2. Ivy
IVY
Ihave no idea what's going on right now, or what delirium I'm floating in that gives me the confidence and strength to think that it’s a good idea to follow this man, but here I am.
The flames may have disappeared from the surface, but they burn inside of me with a vengeance. Invisible to the rest of the world.
I've never felt more disheveled in my whole entire life, especially while being so focused and hyper-alert.
My heartbeat quickens as tension grows thick in the air, and I step past my hated mates and let the leader of the Second Kingdom lead me out into the hallway. I keep two steps behind as I retrace our earlier steps, heading back into the room we originally came from.
Anticipation weighs heavy on me as we step inside, and he closes the door behind me, sealing my fate before I can reconsider.
Shaking my head, I focus on staying present instead of losing myself to my thoughts, but I’m immediately flooded with the revelations that floated in the air, holding everyone captive. It feels like an eternity ago, yet I'm sure it wasn’t very long at all.
The stench of tobacco swirls in the air, making my nose scrunch as my eyes cast over the room.
All the bodies that filled the space earlier are gone. The low lighting is still in place, casting a soft glow over the leather seats that Leonardo waves a hand toward, continuing to guide me, whether I like it or not.
Clearing my throat, my fingers curl into the material of my dress as soft jazz drifts wistfully through the air. My eyes crinkle as I try to recall whether I heard that playing earlier, but maybe I can only hear it now because nobody else is here to distract me.
My chest tightens as Leonardo moves to the side, taking a seat in a low brown leather chair, revealing the fact that we're not quite alone, as someone stands to his left, hovering over the dead body of Deandra Dormer.
My spine stiffens as I watch the server cup their hand over their mouth, gagging against their palm as they try to clean up the remains.
It should remind me of the kind of man I’m facing, but all I can do is gape in disbelief.
Folding my arms over my chest, I recall the last time I saw a dead body… at the altar, where my life changed forever. Only, this feels a little more gruesome, especially since I was here to witness her murder.
Leonardo follows my line of sight with a grunt, curling his hand in the air, and in one swift move, the server keels over, choking on nothing as they claw at their throat. All too quickly, they fall limp against the lifeless form, making it a pile of two dead bodies.
“You're disgusting,” I state, my eyes wide as I shake my head, all while he brushes invisible lint from his pants, an amused smile on his lips.
“Thank you.”
Not an inch of remorse is visible, and it makes my stomach twist in knots.
“It wasn’t a compliment,” I insist, and he presses his lips together in a thin line.
“Take a seat,” he commands, waving a hand at the chair beside him, the one nestled between him and the pile of dead bodies.
I scoff, tightening my arms around my middle. “No, thank you.”
His eyes narrow a fraction. “It wasn't a request, Ivy,” he snarls, making my heart tremble as I gingerly do as he commands and take the seat.
Locked dead center between two versions of Hell, I don’t know which way to lean. What’s the lesser of two evils? A pile of dead bodies, or the leader of the Second Kingdom?
I try to keep my spine as straight as I can, and the moment I get comfortable, Leonardo extends his hand, trying to reach for me, but I quickly pull away from his grasp before he gets a chance, lacing my fingers together in my lap.
He doesn't retract completely, though. Instead, he taps the tip of his index finger on the leather arm of his chair.
If it's an attempt to intimidate me, it has the potential to work.
“So, the truth is out,” he declares, and I press my lips together in a thin line.
“You knew that they knew,” I state, staring deep into his eyes, unfazed by the darkness that lingers.
“What, exactly?” he questions, and my eyebrows furrow.
“You just said the truth is out.”
The corner of his mouth tips up in a knowing smile. “Let me hear it from your lips.” He says it with an air of lust, and it makes my throat thicken, emotions clawing through me as I try to clear the lump that has settled there, but it's futile.
I haven't had time to decipher any of this for myself yet. Add this man's presence and his choice of words, and I'm already regretting my decision as defeat settles in my veins.
Clearing my throat, I try again, more urgent to leave than to uncover truths now.
