Page 101 of The Powers of Nyx

ELIAS

IVYglanced at me as she exited herDefensive and Offensive Magicclass. Well, more like glared.

Everything okay, Angel?I asked, partly out of worry, and partly to tease her. Ivy was capable of keeping up with therest of us, and I knew she needed to be able to defend herself. But not if it came at the expense of her mental health. If it turned out these classes were causing problems, then I’d either tell Headmistress Sylvia I was taking over, or work with Grey to pull Ivy out. There was no way I’d torture her with a class she hated—or worse, made her relive trauma from her mother.

Ivy made her way down the hall towards her final class of the afternoon,Communications between Realms,quietly.I kept an eye on the way she moved and assessed the bond. She didn’t appear to be hurt, but she wasn’t giving away whether she enjoyed the class, either.

It was fine, I guess, she replied slowly, her eyes finding mine as I stalked the shadows beside her. As badly as I wanted to reach for her, to pull her into my arms, I held back.

Fucking rules. The only reason I agreed was because it protected Ivy.

And how was your mentor?I asked, trying to getan idea of what happened.

She shrugged, glancing at me warily from the corner of my eye.He was okay. A hard ass, but nothing I can’t handle. Don’t worry.

My jaw clenched. No matter what, I’d always worry, and I let her know that.

It didn’t take long for Ivy’s new friend, Vanya, to catch up. The pink-haired witch appeared nice. She had a floral scent, one that never gave away anything dangerous. Either that would serve Ivy, or it wouldn’t.

Based on the witch’s background, and her extremely powerful family line, she would make a good ally, or a terrible enemy. The Blackwood line was as old as Nyx. It was one of the first witch bloodlines, and one of the few that survived the creation of Avalon, according to her file. But unlike her family of ancestral witches, she had inherited her mage father’s affinity for illusions.

“Was it as bad as everyone makes it out to be?” the witch asked.

Ivy sighed. “Yes and no. Not too horrible physically, but my mentor is...interesting.”An ass, she clarified down the bond, sending me a look.And one I will handle.

I couldn’t help but smile to myself. My girl was fully capable of taking care of herself.

“Mine during first yearloathedworking with me,” Vanya replied, ducking her head. “Something about not liking women.”

Disgust rolled down the bond as Ivy scoffed. “Gross.”

“Right? As someone who very muchloveswomen, it was a rude shock. Andshewas a woman!” Vanya shook her head, and we turned down another hall towards the lecture theatres. I was amazed she hadn’t noticed me, though she seemed genuinely interested in conversing with Ivy. “Let’s just say she got what was coming to her.”

Ivy’s grin warmed me, and it seemed her irritation from before disappeared. “How so?”

Vanya stopped at an intersection between halls to allow a large group of Fae to pass. One in particular eyed Ivy. I’d noticed himyesterday during the mind witch’s attack, and I couldn’t tell if his curiosity was because he sensed her power, or if he wanted something else out of her. So far, though, he wasn’t a threat. But if he approached her, I would make sure he knew she was off limits.

Unless he’s a mate. I had to remind myself that it was possible she’d find one here. Or more. Just because Grey found out our team had been designed with Ivy in mind, that didn’t mean we were the only ones destined to bond with her.

There was that bastard mystery mate, too. It made five of us now that Archer had confirmed their bond. But only the Goddess knew how many more were out there.

Selfishly, I hoped there weren’t others. But the more she found and claimed, the more protection she had—physically and magically.

Ivy and Vanya moved on after the Fae group passed, talking amongst themselves about the crappy mentor.As soon as we made it to the hall, the comms device attached to my belt pinged.

I’ll be out here, I just got an alert,I told Ivy, frowning as I stepped away from the door. She paused and glanced over her shoulder, her worry clear through the bond.I’ll tell you if it’s an emergency, Angel. Don’t worry.

She nodded before turning back to her friend. I moved away from the classroom, noting Archer’s presence within. He spared me a look, but he remained by the Demon professor’s side. Good. At least one of us had eyes on Ivy.

I moved to another part of the hall, which had open arches overlooking the campus. It was fucking dreary. The best school for nobility, and the ground was slush. Walking through it during rounds earlier had been a pain. The weather would be like this for the next few months, too, according to everyone I asked. How the hell had Kingsley and Archer survived this shit hole?

Shaking my head, I picked up the comms device and hit theacceptbutton, waiting for Grey to respond. The halls emptied, but a strange energy filled the air as I waited.

“You have eyes on Ivy?”was the first thing Grey asked.

I growled under my breath. “She’s in class with Archer. What happened?”

“There was an attack at the Briarwood Academy campus. Three students are dead, Beckham. And one of them looked like Ivy.”

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