Page 73 of The Powers of Nyx

I shook my head slowly as Rowan melded his body into mine. Each hard ridge of muscle in his chest and abdomen pressed against me. His heart pounded, and the length of his member hardened against my stomach. And nothing about it felt wrong.

It never had.

Everything with Rowan had always felt right.

“Ivy...” He lifted his hand and brought it to my cheek. Electricity sparked from the touch, rolling down my spine. I gasped as he cupped my other cheek. “I’ve been wanting to do this since I first ran into you on that street corner, and fuck, I won’t waste any more time.”

Before I could respond, Rowan brought his lips to mine in a slow, almost hesitant kiss. He tasted like coffee and sweet cakes, and when he swiped his tongue against the seam of my lips, I accepted him fully. Explosions set off behind my eyes as he deepened the kiss. I clutched his shirt to hold myself up, to keep myself together, but my magic was roaring beneath my skin, entirely awake and begging for more.

Mate. Mine. Claim.

I broke the kiss with a sharp breath, the meaning of those words hitting me full force. All the hope I’d had exploded in my chest, shattering all the uncertainty I’d had about Rowan.

His eyes were just as wide, an almost feral glint entering them. “I knew it,” he breathed as he brushed his thumb over my cheek. “I was scared we wouldn’t but...fuck.” He lowered his head until our foreheads touched. “Thank the fucking Goddess.”

Before I could respond, three threads of my bonds brightened.Is everything alright? Do you need Elias and I to return?Maeve asked, her worry flooding me.

Angel. What’s going on?Elias growled, and I caught a flash of his ownunease.

Adrian came next, and it was fear that came down his end of the bond.Ivy? Your magic flared. Where are you? Are you okay?

My eyes widened. “Shit.” It was too bad we couldn’t have a telepathic group chat. Because sending each person a thought explaining what happened took way too much time, Rowan’s frustration grew. But I promised to explain everything once they returned, telling them I was okay before closing the bonds.

“I don’t think I like having to be checked on like that,” Rowan said, his hands roaming my body; they trailed down my arms, leaving sparks of electricity in their wake, to my hips, then up to trace the line of my bra. “How long do we have before they come back?”

I shivered. “Probably not very long. They seemed eager to wrap up what they were doing,” I grumbled, cupping his cheeks. “Are you okay?”

His eyes flashed to mine, and he blew out a breath. “Adrian will have a field day with this.”

I cocked my head and moved in closer. “With what?”

Cheeks burning, Rowan bowed his head. “I’ve never slept with anyone before.”

My sweet, flirty, sexy mage was avirgin?It took all my power to keep that thought tucked firmly inside my own mind. IfAdrian didn’t know this, then it was definitely not my place to tell anyone else. Not when Rowan was trusting it with me.

Swallowing, I cupped his cheek and offered him a smile. “Thank you for trusting me.”

Rowan’s eyes widened, and he snorted. “All I did was admit I’m a virgin, Ivy. Nothing profound.”

“But you toldme. Not Adrian, who is your best friend.”

“I told you because you’re my mate. The only one that matters. My Goddess incarnate. And you have to be aware that I haven’t got a clue what I’m doing otherwise.”

“No idea?” I clarified. “You’ve done nothing?”

“Call me an old school romantic, but I wanted to wait for my mate,” he whispered. “And now, I can say that you’ll own everything. Every part of me will be yours.”

My eyes burned with the threat of tears, and I had to suck in a cooling breath to stop myself from breaking apart. I wasn’t even sure what it was about his statement that absolutely tore through me. Was it his devotion? His trust? His decision to wait for his mate? There was something old-school romantic about it, and it made me wonderwhy.

But I could wait for those answers. Instead, I brought my lips to his and teased his mouth, taking the next few moments slowly. Our first time wouldn’t be rushed, nor would it be while everyone was hanging around wondering what the hell was going on. And it wouldn’t be in a common room at the academy.

Breaking the kiss, I met his heated stare. “Soon, we will complete the bond.”

Rowan nodded as he released a shaky breath. “We will. No matter what.”

27

ROWAN