“Everyone knew I was going to be a phoenix,” I acknowledge, and his grin grows wider as he leans closer, resting his elbow on my armchair, using his palm as a prop for his chin.
“Would you have felt differently if you had known sooner?” he muses, and I shrug, hating how intimate and intimidating it feels all at once.
“I don't know what I would have felt,” I admit, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell him.
Would I?
He tilts his head, leaning in an extra inch. “How do you feel about the fact that your mates knew?”
I try to lean away from him, but the smell of death already cuts through the air beside me.
I have a lot of racing thoughts when it comes to those four men, but I haven’t figured them out for myself yet, so I’m in no position to share. “There are a lot of unanswered questions,” I state, hoping to change the topic instead of divulging my pain to this man, of all people.
Letting my guard down in here would be foolish.
“I can help you with some of those answers, if you would like,” he offers, and I cock a brow at him.
“I can't see how.”
As if my words are a command, he jolts to his feet, crowding my space as he plants one hand on each side of my chair. He leans in closer than I'd like, but I refuse to look weak, keeping my eyes locked on his.
“I know how you work, Ivy. This evening has panned out exactly the way I wanted it to.”
I scoff, yet the way his eyes narrow tells me he believes his words to be true.
“Every last detail,” he bites. “I know that your mind will be reeling, but instead of focusing on foolish men, you'll want the facts. You'll want the same answers you were searching for before tonight. I can give it all to you… at a price.”
I huff, my pulse ringing in my ears at the truth on his tongue. “I don't make deals with the devil.”
“You haven't considered the prize yet.”
“It's not worth my soul,” I promise.
Knowing the truth, his face straightens, the amusement a distant memory as his knuckles whiten, clenching tight around the arms of my chair.
“Respect my offer before my anger gets the better of me,” he snarls, his jaw ticking as his eyes darken, almost to the point of pitch black.
All I can do is take him at his word and clear my throat. “Consider me curious,” I murmur, and his face lights with amusement once again.
I can't deny that he holds all the power right now.
The question is, what am I willing to let him do with it?
To my surprise, he stands back quickly, retracing his steps and falling into his seat before delving into a worn leather duffel bag down the other side of his chair. Despite searching to his left, his eyes remain locked on mine the entire time while holding a golden ball in his hands.
It's about the size of a watermelon, worn in with an intricate pattern etched across the entire thing.
Once it's in his possession, he stands again, hovering over me as he nods toward my hands. Against my better judgment, I hold them out without thinking, a gasp parting my lips a moment later when he drops the golden object into my grasp.
It's heavier than I anticipated, but the intricate swirls hold my interest.
“It's a relic, Ivy. Brush your finger across the engraving,” he murmurs as I tilt the ball just right to get a better look at the carved symbols. I can’t make out what they mean, and that only increases the dread rattling inside of me.
Gulping, I shake my head. “I don't want to make a deal,” I reiterate, and he sighs.
“This one is on the house. Consider it a glimmer of what I have to offer you.”
I look up at him through my lashes as he stares down at me expectantly, and I shiver. My nerves threaten to get the better of me, but before I can think rationally, I ghost my fingertips over the engraving as instructed.
The second my fingertip presses against the last symbol, my eyes roll to the back of my head as the relic comes alive in my hands, distorting my vision. When I manage to refocus, I’m acutely aware that I'm no longer in the meeting room with Leonardo and two dead bodies, but somewhere else entirely.
A long table fills the room, each seat taken as grumbles cut through the air, but it's not the people at the table who hold my attention, but the leader of the First Kingdom, Mallen Ferris, who stands at the opposite end of the room.
His figure is outlined by the moonlight shimmering in through the window behind him, but he's not alone, his hands braced against the wrought-iron bars of a cage that sits perched in the corner.
My feet carry me toward him as my eyes widen at the sight of a woman curled in a ball, pressed as far back against the wall as possible. I can't see her face, but she's naked, covered in filth, and whimpering in fear.
