Page 90 of The Powers of Nyx

If it weren’t for the fact that Adrian was groaning behind me, I would have blamed him. But alas, since he hated mornings more than me, the blame went to Thea. As did the attacks. Elias was in the bathroom, therefore no help. I lifted Adrian’s heavy arm from my waist and scooted away from him as Ginny crawled her way up to steal my warmth.

Two weeks here, and she was happier than she’d been in months. It probably helped that she had actual things to do to keep her mind off Kerry.

Maisie was still Maisie, though the overabundance of toys helped.

“Why do I have to come out now?” I asked, barely stopping myself from yawning.

Maisie blinked up at me with those wide, blue eyes and her rosy cheeks dimpled as she said, “Because Thea said so.”

I frowned. “Since when do you listen to Thea?”

“Since she made cinnamon pancakes,” Ginny said, though she said the word ‘cinnamon’ wrong.

“Yeah!” Maisie jumped as Elias exited the bathroom, launching herself into his arms.

Despite the early wake up, it was mornings like these that gave me hope. They promised me everything, one day, would be okay. It also gave me insight into something I’d been trying not to think about. It was hard not to when Elias—and sometimes Adrian—promised to put a baby in me.

And there was something about those words that made me anxious and had me hoping that one day it could be a reality.

I shook my head.So totally not the time for that.

I shoved those thoughts aside as I scooted out of bed. “Alright. How about you guys wait in the kitchen, and I’ll be out in a bit, hmm?”

The kids shared a look, but they relented after some assurances, eventually leaving me with a bare-chested shifter, and a barely awake mage.

Elias moved first and pulled me into a panty-melting kiss. His tongue languidly swirled against mine, not his usual domination, but still a possessive claiming, nonetheless. When he drew back, I sucked in a breath. “Good morning, Angel.”

“Morning,” I murmured, planting my face into his warm chest, sighing as his arms wound around me. “Today’s the day.”

He tensed. “I know.”

I released a shaky breath before pulling back. “It’ll be okay, right? They’ll be okay?”

Elias’s eyes softened. “Of course. We’ll be rotating so they aren’t alone and so you have direct communication with them at all times.” Although I knew this, his words reassured me.

I nodded. Even though I told them I’d be right out, I took my time showering, enjoying the heavenly shower as my last moment of freedom before the academy claimed me. When I finally stepped out, I dressed comfortably before joining everyone in the kitchen. Despite knowing how today would end, there was an air of happiness that surrounded everyone. Even Eloise seemed a little...lighter, somehow.

It made me hope that leaving them would be okay. Even if it was for a few days a week.

~

It was a two-hour drive to the academy, though it felt longer as I watched the palace turn to a speck in the rearview window.

Apparently, we couldn’t just...go through the mountain. There were no tunnels straight through, so around we went.

I wasn’t mad about that. In fact, it was kind of exciting. The limo was quiet as we followed the winding road through the forests, catching glimpses of stone cottages through the trees, or shifters taking to the underbrush. There was another smaller city between us and the academy, but we didn’t stop. We passed through where it sat on the outskirts of the mountain. Its prime feature was a temple built into the mountain, a place of worship to Nyx. There was one at the academy, as well as a few hidden throughout the palace grounds. It was a reminder of just how little I knew about the world I would soon rule.

After a while, the sky darkened, and rain crashed down around us. The downpour only made me more nervous, but the driver seemed unbothered. The only thing keeping me from a full-blown panic attack was the strong presence of Elias on one side, and Rowan on the other. The rain felt like a bad omen, a promise of horrible things to come.

And I was rethinking all my confidence and bravado. I thought I’d be able to do this, but now, I was second guessing myself.

“Breathe,” Elias murmured, his hand tightening on my knee. He’d been holding me in some manner since we left the palace. “You’ll be fine. We’ll be with you every step of the way.”

I sucked in a breath and released it slowly as Rowan took one of my hands. “You won’t even be able to get rid of us when you pee.”

I spared him a look that said, ‘don’t you fucking dare’and all I got in return was a goofy smile. It warmed my heart. At least it let me know that we were going to be okay.

My chest loosened, and there was no longer a pressure restricting around my heart. “How much longer until we get there?” I asked.

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