28. Ivy
28
IVY
Despite my exhaustion, sleep proves elusive after the first hour or so. I toss and turn in the bed, surrounded by my guys but feeling strangely disconnected. My mind races with everything that’s happened, everything that’s changed. The power coursing through my veins won’t let me rest.
Finally, I give up and slip out of bed, careful not to wake the guys. I pad barefoot through the house in one of Torin’s black tees, and to the kitchen, opening up the back door and breathing slowly. The night air is cool against my skin as I settle into one of the garden chairs, pulling my knees up to my chest.
The sky above is alive with stars, and I close my eyes, reaching out with my new senses. I feel the ebb and flow of life and death on a cosmic scale.
“Can’t sleep?”
I open my eyes to find Bram leaning against the doorframe, shadows clinging to him like a second skin.
“Too much going on up here,” I tap my temple with a wry smile. “How about you?”
He shrugs, moving to sit beside me. “Same. It’s a lot to process.”
We sit in companionable silence for a while, watching the light show in the sky.
“Do you think we did the right thing?” I ask finally, voicing the doubt that’s been gnawing at me. “Changing everything like this?”
Bram is quiet for a long moment, his blue eyes reflecting the starlight. “I don’t think there was a ‘right’ thing to do,” he says finally. “The old system was broken. Life had become corrupted, Death was fragmented. Something had to change.”
I nod, mulling over his words. “But what if we’ve made things worse? What if this new cycle, this rebirth of souls, leads to chaos?”
“It might,” Bram acknowledges. “Change always brings uncertainty. But it also brings possibility.” He reaches out, taking my hand in his. “You’ve given everyone a second chance, Ivy. A chance to learn, to grow, to be better.”
“Or to be worse,” I mutter.
“True,” he concedes. “But at least now there’s hope for redemption.”
I lean my head against his shoulder, drawing comfort from his solid presence. “Every soul, every life and death, it’s all connected to me now.”
Bram’s arm wraps around me, pulling me closer. “That’s why you have us,” he says softly. “We’re your anchors, remember? You don’t have to bear this burden alone.”
As if summoned by his words, I feel Tate and Torin’s presence before I see them. They emerge from the house, looking sleepy but concerned.
“Everything okay out here?” Tate asks, his voice rough with sleep. The marks on his skin glow faintly in the darkness.
I nod, managing a small smile. “Just couldn’t sleep. Too much on my mind.”
Torin yawns and stretches before plopping down on the grass at our feet. “Join the club. My brain feels like it’s been rewired.”
“That’s because it has,” I say, reaching out to run my fingers through his hair. “We’ve all changed.”
Tate settles into the chair on my other side, his hand finding mine. “Change isn’t always a bad thing,” he says, echoing Bram’s earlier sentiment.
“No,” I agree. “But it is scary. Especially when you’re the one responsible for it.”
“You weren’t alone in this, Ivy,” Torin says, leaning back against my legs. “We all played a part.”
I smile at them. My anchors. My loves. “I know,” I say softly. “And I’m grateful for that. For you. But I can’t help wondering about the consequences. About Life.”
“We’ll find her,” Tate assures me. “And when we do, we’ll deal with whatever comes next. Together.”
I nod, feeling some of the tension ease from my shoulders. Above us, another soul streaks across the sky, its energy signature distinctly supernatural - a vampire who lived for centuries, now heading toward rebirth.
“It’s strange,” I murmur, tracking its path. “I can feel each one’s history, their nature. That one was a vampire who’d grown tired of immortality and ended his own life, but with regrets. They’re happy about the change. Ready for something new.”
Torin’s new chaos magick ripples in response to my words, creating subtle patterns in the air. “So they maintain some awareness during the transition?”
“No, not really,” I try to explain what I sense. “They retain their essence, their core self, but the memories fade. It’s more like carrying forward lessons learned rather than specific experiences.”
“That’s why some choose to cluster together,” Bram observes, watching another group of souls pass overhead. “They’re hoping to find each other again.”
“Exactly.”
Tate’s fingers trace one of his new markings thoughtfully. “So it’s not just about dying and being reborn. It’s about choice. About what they carry forward and what they leave behind.”
