Page 104 of The Powers of Nyx

Thea appeared beside me, dish rag in hand, and nodded to Eloise. “Nothing?”

Sighing, I shook my head. “No.”

Thea watched me, and I was reminded of the fact that she, too, was struggling. We still had little to no answers about her species, though she also didn’t seem to trust us with that. Shewas determined to wait for Ivy to return so they could work it out together. I felt a small tug of jealousy at the thought, but as I glanced at Thea, I wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like she was a threat to our mate bond.

Internally, I scolded myself. “She respects you,” I muttered. “Perhaps she’ll go to bed if you tell her to.”

Thea raised a brow. “Nope. You were left in charge by Ivy, not me.”

“What?” I was surprised at that answer. “But she—”

Thea shook her head and flipped the rag over her shoulder. “You cannot let them think they’re in charge,” she said, voice hush. “Youare the adult here, not Eloise.”

“I don’t want to push her,” I said. “I know she and the other children like me less than they do Elias. But I don’t want to hurt them.”

Her eyes softened, and she cocked her head. “They like you. Trust me. At least, Ginny definitely does.” She turned her gaze to Eloise, who was busy with the new device Queen Greer had gotten her. “You and Eloise are kind of alike, you know. You both suck at opening up.”

I gritted my teeth. After the day we’d had in lockdown, my inability to leave for meetings because of promises to Ivy, and the stress of not being by my mate during an attack, I was not at my best. And Thea’s statement was true. I was working to be more open with Ivy, but that didn’t mean I was open with everyone else.

Beside me, Thea sighed. “Look. You’re not the most open. The difference between you and the guys is, you’re more…stoic. Adrian makes them pancakes. Rowan tells them dumb jokes. Elias, weirdly enough, is just gooey around them. The children get something out of them. What can you offer them?” I glanced at Thea from the corner of my eye, but she turned on her heel. “Give it some thought. I’m going to finish washing up. In themeantime, get Eloise into bed. I’m not dealing with her cranky ass in the morning.”

I closed my eyes as I listened to the sound of Thea’s footsteps fade until she entered the kitchen, leaving me with Eloise.

Like she was a wounded animal, I approached slowly. Eloise didn’t look up until I sat on the edge of the coffee table across from her.

“Eloise.” I rested my elbows on my knees and inched closer as her eyes narrowed. “Headphones off. Please.”

She sighed irritably through her nose, but she paused whatever she’d been watching and let them fall around her neck. Her eyes found mine, uninterested, but she set the tablet down on her lap.

I pressed my lips into a firm line. “I will be completely honest with you,” I said, feeling my heart twist in my chest as the words tumbled from my lips, “I am not like the others. Like Elias or Adrian or Rowan. They find it easy being around you, but I struggle. I’m not good with children.”

Eloise’s eyes narrowed. “And?”

“Just because I’m not good with children, does not mean you get to disrespect me, Eloise. When I was your age, I was not a child anymore. I was a woman. You have been through so much, that I would never disrespect you by being condescending.”

She turned her gaze down to her hands for a moment. “Sorry.”

Shaking my head, I reached for one of her hands. “Don’t be sorry. Just realise I am here to help. I am here to protect you while Ivy cannot.” I squeezed her fingers, and when she squeezed back, I sighed in relief. “You are owed your emotions, Eloise. You have been through more than most could ever dream of. I’ve felt the pain of losing my family; my mother died when I was young, and I, too, was abandoned by my father.”

I tried not to think much of that man. The coward. The filth that had left me to my Sire.

My jaw clenched, and I shoved those memories aside. “I want you to know that I have patience for you, Eloise. So, please have some for me.”

She glanced up, and our eyes met. Her irises were like the bluest ocean, unnerving. Every day, it seemed more and more of her siren heritage was coming through. Soon, she would likely shift, and it would mean having her spend more time with Sir Leith to control her instincts.

After a long moment, Eloise sighed again. “I don’t like sleeping here when Ivy isn’t here,” she muttered. “It makes me a huge wuss. I can sleep without her, but since she’s not here…” She trailed off, shrugging.

“Would you like me to sit with you until you fall asleep?” I asked carefully.

Eloise twisted her lips, before nodding. “Please.”

I offered the girl a smile as I rose, and she placed the device and headphones down on the coffee table. I helped her through her nightly routine quietly, and didn’t move until her breathing evened out, and sleep claimed her.

By the time she’d fallen unconscious, Thea was on her second glass of wine in the kitchen, with a book in front of her. She didn’t bother looking up as I entered, but she hummed under her breath. “And you have mastered the toughest child. Congratulations.”

I snorted. “You simply could have said ‘treat her like an adult’,” I replied.

“And where’s the fun in that?” She finally looked up and grinned. “Anyway, she doesn’treallywant to be treated like an adult. She wants to make her own choices while being a kid. Same as Ivy did when we were that age.”

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