14

IVY

NERVES churned in my belly as I entered theoffice behind Maeve, who had pulled me away from the children. Adrian’s head popped up from behind a screen, his eyes wide and cheeks pink. The soft murmur of voices stopped as the door clicked shut behind us.

Maeve motioned towards the desk chair beside Adrian, a gentle smile tilting her lips. “Take a seat, Ivy.”

I swallowed hard and sat without a word. Maeve perched herself on the table beside me, and although I wanted to look for some sort of reassurance from Adrian, I found myself staring at the tablet in front of him instead, stuck on the person on the other end.

The woman who stared back smiled warmly; her weathered features resembled Adrian slightly, but the man beside her looked more like my mate.

I frowned slightly and shifted in my seat. “Hello.”

The woman squeezed the man’s hand. I felt Adrian’s eyes on me as the woman—who I assumed was the Queen—spoke, “Hello Ivy, it’s so good to finally meet you. I don’t want to take up too much of your time, so I’ll get to the point. I am Queen Greer. For now, and until you ascend and take the throne, I will be your mentor. I will teach you how to use your powers, as well as how to run our kingdom.”

My heart skipped a beat as her words settled in. Hearing Maeve or Elias tell me I was the future Queen was one thing—it was another hearing it from the current Queen herself. I felt like I should stand up and curtsey, but I was frozen in place. Her critical eyes skimmed over me, and I stiffened as those piercing blue eyes found mine once more.

“My Adrian has told me the wonderful news.”

I frowned and looked between her and the mage beside me. “Your?”

Stupid. Realisation hit me, and I released a breath. The vague mentions of his family and his stories about them were starting to make sense.

Adrian shifted, clearing his throat with a cough. “Queen Greer is my mother. Standing beside her is my father, her mate, Sir Theon.”

My eyes widened, and my mouth dropped open. Prince. I swivelled to look at him. Hadn’t I once looked at him and thought he could be some kind of Prince Charming? Sure, he had the looks of a Greek Adonis, but I never thought he’d actually be a prince.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked. It was another secret, another thing he hadn’t revealed about himself.

And I was calling him out in front of his mother. It would be mortifying, but I couldn’t help but feel a little betrayed.

Adrian sighed. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t know how to tell you. There was already a lot going on, and it felt…trivial compared to everything else.”

Deep breath. It wasn’t a horrible secret; it didn’t change anything, but it still felt like a barrier between us. But I nodded and returned my gaze to the queen, who silently watched us. She looked a little disappointed, but quickly hid her emotions.

“The pull to complete the bond is going to feel overwhelming, and it’s only going to get harder to ignore—if you try.” The pointed look was a warning that had me sitting back, exasperated. “I understand how hard this must be for you, Ivy. I am the only one who does. But trust me when I tell you—the bond you’ll have with your mates will be one of Goddess Nyx’s greatest gifts. Which I’m sure you’ve figured out.”

My cheeks warmed, and heat flooded the bond as a reminder. Despite it being so new, a part of me believed what she was saying. Even sitting so close to Adrian now, I could feel the pull towards him, which left an uncomfortable tightness in my chest.

“The Queen’s mates are…harder to connect with. Normally, when a person finds their mate, the bond is immediate and quick to form. For us, it hides until our magic is certain our mate is worthy.” She spared her mate a look, one that spoke volumes of their time together. “Your bond with Adrian manifested itself out of the need to protect what is yours. That’s why you’ll be feeling the pull so much now. The trauma of almost losing him will affect the bond.”

I blew out a breath and nodded. It made sense, considering it felt like the bond with Elias came out of nowhere and why I hadn’t felt anything off about Ry. The pull to Adrian was something else entirely.

Queen Greer released her mate’s hand and continued, “Your magic has already begun manifesting, yes?”

“Yes,” I replied, feeling my heart rate spike. I hadn’t felt the true effects of my magic since the attack, and I was terrified of feeling that again.

“Ivy managed serious control during the kidnapping and manifested her magic in the form of lightning before she healed Adrian,” Maeve added. The pride in her voice made my heart stutter. “Her other surges weren’t controlled but had no serious outcomes either.”

Heat rushed up my cheeks as I ducked my head. “I don’t really remember what happened during the fight,” I said, wrapping my arms around myself. “It felt natural, but much of what happened isn’t clear anymore.”

From the corner of my eye, I watched Queen Greer nod. “I understand. Your magic may manifest itself more frequently now that you have completed a bond and are close to another. Completing three bonds will anchor your magic.”

“Why do I need to have anchors for my magic?” I asked carefully. “The team explained some of it, but I still don’t fully understand.”

