4. Ivy
IVY
T he world blurs around me, spinning in a kaleidoscope of colors as my stomach churns, nausea taking root in my gut as we go round and round. I’m certain the sensation is never going to end, only for it to come to an abrupt halt an eternal moment later.
My surroundings may still, but my limbs do not. Before I can acknowledge what is happening, I fall, my knees hitting the spongy ground beneath me as a screech tears from my lips.
Catching myself with my hands, I manage to avoid my face meeting the dirt, but the damage has already been done. The pretty, intricate patterns of white lace are soiled from the mud beneath me.
My eyelids slam shut as embarrassment floods me, the state of my dress a reminder of my downfall as my world threatens to crumble around me. My stomach rolls again, a mixture of nausea and humiliation claiming me as tears prickle the back of my eyelids once again.
I’ve been in the presence of my fated mates for two fleeting occurrences and it somehow always ends with unshed tears burning the back of my eyes.
Swallowing down the shame of weakness, I gulp past the sob that threatens to rip from my throat, but it only makes the nausea worse. My hands curl in the mud, distress dancing over my limbs as I dry heave.
I can sense four sets of eyes on me, but not one of them inches closer, attempting to come to my aid. I can’t decide whether that irritates me or leaves me with solace that I have a moment to get a hold of myself without them interfering.
It’s not the latter.
Not when they are supposed to be my mates, but that doesn’t matter. All it does is serve as a reminder that I’m here for one reason, and one reason only.
Me.
I repeat that fact in my mind three times before I suck in a sharp breath and pry my eyelids open. My fingernails are as dirty as the lace I’m dressed in, and my heart trembles with every thud, leaving me jittery as I dare to tilt my head up.
My eyes widen a fraction when I spy four pairs of legs to my right, a good few yards away. Collecting myself, I quickly understand. The mud, the kaleidoscope, the nausea; they used magic to travel, a luxury I’m not supposed to be privy to.
If they had any consideration for me, they wouldn’t have done that. They wouldn’t have made me feel like this without prior warning. But it only serves as another reminder of how heartless and cut-throat they are.
My mind wanders, trying to understand exactly what made them change their minds, but I can’t wrap my head around it right now, on top of everything else. I need to address the present first.
Forcing myself to my feet, I blink down at my mud-stained hands before admitting defeat, wiping them on my already tarnished dress as I take in my surroundings.
A long, winding path is laid out to my right, leading down a steep hill in one direction, and to the left, another that leads toward a stunning building.
I’d recognize those spiralling towers in the distance anywhere.
Neverbound Academy.
A shiver runs down my spine. I’ve only ever seen pictures of this place, dreamed of being here, and now I’m standing here in person. I’m filthy and uneasy, but here nonetheless.
The Academy stands tall and proud, nestled perfectly between the lush green landscape of Sprite Forest and the jagged cliffs of Devil’s Ridge off in the distance.
I half wonder if I would be able to hear the water crashing against the cliffs if I focus, but with the way my pulse beats so wildly, I’m certain I wouldn’t hear someone screaming in my face right now.
Instead, I turn my attention to the still forest. Despite the distress coiled inside of me, I feel a sense of peace from it.
The flowers are in full bloom, the large oak trees cast shadows across the woodland’s outskirts, while the arched entryway, formed by intertwined branches of two identical trees, lures me deeper.
With the late afternoon sun blocked by the huge building up ahead, it casts a calmness over the forest that I can’t quite put my finger on.
The forest back home, the one that I could see off in the distance if I looked out my bedroom window, didn’t look much different, yet the eeriness that one exuded was enough for me to avoid looking at all costs.
Shaking my head, I shift my attention to the building in the distance. With the sun behind it, it’s hard to make out all of its features from here, but there’s something about the dark brickwork and sloping rooftops that fills it with a sense of grandeur, causing butterflies to swarm in my stomach.
Arched windows line both floors of the academy, and I try to recall everything I’ve read about the place, but my mind is blank, still blocking out its existence as I have done for the past two years.
My gaze shifts back to the reason for my forgetfulness, and my eyebrows furrow as tension spreads in the air. Seeing the four of them quickly pulls me back to reality, reminding me of my current state and preventing me from feeling the sense of peacefulness that flutters in the breeze.