The sky begins to lighten with the first hints of dawn, and I feel some of my earlier anxiety settling. The responsibility is still there, but it feels more manageable and shared between us, less of a burden than it did before.
“We should try to get some more sleep,” I suggest, stifling a yawn. “Who knows what today will bring?”
“Probably chaos,” Torin grins, his geometric markings glowing faintly.
“Definitely chaos,” Bram agrees, helping me up from my chair.
“Good thing chaos is kind of our specialty now,” Tate adds, pulling me close as we head back inside.
As we settle back into bed, I feel their energies wrap around me like a protective cocoon. This time, sleep comes easily, carrying me into dreams of infinite possibilities and new beginnings.
***
When I wake again, sunlight is streaming through the windows and the bed is empty except for me. The sounds and smells of breakfast drift up from downstairs - bacon sizzling, coffee brewing, and multiple voices mingling in conversation.
After a quick shower—during which I discover that water now shows me glimpses of its journey from cloud to tap—I head downstairs, following the scent of food and coffee.
“There she is,” Ramsey’s familiar voice calls out. He’s sitting at the kitchen island, Josh beside him, both clutching mugs of tea. “Heard you had quite the adventure.”
“Ramsey?” I blink, surprised but happy to see my best friend. “How did you know?”
“Please,” he rolls his eyes. “You think I wouldn’t notice when the entire supernatural world’s energy shifted? Or rather, our employers did. The Syndicate’s been going crazy trying to figure out what happened.”
“Our employers…” I guess they still are. I haven’t exactly quit. Mind you, if anything, I am The Syndicate now. Hmm… interesting…
“The Resistance, too,” Josh adds, ignoring my muttering, his usually cheerful face serious. “Something big went down last night. The kind of big that makes every supernatural sensor we have go haywire.”
Torin hands me a mug of tea, for which I’m grateful. They can keep the coffee. I’m a tea girl through and through. The liquid swirls with tiny galaxies when I swirl it. I’m not entirely sure if that’s his magick or my new perception of reality. “We were just filling them in,” he explains.
“How much have you told them?” I ask, sliding onto a stool between Ramsey and Tate.
“Enough to know you’re somehow even more special than before,” Ramsey nudges me with his shoulder. “And that Life is missing.”
“We’ve literally just got off our phones. We’ve got both organisations looking for her,” Josh says.
“Oh?” I ask with a raised eyebrow. “And why are they even contemplating helping? What’s in it for them?”
Ramsey and Torin exchange a small smirk and then Ramsey clears his throat. “Torin put out a hit on her. Quite a handsome price.”
I snort into my tea just as I am taking a sip, and it shoots back out my nose, burning my nostrils as I let out a loud laugh. “Okay, that’s innovative. I’m impressed. And The Resistance?”
Josh smiles. “Whatever The Syndicate is doing, we are doing as well. It’s like keeping up with the Joneses in a weird, supernatural, shadowy organisation way.”
“Fun. So, anything?” I sniff delicately and wipe my nose on the cloth Bram hands me before taking another tentative sip of tea.
“So far, nothing. It’s like she’s completely vanished.”
“She has,” I confirm. “I’ve tried tracking her with my new abilities, but there’s no trace. It’s like she’s gone through the cycle already.”
“The cycle?” Ramsey raises an eyebrow.
I exchange looks with my guys, trying to figure out how to explain. “Death isn’t exactly final anymore. But it’s not something that affects the living—it’s just what happens after. A chance for renewal, for souls to choose their next path.”
“Reincarnation.” Josh nods sagely. “I always believed that was the case anyway.”
I shake my head, and he looks intrigued.
“You think Life has already gone through this cycle?” Ramsey prompts.
“No, I don’t believe so. It’s more like the default option because I haven’t got a fucking clue.”
Ramsey laughs. “Good to see some things never change, even when you’re a badass, whatever it is you are now.”
“Fuck you,” I growl, but shoot him a smile.
“She could be anywhere,” Bram says from where he’s sitting on the counter. “But if she’s already gone through the cycle, and I’m saying she has, she could have been reborn as anything, anyone.”
