Page 46 of The Bonds of Nyx

“You’re the evac team Sir Ya’Dahir sent?” Elias asked, eyeing the passenger and driver. Both wore sunglasses to cover their eyes, so getting a read on their expressions was difficult.

The driver leaned over his companion slightly. “That’s us.”

I felt eyes on me, then, followed by a tingling sensation, like my magic awakening. The two sitting in the front of the vehicleeyed me warily. They probably knew by now I wasn’t exactlystable.One wrong move, and I could hurt them.

Elias remained quiet for a moment and looked ready to hand me Maisie. I could almost hear his voice in my head telling me to head back into the house and let him handle this. I was already reaching for my sister when the front door to the safe house opened.

Familiar magic brushed me, and I sighed in relief.Adrian. “Hey!” he called, jogging over to us. “Sorry, guys, Grey was just informed you’d made it through the barriers.”

The wariness in his voice made me tense. At that, I reached for Maisie, pulling her from Elias’s arms. She made a soft sound of protest but wrapped her arms around me regardless.

Adrian approached my other side, stepping in front of me to cover us from the other soldiers. “Grey wants you down in the basement to assess you. Orders from the Queen.”

The driver nodded and didn’t say a word. There was a rumble as the basement garage opened; I kept my eyes trained on the vehicle as it descended below the house, not moving until it was gone.

“Inside, now,” Elias barked. “It’s not safe out here until they’ve been cleared.”

That I believed. I quickly scanned the forest around us, like I could sense our enemies hiding in the trees, but I felt no sense of danger, no tingle of being watched, of being hunted.

Nothing.

No words were spoken as the girls and I were guided back into the safe house. Elias’s tension fed into me, his anger a bitter taste on my tongue. As the door closed behind us, I took his hand. Darkened eyes flashed to me.

Calm down,I said, squeezing his fingers,we’re okay. I’m not in immediate danger.

You could have been. There’s a protocol in place. They needed to wait at the barrier, not enter.His gaze flickered to the basement entrance.

I shook my head.There’s probably a reason. Remain calm, please. Don’t rip anyone to shreds.

A smirk played on his lips as he dipped his head and kissed my temple.No promises.

Good enough. I blew out a sharp breath and shook my head. Setting Maisie down, I spared Elias one last look before pulling my hand from his.Don’t be reckless.I hoped he understood what that meant. I hoped he understood my desperation, my need for him to come back. If anything happened…

I swallowed thickly. The feelings I had for him were already wrecking my heart. I didn’t fully understand how it was possible, but the bonding had enhanced everything I felt for him tenfold in ways that didn’t seem logical.

But then, nothing happening inside of me seemed logical right now. Not being a Queen, not the magic currently coursing through my body, and certainly not my emotions towards my mate.

16

HAWK

I’Donly caught a brief glimpse of our supposed future Queen, huddled behind the shifter with two young girls hiding behind her. There’d been a fierce protectiveness in her dark eyes as she’d taken the third child into her arms and stared down the SUV, like she alone could take us on alone.

She probably could, if trained.

I was intrigued but hadn’t said anything aloud to the rest of my team. They’d remained respectfully quiet as well.

Red lights flickered on as we entered the basement garage, the sloping tunnel stifling and dark. Fluorescent lights didn’t turn on until we reached the garage, where a line of vehicles sat, unused, in perfect condition.

Waiting for us, Agent Grey stood with her hands behind her back, chin lifted, and black hair pulled into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. She’d always looked a little unnerving with her scar and silver lock of hair, but it had also earned her respect. No one who went through the Phoenix Training Academy left without some knowledge of the vampire sired by the most fearsome asshole known to our world.

Standing beside her was a mage I recognised easily.A problem. Rowan Archer was a cocky bastard because his mother sat second to the Queen, and he knew he could get away with just about anything. Sure, he was powerful in his own right, but that didn’t mean shit when life—and his position—was handed to him.

The other two who were supposed to be on Maeve Grey’s team entered the garage moments later; the shifter looked pissed, but that didn’t surprise me. He seemed a little too attached to the new Queen, which would be a conflict of interest to the higher-ups.

Queen Greer’s son joined Grey, his face carefully expressionless. Guess he’d learnt from the best. Like Archer, he’d been handed everything, and of course, he’d been on the initial search team looking for the new Queen. Not like there were others who were better trained and skilled.

Like myself.

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