Ivy
Killian lifted a menu and chuckled, “Of course this place has ridiculous names for their drinks.”
Finare lifted his glass aloft and declared a toast, “To the Resonant Vampires.”
The three Vampires knocked their glasses together with a series of soft clinks before bringing the drinks to their mouths.
“Let’s just say you two have changed my mind,” Finare admitted with a smile.
Killian waved to get the bartender’s attention and made another request.
“Do you have any Ninox?”
The bartender nodded, before placing a shot glass on the bar in front of Killian and filling it with a dark-coloured liquid.
“Make that three.”
Ivy watched on with curious eyes as the bartender poured another two shots before moving away to serve other patrons.
“Seems they don’t light them up here,” Finare stated, and when Ivy looked over at him, she noticed he was grinning at Killian.
Killian smirked as he raised his hand and flicked his thumb and forefinger at one of the glasses, sending a tiny spark of flame outward to bounce across the tops of all three shots until they were all aflame. Finare let out a low whistle of appreciation.
Killian pushed the burning shots towards each of them.
Ivy watched as he raised his glass, blew out the flames and downed the shot.
Finare did the same, surprisingly confident for a creature that was vulnerable to fire.
Ivy tentatively imitated their actions, and the alcohol burned her throat instantly.
She erupted in a spluttering cough, while Killian and Finare broke out in laughter.
Killian’s hand rubbed Ivy’s back as he filled her in on the specifics of Ninox. Afterward, she peered over at Finare and realised he was lost in his thoughts.
“Are you okay, Fin?”
The question broke him out of his reverie, but he looked dazed. A slow, lopsided smile crept across his features.
“I’m… really fucking great, actually.”
Ivy stared at him expectantly and waited for him to elaborate.
“The moment Leseldh was gone, I felt something snap inside me. But not in a bad way—it was like a cord was being broken.”
“It felt like an explosion for me,” Ivy admitted with a knowing smile. She glanced at Killian and noticed the quizzical expression on his face as he watched them silently.
“Something else happened, too. That emptiness?” Finare shrugged. “It’s gone. I think I can finally let go of my guilt over Eldwyn.”
“I’m so happy for you, Fin. I guess we need to find your Resonant now.” Ivy gave Finare a playful nudge.
“Easy there. You two might have proven to me that Vampires can have Mates, but if Leseldh taught us anything, it’s that you only get one in a lifetime. Eldwyn was mine.” Finare’s tone was surprisingly upbeat. Ivy frowned at him.
“But what about your Human?”
“Inias? Like it’d ever work out between a Vamp and a Human.”
“Well, who says he has to stay a Human?” This time it was Killian who interrupted. He was following the conversation intently. Finare grimaced.
“And do the whole bond thing again? No thanks.” He ran his fingers through his messy, blonde locks. “Inias is… definitely worth exploring a little more. But rather than thinking of it in terms of Mates, I think I’m just going to focus on savouring the moment.”
“I think that’s a good start.” Ivy smiled and squeezed Finare’s shoulder as she lifted her drink and drained it.
Another silence fell between the trio, and Ivy reflected on how grateful she was to have found Finare.
Finare had shown her true friendship, making her realise just how toxic her past life had really been.
He was the first real friend she had in her life since Emer’s disappearance, and she knew that he’d played an enormous part in her survival over the last year.
Ivy turned around and leaned against the bar to stare out at the courtyard.
Her mind drifted back to the last time she was in the Tall Fiddle, and her eyes found the table that she sat at with Annabel, Leseldh and Voresta over a year ago.
Her life had transformed since that night, and it all began with the decision to travel through a Portal Building.
That journey was an echo of the one that she made with Emer twelve years ago.
But Emer’s fascination with Noctis had devastating consequences.
Ivy didn’t trust Leseldh enough to see what—if any—information he had on Emer.
His words seemed like a desperate attempt to win her back.
If Emer was alive, Ivy would find her. She didn’t need Leseldh alive for that—but she needed his Ending for Killian’s sister.
She made the right decision in choosing Killian.
She reflected on the words Finare once said to her about choices: sometimes the choices that seem like bad ones can take you on a path that lead to some really good choices.
Those words resonated with her more than ever, now that she’d found Killian.
Life before him was shrouded in a veil of discontent, and she was plagued by the feeling that something was missing.
Upon her Creation, she felt that veil start to lift, but in the haze, she thought it was Leseldh who was lifting it.
It wasn’t until she made the choice to take a risk that she realised the hand that held the veil belonged to Killian. Her true Resonant.
Ivy’s experiences with Leseldh were tumultuous, but because they led her to Killian, she knew that everything she’d endured was worth it. It’d also made her relationship with Killian more powerful because she’d had a taste of something truly awful beforehand.
As Ivy inspected her life through the new lens of choices, she mused at the irony of Hannah’s words, and how they’d come to shape her future.
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.
Ivy knew there were more choices to make, but as she looked over at her Resonant, she knew she didn’t have to make those choices alone anymore.