Page 77 of The Powers of Nyx

The door to the bedroom opened, but Maeve didn’t step away from me immediately. She ran her hands down my sides, her touch leaving sparks of electricity in their wake. My magic was awake, but not fighting me. Peaceful, almost, but sensitive, aware. Reminding me there was still a part of our bond we hadn’t yet completed.

Soon enough, we were no longer alone. My two mages were dressed handsomely in slacks, leather shoes, and button-up shirts that were open at the collars. Adrian also had a suit jacket on, whereas Rowan had gone without. Meanwhile, my wolf was dressed more comfortably, in dark-wash jeans and a long sleeved, dark grey shirt.

One day I’ll see him in a suit,I thought.

Elias’s eyes narrowed. My skin prickled at the weight of all their eyes on me.

Adrian spoke first, taking a step forward as he did. “You look...” His lips parted, and he shook his head. “Too good.”

Rowan clapped him on the back. I couldn’t ignore the lust filling Ro’s eyes as they roamed the length of the dress. “Fuck. I’m almost a little tempted to stay home tonight.”

The heat in his words made me clench, reminding me I still wasn’t wearing panties. It felt a little too late for that now, though.

Elias remained strangely quiet as he stared at me. Our bond gave nothing away, but I could also feel the shield he’d placed upbetween our thoughts. “Do you like it?” I asked quietly, chewing my bottom lip.

My wolf breathed in sharply from his nose and released it slowly. “I’m trying to decide which weapons I need, should anyone look at you wrong.” The colour of his eyes shifted, taking on a subtle glow as they finally roamed my body. “You look almost too perfect for where we’re going.”

Relief and lust flooded me, but I focused more on the relief. “I need shoes, and then we can go.”

Maeve let go of me at that, striding over to the selection of shoes. She pulled down a pair of heels that weren’t too high and were a similar dark green to the dress.A perfect match, I thought.

Once again, I was really glad for Maeve.

As she knelt to help me into my shoes, she prodded the bond, and amusement filtered down her end.Don’t wear panties tonight,she said, a wicked glint entering her eyes as she met my stare.And certainly, do not let them know you are without.

I swallowed thickly, that same burst of lust shuddering through me, but I gave her a nod.

Family unit date night had begun.

~

The streets of Avalon were designed to be a walkable city, similar to the old architecture and structure of European cities. The streets weren’t large enough for cars, which seemed to be used primarily to go between the different cities and towns scattered along the island. But once you hit a certain point in any place, cars became useless, and you were left on foot.

Or cart, because there were a few of those around, too.

The sky glittered with an array of stars and a similar explosion of light as the aurora borealis washed over the northern part of the sky. The lights danced across the darkness, swirling in different patterns, almost like they were weaving in and out ofthe different constellations. But these weren’t the green blue you usually saw—these lights were a striking mixture of purple and red and gold streaking across the other half of the city.

“It’s the gateways between worlds letting us know that the time to cross has come and gone,” Adrian explained, his hand tucked into mine. I glanced at him and couldn’t help the smile that unfurled across my face. There was a sense of ease coming off him, one I’d noticed when we’d first arrived. But before I could voice any of those thoughts, Adrian dipped his head and pressed a kiss to the corner of my lips. “You really do look beautiful tonight.”

Heat rushed up my cheeks, and I ducked my head. “I was worried it might be too much.”

“Never,” he murmured.

Another warm presence appeared beside me, and I looked up to find Rowan, a dazzling smile unfurling across his own lips. “Wolfy and Maeve found us a private room atEndora.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

Rowan, taking my other hand, began guiding us down towards a series of vibrant, lively restaurants. “A fine dining experience, if you will. It’s popular amongst the aristocrats.”

That had to be code for something uniquely supernatural, I decided, something they would explain when we arrived.

I took the short walk as my chance to really...breathe it all in. It was strange seeing other couples like us. From the corner of my eye, I noticed a girl with two other men, and they all sat basically on top of each other, gazing lovingly at one another, like there was no one else in the world but them. Across the street, there were four girls, each dressed in different shades of blue, and each shared gentle kisses before striding into a restaurant.

There were smaller groups, and some larger. They all seemed to feature different dynamics.Are they all mates?I asked Adrian.

His eyes found mine.Not all of them. Some are likely having fun, others maybe just friends. You’ll start to get a feel for bond groups as your power grows.

I shivered, and didn’t protest as he released my hand and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

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