Page 155 of The Powers of Nyx

I blew out a shaky breath. Adrian gave my hand a reassuring squeeze as the rest of my mates tensed. “What does that mean, exactly? For me—for my family?”

“We are reconsidering you travelling between the academy and the palace is safe,” he replied. “It seems unwise, especially since they are getting more confident in their attacks.”

I understood what he wasn’t saying. He—and everyone else—wanted me at the academy full time. They wanted me to abandon the children. “No. I can continue my studies here with tutors. I’ll even spend more time on them if I’m here. I’ll go back once there isn’t a threat to my family, but I willnotleave them.”

He sighed and pressed his hands together, leaning forward. “We aren’t asking you to leave them,” he said quietly, sternly. “But we also don’t recommend them remaining here, either. Not if the palace is compromised.”

My stomach clenched with panic. “What are you suggesting, then?”

Sir Theon glanced at Adrian briefly before meeting my stare. There were lines of stress around his green eyes—eyes that were the same shade of emerald as Adrian’s. “We think it mightbe best to...relocate them to a safe location where they’ll be protected by a smaller, more specialised team, while you remain at the academy.”

“Alone?” I clarified, clenching my free hand in my lap. “You want me to send them somewhere, alone, without me?”

Maeve took my hand and forced my fingers to uncurl. I’d barely noticed the bite of my nails digging into my palm. “Ivy, we can make a plan.”

I sucked in a sharp breath. Panic was closing in. I’d made apromiseto them that I wouldn’t abandon them. That I wouldn’t leave them like Kerry. But wouldn’t I be doing that if I let Sir Theon send them away? If he couldn’t trust them to be safe in the palace, then they certainly wouldn’t be safe anywhere else.

Sir Theon sat back with a sigh. “We are trying to do what is best for all of you, please believe that,” he said. It was a little too patronising for me, but I bit my tongue. “Our options are extremely limited. Especially because it appears our enemy is closer to us than we first expected.”

“They are always listening. That is what the Seer warned me of when we left to find Ivy,” Maeve muttered as she stroked my hand. “What does she have to say?”

I might not have taken much stock into psychics, but what little I knew about Sable had me a little more confident in her abilities.

“She has given her opinions. Even suggested a possible place for them to be relocated to.” He eyed me warily for a moment before continuing, “Adrian’s brother, Griffon, and his mates have a semi-permanent residence few know about on one of the islands off the western coast. One of his mates is a siren princess, so there is protection there from not just the land, but the sea. Griffon is set to leave for his home in the next few days, and we believe the children and your friend should go with him.”

My heart raced and tears burned the corners of my eyes. For a long moment, I couldn’t speak. Guilt swirled within me, but more than that, anger and frustration. Every time I think I might be making progress, this False King swoops in to take another thing away from me.

First my magic in the explosion not even a week ago.

And now my family?

Were they really safer on a faraway island? I knew the ones he was talking about—we’d studied the maps in ourPolitical Climatesclass. There were dozens of small islands off the coast that were mostly private and owned by the wealthier aristocrats. Heavily warded and charmed for that reason alone. Some were protected by packs of shifters. Others just homes. Very few weren’t inhabited these days. And most were heavily surrounded by sirens and other mer-creatures because of the beaches that lined the coast.

But apparently the area was beautiful. The children—minus Thea—loved the beach. I closed my eyes, suddenly feeling more tired than I had when I’d woken.

It won’t be forever,Elias said, his presence in my mind comforting.We would never have brought this up if we didn’t think it was right.

I swallowed thickly and opened my eyes. The weight of their gazes was solely on me. But this wasn’t just a decision to be made by me.

We were a family—all of us. We had to treat it as such.

I glanced at Maeve first. “What do you think? Like, really think about this?” I asked.

Maeve pressed her lips into a firm line, eyes searching mine, but I needed to know the truth. She gave my hand a comforting squeeze. “Logically, letting them leave with Griffon would be their safest option. They would be harder to track, and Griffon and his mates have notoriously made it clear they will neverlet the children of their siblings stay with them. No one would suspect them of hiding three girls in their manor.”

“My brother is also one of the kindest, strongest people out there,” Adrian said. “He was there throughout my entire childhood—no matter what he says about children. He was there for all of us. And he’s powerful. His father is Onyx, and he’s been around for over two hundred years, so have his mates. They’ve mastered their powers.”

“Tell me about them,” I whispered. “Are they as good?” Because I knew, just from Adrian alone, that his siblings had to be as good as him.

“His mate Senna is a princess of the Abyss Court. She’s extremely powerful because she comes from a long line of sirens, but she’s also incredibly generous and kind. Which might be strange after your time at the academy, since most Fae have sticks up their ass. But not her. Some might see it as a weakness. But not you.” He pulled me closer into his side, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “Declan is his other mate and a shifter. Eagle. And he might be a little stern and quiet, but like Griffon and Senna, he’s great. They would never hurt the children—and they would never let anything happen to them.”

My eyes went to the ceiling. I tried to keep the tears from falling. No matter what I did, they were never going to be safe with me. At least, not until whoever the asshole hunting me was stopped.

I hadn’t asked to be Queen. I hadn’t asked Nyx to name me as herDaughter. I never wanted any of this.

But I also couldn’t bring myself to regret any of it. It felt selfish, but I couldn’t ignore the fact I loved my mates. Loved this new world.

Blowing out a shaky breath, I dropped my stare to my hands. One claimed by Maeve, the other by Adrian. Both holding me tight, like they were afraid I’d break.

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