Page 166 of The Powers of Nyx

The bond. I breathed a sigh of relief, glancing back up at the dancefloor and Ivy. My chest warmed, and I reached for our bond. Never thought I’d be thankful for that side effect.

I staggered to my feet, ready to just go back to the others. Maeve and Adrian were standing by the stairs, watching Ivy.

I froze. Something dark and twisted brushed against me, the magical signature familiar—wrong.

I recognised it immediately. The power.

And the one behind it.

I clawed at the bond. But the once glowing, thrumming thread that tied me to my mate darkened in my chest. Desperate, I tried to scream for Ivy, warn her of the threat. But something struck the side of my head, and everything went black.

60

IVY

WHITEdots danced behind my eyes as I staggered through the dance with Elias. I winced, sharp pain piercing through my head. It felt like a strike, or the beginning of a headache, but as fast as it came, it was gone.

Elias’s arms tightened around me, holding me closer as his dark eyes roamed my body warily. “What? What’s wrong?”

I blinked rapidly to push the pain aside. “Nothing. I’m okay.”

A frown darkened his face, and his tight hold didn’t disappear. “Don’t lie to me, Angel,” he pleaded, eyes flickering over my face. “Please.”

Pressing my lips into a line, I let him drag me through the movements of the dance. My feet ached terribly, and though the dress was beautiful—probably the most expensive thing I’d ever worn—it suffocated me. I felt trapped behind a disguise, painted as someone else—and with a couple hundred creatures watching me, I was a doll on display.

“Just a sharp pain in my head, okay?” I replied, raising a brow. “And it’s gone. I’m just overwhelmed.”

Somehow, the frown only deepened, and his eyes left mine briefly to take in the dance floor. “Archer still hasn’t returned.”

A pit yawned in my stomach, and my heart rate slowed as a ringing started in my ears. Fear almost kept me from reaching for our bond, terrified of what I might find, but I turned inward, seeking out the bright thread tying our souls together.

But what I found made bile rise in my throat. Somehow, I knew Rowan was nearby, but our bond had a darkness to it that terrified me.

“Elias, I don’t feel anything,” I said. “He’s gone dark.”

My wolf shifter stiffened; beneath his suit jacket, his skin rippled. “Let the others know. Don’t panic. Not yet.”

Easier said than done, I thought, swallowing around the lump in my throat.

But explained to Adrian and Maeve about Rowan’s dark bond and the sharp pain from moments before, touching briefly on my fear that something was wrong.

At the edge of the dance floor, they shared a look; Maeve’s emotions gave way to guilt and shame.I’m sorry, a mhuirnín, she said.I sent him to go find his mother.

My throat tightened with panic. There was absolutely no way I was going to be able to hold that back. Not now.

It’s not your fault,I replied.Don’t split up. Please. Go after him and stay together.

My chest warmed from both of them, and when Elias spun me, they were gone.

“They’ll find him,” Elias said. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Tears burned my eyes as the music came to an end, and the Queen announced that all in attendance should enter the dance floor to celebrate. But her words simply rang in my ears as I tested the bond again and again, only to get no response from Rowan.

Elias cupped my cheeks, eyes filling with worry. His lips moved, but I heard nothing he said. I knew if I didn’t get myself under control, I would let the panic swallow me. I could already feel that familiar, horrible creature coiling around my lungs. It squeezed my throat, making it harder to breathe.

My skin prickled, and the world around me disappeared as something snapped within me, and a fire lit in my chest.

I sucked in a breath and pulled back sharply as the bond with Ry opened up entirely. I felt everything for the first time: his thoughts, his emotions, our past, and our future. The fear and pain hit me hard, followed by his adoration and love. Impressions of his thoughts, entirely different to how I felt the rest of the teams, struck me.

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