Page 33 of The Powers of Nyx

Maeve’s tongue circled my skin, sparking waves of arousal through me. A moan tore from my throat as she skimmed a hand over my heated flesh, trailing up my side and over my breast. My nipple tightened as she cupped me and dragged her thumb over the nub.

My mouth opened in a gasp as she released my throat and forcefully claimed my lips. There was something ferocious in the way she kissed me, and I met each swipe of her tongue with a matched passion. Everything within me uncoiled, the pressurebuilding within me concerning Maeve completely disappearing. Her hands roamed my body, but I wound my arms around her shoulders, holding onto her as if she could be ripped from me.

I opened my mouth to her and tasted my own blood on her tongue, but it didn’t disgust me in the way it should have.

It only made me more feverish, feeding my need for more.

Her tongue battled with mine. She bit into my bottom lip, and I tasted fresh blood in my mouth. But I didn’t care, not as I bit down on her lip hard enough to break the skin.

As soon as her blood entered my mouth, my magic exploded. White dots danced behind my eyes as the tether of a mate bond snapped into place, claiming Maeve and entwining our lives and souls together as one. The bond in my chest that belonged to her brightened. Rather than knotting together like with Elias and Adrian, the tethers of our bond seemed to come together with a burning need. My back sparked with short-lived pain as her mark joined the three others already lining my spine.

The power of it forced her off of me and onto the ground beside me. She clutched her chest, breath sharp and harsh in the cold silence of the SUV.

Confusion and pain entered her eyes as she stared. “What—”

Adrian appeared beside me, his face white. But as soon as he tried to touch me, Maeve was there, pulling me into her arms, against her chest—against the sudden thundering beat of her heart.

My mate. Maeve was my mate. I felt her now, felt her bond as she probed it with hesitancy. Our hearts both crashed against our ribs at the sudden change between us. With Adrian, I’d known we would finish our bond, a bond that had been begging to be forged since he was hurt.

With Elias, it had been urgent and full of passion, protection, and even in the moment between him fucking me and leavinghis claiming bite on my shoulder, I’d still known what would happen.

But as I watched Maeve’s face shift between confusion and protectiveness, I caught myself wondering how I didn’t know.

“Because,” Maeve said, her voice hoarse, “the bonds of the Queen can reveal themselves in any way and at any time.”

I swallowed thickly and tried to shift, but her arms tightened around me. “We completed the bond.” Guilt at not realising hit me, and I slumped in her grasp.

The burning need for more was soon outweighed by everything else.

Across from me, Adrian scrubbed a hand through his hair. “Shit,” he breathed, though he definitely didn’t attempt to come any closer. “It is not the time for this.”

Maeve nodded, though she nuzzled her face into my hair. “I know,” she murmured. Through the bond, I felt the barest impression of her emotions: craving, shame, desire. “I know. This was unexpected.”

“Not really.” Adrian shrugged as I frowned up at him. “What? It makes sense.”

Maeve made a sound in the back of her throat as the SUV rocked again. “My instincts are telling me to go out there and rip apart the traitors who did this.”

“That’s mostly under control,” Adrian replied, shifting slightly so that he blocked the exit completely. “It’s best if you stay here, especially with the sun.”

She grumbled something, but I couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief that she would have to wait until the reinforcements were here before she could leave. The bond demanded I be close to her, be together, and it made the panic worse. But I also knew we couldn’t stay here.

“You’re right,a mhuirnín,” she murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “We cannot stay here. We’re easy targets.”

A shudder raced down my spine, and the world spun for a moment. Black dots danced at the corner of my vision, blurring the faces of my mates, as a loud roar pierced the air.

Then a voice, one that brought tears of relief to my eyes, shouted over the hum of battle. “Where the hell is my mate!”

12

ADRIAN

THErune on the inside of my wrist burned in warning, and my chest loosened with the knowledge that we weren’t alone. “The others are here.”

Ivy’s face flooded with colour as she squeezed her eyes shut. A war raged within her; stay with her newly bonded mate or reunite with the one she’d been cut off from. The need to comfort her clawed at me, but I forced myself to hold back, to give her the space she needed. Maeve would be able to help her where I couldn’t.

Better start getting used to that, I thought, shaking my head as I backed away from my mate and her new bonded. Ivy was right: I would have to start getting used to sharing.

For now, though, I supposed I would have to make sure Elias didn’t kill anyone important.

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