16. Ivy
IVY
Apparently, when Archer sets his mind to something, there’s no turning back.
Not when he decides he’s got the solution to all our problems, he springs into action and two minutes later, the rest of my hated mates fill my room.
I have never realized it until now.
Teddy dives onto my bed, leaning back against the headboard, which is becoming his usual spot, while Sax perches against my desk in front of the window, leaving Archer at the foot of my bed and Baron leaning against the wall behind the door.
I should feel suffocated like I have so many times before, but after the rollercoaster the relic took us on, I’m almost thankful for their presence.
Archer speaks animatedly with his hands, replaying our lives over the past hour or so while I remain quiet, digesting it from his perspective as he brings the others up to speed.
“And that brings me to the reason why you’re all here,” Archer states, planting his hands on his hips.
“With the urgency, I thought Ivy was in need of grounding,” Teddy muses, dancing his eyebrows at me, and I roll my eyes.
“This is serious,” Baron grumbles, dragging a hand down his face as he shakes his head at the Water Protector.
“I know that. I’m trying to lighten the mood. She looks tense,” he insists, waving a hand at me, and four pairs of eyes settle in my direction.
I gulp, attempting to school my features, but once again, it proves difficult in their presence. It’s as if my mind is becoming more willing to let my walls down around them, which is great on one hand, but it’s making it increasingly harder to put them back up.
Archer sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tries to compose himself before he clears his throat. “What does Ivy desire most?”
“Me!” Teddy replies with ease, earning a round of sighs from the others, but I can’t help but snicker. His attempts to lighten the mood are working, whether they like it or not.
“That sounds like a perfect answer to me,” Sax says, struggling to hide his amusement as he dusts his hands off.
“If you’re thinking in the direction I’m guessing you are, all we have to do is lock down or sacrifice what Ivy desires most, so it takes it out of the equation.
” He winks at me before tilting his head in Teddy’s direction.
“I say we sacrifice Teddy and be done with it.”
“Hey!” Teddy protests, eyes widening as he slaps his hands down on the sheets beside him in a mini temper tantrum, and I snort with laughter. “Defend me, Ivy,” he insists, and I shake my head.
“Your ego got you into this mess; it can get you back out too.”
He huffs, folding his arms over his chest. “We’re obviously not going to sacrifice me so—”
“Why is it obvious?” Baron interjects, cocking a brow at him. “I think it sounds like a great idea.”
“You’re all terrible,” Teddy grumbles. “But seriously, Archer, is that what we’re doing? Figuring out what he could try to use against her? Or for her, depending on which way you look at it.”
I shudder, hating every aspect of this situation as Archer nods in agreement.
All eyes turn to me expectantly and I curl in on myself, attempting to appear invisible, but that’s not an ability The Fates blessed me with.
My jaw falls slack, an answer balanced on the tip of my tongue, when Baron speaks first.
“Where is the to-do list you made with my mom? That might be of use.”
My lips purse for a beat, considering whether to share it with them, but I quickly concede, aware that he’s right: it’s the best place to start.
Slipping past Archer, I edge toward Sax, who moves out of the way as I approach the desk. With a slow exhale, I open the top drawer and reveal the small piece of paper. Sax silently takes it from me, spreading it out on the wooden top as the others appear, crowding around to see it for themselves.
I don’t need to look; it’s engraved into my mind.
I want to find myself.
I want to control my fire without setting myself on fire.
I want to feel a sense of pride in being a phoenix.
I want to make my father pay for what he did to me.
I want to whoop Teddy’s butt at fencing.
I want to fly on a dragon.
I want to find my place in the world without my parents’ control.
I want to love so hard it hurts.
I want to see more than what my sheltered life has confined me to.
I want to forgive but not forget.
One by one, they shove and push each other, devouring the words before gentle, concerned eyes turn my way.
Teddy clears his throat first. “You want to whoop my butt, huh?” he muses, and I roll my eyes.
“I’m not embarrassed to admit it’s harder than I would like it to be,” I mumble, and he grins, reaching for my arm and squeezing gently.
“Princess, I will give in to you right now,” he promises, and I shake my head.
“That’s not what I want. What I want is to do it with skill, not because you’re soft for me,” I insist, and his smile grows.
“That’s why I like you. A lot,” he declares, releasing my arm as Archer’s gaze catches mine.
