Page 25 of The Bonds of Nyx

Adrian looked away first and finally slipped out of the SUV without a word. I blew out a slow breath and followed, trying to ignore the dried blood on my hands, the way my body ached from being slammed into the floor. Gritting my teeth, I pulled myself out of the car and joined Adrian and Elias, who were standing with Maeve at the base of the basement stairs.

Her eyes dragged over me critically, before meeting mine. “Any damage?”

I rolled my shoulders back, testing the aches in my joints. When nothing happened, I shook my head. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

Maeve nodded once before redirecting her attention to Elias. “Are you certain there are no other enemy agents in town?”

“We spent hours combing the streets and came across no one else. No sign of other creatures either,” Elias replied. “We’re safe here—for now.”

My stomach twisted at that. “They mentioned the wholeDeath to the Queenbullshit,” I added, bitterness coating my tongue. “You don’t think we should move on?”

“Not with Kerry Sullivan in her comatose state, and certainly not with Ivy’s power so potent. We also run into the issue of not being close enough to the next full moon.” Maeve glanced between us before sighing. “The crossing isn’t open. I won’t risk leaving this safe house until then.”

I couldn’t help but release a frustrated breath. The four creatures we’d killed today had been too close for comfort, and it felt like we were waiting for something bad to happen. I couldn’t shake the shifter’s words. The primal need to protect Ivy burned fiercely in my chest. Yet it felt like there was nothing I could do to protect her—not while we were here.

Maeve released us as soon as the briefing was complete. I felt the pressure of everything pressing down on me, suffocating as it gripped my lungs. Sucking in a breath, I found myself staring out the same window I’d watched Ivy out of earlier. But rather than putting together a picnic, she was outside in the gloomy afternoon packing away the remnants of their activity.

I couldn’t take my eyes off her; the way her hair was pulled back from her face in a messy knot, highlighting the softness of her features and the way her eyes brightened when she looked at her sisters. There was a pinkness to her cheeks I badly wanted to kiss; to feel the warmth of her flesh against mine, even for a moment.

My eyes shuttered as I willed the feelings away, but they were as potent as the first day I’d seen her. They were overwhelming in an all-consuming way.

A hand clamped down on my shoulder, drawing me out of my thoughts. I spun around and raised my fist but dropped it when Adrian grinned. “You seem a little jumpy there, Ro.”

I blew out a harsh breath and shook off his hand. “Funny.”

Adrian’s smile slipped as he glanced behind me out the window. “I might not always agree with Elias, but we can protect her. I know we can.”

I clenched my jaw and looked over my shoulder at Ivy. She and the children were making their way back towards the house, while Jay’s shifters followed at a distance.

I’d never doubted before if we could protect her, but after the kidnapping, I wasn’t sure if I trusted myself or my abilities around her. The others might have been more than capable of protecting her, but I’d already proved I couldn’t. It was a matter of time before she figured that out, too.

10

IVY

THEpicnic lasted nearly the whole afternoon,with one of the other shifters on Jay’s team watching over us from the shadows so as not to scare the girls which I appreciated.

Thea had gone with a fairy-tale-themed picnic. With some help from her ‘mice’, we’d gotten to eat finger sandwiches, a crepe cake that Thea had managed to whip together in no time, and some fruit salad Eloise and Ginny had carefully prepared.

Eloise and I had found an old rug we could use for the picnic, and some pillows, and we’d taken them to the edge of the forest bordering the entire house.

We ate, the girls wandered around the area looking for insects, and Eloise had finally looked somewhat at ease for the first time since I’d seen her after the attack. The stress she’d been carrying was slowly lifting from her shoulders, and even if it was because of a small picnic and a little exploring, I’d take it.

The girls were asleep before their heads hit the pillows, and I sighed a breath of relief when Eloise finally crawled under the heavy covers of her own bed.

“Did you at least have a little bit of fun out there?” I asked quietly, pulling her hair back from her face as she hugged a pillow to her chest.

“Yeah,” she murmured, eyes fluttering shut, a yawn passing her lips. “Thanks for making it happen.”

“We won’t be here for long; I don’t think so anyway. We’ll keep them busy somehow.”

Eloise snorted softly, and before I knew it, she was out cold.

I eased my way through the otherwise quiet house and made my way towards the back door. Despite the day, I was still overwhelmed, and knowing what the kids were going through, I couldn’t bring myself to walk into my room and pretend like everything was okay.

We’d had a great afternoon, but I still had so much to do for these girls.

As I stepped out into the cold evening, I sucked in a breath and let it fill my lungs before releasing it slowly. Looking up into the night sky, I focused on the stars. They were difficult to see in Forthampton. With the light pollution from the city, you couldn’t see the different constellations. But in the darkness of the forest, where the night was so black, the stars seemed inevitable.

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