Page 81 of The Powers of Nyx

The smile widened. “Open.” Without thinking, I did as he said and parted my lips. He brought the tart up to my mouth. “Bite.”

My eyes narrowed, but I bit down.Are you going to tell me to chew as well?I asked, raising a brow.

Adrian leaned in, and under his breath, he said, “Chew.”

Curious about where this was going, I did as I was instructed. The flavours exploded across my tongue, spicy and aromatic. There was a slight bite to it, but it was warmer than anything, even as I swallowed. I hummed under my breath as Adrianoffered me the rest, and I almost forgot what I was doing until he swiped his thumb over my bottom lip, eliciting a shiver from me.

“This isn’t leading into some kind of weird, feeding kink, is it?” I asked cautiously. “Because if it is, I’m out. I draw the line—”

Adrian cupped my cheek, cutting me off. “No. I just don’t want you to miss out on the food. I can’t make any of this for you at home.”

I shivered again, not from his touch, but from the warmth that flooded me at his words.Home. It still felt strange referring to the palace ashome, and yet I couldn’t deny the odd feeling of belonging.

“Right,” I muttered, ducking my head.

My mate chuckled, but he didn’t remove his hand from my face. “We did bring you here, not for sex, but so you can experience more of our world.”

“That’s a relief.” I rolled my eyes. At least I wouldn’t have to specify thatnext timewe spend more time together beyond orgasms.

“The show has about twenty minutes left.” He leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of my mouth. “When it—and you—are done, we have one last thing to do.”

~

No touches. No kisses. And certainly, no orgasms during the last twenty minutes of the show. There was still a need burning within me, one that begged for release, but I did my best to push that aside while I enjoyed whatever story was unfolding before me. I still had no clue what was happening, but by the time it finished, I could admit I appreciated it to some degree. But the food was better, and since I was no longer anxious about leaving the kids, or about Ry being nearby, I could actually enjoy it.

“What time is it?” I asked, as we entered the streets of the city once more. Somehow, we’d been able to escape the flood ofpeople thanks to help from the staff by using a back entrance. I didn’t want to chance running intohim.

Elias wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me into his side, and bent down to kiss the top of my head. “Nearing midnight. Are you ready to go home? Or do you think you can handle this last activity?”

I chewed my lip as we walked, though I wasn’t particularly paying attention to where we were going. I was getting the best sleep of my life now that I was spending the nights in the arms of my mates, so I wasn’t entirely worried about being tired in the morning.

But I was curious, and excitement fluttered in my belly as I glanced up at him. “No. I’m interested in what else you have planned.”

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing naughty,” Rowan said as he snuck up beside me and took my hand. “Just something we thought you might like.”

“And yet I don’t think I believe you,” I replied, glancing at him, eyes narrowed. “I wasn’t expectingEndorato be naughty, either.”

Rowan grinned, but his cheeks flushed pink. We followed the cobblestone streets towards what looked like a small lake with buildings circling it. Each one looked like some kind of bar or restaurant, though across the lake, the storefronts were dark. I bit my tongue to stop myself from asking about it, and just assumed we were still walking to some kind of shopping and food district, when my chest tightened unexpectedly.

I slowed my pace, looking around. Elias and Rowan’s questioning stares landed on me, but I couldn’t help but feel as if something was...not right. Not wrong, not dangerous, but not good, either.

Stepping out of Elias’s embrace, I walked towards one of the bars. Crowds of people swarmed the booths and tables while livemusic played towards the back. But there was only one person who caught my eye, one whose face I hadn’t expected to see again.

Hawk. The half-Fae leader was sitting at a table with the rest of his team—at least, the remaining three—with a petite red-head on his lap. My stomach twisted, and my magic burned harshly beneath my skin. Butwhy?I didn’t like him. As a matter of fact, I thought his handsome face was stupid looking. His entire personality was as interesting as a non-fiction book.

But I also couldn’t ignore the creeping anger and the strange sense of betrayal rising within me. It was ridiculous. Insane, even.

As if sensing my stare, Hawk looked up. I couldn’t read his expression, and I didn’t care to. Turning on my heel, I walked back to my mates. Guilt ate at me, but suddenly, I was exhausted. “I think it’s time to go home.”

They didn’t question me. Adrian gently prodded the bond, but I threw up walls to hide my thoughts from them. They didn’t need to know about Hawk. I wasn’t even sure I truly understood what the hell I was feeling.

Elias tucked me into his side, and Rowan retook my hand. I sensed Maeve had some idea of what I was hiding, but she didn’t comment on it, at least not while the others were around. Alone, she might, but I was glad she wasn’t trying to broach it through the bond.

We made it back to our suite after midnight, and I took a few moments to check if the children had been brought back, but their beds were empty, which meant they’d enjoyed their time enough with Queen Greer to stay with her.

I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or disappointed they weren’t here, almost missing the nights where I’d climb into bed with them. After Ry had left, Eloise had spent every night sleeping with me, like she somehow knew I was heartbroken.

The team was quiet when I finally made my way to the bedroom.

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