12. Ivy
IVY
By the time I'm in a fresh uniform, unscathed from my own actions, lunch has come and gone. As much as Archer tries to insist that I take the rest of the day off, I feel energized. I can’t hide away in my room when there’s this much adrenaline coursing through my veins.
Instead, I find myself feeling stuffy in one classroom after another as one lesson bleeds into the next. I’m not focused at all, not even a little. I'm too occupied by the awe that floods my body as I repeatedly recall what I accomplished.
Did I set myself on fire in the process? Absolutely.
Was it worth it? One thousand percent.
I think I'm in love with myself for the first time in my life. I feel a sense of pride in my own abilities, not because of a title I received, or hope infused into me by my brother, but from my actions alone.
As much as I don’t want to ruminate in my dorm, I don't want to sit through the boring lessons and learn everything else that comes with this world either.
I just want to feel that intensity again and again and again.
I want to explore my magic, explore creating a flicker of a flame, and also come up with an emergency backpack for a spare, fresh uniform for when I inevitably cause harm to myself again.
It’s exhilarating.
I think I’m addicted.
“Where's your head at, Princess?” Teddy whispers from beside me as the history professor starts to draw the class to an end.
I shake my head with an infectious smile on my lips and a whimsical air floating around me, then the classroom door opens, and Professor Viola sticks her head in.
She purses her lips as she glances over the room for a moment before garnering the professor’s full attention.
“A meeting has been called to take place in one hour. You already know if this applies to you,” she declares, disappearing from sight a moment later as whispers spread throughout the classroom.
For the first time today, they don't relate to me. I still don't understand what they mean, though, and there’s a thick churning of curiosity rising inside of me.
“Class dismissed.” The professor’s words are barely audible over the students, but everyone seems to hear him as they rise to their feet.
I clear my throat, gaining Teddy’s attention. “What was that about?” I dare to ask as he pushes his chair back behind him.
He rubs the back of his neck for a moment as Silas appears in my peripheral.
“If you don't know, Ivy, there's probably a reason for that,” he says with a wink before sauntering from the room.
My eyes widen in surprise at his tone. I can only assume someone's a little irritated that I declined his offer earlier.
I consider chasing after him, but quickly come to the conclusion that whatever he's feeling is based on his own actions. I haven't led him on, I haven't tried to initiate anything. I'm sure with a bit of time and space, he'll get over himself.
Teddy nods toward the door for me to follow him, moving behind the rest of my hated mates, but as I pass behind Baron, Sax swings his arm out, stopping me in my tracks.
His gaze clashes with mine as he rakes his teeth over his bottom lip. “It's regarding what they talked to you about in the medical center,” he breathes, and my spine stiffens.
“The whole thing they were discussing that I would only be a part of when I wanted to be, you mean?” I clarify.
He’s talking in riddles that confuse me more than the first time I heard them, but he nods.
I exhale slowly, thankful he understands what I wasn’t specifically saying, but it makes my chest tighten nevertheless.
I can sense the silent question in his eyes.
Do I want to join them now?
The mere thought of it sends a shiver down my spine.
I'm not ready yet. I’m not ready to wade through the waters of what I do and don’t know when I’m already juggling enough as it is.
“Do you want to join us?” he offers, finally speaking the words out loud, but the longer they linger in the air, the more certain I am of where my mind currently is.
I shake my head, bracing for a flicker of frustration or a level of encouragement to make me change my mind, but to my surprise, he doesn't do either of those things. He simply drops his arm and waves for me to carry on.
I said no.
Technically, I shook my head, but just like that, it was enough of an answer.
It feels foreign to me, but as he tries to fall into step at my side, an air of calmness floating between us, my mind is yanked to the present when Teddy shoves him out of the way.
My lips part, shock getting the better of me, but as they bicker back and forth, I head for the door, eager to feel the sweet, late-afternoon rays of sunshine on my skin.
Classes are finally done for the day, and I'm absolutely starving. Which means I need to stop at the dining hall before I get my sunny joy. My stomach grumbles as if confirming my thoughts. I’m hungry enough to be at the point where Teddy's insistence that I have to sit with them and all of the rules that come with being their fated mate, and a phoenix, doesn't matter.
