Chapter 43 Ivy
forty-three
Ivy
Killian parked his car in his old hiding place to conceal their presence. Neither of them were pleased to be back at Veldmoor so soon, but Ivy knew Leseldh wouldn’t want to be away from the mansion for too long. She wanted to be ready.
Finare greeted them in the entranceway upon their arrival, and Ivy dragged him into a bone-crushing hug. “I wasn’t expecting you back yet. I thought you’d enjoy the honeymoon phase for a bit longer.”
“We figured we had the element of surprise if we’re here for their return,” Ivy responded in a grave tone.
“You mean it wasn’t because you missed me?” Finare nudged Ivy’s shoulder and threw Killian a playful wink. Killian merely rolled his eyes in reply, but the smile on his lips negated his feigned exasperation.
Ivy drifted towards the library, and Finare and Killian followed after her. The two males took seats on opposite sides of the large table, while Ivy’s fingers grazed the titles upon the shelves.
“What’s the topic tonight?” Finare watched her curiously.
“Information on the Council,” she replied without looking back at her companions.
“What do you want to know?” Killian asked.
“Punishment. For violating the Order of Protection.”
Killian lifted his arm in the air before pointing a finger down at himself. “Your reference book is right here.”
She joined them at the table, sitting beside Killian and looking at him expectantly. She noticed Finare was also looking on with interest. Killian huffed a sigh before speaking.
“The standard Punition is an Ending for the offender, and the offender’s Sire. That’s for most serious crimes, not just the Order of Protection. But the first part is the Inquiry, where you face the Council and answer for your crime.”
“What happens at the Inquiry?” Ivy asked. Finare was listening intently but remained silent.
Killian looked off into the distance, lost in memories. Ivy placed a comforting hand over his.
“You have the chance to explain yourself. The Punition can be adjusted if you can provide a compelling argument. The Sire’s also given the opportunity to Reply, and that’s when they can bargain for different terms.”
“Like Drachen did for you.” Ivy saw Finare shift in reaction to her response. Ivy had shared an abridged version with Finare when he’d picked her up from Diarom. She let Killian fill in the gaps now, and shock mingled with sympathy on her Broodmate’s features as the story was told.
“What would happen if the offender’s Sire was dead?” Ivy hinted at an idea that had taken root in her mind. She’d come to the library to explore the depth of its possibilities.
Both Vampires were silent for a moment as they considered the question. Finare chewed his bottom lip in thought. When Killian fixed his calculating stare on Ivy, she knew he was following her line of thinking.
“My thought is the responsibility would go up the bloodline to the Sire’s Sire.” Ivy nodded, accepting Killian’s suggestion.
“And if that Sire is also dead?” Finare chimed in.
“I would assume it would continue upward to a living Sire.” Killian leaned back in his seat and ran his fingers through his hair. Ivy watched the way his inky black locks tumbled around his face. She smiled as those loose strands fell into his eyes in the usual way.
Ivy recalled her conversation with Leseldh in Oaris. “Leseldh told me he and Malia parted ways from Ekanth’s clan.”
“Which is a risk. He may not offer protection to any of Leseldh’s Creations.”
“Or it could be an opportunity. Leseldh said it had to do with the purity of his blood. Perhaps Ekanth would be grateful that we eliminated a scourge upon his bloodline.” Ivy’s rebuttal made Killian shrug his shoulders.
“Are we the portrait of purity, though?” Finare refuted, earning a scowl from Ivy.
“That’s only if the Council even considers that he should take responsibility for someone three generations down the bloodline.” Ivy’s mind was racing, and she was convinced she was on the right path. “I think I need to be the one to do it.”
Ivy’s declaration drew both Killian and Finare’s stares. Killian’s eyes were swirling with black, and Finare’s expression held immense worry.
“I don’t like it, Ivy.” Killian’s words spurred Finare to murmur his agreement.
"Do you think Drachen is going to negotiate on your behalf?” The way Killian pursed his lips told Ivy she was right, and it filled her with confidence. “And Finare would face the same punishment as me. But I’ve had a turbulent year that I could at least use as justification for wanting to End him.”
Killian fell silent once more, mulling over the points to the argument. “I don’t want you to do this, Ivy. I’m the monster; I’m the killer. That stain is not for your soul to bear.”
Ivy thought of the tragically beautiful tattoo that decorated Killian’s skin. “You’ve done enough. I want to do this for you. To help you free your sister.”
Killian’s jaw flexed, and she could see him being pulled in opposite directions by his motivations. He looked at her, anguish flooding his features.
“Please, Killian.”
