Page 51 of The Bonds of Nyx

We found Maeve in the gym, just like Hawk Nashsaid we would. She was wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and high-waisted yoga pants, her hair pulled back into a ponytail that swung with each bouncing punch. The hanging punching bag swung with each hit, reminding me just how strong she was.

At first, I watched. She seemed so in the zone that she didn’t notice us. But as she landed a kick, her eyes—red-ringed and dangerous—landed on me.

Instinct told me to be afraid, yet my magic hummed in delight. Why? Because the beast was crazy, and crazy got me in trouble.

Maeve stopped moving for a second and just stared. She didn’t even look at Hawk, who tensed at my side.

Either way, I was a little turned on by her and a whole lot confused.

Clearing my throat, I wrapped my arms around myself. “Can we talk? Not right now if you’re busy, but soon? About Kerry?”

I swallowed thickly as Maeve’s nostrils flared. I knew by now that she didn’t breathe. She only did so when she was taking scent, and I wasn’t sure why she’d be doing so right now.

“Maeve?” I took a hesitant step forward as she continued to stand there. “Are you okay?”

Her eyes flashed with something else, like hunger and lust, which both confused me and ignited something in my veins.

Which was unfortunate with Hawk Nash standing beside me. “All right, not sure what’s going on other than you needing to feed, but it seems like we came at a bad time.”

Maeve’s eyes finally left me to take him in. “Get her out of here, Nash.”

My heart dropped at the disgust filling her voice. Definitelynotthe reaction I was expecting.

Hawk didn’t respond; he grabbed my upper arm and dragged me from the gym, from the vampire still watching us. My heart thundered with each retreating step as we climbed the stairs to the main house.

I couldn’t form the words to describe what I felt. Fear? No. I’d never feltafraidof Maeve, not even then. Confused? Yes. Because she’d never spoken about me or to me like that, and it burned like fire as I tried to comprehend what happened.

The man didn’t release my arm until the basement door was closed. When he did, he scrubbed a hand down his face and shook his head. “She needs to have a better system in place so that doesn’t happen again,” he growled without looking at me. “That was unprofessional as fuck.”

I stiffened and glared up at him. “You don’t know anything about what’s been going on here, so save your opinions for someone who cares.”

His eyes flashed to mine, anger filling them. “Youshouldcare, YourMajesty,” he spat, turning on me. “Since it’syoursafety at risk. And those kids, too. You don’t need a hungry vamp roaming the halls because she’s fasting or some shit.”

I bristled at the condescending tone. “Maeve has donenothingbut protect us,” I hissed. “So, shove it. You’re here to get us back to Avalon, cool. But know that I don’t trust you. I don’tknowyou. But you know who I do trust?Myteam.”

I didn’t give him the chance to respond and instead stalked back up to the bedrooms.

18

IVY

THEREwas a heavy silence that followed Maisie and Ginny’s night-time routines. Once they were bathed and dressed in their pyjamas, I put them to bed with Kerry, knowing full well it might be their last night with her.

Eloise joined me in the adjacent bedroom with a frown. “Well?”

I sighed and scrubbed a hand down my face. “Sorry, I couldn’t talk to Maeve about Mom yet.” Calling Kerrymomfor their sake was starting to leave a bitter taste in my mouth, like a lie that would unravel at any moment.

My sister slumped on the bed beside me. “Will you try again tomorrow?”

“Of course,” I replied, nodding. “Don’t worry about it, okay? It’s my responsibility.”

Before Eloise could respond, a soft knock sounded at the door. It wasn’t Elias—he would have let me know through the bond—and it wasn’t Adrian. But a familiar warmth filled my chest, one that usually indicated one of the team was nearby.

We shared a look, and I shrugged. Getting to my feet, I padded over to the door and cracked it open.

Standing with her head bowed, Maeve was devastatingly beautiful and completely ashamed. I swallowed around the lump in my throat as she glanced up, and our eyes met. A tingle of electricity danced through my veins.

“I wanted to apologise for what happened earlier,” she said, her voice thick, her Irish accent more prominent. “Nash was entirely correct: it was unprofessional, and I could have hurt you because I hadn’t fed yet.”

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