13. Ivy #2
“It’s just a silly nickname I earned back home.”
“Just a silly nickname? Girl, you are the town’s princess, or the town’s angel, should I say?” Toby pushes with amusement. “How different is life at Neverbound in comparison to the luxuries back home?” he asks, tilting his head at me as he laces his fingers with Meadow’s and begins to walk.
I remain on the other side of Meadow, feeling the presence of his friends a step behind us as I shrug.
“Freeing.”
His eyebrows rise to his hairline, staring at me in disbelief. “You would rather be here than there?” he reiterates, and I nod.
My gaze lands on Meadow’s. Understanding and softness oozes from her.
“Not everything is always as it seems, Toby,” she mumbles, and he shrugs, his gaze lingering on me a moment longer before he’s distracted by one of his friends.
I walk quietly, soaking up their energy as the breeze picks up and we find ourselves marching down the cliffside to the beach below. A shudder runs down my spine as I recall the last time I was here.
Halfway down, Meadow releases Toby’s hand to walk closer to me.
“Are you okay? You’ve gone quiet,” she states, and I take a deep breath, exhaling my problems away before I nod.
“I’m good. I just always forget that people know my past but will never understand it.”
“Yet they’ll always assume they do and judge you for it?” she clarifies, and my eyes widen.
“How do you know?”
She shrugs. “It’s one of the many cruelties of life.
But do you want to know what my mother taught me?
” she asks, and I nod. “Some people in this life are meant to remind us of our past to ensure we know exactly what we don’t want to go back to.
Others are here to project us forward, showing us what life can be like.
Everything serves a purpose; we just have to make sure we have the right lens in place to see it correctly. ”
“Your mother sounds wise,” I say with a grin, and she hums.
“She was,” she whispers, but before I can delve any further into her statement, she grabs my hand, hurrying down the rest of the pathway.
Music engulfs us as we reach the bottom. There are hundreds of people here, each dressed for a good time, with the pretty sky now replaced by shimmering moonlight.
Tilting my head up, I feel a sense of sadness that the sunset is gone, but I quickly become distracted by the number of stars that are out tonight. Without the light pollution, I feel like I can see everything.
“We’re going to have a good time tonight, Ivy. We deserve it,” Meadow declares, squeezing my arm. “You find a spot for us and I’ll get the drinks. Well, I’ll make Toby help me get the drinks,” she says with a wink before disappearing into the crowd.
She’s right.
We deserve it.
I deserve it.
Rolling my shoulders back, I run my hands over my sequined dress before holding my head up high and strolling through the crowd.
Everyone is gathered in their own friend groups.
Some are standing, others are huddled in groups on the sand, while my hated mates are sprawled out around a burning campfire.
Stopped in my tracks, I take each of them in.
Archer is the closest, seated in a fold-out chair with a beer bottle in one hand and his cell phone occupying his attention in the other.
The girl hanging over him, vying for his attention, makes it hard to work out what he’s wearing, but I’m pretty sure it’s a pair of black tailored trousers and a matching button-up.
Before the acidic taste of jealousy can consume me, I turn my attention, spotting Sax next. He’s in a deck chair too, legs sprawled as he slouches, the sky holding his attention. In a pair of denim jeans and a fitted green tee, he looks calm, collected, almost approachable.
Shaking my head, my gaze shifts to his twin, lingering long enough to see his black jeans and matching hoodie before my eyes collide with his. His nostrils flare as he glowers at me, making it clear my attention isn’t wanted.
One more tilt of my head, and anger burns inside of me.
Teddy is standing barefoot in a pair of shorts and an open white shirt, foregoing a deck chair as he basks in the essence of the girls swarming him. He laps up the attention, their heads tossed back with laughter, hands wandering around waists and over his chest, and it makes my skin crawl.
Gnawing at my bottom lip, I start to question whether this is a good idea or not, when another familiar face appears before me.
“Ivy,” he breathes, a sultry grin on his face, and I smile back.
“Silas,” I reply, my pulse quickening; not with excitement, but with trepidation.
The last time Silas tried to talk to me didn’t go well.
“You look stunning,” he praises, his gaze raking over me a few times before he returns his attention to my face.
I’m sure he sees me blushing.
“Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself.”
Dressed in a pair of black shorts with an open black shirt, he gives off the same vibe as Teddy, only darker and more dangerous.
“You’re empty-handed, let me get you a drink,” he offers, and I shake my head.
“Thanks, but my friend is already getting me one. I’m just finding a spot to occupy,” I insist as he inches closer, his hand falling to my waist.
My breath lodges in my throat, my muscles tensing with uncertainty at his touch until I hear another bolt of laughter from behind me.
Teddy.
