8

IVY

I WATCHED the dark forest as I waited for Eliasto return with his miracle. I wasn’t sure about it, but I also trusted that maybe he had a temporary solution to this problem. Because until Maeve delivered the potion, I was out of other options.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and I looked up as he appeared carrying something in his hand. Actually, it looked like he wanted to strangle said thing, considering how tight his fist looked.

“Did you have to fight someone for that?” I asked, offering him a half smile as he stopped by the couch.

His lips twitched, but he didn’t show any amusement as he dropped the fabric into my lap, and he didn’t say anything as he resumed his position across from me. There was a careful blankness to his face that made my stomach twist.

Slowly, I held up the material and frowned. “A shirt?”

“It belonged to your mate. Now, it’s yours,” he said.

Letting the shirt fall back into my lap, I leaned back. “Why?”

For a few long moments, he stared at me. The intensity of his eyes shifted, alerting me to the wolf joining him. Strangely, I could identify that subtle shift in him, but I tried not to dwell on that realisation too much. Elias had always been pretty clear on his thoughts about me.

“His scent will calm your magic,” Elias stated, voice low. I hadn’t expected him to respond, but his voice was oddly…soothing. “The nightmares are linked to your magic and the mate bond.”

I nodded slowly and ran my fingers over the soft cotton. Even in my lap, I caught his scent. But would it actually keep the nightmares away? It seemed implausible. It seemed too good to be true.

“Beginning the mating process will be better than a t-shirt,” he grumbled, scratching the back of his neck. “But for now, this should help.”

Tightness filled my chest as I glanced down at the t-shirt. He was right—though I wouldn’t say it to him. The nightmare issue could be solved by simply completing the mate bond with Adrian. Letting him in and trusting him completely.

But I was terrified it wouldn’t be that easy.

Instead, I clutched the shirt to my chest and offered Elias a grateful smile. “Thank you. I really appreciate that you did this for me.”

His eyes darkened slightly, and his brows furrowed. His gaze was discerning, almost like he could see right through me, and I wasn’t sure if I liked it.

Clearing my throat, I finally climbed to my feet, taking Adrian’s worn t-shirt, and holding it close to my chest. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Elias. Good night.”

The shifter grunted, his gaze heavy on me as I slipped up the darkened staircase.

I felt like I could finally breathe again when I entered my and Thea’s shared bedroom. The lights were low, the ensuite bathroom door closed, though the shared walk-in was open and lit up, with Thea standing in the doorway.

“Do you think the supes will give us alittle more clothing?” Thea asked, resting her hands on her hips as she stared at our shared wardrobe. “Because this is pathetic.”

I couldn’t help but snort as I made my way to the unmade bed, Adrian’s shirt still clutched tightly in my hands. “On your days off, you live in yoga pants and the trophies of past boyfriends. How is this any different?”

Thea pouted and spun to face me. “I earned those shirts. These?” She motioned towards the random plain black t-shirt that had been amongst the clothes we’d found inside. “I did not earn.”

Shaking my head, I dropped onto the bed and ran a hand through my hair. With the t-shirt and the girls tucked into bed, I wasn’t sure how to feel about the rest of tonight. Dinner had gone well, but Ginny and Maisie had wanted to return to Kerry immediately, and I hadn’t blamed them. They’d busied themselves with telling her about what they’d learned at lunch, which had included some simple magic from Rowan and Adrian so they wouldn’t be scared when faced with it later.

It’d been hard being so close to Adrian yet so far. The pull for him was strong, and it’d taken a lot of strength to keep myself in my seat. Never mind the longing glances that promised a much-needed discussion about everything.

I stared down at the fabric in my hands. Maybe it was as good a peace offering as anything.

“You okay?” Thea asked, unease filling her voice.

I heaved a sigh and lowered my head. “Everything is so…”

“Complicated? Messy? Completely unreal?” Thea crawled onto the bed and fell against the pillows with a huff. “What a strange turn of events.”

