Page 86 of The Daughters of Nyx

As the footsteps came closer, I pricked the skin of her throat, before dropping the thorn back in the pouch and throwing it at Thea, who tucked it into her own pocket.

The red-head dropped, and suddenly, the doorway was filled with dark-clad bodies, with their mouths and noses covered in black cloth. Before I could lift the gun again, the man in front of the group pulled his mask down and raised his hands in surrender.

I knew his face, his name.

Jay.

32

IVY

I stared blankly at the man standing before me.His familiar blue eyes met mine, and he offered me the same charming smile he did when we’d first met in the hallway of the apartment building.

I didn’t lower the gun. “Are you with the Queen or not?” I asked, my finger at the trigger.

His blue eyes dropped to the weapon before lifting to mine. “You know the answer to that, Ivy.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, not happening. Prove it.”

Jay looked down at the bodies. “Adrian gave me a code, something you’d understand.Lord Easterly.”

My cheeks warmed at the memory that accompanied those words. Adrian on his knees before me, the promise of

being worshipped on the tip of his tongue. His head buried between my thighs as he brought me to finish.

I cleared my throat and slowly lowered the gun. Thea’s cheeks puffed out, but eventually, she did the same.

“My sisters and mother are still alive. I need you to get them out. Thea and I can defend ourselves, but they can’t.” I looked down at their almost still bodies, fear plunging through my heart. “Make sure they get out. Hell, put them in a car and take them straight to Avalon if you have to.”

Jay frowned, but motioned for his team to enter the room. “Did you two take out all these guards?” he asked carefully.

I nodded silently, but kept my eyes on his team. They were gentle picking up the girls, but the man who knelt beside my mother looked up with uncertain eyes.

“She’s dying, boss.”

The words were said so evenly that I almost didn’t believe them.She’s dying. I’d felt the stuttering of her heart with my own hand and yet, I wanted to discard everything the guy had said.

Prepare yourself, my flower, his voice whispered sadly in my head,for everything is about to change.

I swallowed hard, but I couldn’t drag my gaze from my mother’s dying body.

The man kneeling beside her looked between me and Jay. “She’s fully human. The fact that she’s lasted this long is surprising. The kids should wake up in an hour or two.”

I sensed Jay’s eyes on me, but instead of asking me directly, he said, “Bring her. We won’t let anything happen to her.”

I found myself nodding my thanks. But no words came to me. Nothing. How would I tell the girls? What was going to happen to them?

Their dad was M.I.A. I didn’t know where he was, and Kerry would be the only one who did. Maybe his contact was in her phone, but I doubted she had it on her—the guards likely stripped everyone, including Eloise, of their phones.

Jay looked at each of his soldiers. “I’ll take the lead. You girls stay behind me, keep those guns up, but don’t shoot unless I tell you. We have cars out front that are bullet proof and protected against magic, so I want to get you there as soon as possible.”

Thea and I nodded mutely. The soldiers who carried my family said nothing. None of the girls stirred; little Maisie, who I knew was lighter than she looked, was tucked in one arm, while the other unholstered their own gun.

The voice didn’t return as we left the darkness of my sister’s bedroom. Shouts and gunshots filtered up the stairs, but they seemed to be coming from outside. But I barely heard any of it over the ringing in my ears. Over the sound of that man’s voice as he told me Kerry was going to die.

We made it down the stairs, and subconsciously, I avoided the stair that creaked the loudest. Even Thea seemed to do so without a thought, her eyes glassy as she held out her gun like a shield. I raised mine as well, but its weight felt like nothing in my hands, like sand about to slip through my fingers.

A couple more minutes, my flower, the voice whispered,and then you will be safe. Stay with me for a couple more minutes.

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