Page 71 of The Powers of Nyx

At least it’s only the essentials, I thought as I pressed my lips into a firm line. The trunk on my bed said otherwise. All it had in it was the uniforms. And a couple of pairs of boots and sneakers I’d found hiding on a shoe rack in the back of my closet.

A knock at the door drew me out of my stare off with the trunk. The rest of the team were off doing things ‘necessary for my safety’; Maeve and Elias were at a meeting finalising the new bodyguards for the kids, Adrian had tried to coerce me into a brunch with his mother, which I’d declined because of the timeline for the academy, and Rowan had stuck around to keep an eye on me.

Opening the door, I barely suppressed a smile. Standing on the other side was Rowan, as I’d suspected, but he wasn’t alone.

Shame and embarrassment burned across his features as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry.”

I glanced warily at him, then at his mother. “Hi.”

The older woman smiled wickedly. “Hello, dear. I hope you don’t mind. I wanted to have a bit of a chat.”

~

The Seer—Sable,I was told to call her—had the uncanny ability to guess what anyone was thinking, or so she claimed.

She held a mug of coffee between her hands and observed me with her brows scrunched, like she was trying to get a read on me. Or maybe she was doing exactly that. Wasn’t that something Rowan said he’d be able to do once he’d honed his power?

The idea that she could take one look at me and know everything about me sent a shiver down my spine.

“You’re still uncomfortable around most magic. It makes sense,” Sable said, her features softening as she shrugged. “But you’ll have to learn to mask that when you arrive at the academy in a few days. I’m sure my son and Adrian have told you plenty about that place?”

“Yeah,” I replied slowly, lifting my own mug of coffee to my lips. “They mentioned something about it being...brutal.”

“It can be a bloodbath to those unsuspecting,” Seer Sable said, nodding. Like it was totally normal to admit an academy full of students could end up a bloodbath. And not in the metaphorical sense, either, I suspected. “But I’m sure, with the presence of your mates, you’ll be fine. Unfortunately, you won’t have the protection of being Daughter of Nyx there.”

I swallowed thickly, glancing at Rowan. He watched me, his lips turned up into a reassuring smile. Ugh. If we’d been alone, I would have finally talked to him. I knew now, in my bones, we had to be mates. And he needed to know that I felt that. Iwantedthat.

But of course, he had to bring his mother.“So, what does that mean, exactly?” I steepled my hands around my mug to keep them fromplaying with my clothes, glancing down at the liquid within.

“Means you’ll be a student like everyone else. No fancy title. Just a girl transferring from one of the other academies in the other realm. So, you’ll get a bit of a pass when it comes to things you don’t know.” She brought the mug to her lips and slurped the beverage, before sighing. “One of the best things to come from humans.”

I couldn’t help but smile as I sipped my own. “I can agree with that.”

As much as I needed to get used to my role as the Daughter of Nyx, I liked having anonymity more. Knowing I would get to be like everyone else settled some of my anxiety.

Sable set her mug down and pressed her hands together. “You already know the basics of your purpose. The academy is going to teach you the skills you need to rule. But it is going to be so much more than that, Ivy.”

I shivered, tightening my hold on the mug. “What do you mean?”

Across from me, Rowan frowned, and he too, tightened his grip on his cup. “Mother…”

“Hush,” she snapped, without looking at him. “The academy will be hard, and it will test you. But no Queen before you will say the path to earning their crown was easy. Greer had to fight for it. Just as Pandora did. And now, you will, too. Only your battle will be far greater.”

What she didn’t say was I had enemies they hadn’t. A force determined to steal my crown—my power.

Otto’s warning replayed in my head, and I quickly pushed it aside.

“Do you know anything about him?” I asked.

Rowan’s jaw tightened, but Sable sighed. “You might have mentioned the presence of a mind witch. That makes it tricky.”

I winced. “Sorry. I forgot about that.”

She waved a dismissive hand and shook her head. “Fine. Fine. But he knows what he is doing. I’ve read the cards. Looked into the future. Asked Nyx myself. All that has been said is: trust.”

My stomach twisted, but I couldn’t bring myself to respond.

Sable’s gaze softened, and she rose. “My time here is over. Walk me to the door, kids.”