Chapter 1 #3
Annabel quickly immersed Voresta in conversation, leaving Ivy to return her attention to Leseldh. She sipped her Hot Lord while they chatted, and it wasn’t long before they resumed the easy conversation that flowed as freely as the alcohol.
Hours passed, and when Annabel finally stood from her seat, disappointment welled in Ivy’s stomach. Ivy knew that their outing had reached its inevitable conclusion when Annabel announced, “It’s been lovely, but we need to get going.”
The quartet gathered themselves up and made their way out onto the dusty street. Ivy’s hand found its way into Leseldh’s, and as she turned to face him, she readied to say goodbye. But the words that spilled from her mouth weren’t in farewell.
“I don’t want this night to end.” Ivy surprised herself with the honesty of her statement.
“We could go to a place where the night doesn’t end…” Leseldh trailed off as he lifted Ivy’s hand to his lips once more. The hint of a mischievous smile graced his lips before he pressed them to the top of her hand.
“Do you mean Noctis?” Her eyes tracked Leseldh’s movements, feeling the hairs on her arms prickle at the delicate contact. Leseldh’s only response was a slow nod as he slowly lowered their joined hands.
Noctis was also known as the Realm of Night.
It was a land of eternal darkness where nighttime creatures dwelled.
It was full of Vampires, Werewolves, Shapeshifters and Ghosts, as well as Humans that had acclimatised to the conditions.
Although it was a Realm away, one could travel there instantaneously through a Portal Building—the only method of inter-Realm travel within Iavus.
It had been many years since Ivy had ventured into Noctis—so long that it seemed like another lifetime. Her experience of the Realm was brief, and the memories were bittersweet, but the suggestion unearthed a long-forgotten desire, buried deep in Ivy’s soul.
The alcohol Ivy had consumed had loosened her tongue and gifted her a boldness she didn’t usually possess. She would normally shy away from such offers for fear of what her mother would say, but without warning, Hannah’s words at the Morribee pushed their way into her mind.
Life is a series of choices that you make. If you’re not happy with where your life is going, maybe you need to start making different choices.
Even in her inebriated state, Ivy was aware that the choice she made now might change the direction her pathetic life was headed.
Although she’d only known Leseldh for a few hours, she’d experienced a stronger connection with him than any of the males she’d dated in Naum.
He was attractive, mysterious, and seemed enthralled by her.
None of the men her mother had set her up with showed this kind of interest in her, and she realised that she craved it.
Her intrinsic belief that she was meant for more tugged her in Leseldh’s direction, and she realised that she needed to see where this choice would lead.
“Have you been to Noctis before?” Leseldh’s velvety voice broke through Ivy’s musings, and her gaze returned to him.
“I have. But I’d love to go to Noctis with you.”
Leseldh’s eyes lit up with excitement, as though he’d been expecting Ivy to decline.
“Are you kidding, Ivy?” Annabel’s voice dragged Ivy’s attention away from the male.
“No, I’m not, Bel. I’ve decided it’s time to start making different choices.”
“Ivy, this is a bad choice.” Annabel’s voice rang with disapproval. It made Ivy’s irritation bubble to the surface.
“Fuck, you sound like my mother,” Ivy groaned while stepping closer to Leseldh.
Annabel was silent for a long moment as she looked at Ivy imploringly. Ivy merely shot a determined glare back at her. She wouldn’t tolerate having her life dictated by others any longer.
“Be careful,” Annabel warned, but Ivy was tired of being careful. They shared a brief hug and exchanged their goodbyes.
“I’ll make sure you get home safe,” Voresta offered to Annabel, but she shook her head.
“No need.”
“Stay close to the market on your way out. It’s not safe at this hour.” Ivy heard genuine concern in his words.
Annabel nodded in acknowledgement before heading back towards the Night Market and beyond. A raven circled lazily overhead as the remaining three made their way towards Noctis’s Portal Building.
The Portal Building to Noctis was a stark contrast to Oaris’s whimsy. While most buildings had a sense of being slapped together, or the misfortune of falling apart over the decades, Noctis’s Portal Building was an architectural wonder.
