6. Ivy
IVY
“I’m listening.”
My heart is lodged in my throat, my arms banded around my middle as my nerve endings fizzle through my body. Nausea churns in my stomach as I keep an extra step between us.
Doubt flutters deep in my soul as we cut across campus, taking the quieter trail since my companion is naked and unfazed. Somehow, we manage to avoid crossing paths with anyone else, that familiar green acid of jealousy clenching my muscles at the thought.
A snicker rings in the air, snapping my attention to Sax’s face, making my cheeks heat as I realize I’ve been staring at his…
I shake my head, irritation intensifying the red hue across my face as I huff. “Maybe if you had some clothes on.”
“I shifted.” The amusement in his tone is obnoxious.
“Shift back,” I grumble, and his grin widens.
“I like your eyes on me.”
“You like any eyes on you,” I retort, rolling my eyes, and he stops dead in his tracks, grabbing my chin and halting me along with him.
All I can do is gape at him, eyes wide as I tremble at his close proximity.
“Only you,” he breathes, certainty in his eyes.
“Always you,” he reiterates before he drops his hold, taking a step back, and I manage an exhale.
With a firm nod, he continues, and I somehow find the strength to fall into step with him once again.
Only this time, I work twice as hard to keep my gaze locked ahead, my fingers itching to trace across my chin to relive the lingering heat of his touch.
Not another word passes either of our lips as we near the Land Protector dorms. Pausing at the entrance, I consider making a run for it, glancing off toward the Fire Protector dorms instead, but fingers wrap around my wrist before I can commit.
“Come inside.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I mumble, and he shakes his head.
“I can’t have you changing your mind. Come inside, and I’ll have everyone come over here.” I gnaw on my bottom lip, uncertainty warring inside of me. “If it makes you feel any better, you can do it,” he offers, and I sigh.
“I don’t have my device,” I offer, and his eyebrows pinch.
“Why?”
I shrug. “I was lured away by pizza,” I admit.
He nods, approaching the evergreens that block the Land Protector dorms. With his hand outstretched toward me, I lock in on my earlier decision and place my palm against his.
At his side, I approach the vines, watching in awe as they unravel, creating a gap big enough for us to slip through.
There’s no going back now.
Instinctively, I feel myself leaning into Sax and quickly retract my hand, wrapping my arms around my middle once again. I can sense the disappointment, but he doesn’t mention it as he approaches the stairs.
“Is everything good with Hugo?” he asks, and I shrug.
“It’s been better,” I admit, and he nods.
“I can imagine.”
Thankfully, he stops on the third floor, distracting me from dwelling any further on my brother, directing me to the first door on the right.
He glances back over his shoulder at me for a brief moment, a soft smile at the corner of his mouth, before he pushes the door wide open and I’m offered my first glimpse into his personal space.
“Come in,” he mumbles, swinging his arm out, and I take two nervous steps before he closes the door behind us. “Let me find some clothes,” he mumbles, an air of reluctance to his words, but I don't respond, pressing my lips together in a thin line as I stand rooted to the spot.
I want to blurt out that he should stay as he is, but instead, I focus on his room so I don’t get distracted.
His walls are an off-white that complements his forest-green soft furnishings, which offer a masculine yet homey energy. His bed is off to the left and his desk under the window like mine, while access to his closet and bathroom are on my right.
The layout is similar to the other dorms in the Land Protector building and is almost a like-for-like comparison to Meadow’s room. But what sets it apart from the other rooms I’ve been in is how personalized it feels.
I'm sure most rooms in the building have green furnishings for Land Protectors, but it's the wall, filled almost from top to bottom with framed photos, that screams Sax.
Curiosity gets the better of me, encouraging me farther into the room to explore the images.
My heart races in my chest as I take in each one, from delicate baby photos next to his twin, to entire family portraits with his younger twin sisters hanging off his arm or wrapping themselves around Baron's neck.
In every picture, his smile is wide, perfectly placed on his lips, as if it were always meant to be there. Yet Baron stands grumpy and distant like always.
Seeing Greta and the girls in the images eases the tension I didn't realize was rattling inside of me, but before I can bask in it any longer, the door swings open from behind me, making me startle.
My feet leave the ground in fright for a split second as my gaze snaps to the entrance, where three pairs of wide-eyed mates stare back at me.
I feel like I can't breathe as I take each of them in, doubt nestling in my veins as panic threatens to consume me.
This was a mistake.
