Page 56 of The Powers of Nyx

“Yeah,” Thea sighed, “I’m going to miss them, too.”

I couldn’t bring myself to respond, and neither did anyone else. The tension was palpable. Wolfy’s jaw ticked, and Maeve had her emotionless mask in place, while Adrian looked down at his feet. We were all feeling it. Maybe we all felt guilty over our parts in taking Ivy away from her life.

I sighed in relief when we hit the fifth floor and were finally let out of the stifling elevator. We stepped out into a small foyer, one overflowing with flowers, with pixies buzzing between the petals.

“What are those?” Ginny asked.

“They look like Tinkerbell!” Maisie exclaimed.

“Are they bugs or something?” came from Eloise.

I stifled a laugh as Ivy pulled them away from the flowers and the pixies. “How about we don’t disturb them, hmm? They’re just minding their own business.”

“But whatarethey?” Maisie whined, clinging to Ivy’s side. “They’re sopretty.”

Ivy sent each of us a pleading look, as if to remind us that she couldn’t answer most of their questions. I almost felt bad for her, but there was something so pleasing knowing Ivy relied on us so heavily.

Finally, after pulling the kids away from the flowers, she heaved a breath. “You guys are no help.”

I bit down on my own jealousy as Elias stepped up behind her and enclosed her in an embrace. “I was hoping you would guess.”

“No way am I guessing different...creatures. I willnotoffend the little...what the fuck are they?”

“Pixies,” Maeve said. “Flower dwelling creatures from the Fae realm. Closely related to sprites and water nymphs.”

“Way to sound like a textbook,” I retorted, rolling my eyes as our team leader narrowed her gaze on me. “They’re little shits who cause trouble. They get into your rooms and like to mess with your stuff.”

Adrian snorted and clapped me on the back. “Just admit it: they don’t likeyou.” He directed his stare at the kids. “Ivy’s right. It’s better to leave them alone.Butif you leave out little sweet cakes or flowers, you might have a present on your pillow the next day.”

“That’s a damned lie,” I muttered.

“Or, like Adrian said, they don’t like you.” Maeve spared me one last look before redirecting her attention to Ya’Dahir, who was watching us closely. “We should continue.”

Definitely, I thought. It was clear the kids were getting overstimulated. Maisie was ready to stomp away, but Eliasgrabbed her and swung the kid into his arms. Ginny’s face melted into a frown, so I stepped up to her and offered my hand. She glanced at it, then up at me, before slowly putting her palm in mine. Her hands were cold and clammy, and by the way she clung to me, I guessed she was stressed. The excitement was finally wearing off.

Silently, we walked the short corridor leading to the bridge. Open on either side, it acted as one of the few hallways between the wings. There were a couple of them scattered around the palace, but this one led into the guest quarters. Everyone slowed as we approached. On one side, we were surrounded by tall trees, the smell of pine overwhelming. On the other, cliffs and the falls. This part of the palace had access to the pavilion below, if we wanted to take an elevator down. Maybe I’d offer to take the kids down there later. They’d like that, right? I shook my head.The hell do I know about kids?I thought.

“Wow,” Ivy whispered. Her eyes were glassy, not from the wind that would have cut through the bridge. There were layers of protections against that. No, there were tears for something else. “This is...”

“I know,” I offered, although I didn’t. I couldn’t imagine the stress, excitement, and overwhelm she felt . It was a wonder we weren’t feeling her magic swelling, but maybe taking Maeve as her fourth mate had helped in some way. Far more than being anchored to that half-witted Fae.

She gave me another one of those soft smiles, the ones that melted all my strength and was determined to destroy all the work I’d done at protecting myself.

But I was ruined the first moment we met. I just hadn’t been ready for that yet.

~

We made it into the guest wing without incident. Sir Ya’Dahir left us at the doors with a reminder to Maeve that they’d needto have a meeting to regroup and prepare for the academy. It would probably have to be her and Elias, hell they may even demand the whole team, but I didn’t like the idea of leaving Ivy completely alone here.

I hadn’t encountered the magical signature from my visions yet. And I knew I had to keep a clear head if I did come across it. That meant being with Ivy as much as possible. I was the only one capable of identifying it.

My teeth ground together as Maeve input the necessary details into the code system by the doors. “These doors don’t have passwords,” she explained, stepping away from them as they pinged. “They recognise magical signatures. Like DNA readers in your world. Everyone needs to place their hand on the doorknob and wait for it to ping, and then it’ll automatically unlock for you whenever you come and go. I’ve set it up for just our nine.”

Ginny’s hand tightened in mine, and I gave her fingers a little squeeze. “Don’t worry,” I whispered, leaning down to her height. “It won’t hurt. You might feel a little buzz, but that’s it.”

There wasn’t a hassle getting the kids through. Their magical signatures were easy to read, and each ping of the system loosened Ivy’s shoulders. When it was her turn, it took a little longer because these doors weren’t exactly designed for her, and technically she was able to move freely throughout the palace, but this was done with her safety specifically in mind.

When it came to Thea, there was an issue.

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