13. Archer
ARCHER
Anger thrums through my veins.
Today has gone from bad to worse, with no hint of stopping.
I was pissed from the get-go. All because Ivy decided that she wanted to spend the day acting like nothing bad happened in the past week. But my irritation was only made worse with the begrudging passion and insistence I saw in her eyes, which lured me in.
I’m supposed to want as much distance between us as possible. Yet there she was, wading through the whispers and scrutiny Neverbound Academy has to offer without so much as blinking an eye.
Even when she questioned how people knew some of the more intricate details of her situation, she wasn't dramatic or frustrated. If anything, she was disappointed, but she didn't react as I assumed she might.
Heaving a sigh, I shake my head. It's fair to say my assumptions aren't based on her actions, but the actions of others, and deep down, I know it's unfair for me to judge her when there has never been a true cause to do so.
The reality is, every action I've seen her take has been demure, purposeful, and brave.
The second we stepped into the Fire Protector’s cave this morning, and Francesca snarled her name, I knew my other assumptions had already come to fruition.
Ivy’s blessing from The Fates came with more than the art of resurrection; it came with an instant opposition from people threatened by her.
I should have known what kind of day I was in for then, but I bit my tongue and did the best I could in favor of Ivy. A decision I already regret.
If it had been my way, I would have ensured they knew not to fuck with her again, but when she looked at me with those eyes, demanding I acknowledge that she could defend herself, I was a goner.
Despite the fact that I was mad when she was forced to stay behind, and I couldn't stay too, I needed a moment to breathe, to think, to exist outside of her close proximity before it threatened to destroy me and everything I stood for.
Thankfully, Dorian did me a solid, but the second I returned, I added him to my shit list.
Of all the things I expected, finding her consumed in flames from head to toe wasn’t it.
She’s insane.
More than that.
She’s indescribable.
I've never seen someone so pleased with themselves in all of my life, and I'm pretty sure that her facial expression, filled with wonder and awe, will forever be burned into my memory.
Now I'm even more pissed that there's a meeting, but it's a great opportunity for me to get a moment with Francesca. She deserves a piece of my fucking mind. Ivy will be pissed, but technically, I’m not doing this for her; I’m doing it for me.
Her wishes be damned.
She can't see me do it here, and I'm quite sure Francesca won't pass the message on as long as she takes heed of what I have to say.
Charging toward the meeting room, anger vibrates through me as I consider the fact that Teddy will be a few minutes late.
Somehow, her kissing him means he gets preferential choices whether I like it or not.
If I wasn’t so hellbent on giving Francesca a piece of my mind, I would have challenged him more.
Or that’s what I tell myself at least. The other alternative isn’t worth thinking about.
Would she reject me back?
Technically, she already did when we crashed her bullshit wedding, but that doesn’t count.
I don’t think.
Furious, I distract myself from my wandering thoughts, focusing on my stride instead, desperate to seek out the bitch who is nothing more than a thorn in my fated mate’s side.
I liked Francesca until this morning.
She’s a take-no-shit kind of girl, but in Ivy’s presence, she’s starting to show her true colors, and I can’t say I’m a fan.
Reaching the entrance, my wrath reaches new heights as I slam the door open, relishing in the sound of it ricocheting off the wall. It rattles through the air, laced with impending doom, as everybody present turns to face me.
Hugo is the first to frown in confusion, but I look right past him, checking everyone off in my mind as I make my way around the room.
Silas.
Professor Viola.
The other professors.
The other sodality leaders.
They're all here, except the one I am most interested in.
Disappointment floods my mind as I take my seat, irritated that my anger will have to simmer until after the meeting, but I make sure to cling to it, refusing to let myself fall soft on the matter as Baron and Sax appear through the door.
Wordlessly, Baron takes the seat beside me, and Sax follows suit. They must sense my rage because neither of them speaks to me as I lace my fingers together on the table.
I can feel Silas looking at me, but if I turn in his direction, he'll get a taste of the anger lingering inside me, and as much as he deserves it, I’m waiting on one person.
His time will come.
Everyone speaks quietly around me, but I pay no mind, silently impressed that nobody questions my outburst when I walked in.
Hugo talks around me, speaking with Baron about Ivy, checking in on his sister. I almost scoff.
He's asking the wrong person because Baron is quite possibly the last person who knows anything about her.
He can't handle the changes currently going on in our lives right now.
He can't even walk with us to class. He blames it on Alaric wanting to see her because he needs to be close, but I'm sure it's a choice he makes for himself too.
The door swings open again, and movement in my peripheral vision confirms it’s Teddy. He walks with a swagger that frustrates me to no end.
Anger and jealousy seep through my veins.
I know what that look is from.