Archer is a foot in front of the others, chest heaving as his fingers flex at his sides.
He’s dressed in black pants and a matching black shirt, with the top two buttons undone.
Teddy's next in line behind him, blonde hair ruffled, as if he’s spent an eternity raking his fingers through it.
He’s the complete opposite of Archer, casual and relaxed in comparison to the Fire Protector’s polished look, opting for a pair of board shorts and a plain white t-shirt.
The look is completed by the smile on his face.
It’s as casual as his vibe, but it's Baron who is giving off the most intense energy.
His hands are clenched at his sides, his eyes narrowed, and his shoulders rise and fall slowly as he sets all his focus on me. He looks ready for destruction in a pair of combat pants and a fitted black t-shirt, which somehow make him look even more intimidating than usual.
Intimidatingly hot.
Dammit.
The one thing that hangs among each of them is the same essence of guilt.
It resonates from one to another, bouncing around the space as the closet door opens and Sax re-enters the room, thankfully now wearing jeans and a t-shirt.
The awkward silence stretches for a moment before Teddy clears his throat.
“What made you change your mind?” he blurts, stepping farther into the room, bypassing Archer as Baron inches in closer to kick the door shut behind him.
“Sax’s dick,” I utter, making Archer's head snap back in surprise.
“What?” Teddy splutters, and Sax chuckles under his breath.
“Odesa, Francesca, and Bonnie were giving her shit. I interjected,” he explains, and Teddy grimaces, his gaze bouncing between mine and Sax’s for a moment before he speaks.
“And she didn't set you on fire? That feels like progress,” he states, nodding toward me, and I scoff.
“There's still time,” I grumble, lips pursed with agitation.
“And we’d still deserve it,” Baron admits, rendering me speechless as I gnaw on my bottom lip.
The awkwardness spreads through the room once again as everyone nervously inches closer, but nobody takes the lead, like the moment is fragile and no one wants to unsettle it.
I startle again as a blast of color darts through the door.
Green.
Blue.
Red.
I gape in disbelief.
The flash of red is not the one I'm familiar with, as three male sprites come into view, stopping in a line before me as they gape just as wide as me.
“I told you she was here,” Clay states, turning a withering look in Sax's direction. “You better not fuck this up,” he snaps, and Teddy drags a hand down his face.
“What are you even doing here?” he mumbles, and Crush zips through the air, stopping a millimeter before the tip of Teddy's nose.
“Ember wants nothing to do with us,” the blue sprite hisses, anger rippling through the room.
“Okay,” Teddy says slowly, which only seems to irritate Crush more.
“Because of you,” he retorts, and Teddy exhales, defeated.
“I’m—”
“Don't apologize to me,” Crush interjects. “Apologize to her,” he snaps, his eyes finding mine across the room.
Teddy presses his fingers into his temples as he exhales. “That's what I was trying to do before you interrupted,” he barks back, and Crush’s mouth falls open.
“Oh,” he mumbles, clearing his throat before he dances across the room, gliding gently before stopping a few feet away from me. “Sorry about that, Ivy.”
He’s quickly joined by the other sprites.
“I’m Clay, nice to meet you,” Sax’s land sprite says, and I smile.
“You too.”
“I’m Crush,” the bright-blue sprite says before somersaulting through the air.
“I remember.” I can't stop the grin on my lips as he spins around the other two sprites.
“She remembers me!”
“And I’m Coal,” the red sprite states, inching closer as he clears his throat, uncertainty flashing in his wide eyes. “Do you think she's ever going to forgive us? It's not our fault. These are the fools,” he insists, and I smile wider.
“Have a little patience. Ember is not going to respond well to you pressuring her.”
“Excellent advice,” Clay says, spinning in place, an earthy scent in his trail, before they all disappear, dancing through the door just as quickly as they came.
Each of us blink at the wood in disbelief, when a sudden flash of blue returns, coming to a halt in front of Teddy's face once again.
“If you fuck this up, there will be consequences,” he barks, and Teddy rolls his eyes.
“I heard you.”
“Loud and clear?”
“Loud and clear,” Teddy repeats, satisfying Crush, who turns to wink at me before disappearing once again.
We all remain frozen in place, waiting what feels like forever, making sure they’re not going to return before our attention drifts elsewhere.
Archer clears his throat, cutting through the silence as he drags a hand down his face before sucking in a sharp breath. “Where do you want us to begin, Ivy? Answers, groveling, or torture?”