26. Ivy
IVY
“You're all set to go, Miss Hayworth. Please just take it easy for the next few days and continue applying that ointment to your back. The bruises will disappear soon enough,” the nurse advises, offering me a small bag with the ointment inside.
After they forced me to stay for an extra night to ensure I was okay, I’d do just about anything if it meant getting out of this room, and I think the nurse knows it.
Thankfully, I don't need to make a second walk of shame since Archer brought me something comfy to wear instead. Gone is my cute dress as I twist my hair into a ball of messiness on top of my head, pairing it with a full black sweater and sweatpants set, all loose-fitted and snuggly.
I feel like I’ve been blessed by The Fates themselves.
“What do you want to do, Princess?” Teddy asks as the nurse exits, and I exhale. “We can head back to the dorms if you want to rest?”
“I’d love to grab some lunch,” I murmur.
Even though the medical center is on campus, the food here isn't quite the same, and after an extra overnight stay, I’m ready to feel the essence of freedom.
“Perfect,” Teddy declares, stroking the tip of his finger down my face as he smiles softly, and I lean into his touch.
Since my sass erupted into the room yesterday, no one has been an ass to Sax, which I’m grateful for, but I still need to keep an eye on him; he’s quieter than usual, and I need him to know that I don’t blame him at all.
“How about I take the things Hugo grabbed for you back to the room?” Archer offers. “And I know Baron needs to go and see Alaric.”
The man in question huffs, and a wince gathers his eyebrows together. “If I don't let that dragon know that you're okay, he's probably going to burn me alive.”
It’s slightly concerning how much I believe him.
“And if you don't mind, I'm just going to pop my head in with the Land Protector section to see how our bear is adjusting, and then we can all meet for lunch?” Sax offers, and I nod, despite the concern churning more harshly inside of me. Instead of focusing on him, I consider my friend.
“She's still not okay?” I clarify, and he grimaces.
“She'll get there. The first time is always the hardest. Being under the circumstances she was in doesn’t help, but when she shifts back, we’ll be there for her. Which is why I’m going to keep us in the loop because she’s going to need us.”
“Do you think Toby will be there, or should we update him too?” I ask, and he smiles.
“He hasn’t left her side. Dorian either. She’s got a good unit around her. She’s going to be great,” he reassures me, and I take strength from his words.
Nodding in agreement, I wrap my arms around his neck, sagging against him as he rocks us from side to side.
The second he steps back, Baron replaces him.
He doesn’t hug me, but he cups my cheek, looking deep into my eyes, communicating without words, and although I’m not entirely sure what he’s conveying, I feel it in my chest.
A half step, and I’m face to face with Archer, who plants his hands on my shoulders.
“I’m sorry I was an ass. Not just to Sax, but Baron, and you too.
I was worried about you, but acting irrational is my specialty, and I just need you to know that as much as we’re going to be there for Meadow, we’re going to be there for Sax too,” he states, and I wrap my arms around his neck.
I don’t reply, not wanting to scare the beast and make him take it all back.
Instead, Teddy extends his hand in my direction, and I press my palm against his, lacing our fingers together.
Archer steals the ointment bag from my hand before grabbing my belongings. Basking in the energy in the room for a moment, I take it all in, because the moment we reach the door, we’ll scatter, everyone heading in different directions.
With Teddy at my side, we take the slowest pace, strolling toward the exit, and the second we step outside, I tilt my face toward the midday sun.
I take a deep breath, and as I exhale, a weight I wasn’t aware was still resting on my shoulders eases, encouraging me to bask in the sun for a few extra moments before we start moving.
Teddy remains quiet at my side, happy to give me the space I need. After the past few days, it feels productive, even if only in the smallest way, and as we cut across campus, I can’t help but feel lighter and calmer, despite the bruises along my spine.
I glance at my Water Protector out of the corner of my eye to find him already staring at me, a gentle smile on his lips as he squeezes my hand tighter.
“What are you thinking about?” I ask, and he shrugs.
“I was thinking about the fact that I haven’t been able to take my fated mate on a date yet,” he explains, his thoughts catching me completely off guard, and all I can do is gape at him for a moment.
