Page 115 of The Powers of Nyx

I stopped that train of thought, shaking it from my head, and sighed when I spied Vanya waiting for me outside the door to my dorm room. She had an all too familiar, no-nonsense look on herface that told her questions needed answers. And I had a feeling I already knew what she was about to ask.

Approaching slowly, I joined her by the door and leaned against the frame. “Hey.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You and I need to have achat.”

I almost flinched at the stern tone of her voice, at the betrayal in her eyes. It was too late to go back and hide the truth—not from her. And I wasn’t about to give up the only friend I’d made here.

“I know,” I replied, nodding. “Not out here. Just...come in.”

I checked for Rowan or Maeve, but neither were around. Maeve had to deal with Elias, who was about to pile the children into a car and drive here himself. She’d somehow managed to keep both him and Adrian away. My Prince was in crisis mode, though he seemed calmer than everyone else. Mostly because he and Rowan admitted that it wasn’t new for the academy to have deaths on campus.

But it happening to people who threatened me? That made everyone tense.

I motioned for Vanya to follow, and she entered the room behind me. Narrowed eyes shifted over the space, taking everything in, though it wasn’t like there was much to it other than the large, messy bed, an overflowing desk in the corner, and the rotation of duffel bags coming from the palace suite.

Vanya turned in a circle as she took everything in, before setting her eyes on me. “So…You’ve been lying to me.”

I flinched, dropping her stare. “Sort of.”What was the point in denying? I sighed and fell onto the bed, dropping my book bag at my feet.“Not intentionally. Well, it was. But it’s better for everyone if they think I’m just a transfer witch from the human realm.”

My friend looked me over. “But you’re not, are you? The vampire from earlier—she’s not just an instructor.”

I shook my head. “She’s my mate.”

“I figured as much. The way she rushed to you...And the way Rowan Archer looked at you? Like he thought you were hurt?”

“Also, my mate—not bonded,” I admitted.

Vanya snorted, dropped to the floor, and leaned back on her elbows. “How many do you actually have?” she asked, more curiously than accusatory. When I met her stare, any anger in her irises had fled.

“Four,” I replied. “Five. But we don’t talk about...him.”

Cocking a brow, Vanya leaned forward. “So, you really are her,” she breathed. “The next Queen. I feel like I need to get up and bow. Or kiss your feet. Or offer you my first born. Or—”

“Or literally none of that.” I bit down on a nervous laugh, eyeing her warily as she pressed her lips into a firm line. “There’s a reason why no one here knows.” And I had to hope that by trusting Vanya, it would stay that way.

Vanya dropped my stare for a moment and sighed. “There have been...whispers. About someone attacking the human realm. My mother works high up in the Phoenix Compound. She doesn’t have full clearance, but she does work beneath Sir Ya’Dahir. She’d heard about someone being kidnapped. Was that...was that you?”

When her eyes found mine again, I nodded. “Yeah. Me, my friend Thea, my sisters and...” My throat tightened at the thought of Kerry, and I coughed. “My mom. We were held captive for a few hours, in my home. It was...a lot.”

The memories shot through my head, a carousel of images; the blonde soldier and the knife to her stomach, the male guarding my door and his blood covering my body, the children knocked out from the poison running through their veins, Kerry and her still body. I closed my eyes for a moment and sucked in a calming breath. The bond warmed on three sides, letting me know that they were there.

After a long moment, I opened my eyes and found Vanya staring up at me with a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry.”

I shrugged. “It happened. And I won’t let it happen again. Ever.”

“Which is why you haven’t shared the fact that you are, literally, the most powerful being in this place.”

I snorted, but the weight of Kerry lifted off me from Vanya’s statement. “Exactly. Plus, I like not having all the attention on me.”

“It’ll make the upcoming placement exams more exciting. Let everyone underestimate you. And then come in and blow them all away with how powerful you are. Brilliant.”

My stomach dropped at the reminder. The placement exams were simple enough to understand—easy enough to worry about. Balancing out my power so that only Adrian’s side of it showed was becoming harder, and my training with Hawk tomorrow would decide just how well I could do it. Now that I had three constant bonds anchoring my magic, the power in me grew.

“It’s not like I’ll use any of it to my advantage,” I replied. “I’ll just stick to Adrian’s.”

Her mouth popped open. “You andPrince Adrian,” she whispered. “Wow. That makes so much sense. I’m sorry about fawning over your mates.”

“It’s alright. I’m pretty secure in our relationships.”

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