Determined to shake the disappointment from my limbs, I huff and trudge toward them as my heels sink into the mud below, each step marked by a squelch.
My reprieve from the sludge beneath my shoes is short-lived as I wobble onto the gravel path.
Regardless, I come to a stop in front of Archer, and every ounce of anger I felt back in the church returns as I glare at him.
My hands ball into fists at my sides as I try to contain myself, the urge to slap him all too real. I desperately desire the sting against my palm, but my mother’s words rattle in my mind.
“To react is to reveal your emotions, resulting in giving them the upper hand. We must remain poised, collected, and concealed if we wish to stand strong.”
Instead, I suck in another breath and aim a pointed finger in his direction. “You promised to let me speak to my brother?—”
“I didn’t promise you anything,” he interjects with a detached coldness to his gaze, almost as if he sees through me as he speaks, and I scoff, shaking my head as I let a hint of disappointment slip through the cracks.
“Not a man of your word. Noted,” I bite, enjoying the way his jaw ticks.
Before he can attempt to break me with his words once more, Sax clears his throat from behind him, easing a little of the tension thickening in the air.
“How about we take this inside? The registration ceremony will be starting,” he offers, and I frown.
“I don’t understand.”
“You are familiar with enrolling at Neverbound Academy, right?” Baron grunts, scrubbing at the back of his neck, and I roll my eyes.
“I’m vaguely aware of what I was supposed to experience, but two years have passed and I’ve spent them trying to pretend like it doesn’t exist,” I hiss, betraying myself with my own words, but if they notice, they don’t make it known. There’s not even a single drop of guilt in the air.
Theodore appears beside Archer with that same laid-back grin on his lips. “Well, lucky for you, we’ll skip the mating ceremony this time and head straight to enrollment so you can be blessed with your gifts.”
“Just me?” I clarify as my eyebrows knit once again, and Archer scoffs.
“It’s the night of ceremonies. There will be others. You’re not as special as you think you are, Angel,” he grunts, sending a shiver down my spine, and I instinctively shield myself by folding my arms around my middle.
My nostrils flare as I continue to look deep into his eyes, refusing to shy away despite how much his words hurt, when movement cuts through the strain. My gaze snags onto the sight of Baron stalking off toward The Academy without a backward glance.
Sax clears his throat, turning toward his brother with his lips pursed. He makes it two steps before he peers over his shoulder at me, but whatever flashes in his eyes is gone immediately as he follows after the gruff Linton brother.
Archer sighs, grumbling something under his breath as he follows suit, leaving me with Theodore.
His eyes rake over me for a moment before he nods, offering me a wink before he speaks. “Keep up, Princess.”
Just like the others, he heads toward the building, happy to leave me in their wake.
Helplessness weighs heavily on me as I remain frozen in place, hastily trying to consider my options. One quick glance over my shoulder down the winding road that disappears off into the distance tells me I’m far from home. Too far to change my mind now.
There’s only one choice, and that’s chasing after them. I just hope I don’t live to regret it.
Despite the uneven gravel beneath my heels, I stomp after them, the lace of my dress scrunched in my clenched fists as I envision their untimely deaths, which, unfortunately, don’t come to fruition by the time I join them at the doors of the building.
Ignoring them, I take a moment to acknowledge where I am, staring up at the grandeur that stands powerfully before me. Up close, I get to appreciate the intricate engravings that grace the arching the doorway and the windows, noting that every fourth symbol has a glow to it.
“I’m surprised those are still on your feet,” Theodore states, pulling me from my thoughts.
My lips purse as I glower at him. “The alternative would be to go barefoot,” I grunt, and he shrugs as if that would have been a more viable option.
“Prissy. I knew it,” he declares, rolling his eyes at me, and I huff, unable to contain the sneer that curls the corner of my mouth.
“I don’t care for your judgment,” I state, shaking my hands out nervously at my sides. “What I need is to change before I step in there.”
“No can do,” he explains with a shrug, and I gape at him in horror.
“You can’t expect me to face The Fates like this,” I hiss, earning another shrug as he turns around, heading for the door that sits slightly ajar, and it’s only then that I realize the others have already entered.