Page 79 of The Crown of Nyx

Always,I replied. I watched, shoulders tense, as she made her way into the ensuite. There was nothing grand about it, not like the one she had at the palace in Avalon. The one here had a small walk-in shower, but no tub for her to sink into—and I knew that was something she would have appreciated right now.

From the doorway to the ensuite, Elias shook his head, eyes on her. The water turned on. Soon enough, steam filled the room from the open door.

“If you can’t find anything, I’ll get Kingsley or Archer to clean this,” he said, picking at his own shirt. “I’d rather her be comfortable, and the idea of her wearing anything that doesn’t belong to us makes me uneasy.”

Us.Silently, I couldn’t help but agree. At least if she wore something belonging to us, we could ensure shedidn’t have any charms or trackers on her that weren’t put there by Adrian.

As she showered, I did another sweep of the room. There was a closet, not built in, in the corner of the room, but it was empty. Same with a chest of drawers beside it. The king-sized bed had tables either side of it, and both were lacking anything useful.

“Nothing,” I muttered, slamming the last drawer shut.

Elias tugged his shirt off, tossing it onto the bed with a sigh. “She might have a problem sleeping naked, but I don’t.”

“Please, do not subject the rest of us tothat,” I replied. Since being rescued from my sire, I’d managed to keep myself as far away from males as possible where it concerned sex. And while I didn’t have a problem with Elias personally, I remained cautious around him regardless.

The shifter snorted. “You are my mate’s mate, Grey. But even that means some things remainprivate.”

I cocked my head, unimpressed. “Thank the Goddess for that, then.”

The water shut off, and we both turned, entirely attuned toher. Ivy stepped out of the bathroom, hair soaking wet, but cleaned of glitter. She had a large white towel wrapped around her, colour and life returning to her.

“Nice to see you two getting along,” she teased, eyes brighter now. Apparently, a shower was what she needed to wake herself up, because she had some life back to her. “You two sound like annoyed siblings.”

“How are you feeling?” I asked, ignoring the comment. Through the bond, I caught a hint of embarrassment from Ivy, and a small twinge of guilt for the sibling comment.

It’s okay, I told her.It didn’t upset me.

She moved towards me, the smell of lavender filling the air from the soap she’d used. I missed her normal coffee and coconut scent, realising I couldn’t wait until we won. Until we defeated Dante and could return to our lives. To life where we didn’t have to walk on eggshells. Where we could finally be together without threat.

“I want that too,” she whispered, and my eyes widened as she took one of my hands. “More than anything.”

My breath came faster, throat tightening with that familiar hunger. I tried to swallow, but my mouth had gone dry. “A mhuirnín?—”

“If you need to feed, then do it,” she said.

My eyes flickered over to Elias, who had his arms crossed. They glowed a dark green. Even though I had fed from Ivy in his presence before—in a sexually charged environment, at that—I still hesitated, even though I had no reason to.

“You should,” he said, voice jarring me out of my thoughts. “You need to be at your strongest for tomorrow.”

I pressed my lips together. “It will drain you, Ivy.”

She shook her head. “It might help me sleep better, but I won’t be drained. Magical healing and all that.” A smile, soft and reassuring, played at her divine pink lips. Lips I wanted to claim. To see red. “I need a minor recharge, anyway.”

I breathed in deeply, nostrils flaring. Her arousal thickened the air, sweet and intoxicating. Holding back would be difficult, but with the way she looked at me, I knew the control I had over myself was not necessary.

Slowly, Ivy dropped the towel from around her body. Just the sight of her intensified the hunger. Her nipples hardened under my lustful gaze. She shifted so her thighs pressed together, making her scent grow heavier. I wanted to sink my teeth into her luscious thigh. To takefrom the space between them, to lap at her blood as her cum mixed with it.

I shuddered as my fangs ripped free. The beast in me didn’t even care about the other male. Did not care that he would bear witness to this.

I claimed my mate’s soft lips in a searing kiss. Hunger consumed me as I ran my hand through her wet hair to cup the back of her head and angle her face to deepen the kiss. She tasted of honey and something that was so entirely her. Something that overwhelmed and sated my thirst for only a moment.

Ivy groaned against my lips, her hand moving to my shoulder. I closed the distance between us entirely and pressed my body against her supple flesh. The feel of her soft body against mine almost destroyed me. Goddess above, I had missed her. It was only days of separation, but my own body warmed at having her so close again. Of knowing that she would not be taken from me.

My fangs scraped her bottom lip as our mouths moved together. Ivy’s fingers dug into my shoulder, the hand still clasped in mine moving to take hold of my other shoulder.

I tore my mouth free from hers with a gasp and trailed light kisses down her throat. Ivy arched her neck for me, a low moan passing her lips as she did, giving me full access to the side of her throat untouched by Elias’s mate mark.

Over her shoulder, though, I caught sight of the shifter. His eyes were locked on our shared mate, glowing brighter with the presence of his wolf. And yet, he made no move to give her attention. Leaving her pleasure to me.

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