2. Ivy
IVY
TWO YEARS LATER
E xcitement buzzes through the air and a crackle of awe tingles through my veins as I peer out at the sea of people gathered. They look at me like I’m wonderous, a vision of hope, yet all I feel is the weight of expectation.
The atmosphere intensifies the second I acknowledge it, forcing my breath to lodge in my throat and my chest to tighten. How, I’m unsure, since it’s been in a vault since that fateful night, yet in moments like this, it manages to crank even tauter.
Whispers ring through the air, squeals of delight bouncing off the walls of the local school’s auditorium as girls push and shove, desperate to get an inch closer.
They want a piece of me, a moment to cling to when times are hard, and despite the burning desire to scream at the top of my lungs that it’s all fake, I hold my composure and smile.
It hurts my cheeks, a tension headache already flaring at my temples, but I hold it regardless. It’s my shield. If I lose it, I lose everything.
“Let’s have one final round of applause for our Angel, who has taken her valuable time to come and visit us today,” the head teacher calls, and the quick sound of palms slapping together echoes around the room.
There’s envy in her eyes as she peers at me, her face hiding her thoughts more poorly than my own, but it’s not the first time I’ve seen that look.
People want my life, the gilded chains my father’s position offers me for simply existing, but if they understood the price I pay for those luxuries, they might just change their minds.
I’m lucky—more than lucky—with the life I get to live, I know it, but I envy the freedom others have. I thought when my mating ceremony rolled around, it would all come full circle for me, but the suffocation feels worse now than it ever did before.
I’ve heard the whispers, drowned in the rumors, and lost myself to the never-ending what ifs that will forever fuel my life.
Rejected.
Jilted.
Alone.
Those three things are enough to bring anyone to their knees. Not The Angel, though. She can’t falter.
“At least she has a beautiful life she can continue to bask in.”
“Thank goodness for her beauty and grace. What would she have otherwise if not the powers blessed by The Fates?”
“Neverbound Academy’s loss is our gain. We need our figure of hope and gratitude now more than ever.”
No one ever asked me if I was okay or if I still remember that day. Not even Hugo. He can’t bear to relive it just as much as I, but everyone else thinks they already know and understand.
I’m an “everything happens for a reason” kind of girl, but I’ve yet to see the reason for this.
The only person who seems to benefit from my downfall is my father, and my mother, I guess. Their star daughter continues her dutiful role instead of basking in the world like the four men who turned their backs on her.
I blink, my eyelids taking an extra second to shutter as my mind reminds me of those four sets of eyes looking back at me, destroying me.
Refocusing on the present, I clear my throat and inch my smile up an extra millimeter as I realize the applause has subsided, but now a line of girls waiting to meet me up close and personal has formed.
A hand falls to my arm. “If you don’t have the time, you?—”
“No, of course,” I interject, happy for the distraction and fueled by the desire to at least offer someone a fleeting moment of joy. Even if I will never feel it for myself again.
Running my hands over my dress, I crouch down beside the first girl, her eyes wide in disbelief.
“Hello, my name is Ivy. What’s your name?” I ask, watching as her bottom lip wobbles and tears gather along her bottom lashes.
“Y-Y-You’re th-the A-A-Angel,” she stutters, nerves getting the better of her as I nod.
My smile widens, despite the hollowness inside. “Are you sure? Your hair is so pretty in this braid,” I start, reaching for the small curl that flicks up beneath the hair tie holding it in place. “And your eyes are as blue as the ocean. Are you sure it’s not you that’s the angel here?”
She cups her mouth, a blush creeping over her cheeks as tears finally cascade down her face. Before I can brace for impact, she darts toward me, wrapping her arms around my middle as she sobs against my chest.
Sweeping my hand over her hair, she squeezes even tighter, and I don’t move, giving her the moment she needs. Eventually, someone swoops in, taking her from my embrace, and I’m forced to move on to the next person.
One by one, I fill someone else with joy, pouring from my imaginary cup until the line is gone.
“Thank you so much for your time, Angel. I can’t tell you how much it means to them,” the teacher explains as I stand to my full height once more.
“It’s my pleasure, and please, call me Ivy,” I insist, reaching out to shake her hand.
Her palms are sweaty, her grip tighter than necessary, leaving me feeling suffocated, but I keep my smile in place as I glance toward the door where the security detail waits patiently.
