Page 25 of The Crown of Nyx

There was silence for only a moment before a young witch lifted her head. “I can,” she said, voice quivering, though her stare held mine. “I will. For Queen Greer and Nyx.”

Maeve turned to me, her lips slightly upturned. “Let our Queen know we have a vessel. I will deal with the demon.”

I bowed my head and retreated into the shadows while the vampire did as she wanted to the demon captain. It was perhaps the first of many steps I would need to take in order to prove my worth to my mate and the others in her circle. But I would do it all for my flower.

Even if it meant tearing out the throats of every creature on this ship and the island. I would make her Queen again.

11

Ivy

When the two hours were up, a pit opened in my stomach. My heart raced like it wanted out of my chest. And honestly, the longer we waited, the more I wanted out of my body.

The same thought kept running through my head.I never should have let them go alone. We never should have split up. Over and over again, those words played through my head. Not even the brief touches of my other mates could quench the panic rising within me.

There was a brief brush of Orion against our bond, and I blew out a shaky breath.Are you okay? Are you hurt?I asked, pausing my pacing. The old wooden fisherman’s shack we hid in didn’t allow for much space to pace, but I made do with the several circles I’d burned into the rickety floors.

Orion brushed the bond again calmly before answering.We are both fine. We have a ship. The crew is small, but so is the vessel. We are sailing into the ocean away from the docks and we will send a small rowboat out to pick you and the others up.

My eyes fluttered shut as I sucked in a breath.Okay. I’ll let them know, I replied, turning to my other mates. I relayed what Orion said, and watched the relief hit everyone. Even Hawk sighed and rubbed his eyes.

Are you sure you’re okay?I asked carefully, once the others were occupied with making their own plans.Nothing happened?

A flood of warmth followed my questions. I almost expected him to not respond, but based on the impressions his emotions gave me, he was pleased I was concerned.

Around me, my mates spoke in hushed tones while I waited for Orion’s answer. I couldn’t hide from him the fact I was worried about him. That the entire time he and Maeve had been gone, I felt like I was going to crawl out of my skin. Part of it was my magic. Finally having access to all of it—the power linking me to my mates, the remaining magic that had kept Greer alive for over five hundred years—was overwhelming. It was unsettled, needing to be tamed through the claiming of my bonds. But after eight years of not having Ry at my side, seeing him walk away with Maeve had torn something within me.

His departure broke a part of me. I understood why, now. Why it had felt like I’d lost a piece of my heart when I’d returned to the old hunter’s shack in the forest only to find him missing. Watching him leave again felt like a potential storm of chaos, a chance for him to disappear again.

I am not leaving you, my flower,he said, voice soft even through the bond. My heart clenched. I closed my eyes asthe voices around me dimmed and focused on the bond between us.

I couldn’t ignore how different ours felt. Still broken in places. Weathered by the time lost. And I knew what I would need to do in order to fix the bond.

I will prove to you that I have no intention of ever leaving you again,he continued, his promise followed by a flicker of a memory. I focused in on it and bit my tongue as it went from a hazy vision to something else.

Through his eyes, I could see him holding something. One hand was hidden within the black gloves he wore, but the other was bare. Dozens of pink and red scars dotted his fingers and knuckles. I remembered his fingers having some scars when I’d found him, but there were so many more now.

Between his fingers was a photograph. Tears burned the backs of my eyes as I took in the crumpled image. The edges were frayed, like they’d been stroked and held far too many times. And there were creases, as if he’d been forced to hide it in his pocket without it being seen.

It wasn’t about how worn it was, though. It was the image itself that caught me by surprise.

It was a picture of me the day I graduated high school. It was taken in a way that made it clear it wasn’t one Kerry captured, or any of the thousands of photos Thea’s parents snapped that day. This one was taken from an angle where I was in frame but wasn’t paying attention. I had a wide, bright smile on my lips, like I’d been laughing at something, and I had my cap on, but no gown. Instead, I was in the pretty floral dress Kerry picked out for me, one of the few times we hadn’t fought on what I should be wearing and what was appropriate.

A lump formed in my throat as the memory disappeared.Were you there?I asked.

No,he replied slowly.I wanted to be. Blythe was there instead.

I frowned at the thought of his mind witch friend being at my high school graduation, but it didn’t seem to be the most important part of what he’d revealed.Why? Why bother? Why risk it?

He was hesitant for a long moment; it gave me a chance to tune back into what the others were planning. Something to do with Hawk flying to the ship to meet Maeve and Orion, so one of them could row back to pick the rest of us up.

I’ve tried to be there for you. Not physically—that would have put you in danger. If my father had ever found out about you, he wouldn’t have killed you—it would have been worse than death. I couldn’t let that happen. I wouldn’t. But I also had to make sure you were always safe.

I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, but it only thickened with the threat of tears. I wasn’t entirely sure how to respond. What could I say to that? Should I thank him? Tell him I appreciated the sacrifice? It terrified me that at sixteen, he knew he had to hide me, hide our bond, from his father.

Did you know I was the Daughter of Nyx when we met? Or when we bonded?I asked.

Through the bond, he deflated, and a wash of exhaustion darkened his emotions.Neither. I did not know until after I left. But I knew we’d forged a bond. I hadn’t yet known how powerful it was until you came into your magic, and it finally snapped into place. Then, I knew how much danger you were in, and that it was my duty to protect you—even if it meant staying away.

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