37
THE ALTERNATIVE IS WORSE
IVY
H enry’s office isn’t as intimidating as it used to be, and I admire the curves and lines of the painting on the wall, wondering how to ask Henry to have it moved. I sink my weight into the armchair, growing more comfortable with every passing second and ignoring the voices washing over me.
“Ivy.”
Henry’s tone is sharp and it commands my attention.
“Were you listening to anything Emmanuel said?”
I shake my head, ignoring the heat spreading over my cheeks. Henry glares, staring at me like I’m a misbehaving child. Ryan and Matt cross their arms, telling Emmanuel to repeat himself.
“Ivy, some of us believe you and Henry fulfill a prophecy,” he says, irritated he’s having to explain this again. “If it’s true, then you’re going to change the fate of vampires in ways we can’t imagine.”
Henry shifts his weight and he knows more than he’s letting on. His eyes narrow and their blue is cold, clinical and calculated, determined to get through this conversation. We’ll be having another one after this is done. One about telling me the goddamn truth about whatever the fuck is going on.
“Why does it have to be so complicated?”
“It’s not.” Emmanuel leans in, making Henry growl. “There’s some concern you’ll be the end of the Brotherhood. It’s a fundamental change to thousands of years of order, and that’s a threat, my dear. People don’t respond well to change. Priests like it even less, in my experience.”
He laces his long, bony fingers together and raises his hands, leaning his elbows on the arms of his chair as he stares at me. His eyes wander over me, examining every movement of my muscles as he searches for signs of weakness. For anything that gives him an insight into what I’m thinking or feeling. The Deacon of the Brotherhood I might be about to destroy stares at me with curiosity, unsure what to make of the girl sitting before him.
“I don’t understand.” I pout, ignoring the hardening stares from Matt and Ryan. “We’d get it over and done with faster if you told me what’s going to happen.”
Emmanuel shrugs.
Henry slides his hand into mine and squeezes. “Prophecies don’t work like that.”
“Why not?”
“Because they wouldn’t be prophecies otherwise,” Ryan says, arching his eyebrow. “The gods make prophecies come true. Usually while having some fun at the expense of those involved. ”
I flick my eyes toward the priest, who nods knowingly, as if this explanation is so damn obvious it doesn’t warrant further explanation. Emmanuel’s eyes darken and he looks away, sighing loudly. Too loudly. The lines cutting across his brow seem deeper and those streaking over his cheek are sharper, and when he finally turns back to face me, I wish he hadn’t.
“There’s a little more to this, Ivy.”
Henry growls, and everyone takes a fucking deep breath as his rage pours into the room. My heart flutters as I focus on the dark brown eyes staring at me, determined to ensure Emmanuel doesn’t hold anything back.
“We know there’s a child who will change the fate of the vampires. We just don’t know how.” He pauses. “We might have known if we had the second half of the prophecy, but a series of unfortunate events caused it to be lost and no one in the Brotherhood knows what that part contained.”
Emmanuel tilts his head and our eyes remain locked, still engaged in some vicious battle I don’t understand. He’s searching for something in me while I’m determined to find the truth in him. Both of us ignore the shaking furniture caused by the enraged motion of the vampires in the room.
Ryan’s pacing and Matt’s about to murder someone, and I’m damn sure he’s got the head of the Brotherhood in his sights. Even out of the corner of my eye, I can see his muscles rippling with fury as he readies for action and when he takes a step forward Ryan steps in, grabbing his arm and pulling his partner away, intervening before this disagreement turns physical.
“You lost it?” I ask before anyone says something stupid.
“I wouldn’t say we lost it. Not exactly.”
I groan quietly, aware the tension is rising despite my efforts to calm the situation. “Then what would you say?” My tone is as pointed as my question and Emmanuel’s eyebrow arches.
“That a series of unfortunate events resulted in someone taking the book containing the prophecy out of our possession.” His fingers drum against each other and his eyes narrow as they refuse to look away. “The fact of the matter is we’re not sure who took the bloody book or why, but it wasn’t where we’d left it, despite all the enchantments and protections we put in place.”
