40

IVY

NERVES ate away at me as I stared down at the dress I’d been forced into. It wasn’t a magical, flowing dress like I’d been secretly hoping for. Apparently, that wasn’t in style anymore for Queenly brunches. Instead, I was in a crimson, skin-tight business casual dress that stopped at the knees. It hugged every inch of me in a way that would have once made me uncomfortable, but as I looked myself over one last time in the mirror, that familiar sense of insecurity never came.

Chewing my bottom lip, I finished with low heels and grabbed a long trench-coat to throw over the top. After a week of rain at the academy, I wasn’t quite used to the rather still and blue sky. But there was a slight chill in the air, one that had me sliding my arms into the jacket.

My first week at the academy had come to an end, and being at the palace was a relief. But it meant another day with the Queen.

“You look gorgeous,” Adrian said from behind me, startling me.

I turned to face him, and groaned. “I look like I’m about to have a formal meeting with the council.”

“It’s brunch.” He shrugged and stalked towards me. I swallowed hard and tried to ignore the tingling sensation between my thighs. There was something I wanted a hell of a lot more than brunch , but I feared I wouldn’t get that until tonight. Or maybe at all, considering how busy this weekend would be.

I pressed a hand to his chest. “You are going to make me late, and I don’t want to make a bad impression.”

Adrian’s eyes twinkled with amusement as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Then let’s get moving. You’re the one thinking about sex. ”

My cheeks heated and I whacked him on the arm. This male , I thought, as he laughed and jumped out of my reach. He offered me a hand, grinning with a wildness that made my heart stutter.

“You are so not funny,” I muttered, though I wrapped my fingers around his. “Just show me how to get to the Queen’s wing.”

Adrian chuckled quietly to himself as he guided me out of our suite. Just like I’d suspected, the air was crisp and cool, and it burrowed deep into my bones. But it was fresh, clean. The scents of the forest and sweet flowers tickled my nose. The mountains outside our suite were capped with low-hanging clouds and what looked like potential rain.

“Hopefully my mother can give you an update on how long it’ll take for her and the other’s to be out of there. Lyra’s crap is being moved to an apartment now, and all of my shit is in storage until we can sort out the living arrangements,” he said. I watched from the corner of my eye, as his cheeks flushed red.

At that, I raised a questioning brow. “What are the living arrangements like there?”

I was intrigued. Because we were currently living a pretty messy life. Thankfully, Thea and the kids had their own space, so they didn’t have to deal with the drama, but other than my room with the massive bed, we had two other rooms they were sharing when rotating who was in bed with me, and it usually caused issues.

But I was definitely invested in understanding what home life had been like for Adrian. It wasn’t like I had any frame of reference to how life would look...together.

We entered the elevator, and Adrian hit a button without looking at me, but his hand tightened in mine. “It might be a little confusing.”

“Come on. It’s better you tell me than having to hear about it from your mom. Please?”

He sighed and ran his free hand through his hair. “Okay. Well, it’s basically an entire wing. You saw that pool when we first arrived? Well, there’s a second, more secluded one that leads into a cave system. I learned pretty quickly not to sneak out at night with my older brother, because that meant potentially running into our parents reigniting their bonds.”

I snorted a laugh and quickly slapped a hand to my face. “Oh, no. That’s—”

“Traumatising.” He nodded. “I know. I mean, other than that, my parents usually kept that to the bedroom. Like you’ve already heard, sex is pretty normalised. I mean, not in front of your kids, but it’s not demonised. So, while shocking, I kind of knew what was going on. Especially because I knew that it was different for my parents.” The elevator pinged and the door opened to a floor I didn’t recognise, but Adrian pulled me behind him into the hall.

“The wing is set up to be like...a house. A really, really big one. And it’s divided, mostly. The living areas, with its own private kitchen, family room, sitting area, formal and informal dining. Ten years ago, we managed to convince everyone to get a theatre room, too, because...” He shrugged and glanced down at me with a wry smile. “We got into human movies. So, there’s a lot there. And then there’s the parents’ half, and the kids’ half, which got lonely when everyone else left. Griffon was already long gone by the time I was born. Dante hung around, but not much, not when he had more fun traipsing through the realms. And although I had Sylvia, she was at the academy. The twins moved out by the time Lyra was ten, so then it was us.”

