34
A SANCTUARY AND A PRISON
IVY
“S top throwing your weight off and put it into the fucking punch.”
Ryan’s losing his shit and I can’t say I blame him. We’ve been at this for an hour today, training every day for the last week. Ryan’s determined to make me stronger and I’m broken.
My muscles ache. My body’s tired. My head’s full of nonsense. I can’t think properly and I can barely walk straight.
“I. CAN’T. DO. THIS.”
I scream from the bottom of my lungs and stamp my foot for good measure. Ryan doesn’t flinch, doesn’t react. He stares, passive and unmoved. Like a brick wall that’s not coming down.
“AGAIN.”
“This is pointless,” I say, deflated.
“It is with that fucking attitude.”
My jaw tightens and I pour venom into my gaze. I’m frustrated and I don’t understand why it’s suddenly become so fucking important that I learn to fight. I wasn’t completely incapable in the first fucking place, but Ryan’s walking me through this like I’m a complete beginner, and it’s starting to grate.
Mostly because he’s not letting me progress and insisting I’m doing everything wrong.
“Your weight is on the wrong foot.”
It isn’t.
“Your stance is too low.”
It’s not.
“You’re holding your arms too close to your chest.”
They’ll connect with his face in a fucking minute.
I move and he steps back, twisting his body so I miss and hurtle forward, staggering past him until I stumble onto the ground.
“Told you.”
I pick myself up, dust myself down and glare at him with incandescent rage. The kind that ought to make him at least consider backing down.
It doesn’t.
“Can we do it my way now?”
He sounds exasperated. As fed up with this as I am.
“Why are we doing this, Ryan?”
“You married a vampire, you’re living in a coven, and you almost got killed a few weeks ago. Which part of this is unclear, Ivy?”
The part where it’s become a priority that I learn how to defend myself. Ryan has spent every day teaching me to fight and Matt’s taken more than a passing interest in my exercise routine. My days of lounging around in confinement are over, and I’m running and going to the gym daily.
I’m fucking sore—and Henry isn’t helping.
He’s been relentless and his needs aren’t diminishing now he has me. If anything, Henry wants more affection, more attention. He wants more fucking and I ache in all the right places. I think.
I roll my eyes and Ryan grabs my wrist, finally snapping.
“Ivy, you’ve got to start doing what the fuck I tell you. What Matt tells you too. There’s too much at stake for you to ignore our advice and carry on like this.”
My eyes narrow and silently ask him like what.
“Rowan won’t give up, sweets.”
They narrow further, irritated by the return of the annoying nickname.
“He’s weaker, and Henry’s backing him into a corner. He’ll be forced to lash out. It’ll be fucking dangerous until this is over and your technique needs work.”
Ryan pulls and I careen forward, spun against him as his arms wrap around me. His head lowers to my neck, and he runs his mouth over my collar.
“Too fucking easy, sweets.”
I stamp his foot and slam my elbow into him as his head tips back. I spin, throwing my weight into the punch that connects with his chest, forcing Ryan to step back. His arms come down and block my second strike, and seconds later he’s hit my center and I’m staggering back.
“Better.” Ryan marches forward. “You’re actually learning. ”
He stiffens and his head snaps toward the door as he stares at it like it’s critical. Ryan’s more than paying attention and he grabs me, pulling me behind him in a smooth, definitive movement that leaves no room for argument.
“We’ve got company, Ivy.”
“Henry said the castle was secured.”
Ryan nods. Barely, but it’s there. “I took care of it myself. This is bad, Ivy. If they’re smart enough to get in, then they’re fucking dangerous.”
I bring my hands up, adopting a stance I hope is close to what Ryan’s been teaching me. This isn’t the time for doubt or hesitation, not if he’s right and the tension in his body and the attention he’s paying to everything around us screams he’s fucking sure of himself.
“Ivy,” he says, in a tone that’s pressured and clear as a fucking bell, “take the door behind you and get to Henry’s room. Lock yourself in. It’s clear that way. Go now. Don’t look back.”
“Are you…”
“Go now, Ivy. Do as you’re fucking told.”
My heart races as I back away, turning and racing for the exit at the back of the gym. My feet fly over the floor and I don’t wait for the door to close before I sprint down the corridor, heading for the back stairs. My thighs burn and I ignore them, pushing harder as I move past the paintings Henry has collected over the centuries.
I race up the stairs and something’s wrong.
I know it. I can feel it in my bones and my blood.
It’s terror and the cold hard reality of being caught somewhere you really don’t want to be. Somewhere fucking lethal. Somewhere near a predator who’s about to close in for the kill .
“So fucking close.”
The vampire emerges from the shadows and prowls toward me with the grace of a leopard in a hunt. The menace is clear. The threat is obvious. The danger lurking in the dark reveals itself, blocking my route to safety as it tracks my movements.
