"Lyra, you are going to be the death of me. I swear." His whisper tickled the back of her neck, and Lyra squirmed in his arms, failing to move when he tightened his hands around her waist. "What, what do you mean?" Lyra's voice came out in a squeak, and she felt a heated blush rush into her cheeks. "I want to keep you safe, and you being there is going to drive me crazy, especially since I won't be with you." Lyra snapped out of her daze, and immediately grew angry. He was trying to use this bond of whatever to convince her to stay here. Hell. No.
Lyra(2022)
Lyra stared at the abnormally large man in shock. She straightened her shoulders and glared at him, eyes boring into one another. "You can't be serious right now." She huffed at him. Confusion spread across his face, and he took a step away from her. "What do you mean?" She took a step back from him, mimicking his reaction. "I know what you're trying to do right now and it wont work." Her tone was clipped and a darkness flashed across Thyrius' face. "What, pray tell, am I trying to do right now?" There was no amusement or playfulness in his voice, and she knew she had angered him.
She wasn't going to back down though, not this time. "You're trying to use our mate bond or whatever to get me to stay here. I won't have it. I don't need permission to go anywhere, and I don't need someone to emotionally manipulate me into thinking otherwise. I have had enough of others trying to mold my emotions to fit theirs. I am just as much a part of this as you are. I don't know what you had with your other mat-" She was cut off by a low growl emitting from his throat. "You don't know what you're talking about! You don't know anything about my past relationship so don't have any place to speak on it." He roared at her, and she felt herself shrink down, he realized he has scared her and took a step back. Lyra felt her cheeks heat up in anger. "I would actually know what I was talking about if you just talked to me about how you feel! I am kept in the shadows when it comes to your feelings, so don't blame me when I make assumptions based on your lack of! Hell, I can understand your hesitance when it comes to this whole relationship thing, but being hot and cold all the time is only going to make all of this more confusing." Lyra threw her hands into the air in frustration, and tried to get past Thyrius and to the door. She had enough of this and she wanted to train. She needed a distraction, and fast.
His arms stopped her in her tracks, circling her waist and pulling her to him. "I'm sorry, my sweet Lyra. I'm sorry. You don't understand, I'm not trying to get you to stay, I understand your part in this, and I understand that this is the best course of action if we want answers. However, I don't have to like it, and it doesn't mean that I won't worry about you. Yes, I had a mate, years ago, eons ago. Yes there are times when I miss her, and what we had. That only makes this bond that I have with you, that much more confusing. I crave you, in every aspect, and being near you sends my wolf into a frenzy. There isn't a minute that goes by that I don't want you in my arms. But, you have little knowledge of my world, and there are things that I can't, won't rush with you, because if this is a trick by the gods, I won't survive it. Not this time." Lyra could swear she heard his voice crack. Peeking through her lashes she got a glimpse of his face.
For the first time since she met Thyrius, well, human Thyrius, she saw raw vulnerability in his eyes. She saw the hurt and the pain that had lingered in his heart for hundreds of years. Her heart clenched at his words, and she felt guilt spread throughout her veins, heating her insides. Lyra didn't want to fight with him, but she wanted to know where she stood with him. "This isn't a trick, because I feel it, I can sense it in the depths of my soul that there is something here. We are going to make it through this, you just have to talk to me about it. Keeping me in the dark about your emotions is going to lead to more issues in the future." She kept her voice soft, and placed her hand on his cheek. There was a war going on inside of him, and all she wanted to do was comfort him. The shock was evident on his face when she ran her thumb across his cheek. His arms tightened at her waist and he buried his face in Lyra's neck. Goosebumps rose on her arms and she let him nuzzle her neck a little longer until she pulled away from him and headed towards his desk. "We can take this at whatever pace you want, but Thyrius, let me in. Let me in at least just enough. You don't have to tell me the details, just enough so that I can understand. You're one confusing man, and I tend to jump to conclusions. That isn't a good mix when were trying to not die at the hands of some vampire and his red eyed minions."
She made perfect sense to him, and she knew it. "I will try my damndest, Lyra, for you. You don't deserve more stress than I've already put you through. I'm not a very warm and fuzzy guy, and I understand that my....bluntness can be mistaken for..." "Assholeness?" "Yes, that" Lyra blushed, and put her hand over her mouth to cover her shock. His chuckle echoed in the small space before he continued. "But I promise to try, for you. Goddess knows I'd do anything to keep you in my life right now." That's all she needed to hear from him. As long as he was going to try, she would try too. Thyrius placed his hand back on the map and began reciting the terms of the treaty that Lyra would discuss with the Head Priestess, and they fell back into a rhythm of strategy and planning. It was like breathing to Thyrius. He was calculated in his planning, and went over the pro's and con's of each approach with such depth and precision. It was inspiring to Lyra. With each plan was an exit strategy, and she saw why he was the one on the throne. He executed power beyond her wildest dreams, and Lyra could only hope that she would achieve a fraction of the confidence her mate had.