“Which makes finding her nearly impossible,” Ramsey concludes.
I nod. “Yeah, but I don’t think we should assume that, right now. Let’s keep looking first.”
“Well then,” Ramsey straightens up, slipping into handler mode. “Let’s pool our resources. Between The Syndicate, The Resistance, and whatever new cosmic powers you four have going on, we’ll find her.”
“Or at least figure out what she might be planning,” Josh adds.
I look around at all of them - my best friend, his boyfriend, my three loves. Each powerful in their own right, each ready to help. Maybe we can’t track Life directly, but with all of us working together, we might find where she’s hiding.
Torin slides a plate of breakfast in front of me. “Eat first, save the world later.”
“Anyone else hungry?” he asks, looking around at Ramsey and Josh.
“Already ate,” Josh pats his stomach. “Though I wouldn’t say no to more tea.”
As Torin busies himself with the kettle, I dig into my breakfast, realising how famished I am.
“So,” Ramsey says, watching me devour my breakfast with amusement, “what exactly are we dealing with here? Besides the obvious cosmic makeover you four got. How powerful is this Life being?”
“Pretty powerful, but she is dying, so I’m guessing her power is dying as well.”
“Which means she’s got nothing left to lose,” Bram says.
Josh leans forward, elbows on the counter. “But what would she want? What’s her endgame?”
“Control,” Tate says immediately, his markings shifting. “It’s always been about control for her. The old system gave her that - she could manipulate life, create it, corrupt it. Now...”
“Now the playing field’s been levelled,” I nod. “Everything’s connected. Life, death, rebirth, it’s all part of one cycle. She can’t manipulate it anymore, at least not the way she used to.”
“Which makes her desperate,” Ramsey concludes. “And desperate immortal beings are never good news.”
“Assuming she’s still immortal,” Bram points out. “The rules have changed. We don’t know what she is anymore.”
I push my empty plate away, thinking. “We need to…”
My words trail off as a sudden surge of energy hits me. My vision blurs, replaced by flashes of something. Someone. A familiar presence, but twisted, wrong.
“Ivy?” Tate’s voice seems far away. “What is it?”
“I’m not sure,” I blink, trying to clear my head. “I felt her. Just for a moment. But different.”
“Can you trace it?” Josh asks, already pulling out his phone.
I shake my head. “It’s gone now. But it felt wrong. Like she’s trying to force her way back into the natural order, but she doesn’t fit anymore.”
“That can’t be good,” Ramsey mutters, pulling out his own phone. “I’ll alert our teams, tell them to be on high alert for any unusual energy signatures.”
I rub my temples, trying to make sense of the lingering sensation. “Wait! It wasn’t random. She was reaching for something specific. Someone...”
“Lila,” Bram says suddenly. “She’s trying to get back to Lila.”
Before anyone can respond, the air crackles with electricity, and Vex materialises in the middle of the kitchen, his usual smug face more concerned right now.
“Hey, Ivy, nice to see you again, little shifter. No time to really catch up. You need to come to MistHallow. Now. Lila’s getting worse. Her body’s shutting down faster than we can heal it. We think Life is trying to get back inside her to possess her again.”
“That bitch!” I spit out the words like poison.
“She knows Lila’s vulnerable,” Torin grits out.
“We need to go,” I say, already reaching for my guys. “Now. Before she can?—”
“The wards are barely holding,” Vex cuts in, his voice tight with worry. “Whatever Life’s doing, it’s tearing them apart.”
Ramsey and Josh exchange quick looks. “We’ll coordinate from here,” Ramsey says, already typing on his phone. “We can get teams in position around MistHallow’s perimeter as soon as we get the go-ahead. Alert Professor Blackthorn that backup is on the way.”
Vex nods and grabs my arm and Tate does the honours and transports us to MistHallow Academy. A place, I’ve secretly been dying to see since Vex first mentioned it, but had hoped it would be under better circumstances.
The last thing I see is Ramsey’s worried face before we vanish, racing through the void toward MistHallow and whatever nightmare Life has planned for her former vessel.