Page 33 of The Bonds of Nyx
My eyes narrowed. “What voice, Ivy?”
Her head snapped in my direction, eyes widening. I hadn’t meant to snap, but if she’d been keeping something from us—fromme…
“When I was kidnapped, I heard this voice,” she whispered, tears filling her beautiful eyes. Guilt immediately filled me as she wiped her cheeks. “It told me how to get to the girls and Thea. It—it told me how to kill the guards.”
I stiffened immediately. She’d killed during the attack? By the look on Kingsley and Archer’s faces, they’d also had no idea. Grey, however, looked eerily calm, like she’d known for a while. The urge to take Ivy into my arms and wipe away her tears overwhelmed me, but for her sake, I simply stepped towards her and offered her my strength.
She released a shuddering breath. “The voice had guided me to my sisters and Thea. It had offered me this calmness, which is why I was able to do what I’d done. Without it, I don’t think I would have been able to fight as hard.”
I pressed a hand against her hip. “It saved you.”
She nodded. “Yeah. It told me when you were nearby. I don’t even know how.”
I found Grey’s hard stare, and she frowned. “Then your mystery mate must have been close. Have you heard the voice since? Do you recognise it at all?” the vamp asked, keeping her voice even despite the clear rage she felt. How she was staying in control, I wasn’t sure. My wolf wanted out. He wanted to tear through the forest, find this mate, and force them to tell me why they’d left Ivy.
But I breathed in her scent, and it calmed me enough to stay in control.
Ivy shook her head and leaned into my touch. “I’ve heard it since. At first, I thought I’d just made it up because, you know, the stress and fear. But then I heard it again last night aftercompleting the bond with Elias.” I ground my teeth together to keep from snapping again. “It said they’d see me soon.”
Archer and Kingsley shared a look. “What are you two fuckers thinking?” I snapped, tightening my hold on Ivy.
Kingsley looked back first, eyes narrowed. “We might be able to track this mate.Ivyshould be able to track all her mates once the bond is established. Unless the mate has blocked her, that is.” His eyes went to her. “My mother’s mates would play a game when I was a child where they would close their minds to the mate bond, and my mother would have to find them other ways. It usually happened around her birthday because they wanted to hide surprises from her.”
“So, you think this mate is closing the bond?” Ivy asked. “The only time I’ve spoken to them is when they reach out first. When I tried searching for the voice, or at least the magic behind it, I couldn’t.”
Kingsley rubbed a hand over his face. “How in the hell dimensions does this asshole know how to block the bond? My father said it took himyearsof practice to even get close to Sir Ya’Dahir’s blocking ability. Mother is strong at breaking through the blocks because one of her mates is a mind mage, so he taught her how to get around it.” Kingsley stopped and shook his head.
I felt Ivy’s confusion through the bond at Kingsley’s words. Apparently, he hadn’t let slip yet that his mother was the current Queen.
“Then whoever this mate is has a mind mage or witch on their side,” Archer stated. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“What do we do, then?” Ivy asked. “Just wait until this person shows up and introduces themselves?”
I pressed her closer into my body. “We wait until we get to Avalon. Queen Greer will have some idea of what to do.”
Grey turned from Ivy and me and stalked over to the enchanted tablet. “I’ll let the Queen in on this new development.She’ll either be pleased Ivy has taken two mates or be just as confused as the rest of us. Hopefully, she has an answer as to how the bond hid itself for so long.” Ivy nodded against my chest and closed her eyes. “In the meantime, we should evaluate any romantic relationships you’ve had before meeting us. Someone in your past might have hidden themselves well enough to leave you none the wiser of their species.”
Ivy tensed. “You want me to tell you about my sexual partners?”
“Is that necessary?” I asked through gritted teeth. Even Kingsley looked uncomfortable.
Grey looked back at me and rolled her eyes. “If it makes you and the wolf uncomfortable, then go do a sweep of the forest and leave it to Ivy and me.” Her blue eyes fell on Ivy, and they softened. “Perhaps Thea will have some input since she’ll know about each partner?”
The last thing I wanted was to leave Ivy at this moment. The need to be at her side was far more overwhelming now that we’d completed the bond. Before, just being in the same room as her had been enough. Having her in my line of sight, her scent close to me, calming enough to keep the wolf happy.
Now, I needed her touch more than anything. My arms around her thick body, her fingers tangled in my own, the warmth of her flesh pressed against mine.
And being away from her after the bonding seemed excruciating, so I shook my head. “No. We figure this out. Now.”
12
IVY
SEEINGAdrian after completingmy bond with Elias was awkward enough. The idea of having everyone gather around while I recounted my sex life was somehow worse.
Thea glanced at me with narrowed eyes as she joined the little sharing circle. “Okay, what’s going on? Why are you basically sitting on Elias?”
I grimaced, shifting uncomfortably. I wasn’t exactlysittingon him, but he’d pulled me so close to his side that if I threw my legs over his, I would be. “Elias and I are mates, and we completed the bond last night.” There. Simple, easy, and hard to question.