Queen Greer’s smile was soft and understanding as she clarified. “Nyx gives us a lot of power when we become her vessels. The power I have carried for five hundred years is leaving me and transferring to you. Our mates are our anchors, our conduits. They anchor the power because we receive so much that our mortal bodies react negatively. We aren’t as naturally strong as shifters or vampires, and you and I were not born with magic like mages and witches. The power Nyx gifts us resembles her own, and she is a God. It was not meant for mortals.”

Her eyes took on a wistful glint. “When she created the first Queen, the power was too much for the Queen to handle. It ate away at her, and because of this, Nyx linked the lives of the Queen’s three lovers to her. Their bodies were stronger, and the magic that had once destroyed her filtered through her mates and settled within her. The mates became anchors so the magic would exist peacefully within her once mortal body.” Queen Greer paused the story and looked up at her mate lovingly. “Our mates also give us a measure of their own power. Once you complete the bond with Adrian, you’ll be able to perform magic similar to his. Charms more powerful than any before. His magic will be stronger, as will his lifeforce once it is linked to your own. Soon, you will be able to potentially shift like your Elias.”

My stomach twisted with her words. More magic, more power I may never control, and more death. “So, in order to be in control and not die from the power overload, I need to have at least three mates,” I clarified, seeking Adrian’s eye. He nodded, but didn’t say anything.

With him, it would make three. Three mates meant I would be anchored. My magic wouldn’t be a threat.

There was a lot of relief accompanying that thought, despite what that meant in the long term.

The Queen nodded, pulling my attention back to her. “You’ll naturally have more mates. The more you have, the more power you’ll contain, and in return, the more mates to protect you. It is important, especially now, to form those bonds.” Her lips twisted into a frown as she slumped further in her chair. “As much as I would prefer you return to Avalon sooner, time is…fickle when it comes to the ferry. There is only a small window of opportunity, and for you to make it, I would prefer for you to be at a closer safe house.”

Maeve cleared her throat and spoke up. “I understand, Your Majesty, but I’m wary of moving Ivy’s mother until a decision has been made regarding her condition. I won’t rush anyone. We’re also awaiting Jay’s team, who are cleaning up both houses and moving Thea Riley’s family out safely.”

I tensed and turned from Queen Greer to Maeve. “You’re getting Thea’s family out?”

“Yes. The shadow organisation, we believe, might have tried to target them. We’re attempting to quietly remove them and send them to the ferry now.”

I rubbed my eyes tiredly, a yawn catching in my throat. “So much has blown up,” I said, turning to the Queen. “Do you guys have any idea who these people are? Because I don’t think they just want me dead—they want this whole system gone.”

“How can you be certain?” Sir Theon asked. He had a deeper voice than Adrian’s and an accent that sounded British, but faded.

“When they were holding me, they said a phrase: ‘Death to the Queen’. It doesn’t sound like it’s just me they want gone. They also had a brand.” I closed my eyes and wracked my brain for the symbol, but those memories caused me to shudder. “I can’t exactly remember what it was, though.”

When I opened my eyes, Queen Greer offered me a soft smile. “It’s alright, Ivy. We are working on understanding who this group is and what they are after. I just want you to focus on remaining calm and safely controlling your magic. If you can move on to the next safe house sooner, I would prefer that, especially with the evacuation team on its way. Now more than ever, your return and training is imperative.”

That, I believed.

“Tomorrow, the evacuation team will arrive,” Sir Theon said, sparing his mate a quick, almost worried glance. “We can only trust that the Goddess will protect Ivy as she journeys to us.”

I so badly wanted to believe him, yet, from the unease swimming in my gut, I wasn’t sure it would be that easy.

~

The meeting ended after some small talk and promises that did nothing to alleviate the anxiety swelling within me. I still had more questions than I had answers. Mostly, I was glad my mate bond with Ry hadn’t been revealed. But I had a suspicion the Queen had been given some warning about it.

As I rose from the desk, I spared Adrian a glance and steeled myself. “Can we talk about a few things?” I asked, wringing my hands as he stood to his full height.

Adrian’s brows pulled together in worry, but he nodded. “Of course.”

He nodded to Maeve, who said nothing as he took my hand gently and guided me out of the meeting room. I barely got the chance to look over my shoulder and mouth a quick ‘thank you’ to Maeve before we rounded the corner.

We didn’t speak until we approached the rows of doors leading into the private bedrooms. I swallowed hard as Adrian pulled me into his bedroom, and the door shut quietly behind us. His vibrant green eyes searched mine for a moment, the intensity pulling me into his orbit. My magic arose inside me, begging for him, his body, his claim.

Mine. Mate. Claim, it chanted.

My heart rate increased as I met his gaze. “We really need to talk.”

He nodded, nostrils flaring. “I know, and it’s taking a lot of effort not to throw you onto my bed and claim you right now.”

