Ivy #2
When they pulled up outside, Killian got out of the car first and made his way towards the apartment building.
Finare remained in the car, as if waiting to see what happened next.
Ivy scooped up Killian’s keys and the dagger in its holster and hurried over to him before he headed inside the building. She handed him his possessions.
“I grabbed these, just in case.”
Killian nodded in thanks, and when he turned to move inside the building, Ivy hesitated. He opened the door and held it open for her, and when he noticed she wasn’t behind him, he gave her a quizzical look.
“You coming, or what?” A smirk graced his lips, and as soon as Ivy saw it, she exploded with longing.
“One sec.” She smiled at him before dashing back over to Finare’s car. She peered in through the open passenger’s side window.
“I reckon this is probably the really good part.” Finare threw her a playful wink.
“I hope you’re right.”
“Send Ozias for me if you need me.”
Finare gunned the engine and was gone in seconds. She turned back to Killian and entered the building with him. Ozias swept down from the sky and followed them inside before the main door shut, and he landed on Ivy’s shoulder. Killian’s eyes flicked to the Erath.
“Killian, this is Ozias.”
Killian responded with an awkward ‘hi’. Ivy chuckled as they boarded the elevator and rode it to the seventeenth floor. Inside the apartment, Killian returned his belongings to the end table, while Ivy locked the door behind her. Ozias flew over to the couch and perched on the back of it.
Killian looked up at the ceiling when the apartment remained dark as he moved through it. He shuddered before moving into a room near the entranceway. A moment later, the lights turned on. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed as he emerged.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. The lights weren’t working when I…” Killian trailed off, and Ivy sensed his emotions were warring inside of him.
“What happened?” Ivy stepped towards him tentatively. His eyes slowly moved towards hers.
“Drachen. He knocked me out. When I woke up, I was in the coffin.” Another shudder wracked Killian’s body, and she moved in to embrace him. His arms wrapped around her middle, and she gazed up at him.
“Why did he do it?”
“It was retaliation.” He ran his fingers through her hair. His next words sent a chill through her. “For you.”
Ivy’s suspicions were confirmed. She blinked hard as a wave of guilt swept through her.
“I’m so sorry,” she breathed, her eyes welling with fresh tears.
“Don’t be. I made my decision. It was the right one.”
Ivy took a shaky breath as she looked up at him, forcing her emotions back down into a corner of herself. Killian seemed keen to break the intensity of the moment, and he released her from his grip before crossing the apartment and heading to the windows that overlooked the city.
Killian slid open a door that led out to a balcony. A gentle breeze filtered in to refresh the stale air. “So, your Ascension went well.” His eyes flicked to Ozias, and Ivy’s gaze followed, before returning to Killian.
“Ozias is my Blood Gift. He’s an Erath,” she answered, and Killian tilted his head in response. She went on to explain the Erath Blood Gift to Killian, including Ozias’s plumage that resembled a galaxy, and her ability to communicate with him.
“That’s an impressive Gift.”
“I think burning a coffin to cinders may be a little more impressive than a raven you can talk to.”
No offence, she added to Ozias. The Erath cawed at her, and she let out a small laugh in response. She walked over and scratched his head affectionately.
Thank you for helping me find him, Ozias.
Your will is my own.
Ivy smiled and sat down on the couch near the Erath. Killian eyed the silent exchange with interest, but didn’t comment. The silence stretched on between them, and when Killian spoke again, his voice was soft.
“I don’t know how I did that.”
“But it was you?” Ivy felt another jolt of panic as she remembered the sight of the raging flames. “I thought I was witnessing your Ending.”
Killian seemed to sense her discomfort and moved to sit on the couch, leaving a small distance between them.
“I heard your voice, and I was just so angry that I couldn’t get to you. I felt really hot, and then I saw a bright light. I don’t even know if I could do it again.” Killian ran his fingers through his hair, and he stared off into the distance.
“How did you not go completely crazy? I don’t think I could have endured a month in there.” Ivy’s query seemed to make Killian’s eyes cloud over.
“Is that how long I was gone?”
Ivy nodded in reply.
Killian fell silent again, and Ivy could see he was considering his next words carefully.
He leaned back in his seat and ran his fingers through his hair again.
Those familiar, stubborn strands fell into his face, and Ivy was hit with the realisation that it was another thing she’d missed seeing over the last month.
“I didn’t go crazy because I’ve been in the Living Death before. For much longer.”
“The Living Death? That’s what it’s called?” Ivy gaped at Killian. Her stare, combined with the question, was a plea for elaboration. Killian sighed, before explaining the punishment in detail. As he did so, Ivy’s expression darkened.
“What did you do to deserve that?”
Killian hesitated, before rising from his seat. “That’s a story for another time.”
Ivy wanted to push for more information but something in Killian’s demeanour forced her to hold her tongue. She watched as Killian moved towards the stairs to the loft.
“Where are you going?” She remained in place, staring after him with a brow raised.
Killian stopped halfway up the stairs and turned around to face her. His hands moved to the hem of his shirt, and he fixed her with a stare so intense it made her lower half clench.
“I haven’t had a shower in a month, and if I recall correctly, the last time you were here, you promised me a raincheck.
” Killian’s lips curled into a smirk that made Ivy’s heart stutter in her chest, but it stalled completely when he lifted his shirt up over his head, revealing the tattooed, muscular torso that invaded her dreams.
Ivy didn’t bother to hide the look of desire that possessed her features, and Killian’s satisfaction was written on his face. He turned and made his way up the stairs, unbuttoning his pants as he went.
Ozias, you might want to take off for a while, Ivy suggested, before launching herself off the couch and hurrying up the stairs.