Finally, I clear my throat. “Really?”
He nods. “Oh yeah.”
Nerves thread through my veins. “And what would one of those look like?” I ask, watching as he tries to hide his smile.
He drags his tongue along his bottom lip, his gaze tilting away from me as he thinks. “I feel like there would be some epic plans, but finer details can't be known too soon. Otherwise, it spoils the whole point of it,” he declares.
“It does,” I confirm, acutely aware of the fact that I've never been on a date.
“Maybe when I get a spare moment, and my fated mate's best friend is not trapped being a bear, I might ask her for any needed hints or tips,” he adds, and I fail to hide my grin.
“You think you need help?” I ask innocently, and his jaw falls slack.
“Of course not,” he insists, pressing a quick kiss to my knuckles, and I shake my head at him, a giggle on my lips as he pulls me into his side, pressing another kiss to my temple.
“For someone who just got attacked by a power-enhanced tiger, you sure seem… happy,” he breathes, making my grin spread wider.
“Sure. Or maybe it has something to do with the flower they gave me.”
“Flower?” he repeats, cocking a brow at me, and I shrug.
“Something to do with the pain. It makes me feel relaxed.”
“I’m just glad to see that you're okay,” he admits, the energy shifting around as I nod in agreement.
“I think I'm just going to spend the day making the most of the fact that I don’t have any worries rattling around in my mind. Which feels odd considering what's going on around me, but when the pain killers subside, I’m sure it will make up for it,” I declare as we cut across campus, the sweet smell of wildflowers dancing in the air.
I'm obsessed with how pretty they look.
“What do you want to do after lunch?” Teddy asks, and my lips twist as I consider my options.
“Honestly, I have no idea,” I admit. “Any other time, I would be hoping to do some fencing, but I think that's pretty much off the table now,” I decide, and he nods.
“Yeah, you're going to have to beat me another day,” he agrees.
The forest looms in the distance, a stark reminder of what I experienced two nights ago. As if sensing my train of thought, Teddy squeezes my hand tight.
“Are you sure you want to forgive him so easily?” he asks, and I huff.
“There is nothing to forgive.”
He lifts his free hand in surrender. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t there, but I do know what it’s like for your magic to feel uncontrollable. I just can’t imagine you being in harm’s way around me,” he admits, and I sigh.
“I don't think it helped that there was so much happening all at once. We were all just reacting. It’s literally what we had been complaining about, and exactly how we don't want to operate anymore, but it feels like that's all we've got left to do,” I admit.
“Ah, ah, ah,” he starts, wagging a finger at me.
“We are not discussing this right now, not while those meds are still in motion.
I shouldn't have asked. I'll keep my mouth shut,” he insists, fake zipping his mouth up and tossing away the key before he takes a big breath.
“So, how about you tell me something cute about—”
A squawk echoes in the air as the wind picks up, and confusion vibrates inside of me until a familiar flash of red darts toward us.
A phoenix.
Instinct has me reaching for Teddy's wrist, yanking him behind me as the flamed-feathered bird comes to a halt right in front of me, transforming in one swoop to reveal my mother in its place.
My chest heaves with every breath, my mind and body unprepared for her presence.
“What are you doing here?” I blurt, and she hisses at me, wiping her hands down her t-shirt as her eyes narrow.
I'm too calm.
I regret the meds, but it at least allows me to be present enough to acknowledge the fact that she shifted from creature to human and kept her clothes intact, unlike when Sax does it.
“Where did you put it?” she snarls, and I frown at her in confusion.
Inhaling sharply, I roll my shoulders back as I narrow my eyes at her. “I don't know what you're talking about.”
She inches closer, her head twitching as her nose crinkles. “Don't lie to me, girl. Where did you put it?” she repeats as I gape at her, trying to piece together what on earth she’s referring to, when Teddy’s voice cuts through the air.
“I’m going to need you to back the fuck up, lady,” Teddy grumbles, trying to sidestep and put me behind him, but it's impossible with my mother before us, the rich scent of fire lingering in the air.
