Page 25 of The Powers of Nyx

“We didn’t bring much with us, so that second part should be easy,” Hawk replied, stiffly. “A weapons check has been done on my end, but I’ll do a second one now that the wards are in place.”

Maeve bowed her head, and Hawk took that as his chance to leave, stalking to the elevator without a second glance at us.

Maybe it was because he wasn’t with his team. But it humanised him a bit, made him seem less annoying. Although, the fact he seemed to be in gear 24/7 didn’t really help.

Does he live in his gear all day every day?I wondered, frowning.

Why does it matter, Sweetheart?

Oops. Didn’t mean to share that.

At that, Adrian tugged me sharply into his side, releasing my hand and sliding his arm around my waist.Careful, or I might think you like him.

I coughed and sent him a glare. I didn’t deign him with an answer, and instead focused on Maeve. “Anything else we can do?”

“Rest,” she answered, stepping towards me. The blank mask slipped, and her eyes softened, though she seemed stiff with tension. “You expelled a lot of magic, I can sense it. We’ll be leaving at four, and you need sleep and to recharge. Protecting yourself by any means necessary is crucial.”

My mind went back to the kidnapping, to the soldiers I’d killed, to their blood soaking my hands, and their final words echoing in my ears. ‘Any means necessary’meant more death, more blood on my hands, and I wasn’t sure if I was capable of anymore.

Maeve and Adrian shared a glance, one that spoke volumes.

“I’ll make sure you’re never in a position to do that again,” Adrian promised, his arm tightening around me. “We both will.”

“I’m sorry,” Maeve murmured. “I didn’t mean to bring up those memories.”

I looked at her and tried to offer her a reassuring smile. The words ‘it isn’t your fault’felt heavy on my tongue. I breathed in herperfume, Adrian’s familiar minty scent, and tried to find comfort in both as my heart thumped loudly with my anxiety.

After a moment of pulling in breaths, I offered Maeve a smile. “It’s okay. I know what you meant,” I said, leaning into Adrian’s embrace. “I’ll get over it.”

Maeve shook her head, worry creasing her brow, but she pressed her lips together, gaze flickering up to Adrian’s.

“No, you won’t,” he murmured, tightening his hold on me. “You aren’t supposed to. But we’ll be here to help you through the darkness, and we’ll protect you from even your own demons.”

I swallowed thickly, no response forming on my tongue.

“See that she’s taken care of,” Maeve said, turning to Adrian. “I’ll be finishing the preparations on my end.”

“Of course,” Adrian replied, and we watched silently as Maeve slipped into her office once more, and locked herself in.

9

ELIAS

WEhad less than twenty minutesto get the vehicles moving, and we were late.

I tried not to let my anxiety show, but it was becoming difficult with how slow the agents were moving. My wolf rose to the surface, stalking the mages trying to get our SUVs ready for transport, prepared to take any of them out should they prove useless. It was irrational, but with the knowledge that I’d be reunited with my mate soon, I couldn’t keep the thoughts at bay.

“Relax,” Archer muttered. He fell back against the wall beside me and crossed his arms over his chest; from the corner of my eye, I watched him assess the agents. “We’ll be out of here soon and you’ll be reunited with Ivy.”

“We have such a short window of time to make it to the ferry, and we have wasted too much of it.” I kept my mouth shut about how we’d fucked up. From the other side of the loading bay, Jay barked orders at his team, working them tirelessly for departure. We should have left hours ago, and based on the recent check in I’d had with Ivy, they were set to leave soon.

Archer shifted on his feet. “You get anything else out of them?”

Them. The reason we were behind schedule. I snarled. “Nothing worth repeating.”

Other than their useless repetition of the phrase‘death to the Queen, long live the true King’, we’d gained no knowledge verbally of their plans. The information we’d found about their extended lives was being stored exclusively with our team.

“Their lifespans require extensive questioning.” The mage’s eyes found mine. “It’s almost like someone is trying to extend lifespans similarly to how the Queen’s magic does.”

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