Henry’s fist connects with the desk and everyone in the room takes a breath. In unison. In anticipation of the inevitable outburst that the tightening in my chest tries to prepare me for.
It doesn’t come.
The thorny silence that follows is pricklier than any I’ve known, as three vampires eye the man sitting opposite me like he’s their next meal. I’m perfectly safe, but adrenaline surges through my veins, making my hands shake and my throat dry, and I can’t find the breath to get the words I want out.
“We’ve searched for it, but the Brotherhood hasn’t found it. I sent my most trusted priests too. It seems whoever took the book did an excellent job of concealing it.”
Henry snarls and I swallow, closing my eyes to calm myself as much as anyone else.
“WHAT. THE. FUCK?”
“There’s no need to shout,” Emmanuel says, his tone unruffled by the violence Henry’s threatening. “I appreciate it’s less than ideal, but it is what it is and it cannot be changed.”
I sink into my chair as Henry gets to his feet and my stomach ties itself in a knot, convinced all hell’s about to break loose. His movements are slow and deliberate and they’re more terrifying than Ryan’s rapid pacing or Matt’s threatening demeanor. Henry’s livid in a way that’s cold and calculated and under control, and he’s simply terrifying when he’s like this. His eyes burn with ice-cold fury, his body sings a song of savagery, and his mind controls it all, cooly calculating exactly how he’s going to make someone suffer.
And that someone is Emmanuel.
He turns faster than I can process, becoming a blur of colors as he moves to strike. He’s fucking fast, and the hazy lines of blues and blacks darken as furniture crashes to the floor and a muffled scream reverberates around the room. I blink and reality finally focuses, bringing a horrific picture into view.
Henry has hauled Emmanuel into the air, throttling the man as he suspends him by his throat. His feet dangle off the ground, kicking as they fight to find a footing they’ll never reach, while his fingers grapple against Henry’s hand. Henry’s enraged, snarling and snapping, as his eyes burn with enough intensity to obliterate any sun while his teeth and claws threaten unspeakable violence.
“Henry…”
“You were about to explain to me why I should bother sparing your miserable life, you lying cunt.”
Emmanuel swallows, just about. “I never lied.”
Henry’s grip tightens and his claws dig into Emmanuel’s skin, restricting his air supply and drawing a little blood. Matt and Ryan hiss, alerted by the scent of fear and whatever metallic smell they’re predatory instincts are detecting.
“Don’t make me resort to using the Brotherhood’s powers, Henry.”
“Don’t make me resort to using the full extent of mine.”
Henry raises his arm, lifting Emmanuel into the air with absolutely no effort at all. He’s making a point and it’s a terrifying one. He’s stronger than I imagined, faster than I feared, and the thing that makes him more lethal is his sheer damn control. He’s precise, he’s efficient, he’s the epitome of threat and my soul screams in despair, aware of every one of my vulnerabilities.
I’m certain I’m safe, but every cell in my body tells me I need to run as fast as possible to anywhere but here. I’m a mouse surrounded by predators preparing to kill each other, and I won’t survive being caught in the middle of whatever conflict’s about to erupt.
“The Book of Revelations…”
A threat of unbridled violence rolls off Henry’s chest as he slowly and deliberately lowers Emmanuel to the ground. His grip loosens and the priest snatches a breath of air, gulping despite his attempts to remain composed and in control. He’s got none and the person in command has the head of the Brotherhood exactly where he wants him.
“The remainder of the prophecy is about what happens after she changes the fate of the vampires.” Emmanuel swallows and his sallow skin pales further. “As far as we can tell, it doesn’t specify how she makes it happen.”
“As far as you can tell,” Ryan says, stalking closer to Emmanuel with a menace of his own, “because you cunts misplaced a fucking book from one of your fucking libraries and now anyone can find out what’s in it.”
“The book is locked, and it’s pretty darn small.”
Matt slams his fist into the wall and I jump, surprised by his explosion and the deafening sound of plaster disintegrating.
