Page 137 of The Powers of Nyx

She looked me over critically and sighed. “Perhaps you already know the answer to that, Elias Beckham.”

“Is this about Ivy? About...about what happened?” Kingsley questioned, rising to his feet. “Did you know this would happen?”

The Seer made her way to Kingsley’s side and pressed a hand against his cheek. Maybe for the first time since meeting the witch, she seemed genuinely concerned. Her bright eyes roamed Kingsley’s body, but she stepped back after a moment, before turning to me with the same worry.

“Tell us the truth,” I gritted out before she could make it to my side. “What happened?”

“The episode she had, before she began at the academy, weakened her,” the Seer explained. She pressed her hands into her lap as she met my stare. “Over the last several weeks, it has slowly unravelled.”

“How do you know that?” Kingsley asked. “I doubt even my mother would know that, and—”

Sable shrugged, like it meant nothing. “The reason your mother and I work so well together is that she knows there arethings I will always know that she won’t. Some of the greatest Queens have had a Seer at their side. Ever wonder why? It was Amara of the Everhart bloodline who assisted Queen Daphne after the destruction of the Old World. An extremely powerful divination witch who had warned Queen Aura that the magic was going to destroy our home. Seers have always served a purpose to the Queens—and to Nyx.”

My jaw clenched as I finally found my footing. The dark, silent bond terrified me. After the accident, it awoke. The bond told me Ivy was asleep, unconscious, but alive.

This…this wasn’t right. It should have awoken by now. Given mesomething.

“What does any of this have to do with my mate?” I growled, anger shuddering through me. My skin prickled as the shift threatened to overcome me. But I tried to force the wolf down. Because if he took control, I feared the man wouldn’t return.

The Seer eyed me for a long moment, her brows furrowed. “It simply means you should learn to put your trust in your Elders, Elias.” She turned back to Kingsley, putting her back to me. “Her magic hit a breaking point. No matter how close you all are as a mate circle, it wasn’t enough to undo the damage of the first.”

The first mate. I wanted to kill him all over again. Skin him and toss him to the packs to tear apart. If he caused this, I would never be able to let him near her. It didn’t matter if she forgave him or accepted him back into her life. It would be a betrayal to her if I let that bastard get away with this.

“I want to kill him,” Kingsley muttered. “I fucking hate him.”

My jaw clenched as the Seer shook her head. “You won’t. She needs him. As much as you wish she didn’t. He was her first for a reason. Sent to her by Nyxfor a reason.”

“Care to share with us the reason, Sable? Or will you keep that to yourself, too?” I snapped.

She huffed, though she didn’t get angry. Part of me wanted the witch to get angry. To finally admit what she knew. It was fucking tedious standing here, when I should be in a car on my way to Oberon.

I waited for a call from Grey, to give us something, to tell usanything, but the vamp was quiet. Not even Archer sent word.

“Enough.” She whirled on me, pointed a finger at my chest, and glared. “You can be angry with me, but it will not help. Not whenhealready knows the truth.”

A chill swept through me. “The usurper.”

She nodded. “This instability will be her undoing. I thought perhaps the academy would mean change. Give her what she needed. But I was too late. He already knows her weakness. He knows he can take what he wishes now.”

My stomach plummeted. Over her shoulder, Kingsley and I shared a look. Horror played in his eyes, and the colour drained from his face.

“We need to go,” he stated, stumbling back a step. “We need to get to her first.”

“The children will be safe with me,” Sable offered. A different kind of fear played in her eyes as she motioned towards the door. “I’ll take them and Thea to Queen Greer. Go to Ivy. And protect her.”

~

Chaos.Complete and utter chaos.

We were at the academy within the hour, and the campus was in pandemonium. Darkness fell over the school, but not naturally. A heavy, grey fog distorted the buildings. My heart raced as guards waved us through the gates, and I was able to pull in by the front entrance. There were dozens of other vehicles lining the circular drive, and from them spilled agents and soldiers.

“This doesn’t feel right,” Kingsley murmured, jumping out of the SUV. “The magic here feels off.”

As he rounded the side, I glanced around again. “None of this feels right.”

Guards and agents were everywhere, stalking the grounds and moving students. I spied Headmistress Sylvia with several professors, but she barely glanced at us as we passed.

Carefully, I prodded the dark bond, but there was nothing from Ivy. No sign of her consciousness in the back of my mind, no impression of her thoughts or emotions.

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