Page 99 of The Crown of Nyx

“I need more information than that.” She cocked her head, though her eyes shot to the young male beside her. “Before I decide your fate.”

“While I respect your authority,” I replied, “my fate is in my hands now. And while I don’t want to hurt anyone here, I will if I have to.”

We could get out of here with Damon’s shadows. It’d been at least two hours since our last jump, so maybe he was strong enough now to get us out. I doubted we would find the crown here, anyway.

The palace was important, but not nearly enough to be the hiding place of the crown. I couldn’t feel it. Nothing about the magic here felt powerful enough.

The elderly female’s lips twitched, either with amusement or annoyance, I wasn’t sure. “The one you say is here hunting you…he has an army with him.”

My stomach sank. “I had a feeling that was the case.”

“How did he follow you here?” she asked, brow raised. “None from your world have come here in centuries.”

“He stole something that wasn’t his,” I replied vaguely. “And that means he is far more dangerous than you could imagine.”

She hummed under her breath, before glancing at the males either side of her. As she did, I looked at Damon. His horns had receded, but he still wielded his death magic like he planned on cutting down everyone around us. His eyes found mine, and I gave him a subtle shake of my head.

No need to try and communicate with actions, wife,his voice sounded—in my head.I made sure we were able to communicate the fun way, too.

I tried to keep the surprise off my face. Once we were out of here, I would discuss boundaries with him. But for now, I was a little grateful for his foresight. But that meant the only one I couldn’t communicate with now was Hawk.

Are you strong enough to shadow jump again?I asked, ignoring the twist in my gut that reminded me just how screwed up this situation was. Why did a male, who really had no other tie to me than a need for an alliance, want more of a connection to me than my own mate?

Of course, my Queen. But I am strong enough to wipe them out, too,he replied, maybe a little too smugly.

Don’t, I warned.They don’t need to be harmed. If we can get out of here without bloodshed, then we do it that way. Okay?

The look he gave me said he wasn’t pleased with that answer, but I really couldn’t bring myself to care. These creatures hadn’t done anything to us, and I had a feeling they wouldn’t. We were the ones imposing on their land, and with us we’d brought danger. They had every right to be wary of us—there hadn’t been anyone from the realms of Nyx here in over a thousand years. For so long, this had been theirs.

The elder female finally turned her attention back to us, and I couldn’t help but stiffen as those hard eyes found mine once more. “We will not harm you or yours,”she stated as she stepped away from the males either side of her. “Yet. If you prove to be a danger to my people, I will not hesitate in finding a way to put you down.”

My magic rose at the threat, tingling across my skin and manifesting itself visibly across my exposed flesh. “As much as we appreciate your acceptance,” I bit out, “we won’t be here long enough for that to become an issue.”

The woman narrowed her eyes, but I moved back into the formation of my team, letting them surround me. I glanced at Damon, his smirk enough to assure me he had already knew what I wanted.

There was something about it that also made my magic react strangely.

I couldn’t help myself from glancing over at the young male creature. His eyes were on me, narrowed though not critical. Maybe curious. I pulled in another breath, his sweet scent filling my lungs, a balm for my magic.

But I didn’t have time to dwell on that as the shadows surrounded us and pulled us into its familiar embrace.

40

Xerxes

The shadows, and dome of soft, purple light, faded to reveal nothing but the stone of the palace ruins and trap door leading onto the beach.

Phaedra growled under her breath, the sound a mix of her own annoyance and that of her Primal. “Insolent?—”

“You thoughttheQueen of Nyx would listen?” I asked her in the old tongue. “Please.”

“You—” She rounded on me with a finger pointed at my chest. Her dark eyes shifted from grey like the clouds disappearing to the blue of her Primal “You will find them and bring them back to me. I will not tolerate disrespect inmy world.”

My eyes narrowed dangerously, and my own Primal rising in response. “You forget your place, Phaedra. You only lead us because a Prima hasn’t been born in a century. Your place at the head of the clan is tenuous at best.”

“You would threaten me?” she hissed.

Her mate, Mavros, moved to stand at her back, now shifted into his full Primal form. A growl rippled from him, though I barely spared him a glance.

---