“Call your dog off before I put it down,” she warns, glowering at Teddy before she blinks at me. “The relic. I know he brought you one. Where is it?”
I rear back, blinking at her. “You know he brought me one?”
I repeat her words back to her and she huffs, waving me off as she shakes her head. “Don't try and distract me. I want to know where the hell it is,” she growls, her throat raspy with rage as I slowly shake my head.
She’s deranged.
Even more insane than usual if she’s freely accosting me on campus instead of trying to catch me off guard in my dorm. She’s already done that, but still, this is a new level of madness, even for her.
Part of me wants to push back, but it’s impossible to pretend I have the strength, so I swallow my pride and take option b.
“I asked Archer to get rid of it,” I state, but my lips won’t stop moving. “I didn't want to fall into Leonardo Corrigan's games, just like I don't want to do yours either.”
Her lips pinch. “You foolish girl,” she snarls. "Do you have any idea what you've done?” she rages, and I instinctively shake my head, but I get the feeling it’s a rhetorical question.
She presses her fingertips into her temples, her nostrils flaring as her fury continues to rise.
"Back the fuck up,” Teddy grunts, his words drenched in song as he speaks, and as I peer at him from the corner of my eye, I find familiar orange rings around his blue pools.
Damn it!
“Teddy,” I breathe, clutching his arm as my mother's cackle burns through the air.
“Do you think your siren call works on me, little boy?
Try again. How about when you do it, we have a little wager.
If it works, you get to see me do what it is you're asking for.
If it doesn't, I get to burn you at the fucking stake.” Her voice deepens, the threat clear as she vows to cause me pain at the hands of my hated mate, and my heart lurches in my chest.
“Teddy, please,” I insist, but he shakes his head.
“I’m not trying to use my call on you. I'm trying to protect my mate from the woman who is supposed to be shielding her along with me,” he growls back.
“But the grounding came into effect, didn't it? Hence your eyes. How does it feel to be so… erratic?”
It's like she's taking pleasure in the moment, and it infuriates me.
“Mom,” I start, but she’s locked on Teddy at my side.
“I wonder how you would compare to losing it altogether,” she cackles, a ball of flame appearing in her palm, but it's not orange, and it's not purple.
It's green.
I move on instinct to protect my hated mate as the green flames swoop through the air, slamming me in the chest with a harsh rumble.
A scream tears from my lips as the world dances in green, the scent of fire growing stronger as the flames lick across my skin, the first to have an effect since I was made a Fire Protector.
My throat burns with agony as my mother's cackle howls in the air.
I can’t fight it as it consumes me, the world nothing but endless green as my screams grow louder, the bruising down my spine forgotten as pain rips through every one of my nerve endings.
It’s too much.
More than too much.
But as quickly as the thought enters my mind, it dissolves into darkness.
I plummet into the depths of death, the shadows consuming me with ease, and it’s refreshing.
For the first time, I accept it, inviting it into my very being as the screams stop.
Anything to make the pain stop. But with every ounce of agony that is eliminated comes the understanding that I'm dead.
Free falling.
My eyes blur, the sensation offsetting, until the desire to pry my eyes open is unbearable, and I have to.
Fear clings to my lungs as I find myself hovering an inch above my lifeless body.
My chest aches as I gaze at Teddy's distraught face, his fingers curled into his messy blond hair, and I feel like I’m on fire all over again.
Our dismay is met in equal and opposite measure by my mother, who squeals, deliriously happy at my demise, all while I remain lost to the reality that is my life.
Death.
Not once.
Not twice.
But three times.
And two of those times have been at the hands of one of my parents.
Invisible tears swirl inside of me as Teddy snarls.
“I’m going to make you pay for this,” he promises, and her laughter stops as she narrows her eyes at him.
“You're not going to do anything, little boy,” she promises, taking a step toward him, and he accepts it, intercepting her to protect my lifeless body at the same time, and she bares her teeth.
“Listen here,” he starts, and she cracks the back of her hand across his face before leaning close, her facial features more menacing than ever.
“Just thank your lucky stars that the only reason you're still breathing right now is that I still have use for you. Otherwise, you'd be screaming right beside her. Lifeless, with no way back.”