Page 38 of The Crown of Nyx

“None of them have been to the Underworld, not like I have,” he said, taking a step towards me. I took one back, trying to keep a healthy distance between us. Hawk shook his head, releasing a frustrated breath. “Look. I might not be falling at my feet for you like the others, but I do intend to see you take back that crown, Princess. So listen, don’t listen, it doesn’t matter to me. But I can prepare you better than anyone else here.”

I barely hid my flinch at the harshness of his tone. It wasn’t like it was the first time Hawk had spoken to me with clear disinterest and frustration. I thought back to our days training, and how he’d been more than annoyed with how slowly I was picking up my magic. Back then, I hadn’t cared about any of that. I’d blamed it on the fact that Hawk wasn’t the type of male whotrainedpeople—he’d always seemed like the type to prefer missions andactual fighting, not staying cooped up at an academy full of rich, bloodthirsty brats.

Now, though…now his contempt brought on entirely different feelings. Mixed ones at that. It angered me that I felt so affected by him. Not even his words. But histone. I was a woman who rarely took shit from assholes, and I sure as hell wouldn’t take it from someone who was destined to be mine.

I mimicked his stance and crossed my own arms, though I leaned into the railing and kept my eyes narrowed on his. “I won’t pretend to understand you, Hawk,” I said, cocking my head. “After everything, I don’t think I need to. If you want to prepare me for the Underworld, then fine. Prepare me. But I think you’re overestimating your abilities and underestimating everyone else—including me.”

Hawk’s jaw ticked, though the intensity of his stare never faltered. Instead, he took a measured step towards me, filling my vision with his large body. “You aren’t nearly as good at hiding your emotions as you think you are, Ivy,” he murmured.

We were only a breath apart, so close to touching that it had my magic rearing its head. The beast of power dwelling within me might have shied away from his touch previously, but now it whispered those three words that could have had me in a whole lot of trouble.

Mate. Mine. Claim.

I gritted my teeth and shook my head. “And you aren’t nearly as good at pretending either, Hawk. For someone so determined to ignore our bond, you sure as hell are desperate.” Uncrossing my arms, I stepped up to him, our chests—well, my chest to his stomach—touching briefly. Sparks danced over my skin at the impact. “Make up your mind, Hawk. I’m not playing games anymore.The entire realm—all the worlds—are in danger. I need you to figure your shit out, because unfortunately, the Goddess created a mate bond between us. And the only thing I know for certain when it comes to Dante, is I need to have full access to all my bonds—yours included. If you really want to see me become Queen like you claim, then figure it out.”

With that, I pushed past him. My heart pounded with the finality of my words. I never wanted to push—to assume—but I was desperate. And I needed him.

The only problem was, he didn’t needme.

The storm worsenedwithin the hour, and our path through the graveyard grew dangerously dark.

The crew had witch lights scattered across the decks of the ship. Protections surrounding the boat had to be fortified a second time when the wind picked up.

I wish I’d never asked why we had to redo the wards a third time.

“What doesthatmean?” I shout over the roaring wind and rain, unable to turn from Elias who shielded me from the worst of it.

“It means the dead here don’t stay dead for long,” he replied—well, growled. His frustration was so clear through the bond, it should have given me pause. “You need to stay down there.”

A pit yawned in my stomach, and though I tried not to, I flinched as thunder crackled through the air. “I can help,” I pleaded. “The idea of leaving you guys up here to deal with zombies makes me sick.”And I will not let any of you out of my sight,I added silently, gritting my teeth as another large wave rocked the ship.

Elias tightened his hold on me, one arm like a vice around my back, while the other kept us close to the wall of the small alcove we stood in. “Please, Angel, we’ll all feel a hell of a lot better if you stayed below deck,” he said, close to my ear. “You staying safe is everyone’s priority. And the crew won’t think any less of you.”

I swallowed hard, a lump burning in my throat as I considered the weight of his words. Was I a burden? I didn't want to think of it like that, but I was the least experienced here. Captain Meira had assured us that she could do this, could make it through the passage. She'd done it before. But we had no idea what to expect.

I surely hadn't thoughtzombieswould be on my sight-seeing bucket list.

They aren’t zombies,Maeve said through the bond, even her internal voice strained.They are known as revenants, and they are reanimated corpses.

That’s what a zombie basically is,I replied, glancing out over the dark deck. Maeve stood with Hawk at the back of the ship, both hanging on to ropes, tethering themselves to the ship by force while other crew and my mates scattered themselves at different points around the main deck.

I turned back to Elias; maybe he could see the fear in my eyes, or feel it trickling down our bond, because his gaze softened, and he groaned. “I still don’t think it’s safe for you to be here,” he said.

“I don’t think it’d be safe down there, either,” I replied. “If something happened up here, and I was down in the cabin…”

Elias’s jaw ticked as he shook his head. “Stay by my side, then. You don’t leave my sight.”

Smiling up at him, I took his hand and entwined our fingers. “I’m not going anywhere.”

And I meant it. I didn’t want to leave his sight, sure. But I had no intention of hiding away below deck when they were up here facingreanimated corpses. Fire burned in my chest at the thought of leaving them alone. Not only to fight for me, but for everything. It was like a small part of me was aware that something bad was going to happen, and I needed to be here to stop it.

My wolf mate squeezed my hand and pushed off the wall. He turned his back to me for only a moment, allowing me to take in the tension lining the muscles in his back. Rain darkened his gear and hair, and as soon as he pulled me from the alcove, rain struck me hard.

The pelting drops of water paired with the salty ocean spray forced me to squint. My hair whipped around my face at the force of the wind. Despite being protected from the worst of the storm, the elements still cut through our wards to assault us.

As Elias moved us to the main mast, I cast a wary look over everyone else. Most had ropes either tied to their wrists or around their waists. Rowan was stationed at the front of the ship, near the foremast, while Adrian stood between us with one of the crew. Maeve and Hawk were still on the quarter deck at the very back of the ship, and Orion…

I searched the darkness for him, but he was nowhere to be seen.

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