Page 62 of The Bonds of Nyx

I groaned as I forced myself up into a sitting position. Adrian simply watched me struggle from the corner of his eye, a smug smile lifting his lips. “Shut it, Prince Dickwad.”

His smile grew, and a laugh rumbled from his chest as he leapt from the bed. “Just saying. When she found you, she was distraught. She thought something had happened to you. I’ve been reassuring her for twenty minutes that you’re okay and that visions just take a lot out of you.”

The mention of the vision made my stomach knot. As if sensing the shift in mood, the smile dropped from Adrian’s face. “What happened? What did you see?”

Closing my eyes, I was taken back to the darkness of the cell. Like a whisper, I could still hear the chains rattling, the soft sobs that tore at my heart. “It was similar to the last one,” I finally said, opening my eyes again. “She was in chains. This time, I heard the bastard speak. He said:the line of Nyx will end. Death to the Queen. Let the true King rise.” I pressed my lips into a firm line to stop my anger and frustration from boiling over. Like last time, I wasn’t any closer to figuring out who the magic belonged to. “The package my mother sent me was a trigger object. Like she knew it would lead to a vision about Ivy.”

Adrian paced the length of the room, his eyes darting to where they’d moved the crystal. But he kept his lips pressed firmly together.

I knew my brother better than anyone. Rage coursed through his body with each stride. The soft tremble of his hands gave it away. He was coiled tight. There was a threat to his mate, and his magic was likely building in his veins.

My own seemed subdued because of the vision, though it had risen in Ivy’s presence. Now, it sat docile despite the threat, the knowledge that someone out there was trying to take our girl.

Our girl. Internally, I shook my head.

The door slammed open, and Wolfy stalked in, his nostrils flared. He could probably scent Ivy, but he didn’t comment on it. Instead, glowing eyes landed on me.

“What happened this time?”

Maeve entered with a frown and closed the door behind her. She looked between Adrian and me before making a gesture with her hand.

Adrian must have understood it because magic sparked at his fingertips as he muttered a spell to cloak the room. Anyone passing wouldn’t hear a word. His magic was like a whisper as it settled over the room.

“Speak,” Maeve demanded, crossing her arms. “What happened in this vision?”

My gaze flickered over the team as I let the remnants of the vision fill my mind. I recapped what I’d seen: the darkness so thick I couldn’t make anything out, the clanking chains and crawling to where Ivy had been locked up, the familiar magic and his words.

The entire time I spoke, the team remained eerily silent as they listened. There wasn’t the same panic as there had been last time. No, the silence bred a fury I welcomed, a determination to protect the woman who had stolen a piece of us, and I considered what it would all mean in the long run.

There was one thing I was sure of: my mother knew something, and for now, I would play her games, follow her riddles. So long as it protected Ivy.

22

ADRIAN

I STALKEDthrough the afternoon with newwardshanging from my fingers, Elias my shadow as I wound these new protective measures throughout the trees surrounding the safe-house. Rowan’s latest vision was burned into my mind like a painful reminder that something bad would happen to my mate.

I glanced sideways at Elias and blew out a harsh breath. A small part of me hated the wolf trotting beside me. I wanted to punch him in his smug face for being with Ivy first. The jealousy almost consumed me.

But as I tied another charm into a branch, part of me was glad at leastoneof us was tied to her completely. Elias could at least communicate with her telepathically now, which meant we always had someone linked to her mind, her emotions. It meant we could keep her safe from the organisation determined to find her.

So, I squashed the jealousy. It was better him connected to her than hermystery mate. It was him I really wanted to throttle. How could he leave her? How was he not tearing his hair out searching for her?

If I were him, I’d be fighting everyone to be at her side. It didn’t matter what was in my way: I would do anything in my power to be next to her—right where I belonged.

But he would be experiencing the explosion of power now, and I couldn’t help but wonder if that was why he stayed away. He was now the Queen’s mate. Her first one at that. And insteadof being here, helping her regulate her powers, he was likely experiencing his own newfound strength.

How anyone around him wasn’t questioning why he was suddenly stronger with his magic was beyond me.

I heaved a sigh as I tied the next charm onto a branch. Beside me, Elias shifted from wolf to man.

He crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at me. “What’s your problem, Kingsley?” he asked, voice gruff. His command was much stronger than it had been before.

I wasn’t sure if he realised he’d done it, but I rolled my eyes. I—thankfully—had protections against his Alpha tone. “Just thinking.”

Elias snorted. “That much is obvious,” he replied, stalking off to continue our patrol. “I want to know why you’re throwing glares my way since we started our shift.”

My body tensed without my control, and I shook my head. “It’s not you—”

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