Page 45 of The Bonds of Nyx

And he’d kissed me first. A chaste, messy kiss that spilled his gratitude and said all the words he’d been too afraid to say. I’d been under no illusion that he was interested beyond friendship, yet the night I’d snuck out to see him once everyone had gone to sleep had been one of the best nights of my life.

I’d felt wanted, seen,desired.

The next day, he’d been gone.

My stomach twisted, and I pressed a firm hand to my abdomen. Anxiety burned its way through my veins but dissipated as soon as Elias brushed up against me, his strength and calm pushing the unease aside. It still lingered—no amount of touches or affirmations would save me from its grasp—but I was grateful for his help, nonetheless.

Elias didn’t need to speak to convey his own worry. It filled his green irises, broke through the little creases around his eyes, in the firm line of his lips. I silently shook my head; the last thing the girls needed to worry about was me.

“Are you two, like, anactualthing?” Eloise asked.

Elias cocked his head and smirked. “Ivy? Are we anactualthing?”

I snorted and turned to Eloise. “It’s a little complicated to explain because I’m not even a hundred percent sure if I understand it all yet, but Elias and I are mates.” I waitedbefore saying anything else, watching her expression to see if the weirdness would be too much.

But she shrugged. “So, like soul mates?”

I nodded carefully. “Yeah, sort of, I guess.”

“What does that mean for you, exactly?”

Blowing out a breath, I chewed my lip. How did you explain anchors to a kid? “Well, Elias isn’t my only mate, for starters.”

“You have more than one boyfriend?” Her brows rose incredulously, and she crossed her arms. “Really?”

“Adrian is my other mate,” I replied honestly, smiling softly. “And there will likely be others, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be here for you, okay?” I chanced a glance at all three girls, meeting each curious stare.

Ginny looked a little afraid, and I hated that the idea of multiple people entering my life made her feel like I might abandon her.

Maisie seemed unbothered, but that was likely because she was too young to fully understand my words. But she didn’t look sad about Elias staying in our lives on a more permanent basis either, so that was a plus. They didn’t need anyone else leaving them.

Eloise tried to hide her uncertainty. I could already tell she was starting to hide herself away. She wasn’t ready to get attached, and I didn’t blame her.

“Mates are forever,” I murmured, brushing a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. “Elias, Adrian, and any others who pop up aren’t going to suddenly leave.”

“You’re saying that because of Dad, aren’t you?” she asked sceptically. “Because I’m not worried about that.”

I pressed my lips into a firm line, knowing well enough that calling her out on that little lie wouldn’t do me any good. Instead, I pulled her into a quick hug. As she wrapped her arms around me, I could feel the race of her heart against my side.

Ginny pressed into my other side, sandwiching me between them. We didn’t speak for a moment, simply enjoying the quiet.

“Are you three ready for some lunch?” Elias asked, eyes finding mine. “Because I think I am.”

Eloise looked up at me with shining eyes. She blinked back the tears and nodded. “Yeah, I think we should go in now. Ginny?”

The little nine-year-old nodded without saying a word. She’d been so talkative before, so outspoken and excited, but now she kept her thoughts to herself. I had to wonder if Ginny closing in on herself was more than just a reaction to the kidnapping.

I pulled my gaze from her and shook my head. Hopefully, Avalon had therapists because there was no doubt that all three needed it.

The sound of tires on gravel drew us from the forest beside the house. We were close enough to the driveaway that as we stepped towards it, we could make out a black SUV crawling through the trees.

“Did someone leave?” I asked, turning to Elias.

But he’d gone stiff, his muscles bulging as he held onto Maisie. “No, everyone who should be here is still here,” he murmured. “It’s the evac team.”

The SUV stopped beside us, and the dark tinted passenger side window lowered to reveal a soldier. “Agent Beckham.”

Beside me, Elias stepped forward as if to hide me from view. I watched his hold tighten on Maisie from the corner of my eye. I pushed Ginny and Eloise behind me as my mate assessed the situation.

---