I force myself to exhale, accepting his touch. I have to tilt my head back to see his face, our height difference noticeable now as he dips down to press his lips against my ear.
“I can help you find a spot here, or back in the dorms, whichever you like,” he offers, and my heart about stops.
Pressing my palm against his chest, I lean back, smiling up at him despite the nerves churning in my gut. “I just got here. Besides, don’t you have a fated mate?” I ask, watching his gaze darken.
“I haven’t been selected yet,” he blurts, his attention darting behind me as I cringe.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
“No, of course not. It’s not your fault,” he insists, leaning back to give me some space. “Let’s get you settled in for a good time, yeah?” He presses his palm against my back, moving me away from the crowd, but not too far to make me feel concerned.
We stop a few steps from the shoreline, the water lapping gently before me.
Glancing over my shoulder, I search for Meadow.
“What does your friend look like?” Silas asks, dropping his hand from my back as he stands in front of me, following my line of sight.
“She—never mind, she’s there,” I explain, pointing toward her.
Toby has his hands full with drinks, a flock of friends a step behind him still as Meadow waves toward me.
Silas runs his hand down my arm, drawing my attention back to him as I shiver. His smile is dark, needy, and sultry, making it clear, without words, what he wants.
“Silas, can I be real with you?” I ask, and he nods, nipping his teeth along his bottom lip as he stares at me. “I can only guess where you think this is going tonight, but I’m going to have to clarify.”
“Amuse me,” he mumbles, reaching for my waist as he tugs me against his chest, and I scoff.
Pressing my palms against his chest, I give him a pointed look. “I’m a virgin, Silas, and if you think I’m going to do anything more than spend the night dancing and having a good time, then you’re mistaken.”
He blinks, his eyelids shuttering twice before he smiles, leaning closer to whisper against my ear.
“You’ve only piqued my interest more. Now, are we dancing or drinking first?” he asks, leaning back for an answer as Meadow appears beside me.
“Introduce me, Ivy,” she beams, staring at Silas, who grins in response.
“I’m—”
“Just leaving.”
My blood turns to ice in my veins at the thunderous voice from behind me.
I don’t want to look.
I shouldn’t.
I should pretend he doesn’t exist.
But there’s no burying my head in the sand with this.
Silas takes it in stride, standing taller as he peers behind me. “I’m good where I am, Baron. We both know that,” he states, making my pulse quicken hastily in my ears as my gaze latches onto Meadow’s.
Her eyes are wide, devouring the drama that’s unfolding, and I want to die.
“We both know you’re not good where you are, motherfucker. Now, get your hands off her, and fuck off.”
My eyelids fall closed as I try to steady my breathing, but it’s futile when I can sense so many people watching us now.
“If Ivy wants me here, I’m good,” Silas bites back, his fingers digging into my sides, and I think I’m going to be sick.
Coming here wasn’t a good idea, it seems.
Clearing my throat, I pry my eyes open. “It’s okay, I was just leaving anyway,” I declare, watching as Meadow’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. I’m sorry, I mouth, and she smiles.
One step back is enough to have Silas release his hold, only for me to collide with a firm chest, and I grind my teeth together.
“It’s starting to not feel so freeing now, Toby,” I muse, referring to our conversation earlier, and he nods in understanding, Meadow in sync with him.
“We can walk you back,” he offers, draping his arm around Meadow’s shoulders, and I shake my head.
“I’m good, but thank you.” Turning on the spot, my gaze collides with Baron’s. “You need to realize that you can’t reject me and control me. That’s not how this works.” My hands ball into fists at my sides as he cocks a brow at me.
“And how does it work then, Ivy? With you fawning all over some fucker who can already feel your dampness on the tip of his dick? He knows you’re easy and you’re not proving him wrong.”
I scoff, a familiar numbness washing over me as I stare him down. “Is this feedback or commentary?”
Someone snickers behind me, but I’m too amped up and locked in to follow the sound.
Baron grabs my jaw, his fingers flexing as he tilts my head back, forcing me to look at him.
“Don’t put me in a position where I have to show you how heartless I can be,” he rasps, and I shiver.
“Don’t belittle me in public with comments on topics you know nothing about and the fantasies you clearly spend an awful lot of time on in your mind.
I’ve spent long enough being the product of other people’s expectations.
I’m here for me. If you don’t like it, then tough shit, that’s not my problem.
You should have left me alone. Now you have to face the consequences of your actions. ”
Despite the anger that burns through my veins, I turn, his hold falling away with ease as I dart for the cliffside. Every single person watches me go. I accept it because there’s nothing I can do about it.
Yet all I can think about are Meadow’s words from earlier, her mother’s wise advice, and how they might apply here.
I sure as hell can’t see their place in my current situation.