Page 42 of The Powers of Nyx

A warm body stepped up beside me, a shiver rolling down my spine. “Hey.”

I turned slightly and my heart skipped a beat as I took Rowan in; dark circles bruised the soft flesh beneath his eyes, but he smiled with a genuine brightness I hadn’t seen from him in a while. Heat flushed his cheeks as he slipped an arm around my midsection and pressed a kiss to my temple.

“I missed you,” he murmured. “Are you okay?”

I found myself leaning into him as I kept Maeve and the girls in my line of sight. “I missed you too,” I replied honestly, feeling more complete with him nearby. “And I’m okay now.”

His arm tightened around me as Maeve completed her lecture on the magic behind the moving glass. Her gaze shifted to me,and she stiffened, but she didn’t say anything about it. Again, that guilt swam within me and the need tightened like a fist in my chest.

“Something happened out there. During the crash. Fuck, I wish—”

“Don’t.” I glanced at him and found his eyes squeezed shut. “It all happened so quickly. They were on us in seconds, and there was nothing anyone could do. Not even you.” It hadn’t occurred to me that he might feel some kind of responsibility about the crash because of his magic. But from what I understood, his visions of the future only came at random times and weren’t often enough that he would know about every bad thing that could happen.

Rowan blew out a shaky breath and bowed his head. “Something else happened, didn’t it? That’s why Maeve looks like she wants to eat me for touching you?”

I sent a wave of calming energy down the bond to Maeve, letting her know that not only was I okay, but that I would be with her soon—that Ineededto be with her as soon as we figured everything else out.“We bonded accidentally.” Rowan’s eyes popped open, and I couldn’t read his emotions clearly. Was he angry? Upset? My stomach twisted, so I quickly explained what’d happened and that although it might have happened suddenly, we’d still bonded.

After a long moment, Rowan nodded. “That’s certainly interesting.”

“And something we should take up with your mother.” I almost jumped out of my skin as Maeve appeared in front of us. I don’t think I’d ever be able to get used to her speed. “I have some thoughts on our team’s creation.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?” I glanced between them, then looked over to where Adrian and Elias were keeping the girls busy on the sofas. Thea was almost half asleep on an armchair,while Hawk was nowhere to be seen. Turning back to Maeve, I met her stare. “What about the team’s creation?”

“It’s something I started thinking about in the car ride here.” She hesitantly reached out and cupped my cheek, her cool fingers a welcome feeling. “Don’t worry about it right now, though. We should get settled in for the next twenty-four hours.”

An uneasy feeling rose in the back of my throat, but I nodded. “Alright. But you’ll tell me, right?”

Maeve blinked, but she bowed her head in a nod. “Of course,a mhuirnín.”

Rowan gave me one last squeeze before releasing me. I followed him with my stare as he stalked towards the dining table. “There’s no kitchen,” I whispered, frowning as he planted his hand in the centre of the table.

Maeve pressed herself into my side, her presence a steady strength I didn’t know I needed. “Another type of magic. This is also Fae.”

Rowan removed his hand, and the table shimmered. Plates appeared in the centre, dishes of food I’d never seen before scattering along the wood. Some were steamed vegetables and others looked like different types of salads. There were squeals and gasps as the children raced towards the buffet of food.

My wide eyes went to Rowan, then to Maeve beside me. “Holy. Shit.”

“You’re telling me Ididn’thave to cook all the meals at the compound?” Thea groaned, shuffling over to the table with critical eyes. “What even is this?”

Rowan pulled out a chair for Maisie, who jumped up first and stared at a stack of steaks. “Fae cuisine. And yes, you kind of did. This table, like the glass, is specially enchanted for feasts. And the food still has to be prepared. It’s just magically transported here.”

While it was a wonderful thing to know, I quickly made my way around the table and scooped Maisie out of her chair before she could try and dive into one of the thick pieces of meat. “Nope,” I grunted, plopping her down on the floor. “I’ll prep you a plate in a second. No free reign here.”

Elias chuckled at the pout on her lips, and soon enough, we were spread around the table. Me, my mates, my best friend, and my sisters. There were enough chairs for all of us, and while I made plates for Ginny and Maisie, Maeve made one for me. I didn’t even have to ask to try some of the different dishes; she added a little bit of everything to my plate before setting it down in front of me. Elias cut up one of the steaks and split it between the younger kids, while I tried to figure out what, exactly, the little ones would eat.

But once they were settled and eating and conversation was flowing, I basked in the warmth filling me from being surrounded by these people.

My family.

And despite the comfort and ease, I couldn’t help but feel like something was missing as I stared around my new family. No, not something,someone.

It felt like a lead weight in my stomach, a tightening in my chest, a pressure that was hard to ignore.

And it was a promise of what was soon to come.

15

MAEVE