23

IVY

ANTICIPATION burned within me as Adrian guidedme towards the ensuite bathroom. My heart raced as he fixed his gaze on me and pulled the pile of garments from my arms, setting them down on the counter without saying a word.

His eyes briefly left mine when he turned towards the shower, switching it on silently, adjusting the knobs with careful precision, like he knew exactly what temperature I would need in order to relax.

But could I relax? Goosebumps rose along my arms as he returned his attention to me. I tried to say something, but with the water running and my own blood pounding in my ears, it became difficult to concentrate on a conversation.

My magic swirled beneath my skin, but it made no move to try and bond him. I could at least be thankful for that. I would still have time to adjust, to at least come out of the overwhelming bonding with Elias and deal with the emotions that went with that.

Adrian didn’t push it, either. He seemed more…understanding now, less upset over my quick mating with Elias. I wasn’t sure what happened between them, but I was thankful that they both understood one another better now.

When Elias had offered to stay with the girls, I’d almost been ready to decline, especially after Kerry and my near blow-up. The last thing I wanted to do was go back on my promises to the girls.

But Elias had been so serious about me being with Adrian that I’d folded immediately, and Eloise hadn’t complained. The girls didn’t fully understand any of this, and I wouldn’t expect them to. I knew they wanted me with them at night, but Elias was right to get me to spend more time with Adrian.

Being alone in his presence made me feel stronger and more at ease with my magic. Even without the bond, being with him meant something. I enjoyed time with my mage without the pressure to complete our bond.

And it was something I needed after Kerry.

Adrian tugged at my shirt, pulling it up over my head, before discarding it in the corner of the bathroom.

“Hey,” I said, “a little warning next time.”

He lifted a brow and smirked. “Getting naked is normal when you intend on showering,” he explained, cocking his head. “See?”

He tugged his shirt up and over his head with slow precision and ease. It fell on top of mine, but I was too focused on the way his lithe muscles moved as he dropped his hands to his hips.

I swallowed thickly and tried to ignore the very obvious hard-on in his pants. No sex, I reminded myself. Just showering. Nothing sexual. Just sleep. Maybe cuddling. Oh fuck.

My eyes focused on the pink scar above his hips. “Is that—?” I reached out to run my fingers over the raised skin.

“Yeah.” His voice was rough, and when I looked up, his eyes were shadowed. He cleared his throat, taking my hand and pressing it into his hip. “You saved me.”

A lump formed in my throat. I wasn’t entirely sure how to respond, how to tell him that I was so relieved he was alive. That despite the damage my magic could do, it saved him.

Instead of saying it, I rose up onto my toes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. I felt him shudder beneath my touch, but he responded to the kiss gently, stroking a hand through my hair before resting it on the back of my neck.

“Thank you,” he whispered, leaving a light kiss on the corner of my lips. As he pulled away, he released my hand and my neck before taking a step back. “Right. Back to business.”

I smiled, following his movement as he dropped his pants to reveal his very noticeable cock. And by noticeable, I meant large and hard.

I quickly looked away to meet his stare. “I think you need to have a cold shower first.”

He snorted. “It’ll be fine.”

“I mean, if you need some privacy, I’d be happy to wait?”

“Ivy.” He rolled his eyes and grabbed my arm, dragging me into his chest with one hand while the other worked to undo my bra. “I promised you nothing would happen. We’re just showering. I’ll probably be hard the rest of the night because this is what you do to me. But if you’re offering a hand…” He wagged his eyebrows seductively, and grinned when I rolled my eyes.

My bra joined our shirts and his pants, my own tights on the pile soon after. When it was just my panties, Adrian bit his lip and sighed. “I’m going to buy you so much lingerie,” he muttered, tugging at the simple cotton panties. He pulled them down my thighs, kneeling as he did, and guided my feet out of them.

There was something intimate about him being on his knees in front of me, completely naked and vulnerable. When he looked up, I could see it clearly across his face: his shame, the guilt over his part in trying to win me over to get me back to Avalon, the hurt in my rejection and the understanding of my need to protect myself.

