Page 91 of The Powers of Nyx

Elias looked out the window, his expression unreadable, but when he turned to me, he dipped his head. “We just made it to the gates.”

A shiver rolled down my spine. I couldn’t see much from where I sat in the limo, but based on the windows either side of me, there was forest. “Are you sure?”

The limo slowed to a crawl, and I tensed. The forest was still, thick, and water-logged from the heavy rain. But spaced out between trees were dark, stone figures with heavy wings spread wide. I looked to Rowan’s window, and again, more were spread throughout the forest.

“What are they?” I asked.

“Gargoyles. Protectors of the Academy,” Rowan explained. “Mean motherfuckers if you try to sneak off campus.”

I couldn’t help but snort, and when his head whipped to me, I covered my mouth. “Were they...mean to you?”

His eyes narrowed. “I won’t deign that kind of question with an answer.”

From my other side, Elias chuckled.

As we passed the gargoyles, the forest thinned. We reached a towering, stone wall. I leaned over Rowan’s lap to get a look at it, but from that vantage point—and probably because of the rain—I could barely make out where the wall ended. Our limo crawled right on past, where a small booth with a couple of male’s sat waving people through. Others stood in the rain, and I would have felt bad for them if it weren’t for magic surrounding them like a bubble, keeping them totally dry.

That would have been helpful when walking to work.No umbrella needed.

Slowly, I sat back and sent Rowan an apologetic smile as I did, but he seemed unbothered by me almost climbing into his lap.All he did was grin in response. At this point, they had to be used to it.

Gates lined either side of the road, open for now, but beyond them was...something else. Once again, I was basically climbing into one of their laps—Elias pulled me into his so I could look out the window, and now I understood Maisie’s constant curiosity. On his side, I watched as we rolled by rows of buildings all connected by pathways. They were darkened by the weather, but those that branched off the main building had glass for walls and ceilings and surrounded an outdoor field. There were gardens too, and like the guards seeing us through, they were protected by a shield that stopped them from flooding.

“Holy shit,” I whispered. The long road finally circled around to the front of the academy. I wasn’t even sure if I could call it that. It was like a castle in its own right, dark and Gothic thanks to the heavy rain. My mouth popped open at the line of people waiting for us. The limo pulled to a stop at the base of the stairs, and suddenly, there were people opening our door.

My cheeks flushed red as I accepted a hand off Elias’s lap. What a great first impression I’d made.

Don’t worry, Angel. They’ve likely seen worse.

For some reason, that didn’t make me feel better, and I let him know it.

The hand helping me pulled away as soon as I was out of the limo, and where I’d expected rain to hit me, I was completely dry.Thank you, magic.

Elias appeared behind me and rested a hand on my waist. Rowan slid out last. Now I could see more; there were several more limos and large SUVs behind us, and others were pulling away. But in front of me...I was a glutton for good, old architecture, and this place had me excited. I liked to say it was the writer in me, but that would be a lie. It was one of the few things Kerry and I ever agreed on.

Before I could do much more than take in the front of the building, Elias guided me up the stairs. My trunk and the duffels he and Rowan were going to be carting to and from the Academy were taken away by a couple of staff members. There was an itch to help and do it myself. I never expected others to carry my bags when I stayed in hotels, mostly because I’d worked in one, but also because that hadn’t been how I was raised.

But I gritted my teeth. That wasn’t my life anymore, and here, at Oberon, I had to pretend I belonged.

I had to be like the rest.

I squared my shoulders and made my way up the stairs to the front entrance where a group of people waited. There was a woman dressed in a vibrant pink pantsuit that was giving Elle inLegally Blond—golden hair and all. She had eyes a similar shade of green to Adrian and Sir Theon, which meant...

I hadn’t met any of his siblings yet, and here I was, doing it without him. My palms turned clammy as we met her in the doorway. “Ivy,” she greeted warmly. What had Adrian said about her? Something about her being the resident mean girl when he’d attended?

She wasn’t giving me that impression, but then again, I didn’t know her. “It’s nice to finally meet you,” I stuttered out. “Adrian told me about you.”

Her thin, light brown brows rose as she gave me a half-smile. “Ah, probably about how I let him get bullied by—” Her eyes swept over Rowan. “Him.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, there was mention of blue hair.”

She chuckled and motioned towards the inside of the castle—academy. “I am Headmistress Sylvia. Everything you need will go directly through me, for obvious reasons.”

“Do you meet all students at the door?” I asked.

“Of course not,” she replied, sparing me a look over her shoulder. “Only the important ones.”

My stomach twisted, but I nodded.

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