“That sounds...” I couldn’t quite put it into words, because despite the fact that he still had his mother and father, he spoke more about his siblings. How their departures had impacted him most. “Lonely. What about your parents?”

Adrian pulled us to a stop and tugged me into an alcove hidden by two large pillars and sheer, orange curtains. He dropped my hand to cup either side of my face. “As much as I love my parents, they weren’t...emotionally available,” he admitted, and the hurt that flashed across his green eyes made my heart hurt. “They were good parents, but even though my dad was around, and he took responsibility for me and Sylvia, there was always a divide. Obvious favouritism. But not between us kids. I have Griffon to thank for that. He made sure, as the eldest, to show us better. Which I know had to be hard for him, since there were twelve of us.”

It was the most he’d spoken about his family dynamics since our first date. My heart ached, feeling his pain—his desire for better.

“My parents were always more preoccupied with each other. Promise me...promise me, that if—when—we have children, they won’t have a life like mine.”

My eyes watered as I stared up into his. It was a discussion I’d been hoping to put off for a while, but I noticed now how badly he needed this. Swallowing hard, I nodded. “Of course. There will never be anything like that. I promise. ”

Adrian released a shuddering breath and dropped his forehead to mine. “That’s why I don’t want to talk about the Queen’s Wing. I want...I was hoping we could make it more than it is. For our family unit. ”

The mention of that had my chest warming. “I like that idea very much.”

We stood there until we were forced apart by the sound of people in the hall. For the first time since we’d arrived, there was a buzz in the air, which apparently had something to do with preparations for the ball. I shared a look with Adrian when we left the alcove, but he shrugged. There was a lightness in his eyes now that I’d made the promise, and when I tested the bond, there was no tension—nothing to tell me he regretted our discussion.

I didn’t have time to pay attention to my surroundings—the hallways were too busy and too similar—but we made it to a set of glass doors that overlooked a large balcony. Guards were standing on either side, though waiting for us was Seer Sable, a serene smile playing on her lips. When she noticed us, it brightened, and she opened her arms to me.

“There you are! We thought you’d gotten lost.” She grabbed my upper arms before planting a kiss on my cheek. “My dear girl, how was your first week at Oberon? No, don’t tell me yet. Let us go out and meet with Greer, hmm?” She glanced at Adrian then and waved her hand. “You can go now, Adrian. Your work here is done.”

With that, she linked our arms and dragged me away from my mate.

~

Queen Greer looked up as the doors to the balcony closed behind us. There were three other women sitting with her—Sylvia being one of them—though the other two were unfamiliar to me. I had no doubt they were Adrian’s other sisters; one had the same dark brown skin as her father, Sir Amais, but she had silver hair, while the other had pale white skin and vibrant red hair. The latter eyed me critically, while the former offered me a warm smile that revealed fangs. Both were equally beautiful, and that was something I’d yet to get used to.

Seer Sable guided me to the chair directly across from Queen Greer. “You know Sylvia already. But this is Falena, daughter of Sir Hugo, and Nefeli, daughter of Sir Amais,” Sable introduced.

“I hope you don’t mind that they join us,” Queen Greer said. “I get so little time with them, and they will be your greatest allies when I pass the crown to you.”

I shivered at those words. “No, of course not. I’m happy to meet more people.”

“And since our brother is mated to you, we’ll always be connected,” Nefali—the silver-haired woman—replied, reaching for a glass of red wine. “Though we are not sure how that happened. ”

“It is strange,” the red-head—Falena—added. “Mother, this hasn’t happened before, has it?”

Queen Greer shrugged as Sable joined her at the other end of the table. “No, not in any of our records.”

“Is it really that...strange?” I asked, meeting each stare. Sylvia looked unbothered, despite the fact that Adrian was her closest sibling, but the other two were curious. Sable had a knowing smirk on her face that had me wondering if she knew more—I mean, her own son was now another of my mates, and she was the Queen’s best friend. It was strange. But Greer shook her head.