“Can we table this discussion for now? We don’t even know where they are yet.”
“I had a thought on that, actually,” Finare cut in. Ivy encouraged him to continue by inclining her chin at him.
“Ozias has searched all of Noctis, right?” Finare received a nod of agreement from Ivy. “I don’t think they’re in Noctis. I think they’re in Oaris.”
“But there’s a whole daylight cycle over there to worry about.” Killian’s words dragged Ivy’s attention to him.
“There’d be places they could hide during the daylight hours,” Ivy replied. Although Oaris had always been a haven for her, there were still places her parents warned her away from as a child.
“He’s probably called for aid from his contacts in the Night Market,” Finare added, and Ivy remembered the easy way he spoke with the guards while they wandered the market. She began to fill with excitement—the puzzle was coming together.
“I think you’re right, Fin. That night we went to Oaris, he was in his element. Oaris might be the only place he’d feel safe taking Leseldh.” Ivy looked at Killian as the memories of that night flooded her mind. The male that sat beside her was so different to the one they faced then.
“The question is, how do we find them?” Finare looked between Ivy and Killian again.
“It’s time we went hunting.” A grin formed on Ivy’s lips. “But first, who’s up for a drink?”
It felt like an age had passed since Ivy was last at Lunarian.
The energy within the club was charged, but that was because Killian was watching Ivy with hungry eyes at their table, rather than in the shadows.
Ivy and Finare were indoctrinating Killian into the ritual of colourful cocktails and ridiculously named shots.
“This one’s called a Cosmic Tickle.” Finare pushed a purplish-blue drink that shimmered in the club’s low light towards Ivy. “And this is the Northern Giant. I got that for you since you’re from Diarom. And you’re huge.”
Ivy snatched up her glass and sniggered as she took a sip. Killian gave Finare an eye roll as he picked up the glass and looked at the dark coloured liquid. He gave it a sip and threw Ivy and Finare an incredulous look.
“It doesn’t even taste like alcohol. What’s the point?”
“Oh, if he didn’t tell you, Ivy, this guy’s practically invulnerable to alcohol. Tell her what your record is.” Finare nudged Killian on the arm and returned his gaze to Ivy to gauge her reaction.
“43.” Killian shrugged as he took another large swallow of the drink.
Ivy almost choked on her mouthful as she looked at Killian in surprise. He merely grinned at her in response.
“And how do you know this, Finare?”
“Remember when I said he checked in on you? He fed me some witch juice that was strong enough to blind a Giant.”
“Not this Giant, though.” Killian winked and threw back the rest of his cocktail. He slammed the glass down and pushed away from the table. “Speaking of which, I’m gonna see if they have any real drinks.”
Killian pushed through the swarms of people in the direction of the bar. Ivy could tell which of the surrounding Vampires were Idthrakis by the hateful glares they threw at him as they passed. Once the crowd swallowed him, she turned her attention back to Finare.
“So, why aren’t you chatting up one of those cuties?” Ivy inclined her head towards the bar before looking back into Finare’s odd-coloured eyes. But the look she saw there made her brow crease.
Finare sighed, “I don’t know. It’s fun, but it never goes anywhere.”
“You’re not seeing anyone at the moment?” Ivy took another sip of her drink.
“Not exactly.”
“That’s not a no.” Ivy shot Finare a curious stare that demanded more information.
“There’s someone on my mind. But there’s not really anything going on between us.” Finare rested his elbow on the table. He dropped his chin into his hand and blew out another sigh. “We went for a few drinks, and there’s some chemistry there. But it’s a complicated situation.”
“How so?”
“He’s Human.” Finare’s eyes flicked up to the mezzanine with the admission. Ivy followed his gaze and raised her eyebrows at him.
“He works here?”
Finare nodded, and a grin formed on Ivy’s lips.
“Is he here tonight?”
Finare shrugged. Ivy’s grin widened.
“Sounds to me like you should go and find out.”
“I’m kind of afraid to.” Finare’s voice was soft, vulnerable. Ivy’s gaze softened, and she rested her hand on top of Finare’s.
“Because of Eldwyn?”
Finare was silent for a moment. He lifted his chin from his hand and ran that hand through his hair.
“Because I’ve felt nothing for so long, and although flirting with anyone feels like something, it always dissolves into that same nothingness. What if this is the same?”
“What if it’s not?”
“That could be even scarier.”
Ivy’s eyes drifted over to the bar, and her eyes met Killian’s almost instantaneously. He’d acquired some drinks and was making his way back towards them. She turned back to Finare and offered him a sympathetic smile.