24. Ivy #2
“How?” Grogan asks, interacting with him instead of chastising him for interrupting like I expect.
“It goes beyond the here and now. It’s magic that is so deep, so powerful, that it will live forever.”
“So, rare magic?” Grogan directs, and Teddy nods. “How rare?”
“It’s the rarest form of magic ever documented among all of the kingdoms. Some say it’s a way of paying homage to those lost for their abilities, who fought for the greater good, only for it to cost them their lives,” he replies, his voice carrying a somber weight as Grogan tilts his head.
“And you don’t think that?”
Teddy shrugs, and I feel the heartache laced into his words as understanding washes over me.
“I think it’s a catalog of people based on their abilities, allowing each kingdom to have an invisible ranking.
To some, it allows them to brag about the abilities blessed to their land; to those looking at it, it becomes a target board. ”
Professor Grogan speaks, but I don’t hear him.
I’m too locked on Teddy’s words and the pain.
Is that what happened to his father? I can’t stop the ache in my chest as I consider how I would react if someone I loved was publicly massacred.
My father isn’t the best comparison, but Hugo? I can’t even fathom.
I don’t realize how locked in my head I am until the sound of people moving around me filters in, and I see everyone leaving.
Stuffing my belongings in my bag, I make sure to grab the documents from Sax.
Thankfully, my mates don’t wait around, hightailing it for the door with ease, and I work cautiously to keep an appropriate amount of distance behind them.
We’re all heading the same way, but that’s not the point.
We make it outside and I smile at the sun, a new ritual I like to bask in every time I’m outside, but I’m quickly distracted when I hear Teddy mention Odesa and Logan.
Curious, I inch closer.
“Have we heard the outcome yet?” Sax asks, and Teddy scoffs, shaking his head.
“They both deserve the death penalty,” Baron snaps, making my eyes widen in surprise.
Hearing him say that churns something inside of me.
I can’t lie, one of the thoughts clouding me this weekend was Baron.
Did he love her? Does he still love her?
It hurt to even consider, but it pained me even more to acknowledge the fact that they still have a hold on me despite my efforts to shake them free.
Hanging my head, I refuse to let myself fall into that trap again as Archer speaks, distracting me.
“The death penalty isn’t a thing anymore.”
“I don’t care,” Baron insists, and the resolution in his voice soothes me.
Dammit, Ivy.
Sax clears his throat as he scrubs the back of his neck. “She’s been silent for two years. Why now?”
“Because Ivy is here, and that makes it real,” Archer grunts, dragging a hand down his face.
“Well, Logan has been here this entire time. Unfortunately, he’s still real too,” Sax grumbles, glancing at his brother, who remains quiet until Teddy pats him on the back.
“Everyone worth loving leaves. The fact that she’s still lingering like a bad smell tells you everything you need to know.” My eyes widen at how certain he is with that statement, and it’s another cut through my chest.
“She’s going to have to get used to her being around,” Archer declares, glancing at each of them. “Ivy isn’t going anywhere. We just need to make sure Ivy isn’t alone, like we agreed.”
“What did you agree to?” I blurt, revealing myself as four wide eyes turn to me. “Please, don’t act like you didn’t know I was there, you’re too observant for that,” I grumble, folding my arms over my chest as Sax waves me off.
“Don’t worry yourself,” he insists, and I scoff.
“Consider me worried,” I bite back.
“Ivy,” Archer warns, and I shake my head.
“I thought I made myself clear on Saturday when I left Inky Lake with my friends.”
“What was supposed to be clear?” Baron grunts, planting his hands on his hips as he towers over me, and it takes everything in me not to shrink.
“You don’t get a say about anything in relation to me. Nothing.” Irritation burns through my veins.
“If you say so,” Teddy says with a smile, and it infuriates me more.
“I do say so, but something tells me you don’t care to listen.”
“You would be right,” Baron says with a sigh, building the frustration inside of me as I eliminate the distance between us, standing toe to toe with him as I speak my truth for the first time.
“Two years ago, I was ready to offer my everything to my fated mate. Whatever it took, I wanted a solid foundation, something to grow, something other than what I’ve been surrounded by my entire life.” My chest burns and my pulse rings in my ears as I succumb to the pain.
“Which is what?” Archer pushes, and I scoff, dragging my hands down my face.
“Fake-ass people, living fake-ass lives, with no love, no laughter, no joy. I wanted anything other than that. That’s all I wanted, until you all sang from the same hymn sheet and left me to rot in my very own type of Hell.
” I meet each of their stares as I take a step back, hellbent on ensuring they all feel my wrath.
“I spent the first six months certain it was just a dream, waking every morning with the belief that today would be the day you would come, but the hope turned to defeat quickly enough. I became a fake-ass angel, living her fake-ass life, with nothing in my heart, soul, or mind. This past weekend was a mess, my second glimpse at death since arriving.” Bile burns in my throat as I glance at Archer.
“I’m eternally grateful that you found me and helped me, but that does nothing to eradicate the pain you’ve already caused.
” My chest heaves as I stand before them, disheveled and filled with far more emotion than I ever wanted to share.
“What will?” Sax asks, and a strangled sob parts my lips as I drop my hands at my sides.
“You say you hear me, but you’re still not listening. There is no coming back from that.”