I snorted and joined her, watching my friend from the corner of my eye. “Tell me about it.”

“How’re you feeling about Kerry?” she asked quietly, reaching her hand out and taking mine. “She might have been an absentee parent, but she was still your mom.”

I blew out a breath, shrugging as her fingers entwined with mine. “I don’t know how to feel. I look at the body and…I don’t see Kerry, just someone I don’t recognise.”

Thea gave my fingers a quick squeeze. “You’re allowed to mourn, Ivy. You don’t have to be strong all the time. I get why you are with the girls because we all have to pretend to be adults for them. But with me—and I bet with the supes, too—you can be a little vulnerable.”

My eyes fluttered closed as I sucked in a heavy breath. “So many conflicting feelings all wrapped up with a pretty bow.”

“Well, I’m no therapist, but I think it’s time to let a lot of that go.” I opened my eyes and found Thea sitting up. “A lot has happened and changed. The situation is a hell of a lot different now compared to last week. So, will you really let that dull what should otherwise be exciting?”

I huffed and grumbled, “I thought we were talking about Kerry.”

“No, now we’re talking about a certain Prince Charming, whose shirt you currently have.”

“How’d you know it was his?” I asked, brows furrowing as I sat up.

She shrugged. “Mint. It’s like, overwhelming and all him.”

I sniffed the air, and while I could faintly smell it, there was nothing overwhelming about the shirt. “Sure,” I drawled, scooting off the bed. “I’m going to change. Elias thinks the shirt will help with the nightmares.”

I barely caught the way Thea’s brows rose up into her hairline before I locked myself in the ensuite. I flipped the light on and stared at myself in the mirror.

“God, what a mess,” I muttered, shaking my head. What were people seeing when they looked at me? Surely not the future Queen. Surely not someone who is supposed to sit on a throne and…rule the entire supernatural race?

I could barely handle nightmares. How was I supposed to be a leader?

I sighed and quietly got ready for bed, donning Adrian’s shirt and letting his scent envelop me. Even if I didn’t fully believe Elias, I couldn’t deny the slight comfort it brought.

~

Little was available at the safe house to keep the kids entertained. Yet, Eloise was set on making sure they weren’t completely cooped up in Kerry’s bedroom all day.

“We want a picnic,” Eloise stated, her hands on her hips as she stared Thea and me down in the kitchen.

Thea raised her brows, glanced at me, and then turned to face Eloise fully. “Oh?”

“Fresh air is good, and there’s nothing to do here.” Eloise lifted her chin, though I could see the exhaustion in her blue eyes. “We’ve been stuck inside for days, and it’s unhealthy.”

Thea and I shared a look. Sympathy pooled in my friend’s eyes as she pressed her lips into a line.

“I think that sounds like a good idea,” I replied, turning back to Eloise. “Good thinking.”

Eloise blew out a slow breath. “I can get the girls ready.”

“Any special requests?” Thea asked, motioning towards the empty kitchen. “I can whip up something fun for us.”

My sister hummed under her breath for a moment before shaking her head. “Maybe something sweet.”

“Okay, go get the girls, and we’ll prepare the rest,” I said, wringing my hands as she rushed out of the kitchen and towards the stairs. Once she was out of earshot, I turned to Thea. “You get started. I’m just going to let someone know the plan.”

“Right,” Thea replied, nodding. “Can’t let them think you got kidnapped ten feet from the house.”

I snorted and rolled my eyes. “I’ll be back soon.”

The large layout of the safe house confused me. There were bedrooms on both floors, two offices—one occupied by Maeve, the other for teamwork I assumed—and the basement. It didn’t feel right going and disturbing Maeve, considering how much she was already doing for me, so I instead turned towards the basement.

There was a gym down there, and I assumed whoever wasn’t out on patrol would likely be there. I punched in the code to the security door, which I’d been given when we’d arrived, and waited for the click of the lock turning before pushing it open.

