Page 67 of The Powers of Nyx
His words struck me with a ferocity that made guilt swell within me. But it didn’t stop me from hating the bastard.
Elias’s jaw ticked, like he wanted to argue, but instead he shook his head. “I hate it, but you’re right.”
“He might not be our adversary,” I said, glancing between my fellow bonds, “but he’s not our friend, either. Until we know his intentions, maybe we shouldn’t let our guards down.”
Especially where it concerns him, I thought. That was definitely one thing my mother’s mates wouldn’t understand. We had threats within our own mate circle, someone who could hurt Ivy, and we needed to do whatever it took to ensure he wouldn’t hurt our mate.
Rowan met my stare and sighed. “I don’t want to upset Ivy, and I’m sick keeping things from her.”
My stomach bottomed out. “You mean the visions?” I knew the answer already, and couldn’t help but have the same thoughts—no matter how much they scared me.
“Don’t. We’ve talked about this,” Elias growled. “That would just be another thing she’ll panic over.”
Rowan looked from me to the shifter, hands forming fists. “I get it. But she also deserves to know the truth.”
Maeve cut in before Elias could respond. “Enough. Yes, Rowan has a point. And so do you, Elias. But we can all agree thatright nowis not the time. She does deserve to knowsoon.”
Elias sat back with a huff and crossed his arms. “Have you felt anything fromhimsince coming back?”
Rowan shook his head, jaw clenched. “No. Nothing at all.”
A weight pressed down on my chest as I turned away from him. There were so many things we were failing at doing. Lazarus’s voice echoed in my head, his words mocking and a reminder that we wouldn’t be enough to protect her. That just the four of us would never be enough.
“This is so fucking depressing,” Rowan muttered. “First, we can’t find her other mate. Now, I can’t find the signature. Just fantastic.”
Maeve sighed, and her shoulders dropped with exhaustion. “We will find both.”
“We need a team to deal with the latter. That will take more resources, more time,” Elias said. “But the four of us—we should be able to find one bastard.”
“Make the call,” Maeve instructed. “Get some information from your contact.”
Elias said nothing as he stood, pulling a device from his belt. He walked towards the entryway, though he remained within earshot. Maeve, though, turned back to us. “Think. When you attended the academy, was there anyone who seemed...different? Their magic a little too powerful?”
Rowan and I shared a look. Ivy had mentioned he was roughly her age...but he might have appeared once or twice during our years there. I tried to think back; Ivy was three years younger than Rowan and me, and if mystery mate were a year older...
“He would have been at the academy while we were there,” I said, stomach twisting. “And I never picked up on anything.”
Rowan blew out a breath. “I’m trying to figure out whether we encountered too many Fae, but you and I were...”
“I was out with Dante a lot,” I admitted. “The academy wasn’t my main priority. But he had plenty of Fae males there, from all the courts. Seelie and Unseelie alike.”
“And I tagged along, even though his parties were pretty much just orgies and alcohol and illusions. But I don’t rememberanyone standing out.” Rowan ran a hand through his hair, frowning as he stared down at the coffee table and the dozen or so colouring pages littering the top. “Could you ask Sylvia?”
My older sister would know, sure. As Headmistress, she likely had a more intimate understanding of each student’s power. She’d know if someone was holding their magical potential back.
“We can ask,” I replied, just as Elias stalked back to our small circle. “Anything?”
The shifter shook his head, but he didn’t sit. Instead, he leaned against the side of the sofa and crossed his arms. “Nothing. No Fae males exhibiting the power we’re looking for. Whoever Ivy’s mate is, he’s either good at hiding—or whoever his family is has done something to control him.”
Ivy’s comments about his past entered my head. As much as I hated the bastard for what he was doing to my mate, I couldn’t help but pity him. There was a slim chance he wasn’t here, not of his own choice, but because he was forced to.
I closed my hands into fists, fighting the sudden wave of guilt and uselessness rushing through me. “We should check with Sylvia. If he’s at the academy—or has been there—then she’ll know.”
“You think his family would risk that?” Elias asked. “From what Ivy revealed this morning, it sounds like he’s not in control of his life.”
That’s one way of putting it, I thought. But I sighed. “Even if that is the case, his family—if theyarea powerful bloodline—would want their son at an academy like Oberon. They wouldn’t want the rumours and judgement of sending him away to one of the other schools. They would prioritise status.”
Maeve looked uncertain, but she pulled out her tablet from Sir Ya’Dahir and punched in a few things. “I’ll see if I can set up a meeting with your sister. I also want to see the Phoenix Compound records. We may find something in there.”