Page 19 of The Crown of Nyx

Ivy pressed her lips into a firm line, glancing down at the fabric in my hands. “Is that my gear?” she asked, totally avoiding my question.

I clenched my jaw and nodded. “Specially made, just for you.”

For the first time, her expression changed, and she frowned. “I didn’t think any of you were into the idea of me having my own gear.”

I offered her a smile as I held out the clothes. “Really? Because Maeve had this ordered before we even arrived in Avalon.”

Her expression softened. Gently, she took the gear and brought it to her chest. “Thanks.”

“Nothing you need to thank me for, my love. But if I do get a reward, I’ll take a kiss.”

A crack formed in the sadness and her lips twitched. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she replied thickly. Her eyes danced over the small clearing, taking in the others already changed into gear; Maeve and Elias stood back like they were trying to pretend they weren’t listening in on our conversation, meanwhile Adrian openly stared, as did Hawk and Orion.

“They are definitely listening,” Ivy murmured. “Not a moment of peace here.”

I snorted. “You keep picking through my thoughts, and I might think you have a thing for me.”

The twist of her lips, and the smile that replaced the dull look in her eyes, made me sigh in relief. Her eyes shone when they met mine, and I felt a twinge of hope again.

“As badly as I need a shower, I take it we have to keep moving.” She cocked her head, looking me over. “Why haven’t you changed yet?”

I shrugged, reaching down and grabbing both of our bags. “I was waiting for you, my love. Shall we?”

The smile didn’t disappear. She took my hand, letting me entwine our fingers. Guiding her back to the SUV, I hid her in the corner of the door, where she would be protected while she undressed.

“I’m going to need some help,” she murmured, red rushing to her cheeks.

I raised a brow, but I didn’t question why she didn’t just use magic to whisk the dress away. Instead, I motioned for her to turn, and I helped her pull her hair over her shoulder.

Chewing my lip, I stared at the back of her bodice for a long moment. “You know, I might be the most useless of your mates right now.”

“You can cut it off,” she replied quietly. “I don’t think it’s salvageable.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to risk hurting you. But Adrian should—” I glanced over my shoulder and found my friend already approaching slowly, his brows furrowed. “He can help.”

Ivy hesitantly bowed her head. “Okay.”

I moved aside for Adrian, but I didn’t leave her. The prince slid in beside me, jaw clenched. But rather than questioning her, he started pulling at the ties of her bodice, undoing them with deft fingers. As he moved, the dress slid down her figure, pooling at her feet and leaving her naked.

“I probably shouldn’t question how you know how to do this,” Ivy said over her shoulder, offering Adrian a strained smile. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you, Sweetheart,” he replied, conjuring a damp cloth in his hand. His eyes weren’t on hers; Ifollowed his line of sight to the bruise on her side, the blood still caked to her skin. “Can I help with that?”

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “Okay.”

It didn’t take long to wipe the blood from her body; I helped her twist so Adrian could see the pattern of the bruise more clearly, sucking in a breath as she turned to give us her front, where it continued over her stomach. Fucking Nyx, I wanted to hurthim. I bit down on the need to ask her about it, but I had a feeling either Hawk or that bastard Orion would know, because Ivy’s thoughts weren’t offering much.

Ivy barely glanced at it, though her breath came out in a soft sigh when Adrian finished cleaning away the blood. “It’s not that bad,” she whispered.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Adrian’s jaw clenched. “It’s worse than it needs to be, Sweetheart.” As he ghosted the rag over the darkest part of the bruise, she flinched.

“And clearly, it hurts,” I muttered, catching her stare.

“It’s healing though, and that’s all that matters.” She jutted her chin, though dropped my stare after a moment to take in the way it wrapped around her stomach. “I’ll be fine in a few hours.”

At that, Adrian and I shared a dark look. We were both thinking the same in regard to that statement.A few hours too many. The knowledge she was hurting and there was nothing we could do to help her burned through me. It brought on a sense of uselessness, one that was hard to ignore. All I offered her as her mate was pain, and there was little I could do to heal her physical or mental wounds.

Stop that, she said, her voice snapping me out of my thoughts.You have done nothing to hurt me, Rowan.

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