9. Ivy
IVY
Light dances against my eyelids, awakening me despite my desire to sleep. Groaning, I stretch out my limbs, only to come into contact with the long press of a body beside mine. My spine stiffens, freezing me in place as I recall my last memories.
I had stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, and ran to my closet to change.
The second I had shaken the embarrassment, I was lured by the smell of food in the air.
My demand had been heard, and I found a pizza box sitting on my bed.
They ignored me, and it was bliss. While I devoured the pizza, they continued to try to understand the situation.
It was boring, so I laid down, and then darkness took me.
None of that explains why someone is lying beside me.
What irritates me more than anything is how calm their presence makes me feel. I’m always angry at them, but when they’re close, it falters. Just like now, as my fingers come into contact with someone’s pecs, I hate that I’m curious.
Realizing what the hell I’m doing, I jerk back as my nose crinkles.
“Don’t stop now, Princess. I was enjoying that.”
My eyelids flare open as I meet Teddy’s stare.
“Why are you in my bed?”
He grins, but the sparkle in his eyes dims. “I knew you would do this,” he whispers, making my eyebrows gather in confusion as he nods toward my nightstand. “I sent you the video.”
“What video?” I repeat, and he doesn’t speak a word as he nods in the same direction again.
With a huff, I reach for my device, reluctant to turn my back on him, and the second I shift, I quickly lose that familiar ocean mist scent that clings to him.
I have an overwhelming desire to get it back.
Irritated with myself and my body’s inability to pretend he doesn’t exist, I tap the notification on my screen before pressing play on the video he sent.
His face fills the screen, amusement dancing in his eyes as he walks backward toward my bed.
“What are you doing?”
Is that me?
I appear on the screen a moment later, sleepy and groggy.
“I’m getting proof, Princess.”
I huff, my eyebrows furrowing as my eyes remain closed. “Just get in the bed, Teddy.”
“Happily,” he sings, taking a seat beside me on the fresh sheets. “I just need confirmation from you that this is your idea, and that you’re not going to get mad at me in the morning.”
One eyelid pries open an inch.
“Get in here, or I’m going to change my mind.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“I’ll ask one of the others instead,” I threaten, and his lips purse.
“Ivy, I need you to do me a solid here. I don’t want to face your wrath in the morning.”
I roll my eyes. “Fine. I want you here so I can feel safe. Future me, don’t be mad. He smells too good.”
The clip ends, silence drenching the room. Why don’t I remember any of that?
Teddy’s hand closes around mine, holding the device, before he slips it from my grasp.
My eyes find his.
“It’s instinctive for me to break the ice and say something witty, but I really don’t want to fuck this up with you,” he explains as he runs a hand through his hair.
“You had been restless in your sleep for a while, so Baron declared it was time to give you some space. We agreed that one of us would set up camp on the floor, but you immediately woke up calling my name.”
I shake my head, hating how not mad I am at him, but it does nothing to settle the distress that lingers in the back of my mind. It makes me feel exposed and vulnerable, and even though none of this is his fault, I don’t feel like I can trust anyone.
“Where are the others?” I ask, but he waves me off.
“Don’t worry about that. You should get some more rest, Ivy. You need it. You’re still recovering,” he insists, his voice all gentle and calm, threatening to break through my walls, and I shake my head.
“I saw the time, and I want to be able to eat before my first class,” I explain, dragging a hand down my face before stretching out my muscles.
“Class?” he blurts, and I tilt my face toward him.
“That’s what tends to happen when you’re at an academy, Teddy,” I say slowly, unable to contain the grin on my face as his eyebrows furrow.
“But, Princess, you just…” His words trail off, but I can guess what he’s going to say.
“I died, Teddy. I had no control over it. Physically, I’m fine.
Mentally, I’m screwed, but hiding away in here isn’t going to make me feel any better.
What I need is to feel strong, confident, and positive.
None of that is going to happen if I continue to remain holed up like this.
Weak. I’m only going to wind up further behind. ”
He bolts upright in the bed. “You’re not weak, Ivy.”
I give him a pointed look. “Teddy, I—”
He infiltrates my space, pressing his finger against my parted lips as his jaw tics.
“You are a fucking phoenix, Ivy. I’m sure everything has been insane, but the magnitude of that should not be ignored.
A phoenix. The first blessed to the Fifth Kingdom.
The power you hold is undeniable; you just need help harnessing it. ”
My pulse thunders as I blink up at him, locked in a trance as his words settle over me.
They don’t calm the uncertainty that wars inside of me, but they at least keep the self-destructive thoughts at bay.
“Thank you,” I rasp, my lips brushing against his finger, and he nods, still not removing his hand.
