Page 70 of The Bonds of Nyx

She sighed dramatically, but she lowered herself onto her back. “Any more commands?”

I grinned and joined her. “On your side.”

She rolled her eyes. “Spooning? Weren’t we just doing this?”

Despite her words, she still rolled onto her side and let me wrap my arms around her. She didn’t even say a word about my rock-hard cock digging into her ass.

We stayed like that for a few quiet moments; I could feel her heart racing against my chest, and I wondered if she could feel my own thundering against her back.

When the silence became too much, I finally sighed. “You know how Adrian’s primary power is charms?” I asked carefully, tracing circles against her stomach.

Ivy shivered, but she hummed her response.

“Well, mine is visions.” She stilled, but she didn’t say a word. Everyone around me knew I’d inherited my mother’s affinity. Still, there was something different—almost special—about telling Ivy about it myself. “I can sometimes see the future. Read into people’s pasts if I become skilled enough. Like my mother.”

We talked about nothing and everything; I explained more about my ability and how it functioned while she told me about her work and how she started writing. She told me about her favourite books and the shows she used to watch with Thea. About the little movie nights she would have with the kids when their mother left Ivy in charge.

I finally explained how it was a vision that stopped me from seeing her that day in the coffee shop. But even with getting that off my chest, I couldn’t muster the words to tell her what the vision had been about.

There was never a lull in the conversation. Only brief periods where we chose to savour each other’s company, enjoying the comfortable silence between little stories we told.

But our time was coming to an end. I wanted to be greedy, to bask in her attention a little longer, but I accepted what she gave me. Maybe soon, it wouldn’t be like this.

25

MAEVE

ONEvision detailing Ivy’s future as a prisoner meant endless possibilities.

But two visions featuring her chained, beaten, and at the mercy of an unfamiliar enemy?

I couldn’t take any chances. There were few things I knew about how the visions of mages and witches worked. The passage of time could always change, shift depending on circumstances. There were any number of ways a future could unfold and many paths one could take to avoid their prophesied end. Nothing was set in stone like I’d been led to believe.

And yet, I couldn’t help but think Ivy’s future wasn’t like the rest. That she would be unlike any other. This could be Nyx’s plan, Her way of preparing Ivy for the throne. Or perhaps Nyx’s enemies had found a way to go against everything the Goddess had set out for her.

Even if the Goddess herself was somehow involved in Ivy’s future suffering, I knew I would do anything to make sure that future would never come to pass.

A loud knock startled me out of my thoughts, drawing me back to the present. I scented the air almost absentmindedly, hoping it would be Ivy on the other side of the door. But the scent of coconut and coffee wasn’t there; instead, smoke, cinnamon, and sweat met my nose. The other team leader didn’t wait for me to call out and entered my office with his shoulders thrown back and his chin lifted. I was well aware of the tension between himand his team and my own. After the events of Ivy’s power surge, I had no doubt he was feeling more validated in his beliefs that we were not capable of caring for our future Queen—despite two of her mates being here.

His dark eyes surveyed the room before landing on where I sat behind the desk. Shadows filled his hooded eyes, telling almost more than his blank expression. “Nash,” I said, motioning to one of the chairs across from me. There was a small amount of pleasure in knowing he had to wait on me, no matter how much he wished he were in charge of this operation. “Please. We have much to discuss.”

Hawk’s jaw clenched as he took one of the chairs, lowering his tall frame onto the plush seat. So out of place in this modern office. I wasn’t too fond of the space, but it did its job and was functional. I knew it made him uncomfortable, too, but he hid it well, shifting so he had one leg stretched out in front of him, taking on an air of laziness and arrogance that likely served him well in his previous missions.

“Nothing is keeping us here, and we have a short timeframe to move,” he started, keeping his stare levelled on me. “We’ve been here long enough, don’t you think?”

“We have,” I replied, attempting to keep the disdain from my voice. “Getting Ivy to Avalon is imperative for her safety.”

“And so she doesn’t blow up again?” Hawk cocked his head, the only movement he made. “What happened should have never been an option.”

I fought to keep the sneer from my face as I kept my voice level. “What happened was tragic. She and her sisters lost their mother. She blames herself for what happened, for putting her mother in such a position, and I don’t blame her for feeling that way. We knew there was a chance her emotions would affect her magic.”

“It could have been avoided if the teams had moved on to the next location, and you know it.” He sat up slowly, the laziness gone. “Now, she’s more volatile.”

I shook my head, my teeth clenching. Irritation swirled within me, as did the need to defend Ivy. A small part of me agreed that it could have been handled differently, that perhaps we could have been better prepared for the aftermath of such a high-stress situation. But I honestly believed that she would be okay with two mates there to help her through her emotions.

The power surge had still been too much despite being bonded to two of her three mates. I’d seen the effects it had on Elias, on the way his knees had buckled when she’d escaped the house. How Adrian, who wasn’t even bonded to her fully, had staggered to the door as Hawk had taken off after her. It’d been the draining of my strength that had kept me trapped in the house despite the sinking sun. Not even Rowan had been able to make it to the door without dropping to his knees.

The other team members had felt the staggering effects of Ivy’s power, too, but not to the same extent as my team.

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