13. Ivy
IVY
“We were all… and they all were like… and then they… and he just… and she…”
“Take a breath, Baron,” Sax hollers, clapping him on the shoulder before turning to face me. “Honestly, Ivy, what have you done to my brother?” His eyebrows threaten to reach his hairline as he gapes at me, and all I can do is squeeze my hands between my thighs as I shrug.
Baron drags a hand through his hair as he paces in front of my door for the hundredth time while the rest of us watch his every move.
He hasn’t managed a full sentence since we returned, and I’ve been rooted to the spot for over half an hour.
I understand his inability to form words because this afternoon was wild.
I’m used to being flabbergasted, but seeing Baron all tied up in knots is almost concerning, if not a little amusing.
“Care to fill in the blanks?” Archer asks, waving a hand at his friend, who shakes his head in disbelief, and I shrug again.
“I can, but I have a party to get ready for,” I state, glancing at the time, and Teddy snickers beside me.
“How about you give us the cliffnotes, then you can get ready while we talk this guy down,” he offers, and I nod.
“Alaric—”
“Don’t mention his name right now. I’m mad at him,” Baron interjects, shaking his head, and I roll my eyes.
Exhaling, I try again. “He took me up,” I start, unsure of what term to even use, but Sax seems to understand as he leans toward me, eyes wide in disbelief.
“Like, in the sky?” he clarifies, and I nod. “With or without this guy?” he clarifies, pointing at his brother, who scoffs.
“With.”
“Isn’t that against the rules?” Archer adds, and Baron sighs as I pinch the bridge of my nose.
“It is, but that rule was set by the dragons, and in the end, there was no need for concern,” I state, and Baron scoffs.
“No need for concern? You do realize there were close to a thousand of them,” he retorts as I stuff my hands between my thighs again.
“A thousand what?” Teddy encourages.
“Dragons,” I mumble, and the room erupts in chaos.
Sax matches Baron’s stride as they both pace back and forth in opposite directions while Archer talks animatedly with his hands and Teddy aims a finger in the dragon rider’s direction, fury clouding his vision.
I really do want to go to the party, and I don’t have time for this.
With a huff, I stand and march toward my closet to grab my outfit for the night. It’s slightly surprising that nobody stops me or stomps after me, but the why becomes clear when I reenter the room. They’re still in the exact same positions, talking over one another.
Hurrying to the bathroom door, I curl my fingers around the handle before taking a deep breath.
“Be quiet!” I yell, louder than I had to tell a cave filled with a thousand dragons in attendance, and all four of them spin their gazes my way, surprise flickering in their eyes as they blink at me.
“If you can’t be civilized, get out,” I grumble, giving each of them a pointed look.
When no one makes a move to leave, I exhale.
“The dragons are my allies; Rapture said so.”
“Who the hell is Rapture?” Archer grunts, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
“The leader of the dragons.”
His eyes almost bug out of his head.
“Since when are we cleared to meet with the leader of the dragons?” Teddy asks, and I shrug.
“Since he informed me that dragons and phoenixes are allies, or they were until my mother came along. But Lucky and Alaric vouched for me, and Rapture agrees.”
“On what?” Sax asks, rubbing the back of his neck.
“That I’m not like my mother.”
Teddy scoffs. “We could have told you that, Princess. It would have saved you the danger,” he insists, and I roll my eyes.
“It happened, and it’s done. There’s nothing else that can change about the matter, but I, for one, think it was a great meeting.”
“Because they were bowing to you,” Baron mutters, and I cock a brow at him.
“What role were you jealous of? Being bowed to, or doing the bowing?” I mutter, my brain swirling with how many times bowing has been said in such a short amount of time.
I never want to hear the word again.
“I wasn’t jealous of any of it,” he retorts, and I nod.
“Excellent, then wrap your head around it while I get ready, but I have no interest in it being the topic of conversation when I return,” I declare before stepping over the threshold into the bathroom.
“Do you need any help?” Teddy offers, desire in his eyes when our gazes collide, and I huff.
“Not when you’re all behaving so dramatically. I’ll take perfectly good care of myself.”
I let the door fall closed before he can breathe another word, sagging with relief as silence engulfs me. The reality is, I know the situation is overwhelming, but I need a minute to figure it out for myself without dealing with other people’s emotions.
It was pretty eventful for my first time flying a dragon.
First time.
That’s the truth of it.
Apparently, all I have to do in the future is ask.
