Page 40 of The Bonds of Nyx

14

IVY

NERVESchurned in my belly as I entered theoffice behind Maeve, who had pulled me away from the children. Adrian’s head popped up from behind a screen, his eyes wide and cheeks pink. The soft murmur of voices stopped as the door clicked shut behind us.

Maeve motioned towards the desk chair beside Adrian, a gentle smile tilting her lips. “Take a seat, Ivy.”

I swallowed hard and sat without a word. Maeve perched herself on the table beside me, and although I wanted to look for some sort of reassurance from Adrian, I found myself staring at the tablet in front of him instead, stuck on the person on the other end.

The woman who stared back smiled warmly; her weathered features resembled Adrian slightly, but the man beside her looked more like my mate.

I frowned slightly and shifted in my seat. “Hello.”

The woman squeezed the man’s hand. I felt Adrian’s eyes on me as the woman—who I assumed was the Queen—spoke, “Hello Ivy, it’s so good to finally meet you. I don’t want to take up too much of your time, so I’ll get to the point. I am Queen Greer. For now, and until you ascend and take the throne, I will be your mentor. I will teach you how to use your powers, as well as how to run our kingdom.”

My heart skipped a beat as her words settled in. Hearing Maeve or Elias tell me I was the future Queen was one thing—it was another hearing it from the current Queen herself. I felt like I should stand up and curtsey, but I was frozen in place. Her critical eyes skimmed over me, and I stiffened as those piercing blue eyes found mine once more.

“My Adrian has told me the wonderful news.”

I frowned and looked between her and the mage beside me. “Your?”

Stupid. Realisation hit me, and I released a breath. The vague mentions of his family and his stories about them were starting to make sense.

Adrian shifted, clearing his throat with a cough. “Queen Greer is my mother. Standing beside her is my father, her mate, Sir Theon.”

My eyes widened, and my mouth dropped open.Prince. I swivelled to look at him. Hadn’t I once looked at him and thought he could be some kind of Prince Charming? Sure, he had the looks of a Greek Adonis, but I never thought he’d actually be aprince.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked. It was another secret, another thing he hadn’t revealed about himself.

And I was calling him out in front of his mother. It would be mortifying, but I couldn’t help but feel a little betrayed.

Adrian sighed. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t know how to tell you. There was already a lot going on, and it felt…trivial compared to everything else.”

Deep breath. It wasn’t a horrible secret; it didn’t change anything, but it still felt like a barrier between us. But I nodded and returned my gaze to the queen, who silently watched us. She looked a little disappointed, but quickly hid her emotions.

“The pull to complete the bond is going to feel overwhelming, and it’s only going to get harder to ignore—if you try.” The pointed look was a warning that had me sitting back, exasperated. “I understand how hard this must be for you, Ivy.I am the only one who does. But trust me when I tell you—the bond you’ll have with your mates will be one of Goddess Nyx’s greatest gifts. Which I’m sure you’ve figured out.”

My cheeks warmed, and heat flooded the bond as a reminder. Despite it being so new, a part of me believed what she was saying. Even sitting so close to Adrian now, I could feel the pull towards him, which left an uncomfortable tightness in my chest.

“The Queen’s mates are…harder to connect with. Normally, when a person finds their mate, the bond is immediate and quick to form. For us, it hides until our magic is certain our mate is worthy.” She spared her mate a look, one that spoke volumes of their time together. “Your bond with Adrian manifested itself out of the need to protect what is yours. That’s why you’ll be feeling the pull so much now. The trauma of almost losing him will affect the bond.”

I blew out a breath and nodded. It made sense, considering it felt like the bond with Elias came out of nowhere and why I hadn’t felt anything off about Ry. The pull to Adrian was something else entirely.

Queen Greer released her mate’s hand and continued, “Your magic has already begun manifesting, yes?”

“Yes,” I replied, feeling my heart rate spike. I hadn’t felt the true effects of my magic since the attack, and I was terrified of feeling that again.

“Ivy managed serious control during the kidnapping and manifested her magic in the form of lightning before she healed Adrian,” Maeve added. The pride in her voice made my heart stutter. “Her other surges weren’t controlled but had no serious outcomes either.”

Heat rushed up my cheeks as I ducked my head. “I don’t really remember what happened during the fight,” I said, wrapping my arms around myself. “It felt natural, but much of what happened isn’t clear anymore.”

From the corner of my eye, I watched Queen Greer nod. “I understand. Your magic may manifest itself more frequently now that you have completed a bond and are close to another. Completing three bonds will anchor your magic.”

“Why do I need to have anchors for my magic?” I asked carefully. “The team explained some of it, but I still don’t fully understand.”

Queen Greer’s smile was soft and understanding as she clarified. “Nyx gives us a lot of power when we become her vessels. The power I have carried for five hundred years is leaving me and transferring to you. Our mates are our anchors, our conduits. They anchor the power because we receive so much that our mortal bodies react negatively. We aren’t as naturally strong as shifters or vampires, and you and I were not born with magic like mages and witches. The power Nyx gifts us resembles her own, and she is a God. It was not meant for mortals.”

Her eyes took on a wistful glint. “When she created the first Queen, the power was too much for the Queen to handle. It ate away at her, and because of this, Nyx linked the lives of the Queen’s three lovers to her. Their bodies were stronger, and the magic that had once destroyed her filtered through her mates and settled within her. The mates became anchors so the magic would exist peacefully within her once mortal body.” Queen Greer paused the story and looked up at her mate lovingly. “Our mates also give us a measure of their own power. Once you complete the bond with Adrian, you’ll be able to perform magic similar to his. Charms more powerful than any before. His magic will be stronger, as will his lifeforce once it is linked to your own. Soon, you will be able to potentially shift like your Elias.”

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