Page 18 of The Bonds of Nyx

I stood, taking one last look at the mess of files and documents scattering the desk. “You need help with anything else?” I asked cautiously, meeting her hard stare.

She watched at me for a few long moments, her eyes narrowed. As her second, she should have been leaning on me more, but I had a feeling Grey was used to doing things on her own. But that wouldn’t fly any longer, not when I had to think about Ivy.

Finally, the vampire shook her head and crossed her arms. “I have everything under control here. Your priority is the evac team.” She took a set of files from her desk drawer and handed them to me. “I made you copies of their documents. You might also want to ask Adrian and Rowan to look over them. See what they know about this team. In the meantime, leave everything else to me.”

My jaw clenched, but I took the files and tucked them under my arm. I didn’t say anything else as I slipped out of her office and into the dimly lit hall of the top floor. With all its modern fixtures and dark accents, the safe house was more likea fortress in disguise. Every inch of the place was doused in heavy enchantments, from Fae magic to the spells of mages and witches.

I stalked down to the ground floor and took in the silence that penetrated the house. It was late, and the soldiers from Jay’s team were out on patrol. I itched to join them, but the files weighed heavily in my hands.

I’d always been an on-the-ground type of soldier, so paperwork had never been my forte when training. They didn’t give that kind of work to orphans, especially not punching bags like me.

Once, I’d thought working my way up to a leadership position would be the start of a new life for me. One that had nothing to do with my upbringing.

Now, as I breathed in and caught Ivy’s sweetly intoxicating scent, I knew I had something else to work towards. Something better.

~

Darkness enveloped every corner of the ground floor bedroom, so I settled myself into a chair and flipped open the files. I read the basic documents used for each agent from the Phoenix Centre; names, ages, species, and skills. The evac team was similar to ours: multiple species clumped together to form the best of the best.

The only difference between us was that these guys had been working together for years. That meant something in our line of work. It proved they were a well-oiled machine, and as an evac crew, they’d done this many times before.

Because of that, I hoped Sir Ya’Dahir, the Queen’s mate and one of the overseers of the training centre, knew what he was doing assigning them to Ivy.

An hour passed while I scanned each personnel file thoroughly. Past cases were added to their overall achievements, and I made sure to check each one of those too.

A tingle of electricity lifted the hairs on my arms, forcing me away from the team leader’s personal documents. I breathed in deeply, and everything fell away.

Coconut, coffee, and vanilla tickled my nose, subtle yet sweet, the only scent that now comforted and calmed the beast within me. I checked the time and frowned. It was getting late, and she had no reason to be nearby.

I stiffened as her scent grew stronger, and without thinking, I rose, leaving the files open on the desk. I followed her scent into the large, open-plan living room, and found her curled up on one of the over-stuffed loveseats, her legs drawn up to her chest, and her chin resting on her knees. Dark hair fell around her face in soft curls, and she gazed unblinkingly into the forest.

My wolf clawed at me inside my chest, begging for release, to go to her and finally stake his claim. He wanted to take her, mate her. And I wanted that, too.

But I knew she didn’t, not yet. Fear heightened her scent, and I had a feeling it was over something intangible.

I stepped out from the shadows and walked up beside the couch. “Can’t sleep?”

Ivy startled, yelping softly as she leaned back against the cushions, her hand pressed to her heart. Fuck. I should have made a sound or at least let her know sooner that I was in the room.

I opened my mouth to apologise, but her faint giggles met my ears. Instead of fear, there was amusement in her honeyed eyes. The corners crinkled as she stared up at me, and after a moment, she shook her head.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, releasing a heavy breath as she returned to her previous position. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

A gentle smile tugged at her lips as she watched me in the window’s reflection. “I shouldn’t have scared you,” I replied, hands forming into fists.Fucking idiot, I chided myself. She’s probably liking me less and less now. And I deserved it, too. I’d been a fucking dick to her before, and I had no idea what to do to fix it.

But Ivy shook her head again. “It’s okay. You didn’t scare me. I just didn’t expect anyone else to be awake.”

I cocked my head, more wolf-like than human. “And why are you awake?”

She shrugged, a yawn falling from her lips. “Isn’t it obvious?”

I repressed a sigh as I stalked around the couch to face her. She looked up at me through thick lashes, which fluttered as she yawned again. “You don’t know if you’ll have one tonight, and exhausting yourself helps no one.”

Ivy averted her stare, curling in on herself. “It’s easier if I do. My theory is that if I exhaust myself for long enough, I may be too tired to dream. I think I’d like to test it.”

I shook my head and lowered myself to the coffee table across from her. Dark circles bruised the skin under her eyes, and her lips were pressed into a frown that only deepened as she watched me.

“What?” she snapped, shifting slightly.

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