Page 43 of The Daughters of Nyx

I pulled the clothes on without caring, and turned back to Archer. “Can you get a read on the magical signature?”

The mage shook his head, grimacing. “Like you, it’s evading me. Which means whoever summoned the hounds was here, and they cleaned up after themselves.” He turned to Grey. “We’ll probably lose the hound at this rate. Whoever it is, they know we’re onto them.”

“Is there anything we can gather from this location?” she asked.

I shared a look with Archer. “I can’t get anything.”

“Neither can I,” he said. “Let’s get her home.”

All three of us turned to take in the would-be-Queen; her eyes squeezed shut and her face burrowed into the Prince’s chest, she looked ready to pass out—or run.

Ivy said nothing, though. Kingsley murmured in her ear about explaining everything, but when her eyes opened, they met mine before rolling back.

I barely caught her before she could hit the ground. Swinging her up into my arms, I fought control with the wolf. It wanted to whisk her away somewhere safe, away from everyone, away from the dangers that awaited her back on the island.

Instead, I turned to Grey. “After you, boss.”

~

No one spoke as we entered the apartment. Silence met us as the door clicked shut behind Grey, and although Archer muttered additional spells under his breath, and we knew we were alone, the wolf had no intention of releasing the woman in our arms.

I breathed in her scent and wondered again why she made me feel so…different. Her scent didn’t resemble Queen Greer’s, and the current Queen didn’t have this effect on me. In her presence, I felt nothing but respect for our ruling monarch, and yet with Ivy pressed against my chest, her face buried in my neck, all I wanted to do was take her into the bedroom and tear the clothes off of her beautiful body and let the wolf claim her. I didn’t feel like her protector—I felt like somethingmore.

Kingsley tucked himself into the corner of the couch and motioned for me to place her down next to him. I didn’t want to. The weight of her in my arms placated the beast beneath my skin; proved to him she was safe and protected.

But Grey nodded, and instead of fighting to keep the sweet smelling angel in my arms, I bowed my head and started for the Prince. I had to fight every instinct telling me to protect her.

Ivy shook, hands trembling, as I lowered her onto the sofa next to Kingsley. No one attempted to touch her, though, as Archer took the spot next to her. Grey paced next to the window, so I claimed the wall beside the kitchen, crossing my arms.

Despite the stink of hellhound clinging to us, Ivy’s distinct scent lingered on Kingsley the most, a mingle that shifted both scents in a way that gave away their previous arousal. I tampered down on a growl, but the wolf clawed at my insides, begging for release.

“Ivy?” the Prince started, slipping to the floor in front of her, so she could see him. “Do you want anything? Water, tea?”

Her unfocused gaze fell to her hands. “I want you all gone,” she whispered. She brought her shaky hands to her face, covering her eyes. “I want you all to get the fuckout.”

“We can’t do that, not yet,” Grey said, voice calm. There was an uncertainty in her eyes that made me tense. She stalked over to the sofa and lowered herself to her knees, though she kept her distance from Ivy. “We need to explain what happened first.”

Ivy dropped her hands from her face, wide eyes finding Grey, an unsteady laugh trickling from her lips. “Explain what, exactly?” Her dark brown eyes swept over the room in disbelief and anger. “Because what I saw was pretty self-explanatory.”

Kingsley cleared his throat, drawing her attention to him. “What you saw were three hellhounds, demons from the darkest realm in Nyx’s Domain.” He looked like he wanted to take her hand, but didn’t. “But we are soldiers of Nyx.”

That’s putting it mildly. “What he means to say is we are creatures of Nyx, her children. Supernatural. I’m a shifter—wolf shifter. Grey is a vamp. Those two are mages,” I said, jaw clenching as Ivy’s eyes found mine. “And you aren’t human.”

Her brows furrowed. “Then what the hell am I?” She sat back, crossing her arms over her chest, where dark blood from the demon stained her shirt. “Because I was starting to think all ofthat—” she motioned noncommittedly towards the outside world—“was because of you guys.”

We all looked to Grey. It was up to her just how far we’d go with the truth.

Our leader didn’t look uncomfortable with all the stares; instead, she straightened, sitting fully on the ground so she and Ivy were able to see each other properly. “You are different from even us. There isn’t an official species you belong to, because you can belong to many. Technically, you belong to all of us.” Grey’s shoulders rose and fell like she was taking in a breath, but I knew she wasn’t. “Your title—the title we and all others of our kind know you as—is Daughter of Nyx. Every five hundred years, one of your kind is born.”

Ivy’s frown deepened. “Daughter of Nyx. You guys called yourself children of Nyx. What’s the difference?”

“Where we, the supernatural race, are creations of Nyx,youare her representative—her vessel, in a way,” Grey replied. “You are her true daughter, and you are destined to become the Queen of Nyx’s Domain.”

Silence thickened between us, tension creeping through the room. But Ivy broke it with a strangled laugh. “Me?Queen? This is a joke, right?”

Grey shook her head slowly. “You are starting to come into your power now. From what we know, it starts with dreams. Nyx is preparing you for your true power.”

The colour drained from Ivy’s face.So ithadbegun.We thought we had more time. I spared Grey a look, and when her eyes met mine, I shook my head. We’d need to alert Queen Greer of this development.

---