I step back and there’s no room for error.
The vampire should strike. It should attack. But it’s drawing this out, enjoying my moments of panic and anguish, relishing my agony. He’s feeding off my anxiety and gloating over what he thinks is inevitable, and I refuse to give him an easy victory.
“Pity,” he says, his tone dripping with disdain. “You’re brave. You’d have made an excellent toy.”
My fingers find my collar and the vampire smirks. He’s tall, elegant, and not as powerful as Ryan. Or Matt. Or Henry. He wants me to believe the lie he’s so desperate to be true, the one that tries to convince me I don’t stand a chance against him.
But I’ve held my own against Matt and saved Ryan’s life. I’ve even beaten Henry, in a way—and there’s more than one way to win a fight. Strength doesn’t guarantee victory, and I’ve proven I can hold my own. Matt and Ryan know it. Henry knows it. More importantly, I know it.
And I won’t let the asshole standing before me fool me.
“Henry’s collar won’t save you, darling.”
My jaw ticks.
The vampire smirks. “You think you’re getting out of here?”
I shake my head and take a few steps back.
I don’t think it .
I know it.
I turn and move, faster than I’ve ever fucking moved in my goddamn life. Henry’s room isn’t an option now the vampire’s blocking my path and the only choice left is to make it to mine. Matt promised me the lock only opens for him, Ryan, and Henry. He and Henry have checked the enchantment several times after Damon got around it, and they’re both sure it’ll hold.
It’s the sanctuary I never wanted, but now I need it and all I have to do is get there and bolt the fucking door closed.
My legs pound against the floor and I dart through the corridor, sprinting as if my life depended on it. Because it damn well does, and Matt’s taught me exactly how fast vampires move. Fucking fast.
I crash past furniture and make it around the corner, aware the vampire behind me is gaining ground. My eyes snap up and see one of the coven standing in the middle of the hallway, and I weave around him, ignoring his outraged expression and cries of consternation.
Snarls and violence erupt behind me, and I don’t look back. There’s no point looking back. One vampire will survive and I don’t have time to waste if it isn’t the one from Henry’s coven.
The sounds fade as I hurtle down a few steps and onto the hallway leading to my room. I sprint harder, pushing myself to get into my room as fast as I can. My breathing’s erratic and my hands tremble as I reach for the doorknob, frantically turning it as I slam my body against the weight of the heavy wooden door.
It moves and I exhale. Loudly.
I step into my room and slam the door behind me.
I turn the key and catch another breath, stepping away from the barrier between me and whatever the fuck’s outside .
My chest hurts as my heart pounds against its cage and my lungs burn from the heat of their exertion. My body’s on fire and my skin is slick with sweat, glowing as my muscles try to cool and I try to recover.
The handle turns.
I step back and adrenaline surges into my chest.
The door rails against the lock, rattling as someone tries to force it to open.
“You don’t think you’re safe in there, do you, darling?”
Fuck.
He’s far too fucking sure of himself to be taunting me alone. The vampire’s convinced he can get in here and he’s provoking my anxiety, jeering and mocking as he ramps up the cruelty.
I’m confined and he’s confident.
I’m shaky and he’s certain.
I’m panicking and he’s calm. Cool. Composed.
And about to come crashing through that fucking door.
There isn’t time to do anything other than retreat to my bathroom and that won’t help. Not substantively. Not when I’m facing a vampire.
Henry ensured there was no escape from here and my sanctuary has become a prison again. One I won’t survive if the vampire has his way. One he wants me to think is inevitable and I won’t give him my surrender.
There’s more than one way to win a fight.
There’s more than one way to die in one as well.
With honor, or without it. Standing on your feet or cowering in a corner, and there’s not a fucking chance I’m running away from this. Not today. Not after all I’ve been through. Not when there’s a chance I might beat this asshole .
I wait and the doorknob moves as the lock clicks, shifting out of place. The mechanism moves and the bolt slides, releasing the bar holding the door in place.
The hinges creak as the door opens slowly, and the vicious, triumphant vampire steps into my room, crowing at his victory.
“The enchantment doesn’t work when you have protection from the Brotherhood,” he says, leering as he prowls toward me. “Your mate’s not as clever as he thinks he is.”
I step back and wait, trying to calm my nerves and find the courage my convictions tell me I need. I've made my choice. I picked my path. Now, I need the strength and bravery to follow it and I’ll die if I falter.
“He didn't tell you, did he?”
I swallow, playing the helpless girl he's so desperate for me to be. The one who has to listen to him gloat. The one who's unaware it's buying her time.