“Tiny, in fact,” Emmanuel says, apparently oblivious to the danger he’s walking himself back into. “So small it looks like a trinket. Gold with a small sapphire in the middle. Someone could easily mistake it for an ornament. Or a pendant on a necklace. ”
I stiffen and turn pale, aware of my heavy breathing as my heart thrashes against my chest, skipping beats as it lurches forward. My fingers grip the arms of my chair and everyone’s heads turn to face me, giving me their full attention. It’s exactly what I don’t want, and my anxiety soars as I’m conscious that more than one vicious hunter has me in their sights and they’re closing in on me, readying for a kill.
“Small. Gold. Blue sapphire?”
Emmanuel nods.
“It doesn’t have a small red stone on the back cover?”
He nods again.
“Fuck.”
Henry stares at me and I don’t like it. I’m not sure what he’s thinking, but whatever it is, I don’t want to find out. There’s little choice and a horrific sense of dread washes over me, leaving me desperate for a way out of the mess I’ve created.
“It’s probably a coincidence,” I mumble.
“Coincidences don’t exist around prophecies, Ivy.” Ryan steps in front of Henry, his expression soft and surprisingly understanding. “If you think you’ve seen the book, now would be the time to tell us where it is.”
His gaze is too much to bear and I turn away, staring at the lilies on the pond, trying to lose myself in the painting I adore but refuse to ask Henry to move. The ridges and valleys that make up the swirls of paint have become harsh and unfeeling, crinkles standing like immovable objects as they make their presence known. There’s no safety or serenity in the tranquility of the picture—only the turmoil and danger of what lies beneath the surface of the lily pond.
“My bedroom.”
Henry moves toward me, and when I meet his gaze, I see the confusion in his eyes. Their blue matches the muddled murky color surrounding me and I sink into them, hoping Henry will help me through the disorder threatening to overwhelm me.
“Back home.” I gaze at my fingers. “It’s not home. Not anymore.” I move my eyes down to stare at my feet. “In L.A. It was a birthday present when I was five or six.” I arch my neck and roll my head back.
“We’ll go get it.” Ryan tips his head back and leans against Henry’s desk. “We know how to get into your room in L.A. Don’t look surprised, Ivy. Henry didn’t leave you unprotected and we made plans. More than one, actually.”
My eyebrow arches and Henry shrugs his shoulders.
“We might have needed to get to you. For your own safety.”
My eyebrow goes higher.
“Or the wedding might have been delayed or something.”
Henry doesn’t look remotely disturbed and it’s another thing we’re going to have a grown-up conversation about. As soon as possible. Right after this awful meeting has finished.
“Do we have to?”
“It’d be helpful,” Emmanuel says. “If only to stop it falling into the wrong hands.”
I roll my eyes and drop my head into my hands. “I’m not sure exactly where it is.”
“We’ll find it,” Ryan says.
“You’re not going through my room like it’s full of worthless shit.”
The silence that descends is deafening as Henry’s sheer annoyance drowns out the sound of almost everything else. My chest grows heavy as the weight of his disapproval presses down on me and his glare never wavers, fixed on me while he tries to decide what to do.
“You’re not going with them.”
“I’m not staying here.”
Emmanuel flicks his head between the two of us as our perfectly polite disagreement threatens to turn into a war of words. One neither of us wants and both of us wants to win.
“It’s too damn dangerous, lea.”
“Staying here hasn’t been safe, Henry.”
His jaw ticks and his rage threatens to boil over, until he crosses his arms and leans his weight on the desk, sliding next to Ryan. He’s thinking, weighing up the risk of taking me against the risk of leaving me here. Debating which is worse with himself, uncertain if leaving me unguarded is more dangerous than bringing me out into the unknown.
“Do you think she’s ready?”
“No,” Ryan says, “but we weren’t either. She’s got a point, Henry. We might be better going together and you can watch her yourself.”
“You realize this is a bad idea,” Henry says, turning to face Ryan.
He nods. “The alternative is worse.” Ryan’s eyes darken, and the deep blue is the force of the ocean threatening to drag me under. “You do what we say when we say it, Ivy. If you so much as put one fucking foot out of place, I’ll drag your ass back here and spank you so fucking hard you won’t sit down for a week—and don’t think Henry will get in my fucking way.”