Chapter 37 THIRTY SIX
Chapter 37 THIRTY SIX
NYRA'S POV
Living my entire life in Lunaria has me staring at the human town with complete awe. I always knew the human realm existed, but I didn't ever get the chance to imagine how it would look like.
Mela had been there several times and despite the stories she kept filing my mind with, I did a shit job at imagining we what it would look like.
“Do you want anything to eat?" Riven asks, coming to stand behind me. “The jet leaves in an hour and it's going to be a long ride to Istanbul."
I nod and he grabs my hand and pulls me to the car.
“Where are we going?" I ask as the engine comes to life.
“To get you something to eat," he says, focussing on the road. I nod and keep my eyes plastered on him.
He's dressed in a white shirt and black trousers. His hair is messy and his skin is a bit tan from the heat. His muscles stretch out the shirt he's wearing, and the rolled up sleeves show his perfect taut arm muscles.
He looks hot while driving.
“If you don't want me to park this car and fuck you on the side of the road then I'll suggest you stop looking at me like that,” he says, not looking away from the road.
I blush and look away.
I've had sex with Lucien and Kade and for some reason, I find myself imaging how Riven would feel like. He was the first person to warm up to me and the first to make me feel safe. But I know he's holding back for some reason.
I divert my gaze to the lively city outside and focus on appreciating it's beauty. The people are thesame like those in Lunaria, just that they're a lot more busy.
Cars, trucks, busses, hawkers and a lot of noise.
He pulls up to the side of a huge building and he gets out, moves to my side of the door and opens it.
The building is like a palace; huge and shiny with walls made of marble and windows made of tinted glass, like they're hiding top secret information.
“May I?" Riven says, offering me his hand. I take it and he leads me into the restaurant. We take the elevator to the top floor, and he leads me to one of the tables.
“Mr Blackthorn," a waiter calls, walking towards our table. He bows when he gets to the table. “It's an honor to host you here at our restaurant. What should I get you and your companion
Riven keeps his gaze on me as he speaks. " What do you want?” My confusion must show on my face because he laughs and shakes his head. " Don't worry, the menu is the same as the one you know at Lunaria. There's nothing different from that.”
“Oh!" I murmur. “I'll have some French fries then, and a bottle of water.”
Riven nods and turns to the waitress. " Thesame for me but with a glass of red wine.”
The waiter bows, then turns around and leaves.
" He seems to have a lot of respect for you,” I observe and he nods.
" Considering my brothers and I own the place, it's only fitting."
Oh! That means their influence doesn't only end in the wolf realm, it also extends to the human realm as well.
“I still find it strange that you've never been to the human realm before,” Riven says staring at me like I grew two heads. " Didn't your uncle ever take you there?”
I scoff and almost choke on a laugh. " Jackson raised me for eleven years and not once did he ever bother if I had a decent meal to eat. He treated me like I was some sort of a burden that he was stuck with forever. The only person who ever told me anything about the human realm was my elder sister, Mela.”
" You have a sister?” He asks and I shake my head, the memory stabbing me in the chest like a sharp knife.
" Had,” I whisper. " She died on the day we escaped for Jackson's pack. His guards were after us and she used herself and a distraction."
I blink, fighting back the tears that threaten to spill. After my parents died, Mela was the only person that made living joyful. Our uncle didn't treat us like servants, but he didn't care if we lived or died. He never saw us or spoke to us, except for when I first had my wolf.
“I'm sorry about her death," Riven mumurs, reaching across the table and taking my hands. I shake my head and wipe my tears away.
Stupid tears!
" It's not your fault. Nothing to be sorry about."
It's been over a month, but no matter how hard I try, Mela is always in my mind. As my mother, my big sister and my best friend.
“Jackson's an asshole. I'll give anything to rip out his throat myself. But unfortunately, we can't wage war on the light wolf packs until we've got enough of the support we need.”
I'd also do anything to rip his throat apart, make him pay for what he did to my sister. But my focus now is to find the fragments of the crystal and activate it before the next dark moon eclipse.
The waiter returns with our order and carefully places it before us, bows then leaves. I dig in to my food and close my eyes to savor the taste..
“Nothing tastes as good as French fries before a stressful day," I murmur and he laughs softly.
“Eat up," he says. “You'll need it. The flight to Istanbul is long and as soon as we land there, we head for the portal."
I nod and take a sip of my water. “Do you think I'll one day find my mother?" I ask. Ever since the encounter at the palace and Zoya informing us that it wasn't her, but an Uncilli, I have always wondered if she's somewhere out there.
“I have reason to believe that your mother is in Xorus's captivity," Riven says, then puts a fry into his mouth and sips his wine. “See, I did some research last night and I came across a really interesting fact. An Uncilli can't take on form if they are not farmiliar with the main specimen.’
“That means…"
Riven nods, agreeing with my unspoken thoughts. “For an Uncilli to take on the form of someone, they must have direct contact with the person whose form they are taking. A special ritual is done to ensure this."