The anomalous double-storey structure clad in black was alluring and imposing in equal measure. Tall windows inlaid with stained glass, a steep gabled rooftop, and a large, arched doorway formed a gothic tableau. Above the door was a brass plaque that bore the inscription:
NOCTIS
The Realm of Night
What is lost in darkness may never be found
As a teenager, Ivy had passed under that plaque with her younger sister on several occasions, but they had never paid much heed to the warning.
Neither did Voresta tonight, as he opened the heavy wooden door to the building and stepped inside.
The door swung shut behind him, leaving her and Leseldh on the building’s doorstep.
“Are you ready?” His caramel eyes searched her pale green ones, and Ivy saw a level of concern there that comforted her despite how little she really knew of the male.
She nodded, a small smile playing on her lips.
Her body flooded with excitement, which drowned out any lingering trepidation.
“You go first. I’ll be right behind you. ”
Ivy released his hand to reach for the door handle. Pulling it open, she stepped inside.
Ivy was met by total darkness after crossing the threshold.
However, the moment the door swung shut, a sea of stars sparked to life and began to swirl around her.
They flared with light until all she could see was a bright, glowing white, and she felt herself lifting off the ground.
The sensation lasted only a few seconds, before her feet touched the ground again and the light faded.
The particles of her vision slowly formed an open doorway before her.
Ivy blinked once, twice, and stepped out onto the cobblestones of Zentroa, the main city of Noctis.
Ivy had last entered the Portal Building to Noctis eleven years ago, and it was just as surreal this time as it had been then.
She looked back at the building she’d emerged from.
On this side, it was the Portal Building to Naum—a lopsided wooden building with a peeling red-and-white striped mural.
A pennant banner hung above the door, spelling out the name ‘Naum’ in mismatched type. There was no plaque beneath.
The building faced out onto a circular street known as the Crux.
It encircled a plaza, which was home to the Council Building—the coffin-shaped building was where Noctis’s authority ruled from.
Marble statues of various important figures whose histories Ivy didn’t know were dotted around the plaza.
The surrounding buildings matched the gothic style of Noctis’s Portal Building.
Lamp posts of iron, with clusters of ornamental lanterns hanging from them lined the streets and completed the scene.
The city was eerily quiet, unlike the disorderly hubbub of Oaris.
Voresta was nowhere to be seen, and Ivy only had moments to reacquaint herself with the environment before the Portal Building’s door opened once more and Leseldh stepped through.
His eyes found hers instantaneously, and his lips curved in a smile as he advanced towards her.
The darkness of Noctis seemed to envelop him, and Ivy immediately got the sense that he didn’t just frequent this place, but he belonged here.
The sound of an engine cut through the quiet, and Voresta pulled up in front of them in a black sedan.
Leseldh opened the rear door for Ivy, allowing her to slip inside before getting in the opposite side himself.
Once he was settled, he leaned in and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, exposing the left side of her neck.
The car moved away from the curb, and the Portal Building faded from view. The light from the passing streetlights flashed in the car window intermittently, illuminating Leseldh’s face as he fixed her with his intense gaze.
“Where are we headed?” Ivy stared into Leseldh’s eyes inquisitively.
“A favourite place of mine.” Leseldh leaned closer still, and Ivy’s heartbeat kicked up a notch at the look of desire she found in his eyes. “Can I kiss you, Ivy?”
His question sent a thrill through her.
“Fuck, yes,” came her breathy reply.
Almost before she could finish her response, Leseldh’s lips crashed into hers.
His kiss was urgent and filled with need.
She matched his passion and brought her hand up to entwine her fingers in his hair.
Leseldh pulled away after a moment, leaving Ivy panting in the wake of the kiss, but he wasn’t finished.
His lips travelled along her jawline and down to her neck.
A soft moan escaped her lips at the press of his mouth, and she leaned into his touch.
Pain, sharp and bright, radiated from her neck.
Leseldh’s face was still pressed to her skin.
Stinging pain was chased by a sudden pressure.
She felt something hot and wet spreading down her left side.
The excitement of the moment was abolished by terror.
Her heart began to race, and her breath came in rapid pants.
She tried to swat Leseldh away, but she was quickly overwhelmed by fatigue. She cried out, but the words came out slurred and disjointed. Her vision blurred, and the already darkened world of Noctis slipped completely into the abyss.