Page 32 of The Bonds of Nyx
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I waited with my arms crossed as the rest of the team filed into the office. Leaning against the window, I kept my eyes on Ivy, taking in her worried expression and the fear dancing in her eyes. The last thing I wanted was to frighten her, but her confusion when I’d noticed the mark had been enough to warrant an emergency meeting.
Grey was the last to enter. Her eyes went to Ivy first, then flickered to me. “What’s going on, Elias?”
I stiffened. “Close the door.”
Her nostrils flared, and her chest moved. She’d scented the bond, and her eyes danced with darkness as they met mine. “What did you do?”
Jaw clenched, I dropped my hands. “This isn’t about mine and Ivy’s mate bond.”
“What?” Kingsley stopped dead next to Ivy, his hand outstretched. He wasn’t looking at me, though. Pain filled his eyes as he stared down at my—our—mate. “You and Elias?”
They had learnt of their bond first. I didn’t blame him for expecting to be the first to complete it. But that ship had sailed long before either of us had walked into her life.
Ivy’s face softened. “Yeah. Kind of worked it out last night.”
“And you completed the bond?”
She bit her lip, and her eyes flickered to mine hesitantly.
I took control. “Yes, we did, Your Highness. But this meeting isn’t about that.”
Kingsley swallowed and took several steps back from Ivy.Good, I thought. Last thing the wolf and I wanted was her upset, and the longer Kingsley gave her those sad, puppy dog eyes, the more likely it was that I was going to snap.
“I noticed something on Ivy that shouldn’t be there.” My eyes found hers. “Mind taking your shirt off, Angel?”
Her brows lifted, and she frowned. “Ah, yes. I do mind. Why do I need to take my shirt off?”
I smirked. “Show them your back.”
Hesitantly, she rose. Her mind whispered:The mark. Did he see the mark?
I rubbed my chin as she turned her back on the rest of the team. She lifted the shirt but didn’t pull it off completely, instead wrapping her arms around herself and hiding her stomach and chest. I pulled her hair away from the marks, fingers brushing her skin, and smiled as she shivered.
Grey was the first to move, her eyes darkening as she took in Ivy’s skin. The visible magic I’d noted earlier was gone, leaving the two marks following the path of her spine. One belonged to me, a crescent moon, and the other to a full-blooded Fae.
“How is that possible?” Grey murmured. She didn’t touch the marks, but she eyed them with suspicion.
“How iswhatpossible?” Ivy asked, turning her head to look over her shoulder.
Is it the weird tattoo?
I snorted. “It’s not a tattoo, Angel. It’s a mate mark. One that shouldn’t be there.”
Ivy’s cheeks flamed, and unease filtered down the bond. “What do you mean?”
I traced the mark left for me, the crescent moon. “This is for me. The mark of the wolf. You’ll get power from this, and it ties our souls. Butthis—” I traced the second mark, a rose surrounded by thorns, and grimaced “—this mark is for the Fae.”
“The rose?” Her voice came out as a whisper. “But…how? I’ve never met a Fae, let alonebondedwith one.”
Grey met my stare. Not even she could be certain. “At some point, you might have encountered one,” she started, shaking her head, “but surely you and the Fae would haveknownabout the bond.”
Ivy quickly tugged her shirt—myshirt, covered in my scent which now mingled with hers—back over her head and turned to face the room. Neither Kingsley nor Archer had moved, the former looking pale, the latter emotionless as he sat stiffly at one of the desks.
“I think I would know what the bond feels like, especially now, but I can’t remember. I—” She stopped, pressing her lips together.
The wolf, caged within me, growled as her thoughts filtered down the bond.Does this have something to do with the voice?