Page 82 of The Bonds of Nyx

Ginny and Maisie were out cold, and after checking in on Eloise to make sure she was too, I headed for the door. Elias was on patrol with the other shifters, but based on the sharp tug in my chest, I knew Adrian was close.

With my heart thundering loudly, I stepped out of the room; darkness crawled down the stairs and beneath the doors across and next to mine, but a dull, golden light glowed from downstairs, driving back the shadows of the staircase. I frowned and rubbed my eyes, but it shouldn’t have surprised me that someone was still awake.

It could have been Maeve, but as I glanced at her office door, I noticed a light shining beneath. I had a feeling she was still working, going over every detail of the extraction plan.

I sighed and turned back to the stairs. Every other door in the hallway was closed. So, it could have been anyone.

But based on the tug in my chest, it was Adrian.Perfect.

I bit my lip, spared the girls a glance, and sighed. Despite the need to sleep clinging to the edges of my consciousness, I decided not to risk allowing myself to sleep again, not when Ry had so easily infiltrated my mind again.

As I descended into the main house, I checked the bond between me and my first mate. Like it had been the last time I’d felt for it, there was a darkness to it, and although it had been weak days ago, it was stronger now. Like he knew it was time to strengthen it.

My stomach twisted at the thought. Shaking my head, I stopped those thoughts and scrubbed a hand over my face, trying to wipe away the remnants of Ry’s visit. Maybe later, I’d ask Elias what he thought of the interaction, but I needed one of my present mates right now.

Aclinkin the kitchen startled me, reminding me of why I’d come downstairs in the first place.

When I turned to the kitchen, I found the golden pendant lights on, illuminating the room with a soft glow. Leaning against the cabinets was Adrian, his head lowered over a steaming mug. From here, I could smell the peppermint that normally clung to his skin, and I breathed it in. The scent enveloped me, and I took comfort and security from it.

Adrian didn’t move, even as I entered the kitchen and stood in the archway.

I took him in; an anxious energy surrounded him, making me take a step back. I hadn’t been able to spend much time with him these last couple of days, but as I watched him, I wasn’t sure how to approach him.

“Adrian,” I said softly. He looked up from the mug in his hands, and for a moment, he only stared. “What are you doing up so late?”

Adrian blinked and stood straight, lithe shoulders tensing, and strode to the doorway to the kitchen. Within a moment, he was standing before me, staring down at me with darkening, confused eyes.

There was something different about this moment. Something unlike every other moment we’d shared before this.

He reached out, and I froze, his palm brushing my cheek, my neck. Each brush of his skin ignited something within me. A heat that seeped into my bones, through my veins and over my skin.

Adrian’s gaze burned into me, through me. When his lips parted, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to press mine to his again, what it would feel like to have his hands all over my body, touching me in places that yearned for his warmth. I craved him, craved his safety and warmth, craved his body in ways that soaked my panties.

Maybe it was my magic, begging to finally have its third mate.

Or maybe I was finally ready to give myself what I wanted.

Adrian’s hand hovered over my racing heart. I couldn’t look away, not as he sucked in a shuddering breath and his eyes flashed with something deeper than desire.

And then he walked away, leaving me in the dim light of the kitchen, standing there with no clue as to what had just happened.

31

IVY

WHENI heard his footsteps hit the upstairslanding, I sucked in a breath and leaned against the archway.What the hell was that? What did I do?

I knew I didn’t understand everything about this new world, but…I looked up to the stairs like he might return and tell me why he had to escape like he was on fire.

Maybe he doesn’t want the mate bond yet. The thought struck me with a power that made my stomach churn and bile rise in my throat. I felt almost stupid for eventhinkingit, but what if a mate bond was the last thing he wanted right now? It meant trouble being the mate of the future Queen, and I wouldn’t blame him if that set him off.

Elias had been worried about me wanting to behismate. Yet, despite Adrian’s assurances that everything was fine, I couldn’t be sure if he still felt the same or was even on the same wavelength as me. He could have been telling me that for my sake.

Rubbing a hand over my face, I pushed off the wall, starting for the stairs, before hesitating. The warmth remained still, even with his absence. Wetness dampened my panties, and a throbbing started between my legs.

This has to be because of the mate bond, I thought, shaking my head.It’s a reaction to my magic wanting to complete it.I reiterated that to myself a couple more times as I pressed mythighs together. If Elias had been here, I could have gone to his bed and…taken care of it.

And yet my hand strayed to the front of my shorts. I bit my lip and closed my eyes as a rush of desire shuddered through me. My fingers were barely a whisper against the folds of my core, and it felt like every nerve ending was alight with electricity, so tender and…

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