The leader of the First Kingdom slams his palm against the cage, making it rattle as he snarls. “Freedom will come if you pledge yourself as my Kingdom Champion. Bring The Fates to their knees and make every kingdom mine. Succeed, and I'll grant you anything you want.”
I take an extra step toward them, ready to plead for her freedom, when the room changes before my eyes again, and I'm back seated beside Leonardo.
My head sways from the disorientation as my breath comes in short, sharp pants.
“What was that?” I blurt, and he smiles, taking the relic from my hands.
“Your first glimpse,” he murmurs, and I run my tongue along my dry lips as I shake my head, confused and set in disbelief. “Who was the lady, Ivy?” he murmurs, and I gulp, my mind swirling over the short snippet, but I know the truth, deep in my gut.
“The first phoenix,” I guess, coming to the logical conclusion based on Mallen Ferris’s presence and the murmur of Kingdom Champions. It was mentioned earlier that it had been done before.
“Excellent observation, Ivy. That's what I love about you,” he states as he retakes his seat, lacing his fingers together as he peers across the short space between us. “Now, is it a deal worth taking?” he asks, confident in himself after offering a single glimpse at the origin of my heritage.
“What is it you want from me?” I breathe, and he grins.
“Exactly what he wanted from her.”
His words hit my stomach like a punch, knocking the wind from my sails as I fight to contain the tremble that runs through my body. I shouldn’t be shocked, not when it comes to this man, but here I am, reeling from his truth.
“And if I don't agree?” I ask, and he shrugs.
“Then you saw her condition.” He cocks his brow as I gulp, unable to form a response on my tongue, but he speaks again before I have the chance anyway. “I don't want that for you, Ivy,” he adds, and I huff.
“That's not the vibe you're giving,” I mumble, and he grins.
“I don't want you as my prisoner. I want you at my side, just like your father promised me.”
I rear back, no longer fazed by the dead bodies behind me, putting as much distance between us as I can. “And you expect me to hold up my father's end of a bargain after he killed me?”
His face turns to stone as he slams his fist on the arm between us.
“No. No one shall forgive that man for his actions. Not when I wanted to be the one to do it.” A shudder runs down my spine, my veins turning to ice, despite the angered heat that continues to pulse through me.
“I would have been gentler.” He tries to reassure me, but it doesn’t connect.
“More than that, I want other things,” he pushes, and my tongue is like lead in my mouth.
I try to speak as he leans in closer, using his palm as a rest for his cheek again, but he beats me to it. “Like the way you smile at Hugo.”
“Huh?”
He hums with a slight nod. “It's special, the way the corner of your mouth meets your eyes. It's reserved only for him. I want it for myself.”
I blink at him a few times, bewildered. “I don't understand.”
“I want you to stare at me with intention, fluttering those long lashes of yours as you do repeatedly when you're anxious.”
I shake my head, realizing I'm doing exactly what he's murmuring about already.
Nausea churns in my stomach.
“And I want you sleeping at my side with your left knee cocked and your hand under your cheek.”
It's me that turns to stone this time, acutely aware this man knows exactly how I sleep every night, but more than that, I understand how dangerous this man is, and how close he's been able to get already.
The ice catches fire in my veins, bubbling over as it reaches its peak.
He's in my head, and the grin on his lips confirms that's exactly where he wanted to be.
Despite my knowledge growing, I feel like I'm drowning, or maybe I'm simply sinking, letting the current take me without the strength to fight against it.
“There's an alternative path for you, Ivy. One no one else can walk,” he vows as the door explodes open and Hugo bursts in.
The energy quickly shifts at the intrusion, and Leonardo stands, disappointment lingering across his features.
“You're lucky I know just how much he means to you.
Otherwise, he'd be dead. I've killed for less,” he declares, my pulse thundering in my ears as the room blurs through my stuttered vision, my brain malfunctioning at his words.
He shakes his hands out at his sides as he stares down at me.
“He's your savior today, but tomorrow, he just might be your downfall.”
His words consume me as he disappears from sight, stealing my sanity along with him.