Page 72 of The Bonds of Nyx

“I didn’t realise you were on patrol,” I replied, turning away from him. “You should be with your mate.”

I hadn’t intended the bitterness of my words. But I knew I was never destined to have one of my own, at least not in this lifetime.

The wolf shifter came to a stop beside me and shrugged. “She’s safe, and I need to know the wards are still in place. There’s no peace for me until I know she’s as safe as possible here.”

“We’re preparing to leave soon, so she won’t be here much longer.”

Elias bowed his head, shoulders tense. “Good. She’s resting now, still feeling the effects of the surge. She’s sleeping more because of it.”

“Are the nightmares any better?” I asked carefully, slipping a hand into my pocket, and feeling for the small vial.

“They’re subdued but not gone.” There was a hopelessness in his tone that made my heart clench. “Why?”

His gaze turned to me, and I forced myself to pull the potion from my pocket and show it to him. “The Queen sent me this. I’d promised I’d get it for Ivy. It’ll help with the nightmares.”

Elias blew out a breath, and the tension seemed to roll off his body. I couldn’t hide my own relief as I watched him. Had the nightmares been so terrible? I’d seen her when she’d come out of them, and the terror in her eyes had been enough for me to understand the gravity of them. But what did Elias know? What was he allowed to see that no one else could?

“I intend on giving it to her tomorrow,” I said, pocketing the vial. “There is...something I need to talk to her about.”

The shifter’s brows furrowed. “What do you need to talk to her about?”

My hands clenched, the dull throb in my head worsening. Under other circumstances, I may have told my second about the blood lust, that I’d been consumed by my own weakness.

But he was not simply my second, not anymore. He was her mate, which came first to everything.

“What happened, Grey?”

I shook my head but offered him a look. “She and I had a run-in a few days ago, and I’m afraid I may have scared her. I wasn’t in my right mind, and since then, I haven’t had a chance to fully apologise for or explain what she saw.”

Elias’s eyes turned hard, his wolf below the surface, the power of his mating to Ivy coming through as he watched me. Did he see me as a threat to his mate? I wouldn’t blame him if he did. If she were my mate and another treated her the way I did, I would react as violently as I suspected he would. The need to protect would come over me, and I would see that person as a threat—even if they were my superior.

I waited for him to shift, to land the first blow. But his nostrils flared, and he stepped back. “You didn’t intentionally hurt her. Hell, I don’t think you had the impact on her you think you did. If you did actually scare her, you think I wouldn’t know about it already?”

I tensed, my entire body coiling tight. But his words struck me, and I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes at him. “What?”

“If you had actually scared her, like you claim you did, I would know. It’s not something she can hide from me, Grey.” There was amusement in his eyes as he shrugged. “I’ll be honest. Of all the people here, I trust you the most when it comes to her life.”

My dead heart thumped in my chest for a moment as I considered his words their implications. But before I could question him further, he stepped towards the safe house. “I need to see my mate. I’m sure you’ll get the potion to her tomorrow.”

With those parting words, he left, slipping into the house silently. The knowledge that he would be going to his mate burned through me, envy filling my veins and settling in the pit of my stomach. The throb of the headache returned. Tomorrow, I’d feed—and then I would find Ivy, and pray to the Goddess that this extraction went safely.

26

IVY

RAINmisted outside the house in a sad drizzle.Water glistened on the surrounding trees, and it would have looked somewhat magical if it weren’t for the ache in my head and the magic burning in my veins.

Thankfully, the girls were occupied by a movie marathon that not even Eloise could say no to. The weather was perfect for a day in bed, enjoying timeless cartoons and buttery popcorn. After the last few days and the power surge, though, I couldn’t bring myself to sit with them.

Waiting outside my door had been a familiar bag I hadn’t expected to see again for a while. Not only had it taken me by surprise, but it had torn into my soul with a fury I hadn’t been able to mask. My old life, my love and passion, tucked into one bag.

Everything I had been working so hard for seemed far away. How would writing and publishing fit into this new world? It was so ingrained in my being that I knew I would find a way. I had when I was living at home throughout high school, seeking an escape from a life determined to pull me into the depths of stress and drown me in assignments and babysitting. During college, while balancing classes and work, I somehow made time to write and publish my first novel thanks to late nights and an endless supply of caffeine.

But what did I know about being a Queen? Of the responsibilities?

Does it matter right now, though?I wondered as I stared into the bag, at the laptop and pages of notes for a deadline nearly impossible to meet.

I suspected Maeve was in her office while Elias was on duty with Rowan, and Adrian was off somewhere with one of the members of the other teams getting supplies.

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