Page 88 of The Bonds of Nyx

A tingle ran over my skin in warning,and my eyes flew open. Something was wrong, very wrong, and my wards were screaming at me from the perimeterof the safe house. Magic crackled along the tips of my fingers in warning, more potent than it ever had been before.

An explosion rocked the house. Glass shattered somewhere on the south side as the protective shield surrounding the estate disintegrated.

They found us.

33

IVY

MYears rang with the sound of the explosionand my sisters’ screams. I flew out of bed, Adrian hot my heels, as an alarm sounded throughout the house. It echoed in my ears like a sharp scream, piercing through the hazy bliss I’d just been cocooned in.

Gone was the post-bond haze. Panic pulled my magic from its slumber and it rose beneath my skin. I threw on the clothes I’d worn yesterday, catching a glimpse of Adrian from the corner of my eyes as he effortlessly pulled on his gear.

When our eyes met, Adrian threaded our hands together. We escaped the bedroom as another explosion sounded somewhere outside, and stumbled to a halt.

I met Thea in the hallway, her eyes wide, a look of fear crossing her ordinarily calm face. My heart stuttered a beat as I took her in; her wet hair clung to the sides of her round face, and her lips wobbled as she sucked in a deep breath.

“What the fuck was that?” she asked, fingers trembling as she wrapped her sweater around herself.

Before I could answer, Adrian said, “We’ve been found. All my new wards were destroyed. Go get the kids. Now.” His eyes fell on me. “Call for Elias, okay?” I didn’t get to reply as he pressed a quick kiss to my temple and stalked off to another part of the house.

My heart skipped a beat as fear churned within me. I cast my gaze over Thea and found Rowan’s eye as he exited his bedroom.He simply nodded, his unkempt hair flopping over his eyes. “Do what Adrian said. It’ll be okay. I promise.”

Despite the bile rising in my throat, I nodded. I grabbed my best friend’s hand, and we rushed towards the bedroom. I sent out a quick thought to Elias, who didn’t respond immediately, but he let a wave of calm wash through the bond for me.

Thea and I entered the children’s bedroom. As the house shook again, we shared a look, trying to keep the panic from our faces. We didn’t say anything to one another; we worked seamlessly to keep the kids quiet, even if they were questioning everything we did, their sobs wracking their frames. Eloise remained silent, and she did as she was told without question.

When our door slammed open, I threw myself in front of the girls. I knew immediately it wasn’t the enemy; Elias’s power brushed against mine, and our bond hummed with his proximity.

But it wasn’t him I saw. It was the blonde-haired woman and her snarling face as she kicked her heavy boot into my stomach. It was the man with the dark eyes whose blood coated my skin when I’d plunged Maeve’s dagger into his throat.

Elias, eyes narrowed and body tense, stalked into the room. He came to me immediately and cupped my cheeks. “Angel? It’s me. It’s fine. I’m here,” he murmured, pressing his forehead against mine.

I sucked in a breath, his scent of pine and wet earth filling my lungs. The panic calmed with each breath, and I felt Adrian pull at our bond questioningly. “I’m okay,” I whispered, making sure Adrian knew I was fine, too.

Elias pulled back with a nod. “We’ve been found. Go straight to the basement. Now,” he barked, motioning towards the door.

I pressed my lips together and checked the girls. “Grab your bags. We have to go.” I ignored the shake in my voice as best Icould, to be the strength these girls needed, but it was hard to do so when the last attack continued to run through my mind.

My wolf shifter pulled Maisie into his arms as he guided us out of the bedroom. Without a word, we rushed towards the ground floor, where glass and debris covered the ground, and cold rain crashed through the windows.

“Give me Maisie,” I said, opening my arms for her. “You take Ginny. Eloise, are you okay?”

Her face was white, terror filling her eyes, but she swallowed and nodded. But when another body appeared, doused in darkness, she screamed.

The house quaked with the terror in her voice. She stumbled, but a hand shot out and grabbed her by the forearm, another slapping over her open mouth. With her voice muffled, the house settled.

But my heart almost stopped in my chest as my magic rose and swirled beneath my skin. The power whispered in my mind to protect, to destroy, its influence affected greatly by the bonding and proximity of my mates.

“Ivy!” Elias wrapped a hand around my throat gently, the pad of his thumb rough as he rubbed the column of my throat steadily. The magic simmered but drew itself back inside of me.

“Not the enemy,” he whispered, eyes darkening as he searched mine. “She’s okay. Look.”

I sucked in a breath and looked over his shoulder at where Eloise stood. The dark figure removed his mask, and the shadows surrounding him dissipated to reveal Hawk.

Hard eyes landed on me, black as the shadows around him. A large cut sliced through the bronze skin of his forehead, spilling blood, though he didn’t seem all that affected by it.

“Everything good?” he asked, voice hoarse. “If I let her go, will she scream again?”

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