Page 112 of The Crown of Nyx

Elias pulled my belt around my waist and secured it before pressing a kiss to my belly. “Love you,” he said, rising to his feet.Can you handle this? Or do you want me to stay?

I tore my eyes from Hawk briefly to glance at Elias.I can handle him and whatever he says. I love you.

Elias’s bond warmed, and before I knew it, he was shifting and trotting off into the forest, leaving me with Hawk.

I cut the half-Fae male a look before pushing off the tree. “Something you want to say?” I asked, stalking towards him.

He ground his teeth together as I came to a stop a few feet from him. “Nothing you would listen to.”

I rolled my eyes as I crossed my arms. “Seriously. What do you want?”

“You walked away from camp,” he growled. “I needed to check on you.”

“So, you found me. And then watched my bonded give me an orgasm. Happy?”

The growl that passed his lips startled me into taking a step back. My heart skipped a beat, but I shoved the brief feeling of fear down. Something shifted in his eyes, guilt maybe, but he wiped the expression away just as quickly.

“What the hell is your problem?” I asked. “You’re acting all pissed off, but you said you didn’t want this!You don’t want me!You don’t get to be angry if I’m with my bonded mates. You don’t get to act all possessive and jealous when you chose this!”

Hawk drew in a sharp breath, chin lifting. Something sparked in the dark, inky depths of his eyes.“Ivy…” He took a step towards me, the air rippling with tension. My magic rose within me, unsettled by his presence. It wanted to complete the bond with him, reaching for him.

“No.” I held up a hand to stop him from continuing, and to stop him from coming any closer. Internally, I pulled my magic away from him, shoving it down until it could no longer be a problem.

“I respect what you shared, and I have accepted that you don’t want the bond. So,stop.” My voice broke on the last word unintentionally, but it was too late.

Anger turned to hurt in his eyes, but he pulled down the mask of indifference I had come to know and understand all too well. “You make the rules, Princess.”

I shook my head. “No, I don’t,” I murmured.

And I walked away from my mate again, this time my heart feeling heavier than ever before.

46

Rowan

Wolfy remained a good distance away from me while I studied the old circle of rune stones. They were hardly recognisable from years of nature reclaiming them. Based on how derelict they were, I guessed at some point the valley flooded, taking them into the depths of water. Thick mud clung to the stone, hiding the carved runes with such a fierce protectiveness that it took me using the tip of my dagger to finally reveal the markings beneath.

I scrubbed one of the large stones down, pouring water over the mud and moss to expose the grey rock beneath. There were multiple runes carved on the surface, some I knew from my studies; protection runes that had once been used as barrier wards when enhanced with charm magic, and old vampire sun runes. Some were symbols to represent the creature that lived on the land,and the sign for vampire—a sun and moon combined—appeared more than once.

But there were others that appeared, too. Smaller runes I vaguely recognised. I couldn’t remember if it was from the old textbooks I’d poured over during my studies, or if they’d appeared in my visions.

My stomach bottomed out at the last thought. A small part of me prayed that they weren’t runes similar to the ones from my vision. That there was no chance the runes Dante used existed in any realm.

But then, I hoped for answers. If there were old runes—ancient ones that pre-existed Avalon—then I needed to know. To find some hint of them out here, in a land that hadn’t been touched by the hands of creatures in years. It was clear the creatures at the palace hadn’t been in the valley for a while.

There was a circle of twelve stones, each one carved with so many runes, it would take me days to clear them and document their uses, because each stone had a specific purpose.

The forest around me was quiet, save for whatever Wolfy was doing in the distance. He’d managed to hunt a couple of small animals for dinner and sniffed out some root vegetables that would be safe to eat. I hadn’t exactly participated in the wilderness survival courses at the Phoenix Compound during my training years. I was pretty fucking useless in that regard.

Actually, I was feeling pretty damned useless in all areas right now. The visions were giving me nothing. I had no idea where future Dante was planning on holding Ivy if he succeeded, and I had no way of counteracting the runes he would use.

Or designed, a dark voice in the back of my head told me. I didn’t want to even think about what it could mean.

I had no frame of reference for how that could happen. Charm witches and mages were the only ones capable of creating runes. And even then, they had to be a master of their power. Adrian wasn’t even close to that, though now that he’d completed the bond with Ivy and she’d come into her full power of Nyx, it was possible he could design them now. It required a hell of a lot of power and skill.

I wasn’t even sure if Sir Theon had made it that far into his mastery to build a rune. They were entirely different from charms, and could be wielded by anyone because the magic was built into the creation of the rune itself. It was why rune stones were so coveted. Charm witches and mages had to build them, but anyone could use them.

Dante wasn’t capable of that, unless…

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