowing how foul-mouthed he could be, he throws a glance at Nyx who’s curled up in my arms following everything intently.

“I am the one who helped Mahi when you little…you boys were too busy to walk her home and she was grabbed, I was her best companion in Bright,” he finishes off with an indignant huff.

I shake my head at Nyx’s antics but the fact that Andrei doesn’t retort has me looking up again, at their crestfallen faces, Ax looks like he is about to break down.

“Come on guys, forgiven, remember? and not to be ungrateful or insensitive, but why are you taking it so personally Ax?” I ask.

And the room goes silent, all eyes on the man in question, who’s still standing at the door.

“I’m older, I’m supposed to take care of you, and him too.”

What the what?

I glance around at the rest of the boys but seems only I find an issue with that statement.

“what does he mean?” I ask no one in particular.

“I …um I thought dad told you already, but I …”

“Oh, for crying out loud, he’s your fucking brother!” Aziz of all people yells.

"language!" I yell back on autopilot still processing what he just said, because what the fuck!