11. Baron
BARON
The sun sits just right in the sky, casting a stunning glow over Ivy in the most ethereal way as she smiles at me.
I think this is what perfection looks like.
Hugo clears his throat as he drapes an arm around Ivy’s shoulder, pulling her in for a short hug. “Luckily for all of us, I need to leave. Which means we can separate these two,” he grumbles, pointing at our dragons as if they can’t hear us.
“He needs to take her far, far away,” Alaric mutters, and Ivy rolls her eyes, giving both Alaric and Lucky a pointed look.
“You’re both as bad as each other,” Ivy insists, “Maybe, instead of fighting over me, you could make my life easier by not adding another issue to the mix.
Alaric dips his head. “I’m sorry, Ivy.”
Lucky does the same and Ivy smiles. “You’re both forgiven,“ she declares, hurrying toward both dragons to run her hands over their scales.
“With the way they both dote on her, I keep forgetting they’re actually our dragons,” Hugo muses, and I scoff.
“I think if they had it their way, they would be hers,” I reply, and he pats me on the shoulder, agreement in the air.
“Take care, Vee. I’ll see you soon, okay?” he hollers as Ivy runs her hand down Lucky’s nose one last time before Hugo climbs up and they take off.
“Good riddance,” Alaric grumbles, earning a withering look from Ivy as she plants her hands on her hips. “Sorry,” he quickly mutters, as I smother my mouth with my hand, attempting to hide my amusement.
“Did you get the short straw?” Ivy asks, turning her attention to me, and I tilt my head as I assess her.
“Short straw?” I repeat, and she nods.
“Having to escort me,” she clarifies, and I shake my head, bewildered.
“This was the prize, Firefly,” I admit, obsessed with the way her cheeks gain a pink hue. “Besides, Alaric was ready to burn me alive if I didn’t make an appearance soon,” I add, and she rolls her eyes.
“Causing trouble, Alaric?” she asks, stopping at my side as she directs her attention toward him, just in time to catch the slight puff of smoke seeping from his nostrils.
“I would never. He’s just being dramatic,” he insists, and Ivy giggles, leaving me obsessed with the sound as her amusement lightens the air.
“So you didn’t threaten to trample me with your claws, toss me into the ocean for the fish to eat me, then burn me alive for good measure?”
Ivy’s jaw falls slack as Alaric sniffs.
“I would never.”
“Of course you wouldn’t,” Ivy surmises, knowing my dragon almost as well as I do. Returning her gaze to me, she offers a soft smile. “Let me just grab my bag, and I’ll—”
I reach for her arm, halting her in her tracks before she can take a single step. “No need. Teddy said he would take care of it.”
“But—”
“No buts,” I interrupt. “It’s no bother for us,” I insist, slipping the ridiculously sized bag back over the threshold.
“Are you sure?” she clarifies, glancing at the open door for a moment, and I nod when she turns back.
“If anything, it will probably make him feel all strong and manly for doing it,” I muse, and she snickers.
“You’re all crazy.”
“About you,” I blurt, nervously stuffing my hands in my pockets as her cheeks darken. Clearing my throat, I rock back on my heels. “Do you want to grab some food?” I offer, but before she can answer, Alaric slams his claw on the ground with a huff.
“I’ve only just got to see her. You can’t take her away just yet,” he grumbles.
“I”m sorry about him,” I mutter, and she shakes her head, bewildered.
“It’s amusing,” she breathes, and Alaric huffs, another plume of smoke jetting from his nose. “But you have to stop threatening people and being mean to get your own way. Otherwise, I won’t make time for you like this,” she states, aiming a finger at Alaric, who stills.
My spine stiffens.
Alaric is silly when he wants to be, but he’s fierce, known for being one of the toughest dragons of the Fifth Kingdom—for good reason. I’m ready to interject, but before I can even consider where this might go, he drops unceremoniously to the ground, head tilted in Ivy’s direction.
“I’ll try, but do I get a free pass when he’s being a pain in my ass?” he asks, and Ivy giggles.
“I want to say yes, but something tells me that’s all the time,” she replies, amusement dancing in her eyes as she peers at me before hurrying toward my dragon.
“Why do I always feel like I’m being ganged up on by you two?” I mutter, but before I can get an answer, Alaric pounds his claws into the ground and shoots into the air.
“Meet you at the cliffs,” he hollers, not waiting around for a refusal before he disappears, leaving the two of us.
Ivy remains rooted to the spot for a moment, disbelief glittering in her eyes as she shakes her head.
“Is he always this intense?” she asks, and I nod.
“This is almost calm for him,” I explain, and she grins.