I swallowed thickly and cupped his cheeks. “You don’t have to prove yourself to me,” I said, guiding him back up to stand before me.

He brought his hands up to cover mine, pressing a kiss to the inside of my wrist as he did. “I have everything to prove, Ivy. Never before have I needed to prove anything more. I’ve always just been Prince Adrian, son of Queen Greer and Sir Theon. I’ve never had to prove I’m anything else before. But now…”

Adrian pulled my hands around his neck before grabbing my hips and pulling me into him until almost every part of us was touching.

“Now I have everything to prove,” he whispered. “I need to prove to you that I’m more than just my title, Ivy. Let me do that. Please.”

I swallowed thickly and gently brought my lips to his. It was sweet, soft, no more than a promise of more to come. Our lips moved in union, a caring caress and nothing more.

When I pulled away, Adrian’s eyes shone with hope and happiness, making my heart clench. Whether he believed it or not, I was ready to take the next step with him. I would bond him tonight if I could, to prove to him that there was nothing about him I didn’t want.

But I accepted his words. Adrian pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of my mouth and walked backwards into the shower. The bathroom had filled with steam, which now overwhelmed me. But the spray of hot water was a blessing in disguise.

I hadn’t realised how tense I’d been. Not with my power surge, the arrival of the new team, and certainly not with leaving the girls.

My head dropped to Adrian’s chest as he ran a hand through my hair. “Let me take care of you,” he whispered, his voice barely audible over the thundering shower.

Instead of speaking, I nodded and let him take control. Somehow, he’d gotten his hands on my shampoo, which he lathered into my hair. Each movement was gentle as he massaged my scalp. I could barely contain my moan as he went to work washing my hair.

The care he took in cleaning my body brought tears to my eyes. He soaped up my skin with a body wash that smelt like him, like the mint tea he consumed daily, which cleared away the stuffiness in my mind and loosened up my body. Adrian scrubbed his hands over my body first, each touch burning through me, leaving my exposed skin an inferno of need.

“Adrian—” He cut me off with his mouth as he trailed a washcloth over my skin, scrubbing away the suds and the day’s tension. Each kiss sparked a different fuse within me. The intimacy of this moment, without the sex and pressure of the bond, meant more than I’d ever expected.

Like his need to take care of me undid everything I’d perceived as wrong in our relationship.

When he pulled away, his smile was soft. His eyes shone with something else, something I couldn’t identify and yet fully understood.

“You don’t need to prove anything to me,” I whispered, cupping his cheek as the washcloth paused on my chest. “This—all of this—is what I need.”

His eyes met mine before fluttering shut. “Ivy—”

“Shh.” I traced the curve of his lips with my thumb and pressed into his body. “You have nothing to work for, Adrian. You have me. And I need you to be here.”

“I’m here,” he breathed, eyes opening. “I’ll always be here.”

If the last kiss undid me, this one saved me. It was the last ember of a fire catching aflame, blooming into an inferno that couldn’t be sated. His lips moved against mine, hard and purposeful, stripping me down to nothing more than basic, primal need. My fingers dug into his chest as he swiped his tongue over my lips, gaining access to my mouth. Grip tightening, Adrian backed me into the shower wall.

I arched into him, melding my body to his. He was all hard lines and coiled, refined muscle. And yet he fit perfectly against my softness.

Adrian’s cock twitched where it sat against my belly; he pulled away first, and rested his forehead against mine. “Soon,” he promised.

I shuddered at the promise, forcing myself to nod and ignore the obvious desire between my legs.

“My turn?” I asked, tracing my hands over his chest. Adrian shivered, eyes darkening. I took the washcloth from him with a smile. “You took care of me. Now it’s my turn. You’re not the only one who has something to prove.”

Adrian’s eyes searched mine, like he wasn’t sure how to respond. He seemed to consider it a moment before bowing his head. “You have nothing to prove, Sweetheart.”

“That’s not true, and you know it.” I grabbed the shampoo and lathered it in my hands before running my fingers through his wet curls. “You need to know I won’t push you away when things get tough. Which I tend to do. Did.”

