Page 141 of The Powers of Nyx

Pain shuddered through me, rolling over my skin, prickling my flesh from the sudden appearance of it.

“You’re okay,” a broken voice said. “We’ve got you, Sweetheart. We have you.”

There was a softness to his tone that made the pain worse. Like somehow, I’d failed. The burning intensified all over again, though now, I couldn’t scream. Couldn’t make a sound pass my lips.

The light started to disappear as darkness pulled me back under.

I was once again alone with the pain.

~

The forest bled like wet ink on a page. I turned in a slow circle, taking it in, my brows furrowed as even the creatures that once tormented me shied away in fear.

“Nyx!” I called. “Where are you?”

I tried to take a step, but the ground swallowed my feet. “Fuck.” Frustration burrowed into me, tightening in my chest. Tears burned my eyes, a lump forming in my chest as I tried to lift my legs.

“I’m always here, Ivy.”

I cursed again as the ground released me and I stumbled, almost collapsing to my knees.

“What’s going on?” I asked, turning to the shrouded figure. “What’s happening to this place?”

The Goddess didn’t lower her cloak this time, not as she stood still amongst the crumbling forest. “This is the result of what happened to our magic.”

I wrapped my arms around myself. “What do you mean?”

“It is not your fault.”

My heart skipped a beat, and I looked away, pressing my lips into a firm line. There were a dozen things she could have been referring to, or a thousand things that really were my fault. I couldn’t tell the difference anymore.

“Someone has bastardised the old spells used to build not only this world, but the last,” Nyx said, her voice hauntingly sad. “A betrayal not even I could have foreseen. And somehow, they have found a way to hurt you with it.”

I swallowed thickly and finally turned back to her. “What does that mean?”

“It means your adversary is far smarter than any of us could have believed.”

“He could successfully take control of Avalon, couldn’t he?” I whispered, crossing my arm as a dark chill rolled through my body. “He could actually take the crown?”

“No.” Nyx dropped the shroud and gone was the beautiful face I’d seen before. In its place was one scarred and broken and strong, wearing a grim frown, eyes hardening. “I did not create the line of Nyx for it to be taken over by a male with no rightful claim. I did not give Pandora my power only for it to be taken by someone who never should have had power to begin with. I swore to the Gods who banished me that I would not let them have control in my world, and that has been the way for over three thousand years. It will not change with you, Ivy Wilson. I will not let it.”

A different kind of fire burned within me from her words, an ancient flame reigniting at the weight of them. My entire body vibrated as my magic purred in my chest.

“You must not let him take you,” she warned. “You must fight. Or everything I have done—everything we have risked—will end in ruin. These worlds will die.”

~

Waking to soft sunlight streaming through my balcony windows and my mates surrounding me seemed to wash away the pain entirely. Gone was the ache in my limbs and the burn in my chest.

The warmth no longer scalded me, but instead gathered around me like a blanket. That safety net didn’t disappear as I blinked tiredly at my window. Dark clouds rolled across the sky, blocking out most of the sun. But every so often, streams of light broke through the bank of clouds to enter the bedroom.

Only the sound of soft breaths broke through the silence. I managed to turn my head just enough to find Maeve beside me, holding my hand to her chest, her eyes closed. Dark circles bruised her eyes, and stress lined her forehead, but she didn’t stir, not as I gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

Pressure at my stomach made me look down to find Rowan sleeping between my legs. If it weren’t for the fact that both my hands were otherwise occupied, I might have trailed my fingers through his messy red hair. One of his hands rested precariously on my upper thigh, while the other clutched my waist like I might be ripped from his grasp.

My throat tightened as I took in Elias. He was in wolf form, wedged between Rowan and Adrian, large head resting on my thigh. Usually, he would wake when I did, but the wolf only released a breath, green eyes remaining shut. I so badly wanted to run my fingers through his fur, but Adrian had claimed my other hand.

He had our fingers entwined, holding onto me tightly, even in sleep. Golden locks fell over his forehead, which brushed mine as I turned my head to face him. Dark lashes skimmed his cheekbones when his eyes fluttered. Our hands were locked between us on the pillow, close to his parted lips.

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