“How long do you think we have to get to the cliffs before he gets mad?” she asks, and I huff.
“He’s probably mad that we’re not there right now. But honestly, if you’re busy or have other plans, I can escort you back to your room before I go and find him,” I offer, and she shakes her head.
“I’ve got time.”
I start in the direction of the cliffs, refusing to give her a chance to change her mind as my stomach flips with nerves. Or is it excitement?
It’s probably nothing, but the tension is palpable as we stroll toward the main academy building.
The silence between us is relaxed, as though she’s calm and drinking in the moment, but it feels foreign. I’m used to feeling like I’m balancing on the edge of a knife, and this is no different. Maybe it’s my loner tendencies making everything else seem worse.
She seems completely unfazed as she moves almost whimsically, taking in everything around her by choice rather than out of concern for her safety.
I’m too enthralled with watching her every move, hypnotized, to worry over it.
Bypassing the few students cutting across campus, we take the path around the edge of the main academy building toward the clifftops.
The clifftops, and lo and behold, Alaric is perched right there.
My stomach knots at the sight, guilt threading through me, but it quickly disappears when my mate gasps beside me.
“What is that?” she asks, nervously pointing toward the checkered blanket already laid out on the grass.
Red and silver.
Fire and Air.
“For us,” I mutter, pulling at my hair, relishing in the tension as I wait with bated breath for her response.
“Is there food in that picnic basket?” she asks, gnawing at her bottom lip, and I offer her a nervous, tight smile.
“If Alaric hasn’t raided it already,” I admit as she comes to a stop beside the little setup.
Doubt quickly burns in my mind, and I part my lips, but before I can breathe a single word, she’s squeezing my arm.
“This is so thoughtful. Do you mind if I sit? My legs are aching,” she murmurs, brushing a loose curl behind her ear, and all I can do is nod.
She kicks off her sneakers, placing them neatly beside the blanket before she sits cross-legged to the right of the wicker basket perched in the middle.
I watch in awe as she tilts her head back, basking in the sun before she sighs.
She takes a moment to glance out at the horizon before peering over her shoulder at me.
“Are you going to show me what’s inside or starve me to death?” she muses, and Alaric huffs.
“He’s probably too nervous to move.”
“I’m not,” I grumble.
I definitely am, but they don’t need to know that.
Before I can overthink it and prove Alaric right, I unlace my combat boots and take the empty spot beside her, stretching my legs out instead of attempting some flexible shit like crossing my legs.
“I may have gotten my mom to help,” I mutter, unclasping the basket to reveal the contents.
Another wave of uncertainty threatens to claim me, but the beaming smile on her face forces me to swallow it down.
“Greta is quite possibly my favorite person in the whole entire world,” she breathes, eyeing the goodies inside as I grin.
“She’s pretty epic,” I add, removing the fruit platter, spread of cheeses, and variety of crackers, before reaching for the utensils and bottle of water.
It’s not as exciting as a bottle of champagne, I’m sure, but there’s a party tonight and I’m trying to be mindful of the fact that she’s going to need to be as hydrated as possible.
Besides, it’s my favorite brand.
“If I drowned in this water, I wouldn’t be sad,” she blurts, grinning at the glass bottle, and my eyes widen with surprise.
“I’d fall with you.”
You didn’t last time.
The words are like lead on my tongue before they thrum to life, threatening to spill, but I refuse.
There’s a time to explain, but now isn’t it.
This is about trying to let the walls down.
Whose? Maybe both of ours, but being here and trying is the first step on that long, long road.
I have to let the rest come naturally instead of bombarding her.
“Was all of this your mom’s idea?” she asks as I remove the protective cover from the boards that are perfectly spread out to look all fancy.
“The food, yes. The rest? No.”
Why does that sound like a question?
I blame my nerves.
“Well, I guess the pair of you make a good team,” she declares, reaching for a few grapes as her attention drifts back out toward the horizon, but I don’t miss the megawatt grin on her lips.
Instead of peppering her with questions to make sure she’s okay, I follow her line of sight, attempting to let the water off in the distance calm me as it always does.
That sweet, melodic silence ghosts over us again as we snack, sharing every single drop of water and enjoying the platters between us until there’s barely a scrap left.
Ivy sighs. “I love this view.”
“You do?” I ask, my chest tightening briefly as she nods. “What do you love about it?”
Brushing her hair back off her face, she shrugs. “I like how small it makes me feel, yet powerful. Like, there’s a whole world out there, and seeing it from this vantage point makes me feel as if anything is possible.”
Her words burn through me.
“That’s beautiful.”