“There was always a belief that the children of the previous Queen could not go on to be bonded to the next. We always thought it had to do with the passing down of magic, the allowance of a new generation—new bloodlines—to take power and make change. But perhaps Nyx never saw fit to bond the lives of the princes and princesses to the next Queen before. Or She may have known something like this would happen, and you would need the aid of someone as powerful as Adrian. And Rowan,” she added, eyeing the Seer, who nodded. “The only way to know would be to ask Nyx Herself.”

I slumped in my chair. “Which doesn’t sound like an easy task.” As much as everyone brought it up, it didn’t bother me in the slightest. “As long as there aren’t any issues going forward, I should be okay with my mates, right?”

Greer smiled softly. Nefali, who sat on her other side, poured her a cup of steaming tea and offered it to her. Adrian’s words echoed in my ears, and I waited to see some sign of tension between the Queen and her daughters. But nothing appeared. There was softness between them all. Maybe it was because of Greer’s weakening state. Or maybe there was something I was missing.

“Your mates are fine. They are exactly what Nyx designed them to be.”

I nodded, though my stomach still twisted with uncertainty. “I know...I know Elias, in particular, was worried about how he would be received by the council.”

Sable sighed loudly, while Greer nodded. “I understand. With the current climate and your safety, there is no need to worry about that now. His fears aren’t unfounded, but with the way the council is being reformed, this may not be an issue when you ascend the throne.”

I doubt that , I thought, but bit my tongue. With the way I’d been dealing with the students of Oberon, I had a feeling they carried the same sentiments of those that came before them. They toted around their bloodlines like they were Prada purses and acted as if, because they were of the most powerful families, they had nothing to lose. But if I’d learned anything over the last week, it was that they weren’t nearly as powerful as they seemed.

Especially not after the attacks I’d witnessed.

Sable clapped her hands together to draw the attention to herself. “We might as well begin, shall we?”

“Begin what?” I asked. “I thought this was brunch...”

The Seer chuckled. “Yes, dear girl, it is. But you thought we’d drag you here just to eat and make you uncomfortable?” She spared me a knowing look that had me shifting in my chair. “We thought you may want to learn a bit of...magic while you were here. The kind Oberon cannot teach you.”

My skin tingled, curiosity swelling within me. I had a basic understanding of my connection to Adrian and the building of charms. And the natural magic that came from Nyx was a constant hum beneath my skin, one I was growing used to now.

“Okay,” I replied, nodding. “What exactly does that mean?”

“I want you to sit back,” Queen Greer instructed, “and relax.”

Easier said than done. But I did, scooting until my back was against the high wings of the chair. I planted my arms on the armrests, exhaling deeply.

“Feel that magic in your veins. Ignore your connections to your mates for now. Focus on that initial power. The strength that comes only from you. It should feel alive. That is what Nyx’s power is. It is ancient, God-like magic that exists for those of us Blessed by Her and Her alone,” Greer explained, sadness crossing her features.

I closed my eyes and felt for that power. It existed beyond my mate bonds, which glowed and hummed with energy from their proximity. But I went deeper, following that other tether, the one linked to Nyx. It glowed a different colour than the bonds. This one was a soft, violet hue that pulsed, reminding me of the lines of magic that manifested on my skin.

“Take hold of that power,” Greer said quietly, “grasp it and let it bloom.”

Sucking in a sharp breath, I did as she instructed. I grabbed the pulsing thread and let it tangle around me. It was both warm and cold, foreign and new, but also calming and familiar in so many different ways. It felt like the loving caress of a parent, the embrace of life, a touch of the sun and a kiss from the moon. It was everything and it wrapped around me. No longer did it hurt, not in the way it had before, nor did I fear it in the same way. I welcomed it, needed it, just like I did air to breathe.

And it needed me.

The power cooed like a creature and warmed even more, like it had been waiting for that acceptance. Waiting for me to accept it.

“You feel it, don’t you?” Queen Greer asked.

I shivered and nodded. But I couldn’t form the words to explain what I was feeling. Not the strength that washed over me, or the security of having this entity in the palms of my hands.

“Open your eyes,” she commended, and when I did, I gasped.

Atop Queen Greer’s head lay the crown from my nightmares, the one made of bone and quartz. Only hers was red, and glowed the same colour.

“Your first lesson is complete.” She offered me a proud smile. “Accepting your power is pertinent to your survival and to your rule. Now, your other lessons begin.”