It's from her touch, her embrace, and very likely her lips, just like in the dining hall.
Fucker.
I had the smallest taste of it in the medical center, a fact I don’t regret at all. Forever tasting her fury is worth the brief taste of her sweet lips on mine.
Dragging my hands down into my lap, I ball them into fists, trying to contain the outrage that threatens to destroy me when Professor Viola clears her throat, thankfully pulling me from my deranged thoughts.
“Thank you so much for gathering, everybody. We are head deep in investigating Reginald Hayworth and Leonardo Corrigan. Hugo here was—”
“Where's Francesca?” I interrupt, uncertainty taking root in my gut.
Professor Viola sniffs, not appreciating the inconvenience I bring. “She has other things to deal with,” she advises, all eyes ping ponging between us as I rock back in my seat.
My jaw tightens. “We've all got other things to deal with, Professor. Politely, mine involves my fated mate, which is likely the topic of this conversation, yet you find the four of us still here. Her brother too.” I wave my hand for good measure, making sure she takes each of us into account.
“What could be so pressing that she won't be attending this meeting?”
Viola runs her hands down her black blazer, her nose wrinkling with distaste as her lips pinch.
“It will serve you well, Archer, to know and remember that you're not the one in charge here.” She cocks her brow as she clears her throat. “Actually, I’ve heard from Professor Carbon that you seem to have forgotten that fact already today.” She nods toward the professor in question, but I don’t bother to indulge her by following her direction.
Instead, I shrug. “I’m not partaking in this meeting while Francesca isn't here.”
I’m sure they think I’m acting like a petulant child. I’ve seen my sister have a tantrum quite similar, it’s where I’ve taken inspiration from, but I have a point to make and an uneasy feeling in my stomach.
I can’t get a read on Viola enough to understand whether she’s lying or not, so I’d rather find out for myself.
“I wasn't aware she wouldn't be arriving because she had other matters to attend to, and I can't say I like it,” I add, and Viola shakes her head.
“This meeting will proceed with or without you, Archer. Choose your next steps wisely,” Viola threatens, and I scoff, tilting my face to look first at Baron, then Sax, and Teddy, who sits on the other side of him.
“Something's not right,” I state, and Sax nods immediately. “Was everything okay when you left her?” I ask when I meet Teddy's eyes, and he nods.
“She was fine.”
My lips purse. Something doesn't sit right inside of me. I shake my head as my nostrils flare, and my anger balances on the cusp of overflowing. “Someone try and call her right now,” I bite, looking at my friends, but it's Hugo who holds his phone out, wasting no time to press the call button.
He brings his device to his ear, but after a few moments, he drops it once again, shaking his head as his eyebrows furrow with concern.
Professor Viola clears her throat. “How about we discuss what we've learned about her?” she offers, and I scoff.
“Fuck you.”
The lights flicker in the room. “Watch who you're talking to,” Professor Grogan barks across the table, and I sneer.
“Fuck you too.”
Pressing my palms flat against the table before me, I shove my chair back and rise to my feet.
“Archer, go and check on her. You’re the one who can get in the building with ease,” Teddy insists, and I nod.
Professor Viola huffs. “Do not leave this meeting, or—”
“Archer, go and check on my sister,” Hugo’s command cuts through the professor’s threat, and I don't need to be told twice.
Racing for the door, I barrel outside, bypassing the path as I race across the grass.
It’s all going to be for nothing, I know it is, but I have to be sure. I’m going to stumble to her door, barge into her space like I have the right to, and she’s going to cut through me with her sharp tongue and harsh glare. It will be worth it.
To see her, to smell her, to sense her in my soul, I’m happy to be wrong.
My pulse races in my ears and my heart pounds in my chest as fear grapples inside of me.
I earn a few choice looks from other students as I brush by them, but I don't care to acknowledge them. I all but dive through the flames of the entrance into the Fire Protectors’ dorm, taking the stairs three at a time until I skid to a halt on the second floor.
Despair pierces through my chest as I croak her name.
“Ivy…”
My eyes are wild and panicked as I take her in.
Her feet dangle off the floor, while her back is pressed against her door.
Her pretty blonde hair cascades around her face, hiding her the best it can, but it doesn’t disguise the way her head hangs limp.
Her chin rests against her chest, and her skin is gray.
I move on instinct, fear blazing through my veins as I come to a stop in front of her, trying to lift her chin, but the second I press my fingertips against her cheek, she ignites in flames.
Burning before my very eyes, I gape in horror as I feel the heat ghost across my skin, consuming my hands as ash falls at my feet.
I jerk back, my soul splitting in two, as I bear witness to the most terrifying sight that I have ever witnessed.
Again.