Page 29 of The Daughters of Nyx

I watched her take him in, her eyes snagging on the Rolex now smudged with soot. “Oh, okay then.” Then those beautiful, wide eyes shifted to Elias. “You, then?”

I didn’t think he was expecting her to address him, but when his eyes found hers, something darkened within the green of his irises. The shift in him was subtle, but I sensed the change almost immediately.

“Something like that,” he muttered, eyes meeting mine. “Unfortunately, we’ll be your new neighbours.”

From the corner of my eye, I watched Ivy’s reaction. I waited for the surprise and the questions. But instead, she grinned. “Well, good luck with Mr. Owens’s pigeon problem.”

Elias blinked slowly. “What?”

Ivy pushed off the door jamb and pointed to the window. “Sometimes, he liked to feed the birds from his window. Like clockwork. Oh, and make sure to change the landline number—he had alotof friends who stopped by regularly.”

“Friends?” I asked, turning to take her in.

The grin turned cheeky as she nodded. “Yep. They stopped by atallhours of the day and night. Most were nice. Charged him a fortune, though I’m pretty sure he had a secret side business that allowed him to afford such…luxuries.”

“Pros?” Jay asked, and when Ivy nodded, he boomed with laughter.

“I hope he warned some of them of his departure. Otherwise, you’ll have to deal with Begonia, who comes by on a weekly basis.” Ivy shrugged a shoulder as she stepped into the apartment. “Begonia is lovely, but she’ll be really disappointed when she finds out her Thursday night appointments are cancelled. She breaks things.”

Jay’s laughter didn’t end, and Elias’s discomfort only seemed to deepen as Ivy giggled along with Jay. Seeing Elias lost for words almost had me joining the fun, but my eyes snagged on Ivy’s bright face—the smile had turned into a full-blown grin, cheeks red with happiness.

That strange shock of electricity shot through me. It heightened my magic for a moment, bringing it to a boiling point, before simmering down and settling in my veins.

What in Nyx’s name is that about?

I’d have to check with Rowan later, ask if he noticed anything strange with his own magic.

“Well, it was nice meeting you, Ivy,” Jay said, wiping a stray tear from the corner of his eye. “And if you boys need anything, have Maeve text me.”

We said our goodbyes and watched Jay leave. My shoulders loosened when he disappeared, and I wasn’t sure why.

Turning to Ivy, I offered her a smile. “So, was that all true?” I asked finally, cocking my head.

She looked between me and Elias before shaking her head. “I’ll let you guys figure that out.” Then she directed her attention to me, and I felt an ache in my chest I wasn’t sure how to identify. “I had fun today.”

I watched with wide eyes as Ivy rose to her tip-toes, leaned in, and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek. Stars exploded behind my eyes, and when I sucked in a breath, I caught hints of coconut in her hair.

As she pulled away, I grinned. “I really am thankful Rowan couldn’t go out anymore.”

She laughed, and behind me, Elias snorted. “Okay, lover boy, we have shit to do, so if you could say goodnight…?” He trailed off, his eyes on Ivy. I couldn’t read her expression; something darkened in her eyes, and her features took on a worry that made my stomach twist.

Ignoring Elias, I touched her hand. “If you would let me, I’d love to go out again.”

Her eyes widened, and for a moment, I wondered if she’d say no. I was ready to release her hand when she tightened her fingers around mine, and started rifling through her purse. “Text me, and we can work something out.”

She handed me her phone, creating a new contact. I quickly added my details, the new number still strange to

remember, but Maeve had drilled us with the information the entire drive into the city, making sure we wouldn’t be left without any means of reconnecting if something went wrong with the mission.

Handing her back the phone, I felt my own buzz in my pocket a moment later. Not a message, but a gif of Joey fromFriends,with the text:how you doin’?

“Now you have my number,” she said proudly, shoving her phone back into her purse.

The floorboards behind us creaked; I didn’t have to turn around to know Elias had finally walked away. The ass really could ruin a good time with his scowl.

Initially, I’d thought of him as nothing more than a soldier. Did what had to be done. He and Maeve were both stoic, intense people, so it made sense that he was her second. But he was new to field work like this, and his manners weren’t the only sign that he wasn’t prepared for what it took to convince Ivy she had to come with us.

A dark, twisty feeling curdled in my stomach.Guilt. It churned and threatened to consume me. Ivy didn’t deserve to be tricked, and yet, that’s exactly what we were doing. Playing roles in order to force her back to Avalon.

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