Page 57 of The Bonds of Nyx

Yes, I wanted to say. There was danger in this magic. It would hurt him too—it was trying to. I gritted my teeth as the burning flickered into an ember of what it had been. The magic that had been dancing across my skin like the sparks of a flame died down with the weight of his words.

Blowing up would not solve my problems. The magic within me was something dangerous…powerful. It consumed me in a way that scared me.

It would control me if it could. It wanted to.

“You need to leave me,” I whispered, my voice broken. “You need to go before it consumes you, too.”

His chest vibrated with a dark laugh. “You think this will make me run? Sorry, princess, but I’m here to stay until you’re under control.”

Everything was too much, and I slipped into the darkness where the warped figure waited. Skeletal hands reached for me, beckoning me with the promise of safety. The crown atop its head glinted, shining violet, in the waning light of the crescent moon above us.

What do you want from me?I tried to ask, but my voice was trapped, caught in my throat.

The figure dropped its hand, and the crown vanished.To fight.

~

I came to with a different body wrapped around me. Loud voices broke through the cotton in my ears.

“What the fuck were you thinking, Nash?” Rowan asked, his voice a sharp knife that sliced through the rest of the dream.

The other man snorted. “I got her to calm down. That was the objective, was it not?”

“You had no authority to interfere,” another replied. This voice belonged to Adrian. I felt his hand against my cheek, and as I forced my eyes open, I found him kneeling beside me with his gaze focused on the half-Fae team leader.

It took me a long moment to realise the one who had held me—the one who had forced me out of the magic—had been him. I immediately found his dark eyes, and a shiver raced down my spine. Like Maeve and Elias, he hid his emotions well. I couldn’t read his expression. But one quick glance over his body, and he seemed okay.

I shifted slightly, and the arms around me loosened somewhat. Pine and earth tickled my nose.Elias.

How are you feeling, Angel? You really scared me there.His voice was soft and calm despite the fear trickling down the bond.

I checked myself quietly, taking in the emotions leftover from the power surge. There was an emptiness inside me, a pit of darkness that swallowed most of my energy. I felt almost...nothing but exhaustion.

There was also a hunger within me. I recognised it almost immediately as a need for my mates.

As if sensing it, too, Elias shifted, and his hard length brushed against my ass.

“She seems well enough now,” Hawk said, forcing me to look over at him. He was no longer watching me. Instead, he focused his gaze on Rowan and gave him a lazy once over. “I’ll report back to Grey.”

Bile rose in my throat as I watched him turn and stalk off into the trees. I felt his departure almost immediately. But as soon as the longing appeared, it was replaced with a deepening desire that swelled in my gut.

“Follow Nash back to the safe house,” Elias commanded, his voice thick as his arms tightened around me.

Rowan looked at us, almost startled, his brows furrowing in confusion. “You okay there, Wolfy?”

I choked on a half-laugh, half-groan as Elias growled. “Go. Make sure Grey gets the full report.”

The mage spared me a glance. I wanted to tell him I was okay now, but his eyes shuttered, and he sighed. “Fine. Take care of her.”

“She’s my mate,” Elias replied. I felt the scruff of his beard scrape against my shoulder, making me shudder.

That was all that needed to be said. Rowan bowed his head in a nod before following the path Hawk had walked, leaving me with my wolf and my mage.

20

ELIAS

MYheart pounded as I helped Ivy stand. Her skin glistened with sweat, and her eyes—shadowed and tired—were dark with desire. I couldn’t take my eyes off her, too afraid that if I blinked, she might disappear.

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