I’m sure he’s had an earful from my father with regards to how long we’ve been, but sometimes, patience must be practiced, not just by me, but him too.
As the teacher releases my hand, I tilt my head at her, nodding farewell before I glide across the room.
Every step grows more labored at the idea of returning to the aureate prison I’m supposed to call home.
I have no life outside of it. Not unless it’s moments like this.
It’s nothing like how other girls my age spend their time, but they’re mostly off enjoying Neverbound Academy.
Huffing at myself, I shake my head. Grumbling about my fate won’t change it.
“Thank you, Luca,” I breathe as I reach my security detail, and he offers me his arm, escorting me from the building. “How much trouble are we in?” I ask, and he grins.
“Don’t you worry about that,” he insists, nodding as we turn the corner, and I freeze.
Following his gaze, I find a tall frame leaning against the open car door.
“Hugo!” I yelp, lifting the skirt of my dress as I hurry across the gravel as fast as I can.
He grins back at me, standing tall as he opens his arms, bracing for my assault just in time for me to launch myself at him.
For a fleeting moment, the blossoming of hope and happiness takes root inside of me, and I cling to it like a lifeline.
“What are you doing here?” I ask as he lowers me to my feet, brushing my hair over my shoulder as he assesses me.
“Do I need a reason to see my favorite sister?” he asks, cocking a brow as he takes a step back for me to climb into the back of the car first, and I pause my retort until we’re both fully seated.
Luca takes the wheel, and the engine purrs to life.
“I’m your only sister,” I mutter, and he winks. “And you don’t need a reason to see me, but an excuse to come home? Definitely,” I insist, and he scoffs.
“I thought it was best to check on you. It’s been a while,” he explains, and a pang steals my breath as it claims my lungs.
“Three months and sixteen days,” I rattle off, watching his eyes widen in surprise.
“Someone’s counting,” he muses, and I shrug.
“I don’t have anything else to occupy me,” I mumble, and he offers me a tight, sad smile.
The bleakness in his eyes mirrors my own. I feel it in my soul. He still mourns the loss of his love, while I grieve the life I’ll never know. It’s a silent understanding between us, one that we don’t talk about.
Ever.
“You really haven’t done anything exciting since I saw you last?” he asks, and I give him a pointed look.
“We both know the answer to that. Tell me about your adventures instead,” I insist, patting his arm, and he grins. It almost reaches the corners of his eyes.
“Lucky has kept me busy,” he offers, referring to his dragon, and I feel the first genuine smile tug at the corner of my lips.
“How is she?”
“She’s good. Grouchy as always, but we’ve been training new Air Protectors for the past few months, which is exhausting and exciting all at once,” he explains, and I gulp, my stomach twisting into the smallest knot to ever exist.
Training new Air Protectors means only one thing.
He’s been at Neverbound Academy.
No wonder he hasn’t reached out to me before now. If anyone understands the pain I’m suffering, it’s him.
He held me that night two years ago as I cried, and the thirteen nights that followed before he had to leave and my father refused to let me mourn any longer.
His eyes catch mine, another flicker of understanding running between us before I force the pain away.
“Any funny stories?” I ask. The desire to listen to my brother’s voice is more important than the heartache I could wallow in instead.
He takes the hint, catching me up on the tales of a guy finally connecting with the most fearful dragon to ever exist, with a burnt arm as a permanent reminder, but his second story is abruptly cut short as we turn into the courtyard, confirming we’re back home.
Disappointment floods my veins as he climbs from the car, offering me his hand as I follow after him. Putting one foot in front of the other is even harder today. Now that Hugo is here, the desire to run is overwhelming, but we both know I wouldn’t get very far.
I just can’t decide if it’s because my father would hunt me down, or if I’d fail at surviving alone.
Regardless, this princess dress and the kitten heels aren’t the best running attire, so I bottle my energy for another time as we step into the foyer.
“How long are you here for? Do you have time for some fen?—”
“Ivy, your father wants to see you.” My mother’s voice cuts through my excitement, leaving me to gape at her in despair as she hurries toward me.
Wordlessly, she runs her hands over my body from head to toe, ensuring every strand of hair is in place and not a single wrinkle exists on my clothes before I greet my father.