“Any time, Princess. Now, are you actually serious about these classes, or can we go back to sleep? I like it when you drool on my chest,” he says with a wink, and I roll my eyes.
“As enticing as it is to drool all over you, I’m dead serious about classes,” I say firmly, and he nods in understanding.
“You’re going to need an escort.” His words hang in the air, stealing more of my breath with every second that passes. “And before you start going full kick-ass Ivy, the order has come down from your brother. Regardless, since your safety was already a risk before all of this, it’s even worse now.”
“If I don’t want an escort, I don’t need an escort.” Each word is slow and deliberate so he understands, but as he finally pulls his hand away, I note the crinkles at the corners of his eyes, and it’s clear it’s not a lack of understanding I’m faced with.
“They’ve decided not to pursue consequences with Odesa and her loser mate,” he blurts, and my veins turn to ice.
With the chaos surrounding my father, I had forgotten all about her. My mouth dries as disappointment clings to me.
“Of course they have,” I grumble, pinching the bridge of my nose, and a hand lands on my shoulder.
My mind is a storm cloud, impossible to see through the rage.
He must sense my inner turmoil as he pulls me against his side, and I don’t fight it.
As he leans back against the headboard, I rest my face against his bare chest, allowing myself a second to bask in the bliss that comes with his presence.
It’s impossible to forget the pain I’ve felt at his hands, their hands, but right now, it’s a little lost in comparison to the shockingly long list of people wanting to kill me.
His fingers run through my hair soothingly.
“I can’t imagine what you’re feeling, Princess, but I’m here.
We all are. I know we’re on your shit list too, and I’m sure we’ll be there for a very long time, rightfully so, but we’re also the ones desperate to keep you out of harm’s way.
” He exhales slowly. “It’s my fault your father and Leonardo took you, and I’ll forever be riddled with guilt because of it, but just know that it makes me more alert now.
I can’t let anything like that ever happen to you again. ”
I frown, tilting my head back to see his face, and find his chin tucked against his chest and his eyes scrunched shut.
“It’s not your fault, Teddy,” I whisper, trying to get a read on him, but his expressions are like a vault, which means I have to take him at his word, but there’s no guarantees with that.
“I shouldn’t have been so careless with the power being out. I should have ensured your safety, especially since your father was already on campus. I just wasn’t thinking.”
Heat washes over me as I recall that night. “I don’t think either of us were.”
His eyes pry open an inch as he reaches for my chin, stroking his thumb across my skin. “Did I hurt you?” he asks, and I blink in confusion.
“Hurt me?”
“I didn’t know you were a virgin, Ivy. I swear I didn’t. Otherwise, I would have gone slower, I would have taken my time, I would have made sure you were comfortable, I would have—”
I shush him with my finger pressed against his lips this time as sadness threatens to consume me. Everything crumbled after that moment, but I wouldn’t change a single thing.
“It was everything, Teddy,” I promise, letting him search my eyes for the truth before he sighs.
“I wish we could go back to that,” he admits, and I hum in agreement. “Don’t worry, Princess. I’ll make it happen.”
I scoff. “You’re so sure?” I muse, and he grins.
“With you? Always.”
My heart races in my chest as I blink at him, memories of that night consuming my thoughts as I consider what it would be like to feel his lips pressed against mine again.
He let Archer lie in bed with me when I didn’t remember.
That doesn’t feel like that much of an issue right now. It’s not as pressing as the feel of his lips.
He cups my cheek, making the desire even worse as he leans in a fraction, silently offering the rest for me to take, to make it my decision, but before I can decide whether it’s a good idea or not, a knock comes from the door.
My chest decompresses, disappointment claiming me as he tilts his face, pressing his forehead against mine for a moment before he kicks off the sheets.
“I know you’re still mad at me, Princess. That’s okay, but I promise I will devour your pussy for one hundred days to make it up to you.” He winks before stalking toward the door.
My heart flutters as he grabs the handle, taking a second to peer over his shoulder at me before he opens it. He doesn’t say a word as his eyes roam over me, making my skin feel like it’s on fire.
He takes a second to adjust his length beneath his shorts, and I groan, flopping back on the bed as he swings the door open just enough to see who is on the other side.
“You,” he grunts, eyes narrowing at the person standing on the other side, and I frown.
“I didn’t realize you would be here.”
Is that Silas?
“Well, I am, so you can fuck off. And you can make sure to fuck off every other day too,” he grunts, folding his arms over his chest.
“She was distressed last night. I wanted to check in on her.”
“Of course you did, but she’s fine. She’s going to be fine. Today, tomorrow, forever. Actually, if I catch you knocking on this door again, I’m going to mangle your fucking brain so hard with commands that you’re going to wish I just chopped off that wandering little cock of yours instead.”