Page 19 of The Daughters of Nyx

7

IVY

THE deep growl of some animal pulled me frommy sleep.My eyes snapped open as it rumbled through my room. I couldn’t move—couldn’t even lift my head to investigate. But it sounded like it was right outside my window.

I squeezed my eyes shut.It’s nothing. Just the engine of a motorcycle or something. The sound softened, like it was moving away, but the sound continued to crawl over my skin until I fell asleep again.

~

I poured the steamed milk over the dark coffee, mind stuck on the weird noises last night. At first, I’d chalked it

up to a bad dream. Another nightmare that needed to be documented in my dream journal.

But then I’d seen the scratches. Deep indentations in the wood of my window frame. They were fresh, the splintered wood falling apart in my hand. Paint around the scratches—which was fresh as of two months ago—flaking in my hands.

So, I wasn’t crazy. Therehad beensomething outside my window last night.

I just didn’t know what.

Sighing, I left half the milk for Thea. Her bed creaked, indicating her impending appearance. For whatever unholy reason, she could roll out of bed like a ray of sunshine was shooting out of her ass, despite her sometimes much later shifts.

The door to her small room slammed open to reveal Thea, dressed only in a long t-shirt that fell mid-thigh. Her blonde hair, cut short for work, was straight and brushed her shoulders, somehow not a tangled mess like my own.

“Good morning!” she sang, entering the kitchen. I narrowed my eyes and watched as she poured herself a shot of espresso, added two pumps of vanilla and one caramel, and poured the steamed milk on top.

Something in her bedroom stirred, and I straightened, leaning over the counter to take in the sous chef, Jason, slinking from beneath the tower of pillows covering her headboard. I caught sight of his tanned ass before standing back with a grimace.

When I turned to Thea, her cheeky grin said it all. “Again?” I asked softly, raising a brow.

She sighed, but did a little wiggle. “Look, we don’tallhave access to sexy red-heads and their friends, alright? Sometimes, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do to find some…relief.”

I gagged as Jason appeared in the doorway, cheeks redder than the daily lobster special, and his uniform messy as he stumbled to pull his boots on.

“Morning, Jase,” I said, taking a sip of coffee.

He mumbled a response, his dark eyes falling on Thea. “We-uh, I had fun last night, T.”

Thea barely acknowledged him as she breathed in her caramel-vanilla-coffee concoction. “Hmm. Yeah, okay Jase. See you tomorrow.”

The poor guy smiled like she didn’t just brush him off. But he didn’t linger, instead escaping our apartment, earning a giggle from me. “He is so into you.”

Thea shrugged. “He is a means to an end, and he actually gave me that last night.”

I quirked a brow, shaking my head. “Whore.”

Thea mocked a hurt expression, holding a hand to her heart. “Classywhore, thank you very much.”

Laughter erupted between us and filled our otherwise quiet apartment. We’d been friends for as long as I could remember, and through thick and thin, we’d been together. Partners in crime, as her grandmother would say. There was nothing we did that we didn’t do together.

When the laughter died down, I wiped my eyes. “So,” I said, leaning against the island counter. “I have a date.”

Thea paused, staring at me over the top of her mug. “It better not be with that dickhead from downstairs, or that trash-bag from back home, because I swear to Go—”

“It’s with Rowan,” I replied, cutting her off with a chuckle. “The redhead from theCamilla.”

Wide eyed, she spun around, almost dropping her coffee as she did. “No fucking way. Possible futureneighbourRowan?”

I nodded, and took a sip of the hot coffee, smiling. “Yep. He technically asked me to go out last night, but y’know, the last thing you want to do is go out with a really hot guy after a long day of work.”

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