“The Brotherhood aren't on your side, darling. They're as disgusted as we are at the thought you're contaminating our race. You're filthy, pathetic blood taints the bonds that bind us to each other. To everything we value. Everything we respect.” He steps closer, closing in on his kill. “They thought he'd turn you, but he hasn't. Presumably, he's too disgusted by the abomination of your mortality being bound to him to offer you immortality. He hasn't turned you and we're left with no choice but to act. This is his fault, darling. How does it feel knowing you're going to die because your mate betrayed you?”
I sigh. “Incomprehensible.”
The vampire's head tilts and his eyes narrow, staring at me, uncertain. He's thrown and I've won the first point. It won't keep me alive and it will make him angrier.
And angry men make stupid mistakes .
Ones I can use to my advantage.
“It makes no sense.” I roll my eyes, milking this for all it's worth and then some. “If Henry doesn't want me to be human, then why doesn't he change me?”
“Because he knows you only married him to become immortal. You're a slut. A whore. A fucking gold digger out for anything you can get.”
I shake my head again.
“I didn't want this.” My eyes meet his and the truth in mine makes him flinch. “Any of it. I didn't even want to meet the cunt, let alone marry him.”
The vampire's eyes narrow and the blood red turns into deep maroon. “You're wearing his fucking collar, darling. Nice try though. You almost had me fooled. Almost, but not quite.”
He launches forward and I duck, sweeping out his way as he hurls himself at where I should have been. I turn, kicking hard and adding to his momentum, sending him crashing to the floor. He collides with furniture, slamming into it, and his body shudders as the bolted-down chest of drawers remains unmoved. The same can't be said for him and he roars as he turns, angry enough to launch without thinking.
He’s fast, but I’m a match for him, and my arms block as he strikes left and hard. He throws his weight against me and I hold my own, somehow protecting my core as his attacks continue and I start to tire.
I’m not fit enough.
I’m not strong enough.
I’m not skilled enough.
And he’s learning. Fucking fast. He throws a couple of quick jabs and slams a right hook into my chest, and it sucks the air out of my lungs. My chest burns and the vampire lands another punch, igniting a blaze of pain as my body crumbles. His leg kicks out and I collapse, unable to do anything more than fall to the floor and stay alive.
My senses sharpen as my vision narrows and my ears ring with the sound of defeat. I crawl backward, trying to edge away from the vampire smirking as he closes in on me, enjoying every second of my suffering.
I risk a glance at the open door and no one’s racing through it. No one’s coming. Not when I need them. Not when I’m cornered and about to die. Not this time.
My back hits the edge of the bed and there’s nowhere left to go. My hands edge over the floor and I stare up at the hideous vampire stalking closer, delighting in the excruciating agony of my last few seconds. I swallow bile and my fingers curl back, touching something cold. And hard. And fucking solid. Something round and long and thing, designed to fit into a grip. Something I’ve felt before and its familiarity is strangely comforting.
I glance down and see a blade Damon gave me, already held in the palm of my hand. There’s no time to question its appearance as the vampire races forward and I whip the blade out, slashing it across his chest as he goes in for the kill.
He screams and I stab again. And again and again and again. He draws back and I keep going, fighting as I find reserves I didn’t know I have and claw my way on top of him.
His face twists as blood oozes out of him and I ignore his pleas for mercy as I stab harder, deeper, faster—finally bringing the blade down vertically and piercing his upper chest. He shrieks as the tip exits his thorax and I force it into the floor beneath me, standing upright and kicking it down and down and down.
Ryan charges through the door, growling as he grabs me and hauls me behind him. Matt races in, seconds behind his partner, but equally ready to attack. He stops dead, snarling at the vampire who’s thrashing but impaled on the floor.
“Fuck me, Ivy,” Matt says, eyes wide and mouth open.
I shrug and pant, shaking as the adrenaline and shock kick in. My hands shake violently and Ryan grabs me, pulling me against him and wrapping his arms around me. Tightly.
“You’re learning,” he says, smirking as he tips his head. “It’s over, Ivy. You’re safe. You’re going to be alright.”
I nod and press into him.
“Where’d you get the dagger, sweets?”
“It was under the bed,” I mumble, barely holding it together. “It was just there, Ryan. I don’t…” I stop myself from rambling, clinging to my sanity to tell him what he needs to know. “The Brotherhood… the spell doesn’t work for them… they’re working…”
“With Rowan,” he says so softly I almost sigh. “Matt’s going to take this cunt down to the dungeons, and Henry won’t be nearly as kind as he was to you.”
My heart abandons all pretense it’s working, and Ryan catches me as my legs give way, lifting me into his arms.
“Henry wasn’t kind.”
“No, he wasn’t,” Ryan says, carrying me out of the room. “Ivy, that cunt’s going to wish you’d killed him by the time Henry’s finished with him. Henry’s going to make fucking sure the vampire who dared to touch his mate has a long and torturous and fucking painful time in the dungeons, and that wanker will beg for it to be over long before Henry decides he’s suffered enough.”