I don’t understand the whole picture, but something tells me I will soon enough.
Rapture was short and to the point. It seems the entirety of our meeting was to see me in person, judge me, and make a decision. A little like my personal judge and jury, but thankfully not my executioner.
Lucky didn’t come join me, but something tells me this was why she offered me a flight earlier in the week. Regardless, there’s no taking it back now, and I can’t say I want them to.
It was a silent flight back; Baron made sure of it. Alaric mumbled his apologies repeatedly, but Baron was too lost to his emotions to consider a response, and every time Alaric tried to talk to me, my dragon rider snarled.
I think we all just need some calmness to let the madness subside.
Which is exactly why this party is a perfect distraction. Besides, Meadow needs me, which means I get to shelve my own issues and focus on someone else’s for a change.
First, though, I smell like smoke, and that’s saying something as a Fire Protector, but being in such close proximity to the dragons was intense, heat and all.
I can hear the guys on the other side of the door. Not enough to piece together what they’re saying though, so I eliminate them from my thoughts entirely as I turn on the shower, letting the water drown them out.
Quickly undressing, I step under the spray, letting the water wash my worries away while trying to keep my hair from getting wet. I’ve got day-four hair, which is perfect for slicking it back into a cute ponytail that will work perfectly with the dress I pulled out.
Once I feel fresh, I shut off the water and make quick work of drying myself off. The dress in question is a cute, summery style that cuffs at the shoulders, fastens with a bow between my breasts, and falls mid-thigh, with soft pink flowers throughout.
Arranging my strands into a hair tie, I smile at the end result before reaching for my makeup bag and completing the look.
Opting for my favorite white sandals, I glance at my silhouette in the mirror, a smile lifting the corners of my mouth as I brace myself, ready to face my hated mates on the other side of the door.
My lips press together in a thin line as I swing the door open, surprised to find Teddy sprawled on my bed. His outfit is different. He’s now wearing a pair of soft-blue shorts with a white t-shirt, and a pair of slides perched beside the bed. But what’s more surprising is the fact that he’s alone.
Letting my gaze fall to his, a shiver runs down my spine as I watch him watch me. It’s like his hands are on my body with the way he drinks me in, and the way his lip curls at the corner lures me closer.
I take two steps before I remember myself, clenching my hands at my sides as I clear my throat. “Where are the others?” I ask, and he shrugs.
“They went to get changed. They’ll meet us there.”
I cock a brow at him again. “And is everyone calm now?” I ask, and he nods.
“As calm as the bottom of the ocean,” he promises with a wink.
“Perfect,” I declare, exhaling as I shake the worry from my limbs. “I’m ready to go.”
He swings his legs over the side of the bed, straight into his slides before he stands, eliminating the distance between us in a single breath.
“Well, we’re not going anywhere until I tell you just how beautiful you look, Princess.”
“Thank you,” I breathe, the familiar tingles of a blush dancing along my cheeks, and he winks.
He hooks his arm for me to link with him and I take the offer, nerves flooding my veins as I saunter from my room at his side.
As we make our way outside, the moonlight shimmering around us, I clear my throat. “How did you win?” I ask, and he glances at me out of the corner of his eye.
“What do you mean?”
“Either no one else wanted to escort me, or—”
“Oh, they wanted to escort you,” he interrupts, amusement brightening his blue eyes.
“But?”
He shrugs, looking straight ahead as we move toward the beach, but I pull us to a stop, a pointed look on my face as I wait him out. It takes two seconds before he sighs.
“I may have encouraged them.”
My jaw falls slack. “Teddy,” I berate, and he chuckles.
“What? You’ve been on a freaking dragon excursion with Baron today, Archer gets to sleep in the room beside you every night, and you and Sax—”
I slap the back of my hand against his chest.
“You are a menace,” I grumble. “That’s not a good enough reason to do… whatever it is you did,” I mutter, and he grins from ear to ear.
“I didn’t do anything mean. I just might have… encouraged them to take some time in the shower, thinking about our girl to ease the tension they’re struggling with.”
Oh.
Of all the things I expected him to say, that wasn’t it.
I’m certain flames are about to burst at my cheeks because they’re so damn hot, and I quickly duck my gaze, avoiding his stare as he hums with glee.
Thankfully, he doesn’t press the matter any further. Although, it leaves me deep in my thoughts as we move in silence, visions swirling in my mind as I consider them taking his advice.