Chapter 2
two
Ivy
Ivy’s consciousness was a violent ocean, and while she fought to stay above the surface, unknown forces dragged her back down.
She opened her eyes, and the world appeared adumbral and distorted.
She discerned that she was lying in a bed, but before her mind could piece anything else together, she was pulled back beneath the black waves.
While she was drifting, she dreamt. Fragmented images of black beating wings, flashes of light, falling autumn leaves and creeping mists pushed into her mind. Silken sheets caressed her skin. The scent of roses was overwhelming.
Her movements were laboured, and it was an effort to push her black tresses of hair from her face.
She vacillated between feeling warm and sweating, and so cold she needed to drag her sluggish body back under the sheets she’d desperately kicked off.
She felt hands moving along her bare skin, but when she could open her eyes, she was alone in the darkened room.
Words broke through the fog, but whether they were spoken or part of her imagination, she wasn’t sure. Do not let her fall to the Hunter. She could hear Annabel’s chiming laughter fading in and out, but she never saw her face. The Transition is almost complete.
Eventually, Ivy emerged from the watery abyss and cracked her eyes open.
The darkness receded and she was able to take in her surroundings for the first time.
She was in a bedroom, with bare, panelled walls of deep burgundy.
Dark wood stretched across the floor. The four-poster bed with a black lace canopy tied open on all sides threatened to swallow her whole.
A long window with drawn curtains spanned the length of the wall to her right, blocking her view to the outside world.
Ornate, black furniture distracted from the lack of decoration on the walls: matching nightstands stood on either side of the bed; on the far wall opposite the bed stood a grey fainting couch; and to her left was an armoire. A black raven was perched atop it.
“Are you lost, bird?” Ivy didn’t expect a response, but the raven quirked its head at her in silent reply. Her mouth felt strange, but she couldn’t identify the reason.
“She’s not lost. This is Phaedra, my Erath.
” A familiar voice cut through the silence, causing Ivy to jolt with surprise.
Her eyes flicked in the direction of the voice.
Leseldh, obscured by shadow, stood at the far side of the window.
The sight of him invited a flood of memories of their time together.
It was at this moment that she realised she was wearing only her underwear. A chill swept through her—someone had removed her dress. She pushed herself up the bed, dragging the sheets with her to cover herself, before raising her knees to her chest.
“I am not here to harm you.” His voice was soft and sure, sending a chill up Ivy’s spine.
“It seemed like you were trying to harm me the other night.” Memories of piercing pain rose to the surface, and her hand moved to her neck instinctively. The press of her fingers yielded no pain, but her skin had a strange texture.
“I wasn’t trying to harm you then, either.” Leseldh kept his gaze on Ivy, as he took a tentative step towards the bed. He stopped when Ivy tensed.
“How long was I out for?”
“About 18 hours.”
She ran a hand through her hair and found it to be tangle-free. Almost as though someone had brushed it. She shivered at the thought. “What did you do to me?”
“I gave you a gift.”
A coil of worry formed at the base of Ivy’s gut. “What if I don’t want your gift?”
“I’m afraid I cannot take it back.” His response sent a spear of worry through her. After a moment, he asked her, “How do you feel, Ivy?”
She searched Leseldh’s eyes, expecting to see a predatory gleam there, but all she saw was concern. It gave her pause, enough for her to ponder the question he posed.
She knew that she’d consumed an obscene amount of alcohol while with Leseldh. Ordinarily the resulting hangover would have her questioning all her life decisions but as she contemplated her condition, she realised that she felt completely unaffected—in fact, she felt vital.
“I feel… good. Really good.” Her bewilderment was apparent in her voice. A small smile spread over Leseldh’s lips, as though pleased by her response. He gave her a slow nod and made for the door.
“There are some things I wish to discuss with you. But first, you should get dressed. Meet me downstairs when you are ready.” Leseldh departed, the raven flying out with him, and Ivy was struck by the urge to follow them.
In the silence that followed, Ivy could hear the slow retreat of footsteps for an unusually long time.