“You’ve already ticked two things off the list. The third involves Teddy, but isn’t something that will be used against you.
All of these, except one, are open to interpretation, and I’m more than happy to go through them with you one at a time, but first, I need you to agree to something,” he states, and I gulp, nerves threatening to get the better of me.
“And what’s that?”
He rakes his teeth over his bottom lip as he rocks back on his heels. “I want to help you control your fire so you’re not setting yourself on fire by accident,” he declares, his words hanging in the air like a cloud, leaving me unsure of what might fall from it.
Instead of letting it turn into a thick, gray, weighted cloud, I exhale. “Okay,” I breathe, accepting his offer, and his eyes widen a fraction.
It’s amusing to catch him off guard.
“Perfect. We won’t start today, but get ready for it, okay?” he confirms, and I nod.
“Now, the rest of it,” Sax proceeds, glancing down the list again.
“He could really try to use all of these against you as one giant hook. He could offer you the freedom to find yourself. Although, the only obstacle with that would be him,” he grumbles, nostrils flaring with irritation as he itches his jaw.
“I feel like he’s already started encouraging you to take pride in who and what you are.
So far, both relics have delved into the history of phoenixes.
The situation with your mom today was a little different, but it still offers a sliver of the story about them, and not just your mother.
” His eyes skim further down the paper. “Finding your place in the world without your parents’ control would be curious to him.
However, it would place you under his control, and he would be stupid to use that against you,” he continues as I bite at my thumbnail, nerves getting the better of me.
“I want to love so hard it hurts,” Archer breathes, my own words washing over me, but I refuse to shrink under the weight of them.
I meant it when I wrote them, and I mean it now.
“I don’t see how he could use that against me,” I state, and Baron huffs.
“He could offer you a life that hasn’t been shrouded in secrets, tainted with lies, and shattered by pain,” he declares, stealing my breath as my pulse rings in my ears.
“Maybe, but I have no interest in what that man has to offer. My experiences, regardless of the pain they’ve caused, have played a part in making me who I am, and I kind of like her,” I reaffirm, and his eyebrows rise a fraction, making it clear I’ve surprised him.
Before he can offer any kind of rebuttal, I clear my throat and nod at the piece of paper.
“ I want to see more than my confines have offered,” I summarize.
“That could be translated into a seekable desire for him,” I state, and they nod.
“But the last one has no relevance to him.”
I can sense a shift in the energy that surrounds me, unspoken questions on the tips of their tongues, and I brace for them, but to my shock, they don’t come.
“So, to shorten your list to deliverable desires…” Sax starts, dragging his fingertip over the paper once more before he flips it over and reaches for the pen on the edge of the desk.
He doesn’t speak for a moment, scribbling away, until the pen clatters to the table and he stands straight once more.
The paper is caught between his finger and thumb as he lifts it in the air, but instead of my writing staring back at me, it’s a new list.
Ivy’s Desires
The freedom to find herself.
Take pride in being a phoenix.
Find freedom without parental controls.
Love so hard it hurts.
See beyond her confines.
I rake my teeth over my bottom lip as I read each one repeatedly, the shortened list consuming my thoughts, when a squeak echoes from behind me.
A familiar flash of red swirls in the air, all whimsical and effortless, before she screeches to a halt in front of Teddy. Her eyes widen as she does a little shimmy as Teddy steps back, panic in his eyes.
“Theodore, I’m sorry, I couldn’t find you earlier, I—”
“It’s fine, Ember. Don’t worry about it,” he interrupts, cutting her off, and my eyebrows furrow in confusion.
“Thank you. I won’t let it happen again, but to catch you up on today’s report, I—”
“Honestly, Ember. No report needed.”
My back stiffens as he cuts her off for a second time, but before I can question what on earth is going on, Archer reaches for him, fingers threading around his throat with ease as he snarls.
“Spit it out,” he snaps, making my heart race as Teddy doesn’t even fight against him.
“Is this a bad time, Theodore?” Ember mumbles, and the Water Protector sighs.
“There could have been better ones, but it’s not your fault,” he muses, a sad smile ghosting his lips as he continues to avoid my gaze.
“What’s going on?”
My words linger in the air for a moment before Archer huffs, his knuckles whitening around Teddy’s throat.