I just need to be fed. It's threatening to taint my joy, and I’ve accomplished some pretty awesome things today. I don’t want to lose the high I’m on, especially not due to being hangry.
Reaching the stairs, I take them two at a time, practically skipping down to the dining hall, but as I reach the bottom and see the crowd of students, I'm acutely aware of how many of them are staring at me.
It seems I'm still a hot topic.
Nothing else extreme or extravagant has happened since this morning, which means, along with my food, I get a great helping of scrutiny and assumptions from my peers.
I've never been more excited.
Thankfully, nobody tries to approach me, and if there are any whispers, they're muted by the chaos that fills the dining hall.
I relish the sound of clattering utensils, laughter, and general mayhem that unfolds with so many people close to one another.
It creates the perfect backdrop, eliminating any sense of frustration that threatens to cling to me.
As I step farther into the dining hall, I falter at the sight of my friends at the far table, each smiling in my direction as Meadow waves.
My chest aches, but determination floods my veins as I turn to see one of my hated mates, Teddy, only a step behind me.
Taking a deep breath, I roll my shoulders back. “Teddy, how do I convince you to let me go and sit with my friends?”
His eyes narrow a fraction as he looks down at me, hands planted on his hips as he tilts his head.
“You know the rules, Princess. We talked about this before we even set off this morning,” he confirms, and I sigh.
“I know we did, but I have followed your rules all day.
You're still in the room with me. I am not on my own. My friends are right over there. Please, just let me have a little bit of space. I deserve a reward for igniting some of my magic earlier,” I insist, rocking back on my heels as I try to contain the smile that graces my lips at the memory of it, and he shakes his head, amusement dancing in his bright blue eyes.
“Princess, I—”
“You do realize that the more you restrict me, the more I'm going to fight against it, right? If we can compromise here, then I might be more amenable to being in your presence and accepting your help,” I offer, clutching at straws as I try to talk him into agreeing with me. My chances are slim, but it’s worth a try.
He runs his tongue along his bottom lip as the rest of my hated mates take a seat at their usual table in the center of the room. If I have a chance of convincing one of them, it’s Teddy. I know it. Maybe Sax too, but I’ll only worry about that if he insists I have to join them.
“Please, Teddy.” I flutter my eyelashes for good measure as he drags a hand down his face.
“Compromise, you say?” he mumbles, and my breath lodges in my throat as my fingers tingle with anticipation. He's walking me into a trap. I know he is. Yet, I fall freely.
“I can compromise.”
A wicked grin transforms his face. “You can go and sit with your friends, Ivy, but it's going to cost you,” he declares, and I gulp.
“What's the price?” I ask, my teeth sinking into my bottom lip while I wait with bated breath as the air thickens around us.
His left hand moves from his waist to mine as he lowers his face, so the tips of our noses touch.
“A kiss.”
I scoff. I should have known, but I’m still considering his offer.
Compromise? Sure.
A trap? Definitely.
Before I can change my mind, I nod, leaning forward to press my lips against the corner of his mouth in a brief touch before I lean back, only for him to shake his head.
“That's not the kind of kiss I'm talking about, Princess.”
I feel my cheeks flush. “You weren't specific.”
He shrugs, drawing me an extra inch closer. “Kiss me like you mean it, and I'll let you sit over there like I mean it.”
The challenge is set.
Despite the setting and the people I'm sure are watching, I fall victim to the Water Protector, who has a way of getting exactly what he wants.
Pressing my palm against his cheek, I crush my mouth against his, demanding control, but it lasts all of half a second before he's dominating me.
The connection turns from harsh pressure to gentle strokes of his lips against mine, each sweep more intoxicating than the last, until his tongue strokes across the seam of my mouth.
I lurch back, chest heaving, as my eyes bug out of my head.
“Deal,” I rasp, swaying in place as I watch him brush the pad of his thumb along his lips.
“Deal,” he agrees, his eyes dark and promising, and I feel myself leaning toward him again.
Before I forget what the deal was for, I move. My steps are hasty as I desperately try to fight my way out of his web and see my friends like I just bargained for, but as I drop down in my seat, I’m questioning where I would rather be sitting.
“Girl, what was that?” Meadow asks, and I grimace, shaking my head as I use my hair to hide my face from the rest of the world.
“Don't ask,” I grumble, and she giggles.