The light in the stairwell automatically flickered on and guided me down towards the garage. The smell of diesel and metal tickled my nose as I made my way down and was quickly met with the thumping of fists against a punching bag and soft grunts.

I followed the sounds and stopped when Rowan came into sight. He wasn’t alone, joined by a dark-skinned Indian woman, who held tight to the bag he was currently punching. Her nose twitched, and she looked up briefly, our eyes meeting.

“Time,” she said, her voice hard as she stepped back from the bag and Rowan. “I’ll give you two a moment.”

My chest gave a sharp tug as he watched her move away to a table set up in the corner. His brow furrowed in confusion, before his gaze swung in my direction. He paused with his hands on his hips.

“Ivy?” he asked, taking a step towards me. “Is everything okay?”

Mouth dry, I nodded. “Yeah,” I replied, trying to offer him a reassuring smile. “I was just hoping to talk to one of you about something.”

The frown remained on his lips as he stalked over to where I’d been standing in the gym doorway. The space was simply a corner of the basement with an archway indicating the change of room, and it looked out over the rows of cars, and the cage of weapons not far from it.

I took a step back as he approached, the sharp tug in my chest intensifying. “What is it?” he asked, worry filling his voice.

“Oh, uh. Eloise wants to get the girls out of the house for an hour or so. A picnic to get away from everything. Thea is upstairs prepping it, so I was hoping it would be okay if we just went outside for a bit.”

Rowan’s jaw ticked as his eyes darkened. He was just as handsome as he was the day I’d ran into him on the streets of Forthampton. Somehow, that damned psychic had been right about something.

As he thought, I took a moment to drink him in. He wore no shirt, giving me a full view of his tight muscles and tattoos, which lined either hip. A pink scar above his belly button looked new, and I had the urge to ask him about it, but I bit my tongue. His low-slung shorts left absolutely nothing to the imagination.

I couldn’t help the pang of guilt that erupted in my chest, which I tried to squash immediately. I had a mate, who I was avoiding because I couldn’t face him yet, and here I was, ogling his best friend.

God, I’m horrible. A hussy.

Finally, Rowan sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “There should always be someone on the team with you if you’re going to leave the house.”

It wasn’t a no, so I held off on getting disappointed. “But it’s not an awful, totally horrible idea, right?”

“No,” he replied, offering me a tentative half-smile. “It’s not. Eloise makes a good point, and honestly, I’d feel bad for saying no to her.”

“She can be scary when she wants to be.”

He snorted, shaking his head. “I don’t think I want to be on the wrong side of that.”

A touch of hope warmed my chest. After the whole date fiasco and supernatural revelation, Rowan had been standoffish and quiet, nothing like the man I’d met that day on the street. I wasn’t sure what changed, but maybe we were finally at a place where I could figure out why he’d switched up so quickly.

I’d enjoyed his flirting, even if I hadn’t been used to it. And he’d seemed so genuine. I saw that twinkle again in his eyes, but he still held himself back.

Was it because of Adrian? My stomach twisted. Of course, Rowan might have suspected something, and now he was keeping his distance.

“Ivy?”

My head snapped up and I blinked, swallowing thickly. “Sorry, I just got lost in my thoughts for a second there.”

His smile was gone, and his eyes were shadowed as he cleared his throat. “I’ll see that someone is watching over you guys so you and the girls can have some privacy. Sound good?”

I nodded automatically and ignored the tightness forming in my chest, as well as the small nugget of disappointment that it wasn’t him coming to join us. “Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks.”

Rowan’s jaw ticked as he bowed his head, and then he was walking back towards the woman from Jay’s team, who had been ignoring us for the most part.

My breath shuddered through me as I slipped out of the gym. These messy, complicated emotions would get me nowhere, and I needed to stop dwelling on them. Thea was right about that.

Even if my heart didn’t agree, I knew what needed to be done.