My cheeks heated, but I couldn’t look away. “I know.” Shakily, I sucked in a breath and released it slowly. “I’m sorry about not coming to you earlier. About our bond. We should have talked about it days ago, and instead, I avoided it. I’m sorry.”

His throat bobbed, and he nodded. “I will admit, it hurt finding out you bonded with Elias so quickly.”

“I know, and that’s not at all what I intended. It happened, but that doesn’t change the fact that I…” I paused and grasped both his hands, watching as his lips parted. “I want to complete the bond with you, too. Not because I need to, but because I care about you. I can’t explain, exactly, what happened with Elias, but he’s also my mate. I think I’m coming to understand that what I have with him is different to what I have with you.”

“I hurt you, though,” he whispered, releasing my hands to cup my cheek. “I understand if that’s why you’re hesitating, Ivy, but I promise I won’t do that again. I want to earn your trust back. I will earn it back. But I’m not stepping away. I’m not going to let you push me away.”

My heart did a little flip, but I wouldn’t let my nerves get the best of me. Rising on my toes, I pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. He tasted of the mint tea he drank, his mouth as soft and gentle as I remembered.

Before I could pull back, the hand on my cheek slipped down the column of my throat and behind my neck to tangle in my hair. He tilted my head and deepened the kiss, tongue brushing the seam of my lips, begging for entrance.

I gave in willingly and moaned as he sucked my tongue into his mouth. He walked me backwards into the door, melding his body into mine. He lifted our joined hands above my head while I ran the other through his curls.

Fire roared in my veins, begging me to claim my third mate.

But before I could do more, he pulled away and dropped his forehead to mine, breathing deeply. “As much as I need to take you, to be inside you, we still have to talk. You have enough to worry about. It’s too close to your mating with Elias anyway, and shifters tend to be a hell of a lot more possessive over their new mates.”

I hesitated a moment before nodding. Disappointment filled me, but I pushed the feeling aside. “Yeah, I’ve gathered as much. I don’t want to cause any issues between you two.”

Adrian smirked and pulled away, dropping my hands. “Don’t worry, Ivy. Once the bond is completed, Elias and I will be as close as brothers.” He shrugged, the smirk turning into a half-smile. “Which I know he’ll hate for a while. My father used to tell me how hard it was for him to fit in with my mother’s other mates. He’s the youngest of them all, and at the time they’d been with her for more years. It was hard on him, but he still worked to befriend all of them for her. Elias and I will work our shit out for you, you don’t have to worry about that.”

I smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thanks. I appreciate it.” His eyes brightened as he pressed me back into the door. “And thanks for not pushing the mate bond thing. I know it must have hurt, but—”

“Ivy.” His eyes glinted as he wedged his knee between my thighs. “Stop apologising. We’re going to be mated no matter what. I’m here for you.”

I released a breath, relief flooding me while something else awakened in me. “I know. And I do trust you, Adrian. You don’t have to prove anything to me.”

“I still intend on making it up to you, Ivy,” he murmured, placing his hands on my hips and giving them a squeeze. Heat flashed in his eyes. “And I can’t wait to make you mine.”

I trailed my eyes over his body, well aware of the hard length pushed into my soft stomach. Of his hands still holding me, trapping me between him and the door. Heat flared in my cheeks and in my belly as I rocked into him.

His low groan sent a warm tingle over my skin. “Careful, Sweetheart, or you’ll start something you regret.”

“There are still things we need to talk about,” I replied, biting down on my bottom lip. “And you’re the one still holding me like you plan on fucking me against this door.”

Adrian sighed, his breath fanning my neck. A very large part of me hoped he might take me against the door, completing the bond and finally be mine. The more logical part of me knew we needed to talk.

It seemed the more logical side of Adrian was winning, because he slowly released my hips and pulled away. His pupils were huge, and there was a hunger in his eyes that called for me.

Clearing my throat, I crossed my arms over my chest and regarded him carefully. “Your mother is the Queen, but that’s not really important, honestly. How do you…feel about being my mate?” My voice came out quiet, and I hadn’t realised just how scared I was of his answer.

“Having you as my mate is the greatest blessing Nyx could have given me.” His eyes glistened as he reached for my hands and entwined our fingers. “When I was close to death, and I felt our bond, I told myself I must have been imagining it. That Nyx surely wouldn’t gift me a bond with you. But waking up with you beside me, and realising it was true…” His throat bobbed as he swallowed and rubbed circles into my skin.

“So, you’re okay with all of this?” I asked.

“More than okay, Ivy. You’re my mate. My other half. The only person I will ever love. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

A lump formed in my throat. I believed him completely, and yet fear still claimed a small part of my heart anyway.