She surged out of the bed with startling swiftness. She moved around the room on steady legs to examine her surroundings further.
Her feet found a large, plush, dark grey rug at the foot of the bed. She elicited a small, involuntary moan at its softness.
Opening a door beside the fainting couch revealed a large bathroom in a similar style.
Black-and-burgundy damask wallpaper transitioned to dark wooden panelling on the walls.
A claw-footed bathtub was placed against the long wall, underneath a large window.
She peered outside and saw only darkness. She was likely still in Noctis.
After exiting the bathroom, Ivy explored the armoire, finding garments of various colours and styles hanging inside. She selected a black, floor-length, velvet dress, although it displayed more of her cleavage than she would have liked.
Checking her reflection, Ivy immediately noticed her eyes were no longer a pale green colour—they had deepened to emerald-green. Remembering the strange texture she felt earlier on her neck, she inspected it only to discover it was an area of heavy scarring, almost like a burn.
“What the fu—ow!”
Sharp pain radiated from her lower lip. Peering in the mirror, she slowly opened her mouth.
The burgeoning apprehension inside of her detonated.
Her canine teeth had changed in appearance—they were now elongated and razor sharp.
So much so that on her expletive, the teeth—no, fangs—punctured her bottom lip.
She stumbled back from the mirror as the pieces of the puzzle began to click into place.
Barefoot and determined to get answers, she stormed out of the bedroom.
Ivy stepped into a wide hallway styled similarly to the room she just exited. The hall held three other rooms with closed doors, with a staircase in the middle. She padded towards it.
As her foot hovered over the top step of the staircase, Ivy felt a tingle on the back of her neck.
Looking around, her eyes were drawn to the door at the opposite end of the hallway, so she changed course.
It looked like all the other doors—a panelled slab of wood with a round brass door handle.
Her hand drifted to the handle, poised to open it.
“There you are.” Leseldh’s voice came from behind her. Her head snapped around, her eyes locking with his. “Come, we have much to discuss. I see you’ve found my study.” He raised his hand, beckoning her forth.
She took in his appearance. He was just as handsome as last night, but there was something different tonight; something more appealing.
He wore a silk button-down shirt in a deep, emerald-green—the same colour as her eyes.
The colour accentuated his silvery hair, which fell about his shoulders in gentle waves.
The sleeves of the shirt were rolled to the elbow, and he wore similar black dress trousers and shoes to those he wore last night.
“You look ravishing in that dress.” The look of desire in Leseldh’s eyes showed the truth of his words. Ivy approached him and took his hand. Despite the emotions warring within her, she couldn’t deny the sense of comfort his hand gave her. It only caused her more confusion.
Ivy continued to take in the house as they moved through it.
It was full of dark colours, tall windows, wooden panelling and paintings in gilded frames.
Sconces with magical globes were spaced along the walls, providing a gentle glow, and pendant lights hung from the ceiling to illuminate the larger spaces.
It was opulent—like nothing she’d ever seen before.
They entered a parlour that had a series of couches arranged in a U shape, facing a large mantelpiece framed by two large windows.
“Take a seat.” Leseldh led her towards one of the couches. She sat on the far left, and Leseldh passed behind her to seat himself on the couch directly opposite her. He leaned back, putting an arm across the back of the couch, and crossed one leg to rest his ankle on his knee.
“I am sure you have some questions.” His voice was calm, incongruous to how she felt inside. The emotions bubbled up to the surface, as did the questions she wanted to throw at him like grenades.
“You bet I do. These are new! Care to explain?” Ivy jerked her hand upward to point at the fangs protruding from her sneering mouth.
“As I said before, I gave you a gift.”
“What is that supposed to mean? I am way too out of it to understand riddles right now.” Her voice was rising, as was her temper.
“That is not true—you are alert. I can see it in your eyes. You are thinking and feeling with more clarity than you ever have before. Your senses are on fire. You are aware that you have changed. You know exactly what your new nature truly is.” His words cut through her attitude and gave her pause.