He watched me carefully, not saying anything, as I massaged his scalp—which was a little harder considering he was taller than me, but I wouldn’t complain. I pulled him under the spray and rinsed the coconut-scented shampoo from his hair, finding some comfort in him smelling like me.

“The only person I’ve never pushed away is Thea and even then, I found it hard to lean on her fully.” I moved onto the bodywash and made sure I doused every inch of him in it. “But we’re mates. We’re supposed to lean on each other, right?”

Adrian bowed his head and released a shuddering breath as I gently moved the washcloth over his abdomen, carefully dragging it over the scar.

“I have to learn not to push you away anymore,” I whispered, leaning in to kiss the skin over his pounding heart. “We have to work together, and that’s something I have to get better at. Because I need to rely on you—I want to. I want you—and Elias—to be my rocks.”

“You will always have me,” he replied, taking the washcloth from my hands before pulling me into his embrace. “You always have. The bonds between us have been emerging since the moment we met. They might not have been obvious, but they’ve been growing, and ours?” He tipped my chin up so our eyes could meet. “Ours is only getting stronger.”

Tears burned the back of my eyes as our lips met. We might not have completed the bond tonight, but it felt like we were one step closer to joining as one.

~

I slept wrapped in Adrian’s arms and awoke with no memory of any nightmares. His arms were wound tight around me as I rested my head on his chest. Based on the gentle rise and fall of it, he was still asleep.

My eyes closed as I enjoyed the peace of being held by him. His steady breathing almost lulled me back into unconsciousness, but I was dragged away from the darkness as the door to the bedroom opened and closed, and another body joined us.

Based on the scent of spice and warmth, it was Rowan who slid into the bed behind me. His hand was careful as it rested on the dip of my hip, but he didn’t try to move any closer.

I should have felt uncomfortable, maybe a little worried by the weird boundary cross, and yet I felt none of that as he settled in behind me with only his hand on me. Was that strange? Should I have shown I was awake and asked him what he was doing?

Is there a problem, Angel? Elias’s sleepy voice filled my head, his own comfort a blanket that settled over me.

I sighed in contentment. No. Nothing’s wrong.

How was your night with the prince?

I had to contain my snort of laughter. I didn’t want either man to know I was awake yet. It was good. It really helped. Thank you. And then I remembered his self-imposed babysitting duty. How were the girls?

I took a moment to answer, but I could feel his ease through the bond. They were okay. At some point, Maisie decided to get out of bed and sleep on the floor next to me, so she’s a little tired. The others are still subdued but doing okay.

My heart clenched. Maisie really likes you, huh?

His laugh rumbled in my head, and warmth flared through the bond. I didn’t think she would.

I almost responded, but Adrian shifted, his arms tightening around me. “I know you’re awake.”

“I thought I might let Rowan get away with thinking he was sneaky.” Behind me, the red-headed mage stiffened. He started removing his hand, but I pulled it back around me and closed my eyes. “And I was getting an update from Elias.”

Adrian moved slightly to look over my shoulder. “What the fuck? It’s too early for your bullshit.”

I snorted. Rowan tried to pull away again, but I gave him another tug, interlocking our fingers. “Too late,” I muttered. “Deal with the consequences.”

“And what are the consequences, beautiful?” he murmured in my ear, breath fanning across my neck.

A shiver ran down my spine. Thea’s voice was like a cackle in my head as the thought of an Ivy sandwich played across my mind. I should not have been thinking about them that way, but my subconscious wasn’t being as creative as before, and now they were giving me way too much power with this.

So, instead, I snuggled back into Adrian’s chest. “Sleep time with Ivy. Take it while you can because this won’t last if the girls learn I’m awake.”

Adrian huffed, ruffling my hair. “I don’t get a say in this?” he asked teasingly, brushing his fingers over my cheek. “It is my bed.”

“Too bad. I’m comfortable.” He chuckled at my response and relaxed, though I couldn’t help but wonder how he felt about this.

It didn’t feel wrong to me. Pressed between the two of them, it felt good, and my magic hummed as they each settled in.

Would I need to have a conversation with Rowan about this? Absolutely. But right now? I wanted to enjoy the feeling of having them with me, even if I should have been questioning it.