27. Ivy #2
I’ve only taken a single step toward him before a hand curls around my wrist, pulling me back for a soft kiss. Teddy consumes me, his touch grounding me before releasing me once more, and a second later, I find myself perched between Baron's thighs on Alaric's back.
My stomach twists in knots, uncertainty forever plaguing me as I glance down at Teddy, who peers at his device for a moment.
“Of course the others are calling me now so I have to explain it all over again,” he says with a sigh. “Go, before I change my mind.”
“About what?” I retort, and he gives me a pointed look.
“Princess, let me at least pretend to have some control here, yeah?”
I roll my eyes at him, and he winks as Baron leans in close, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear.
“Ready, Firefly?” Baron asks, delirium seeping through my bones as I try to figure out what on earth my life is right now, but I nod nonetheless. “Let's take to the skies, Alaric,” he orders, and I jolt as the dragon digs his claws into the ground before sending us shooting into the air.
My stomach twists just like last time, while a feather-light feeling brushes over my skin as I hold on tight.
Running my fingertips across Alaric’s scales is soothing as I bask in the journey, the view going on for miles, every direction offering something more beautiful, and despite dying not so long ago, I feel safe again in Baron's arms.
This time, when we near the congregation, it almost feels familiar.
The rich orange, reds, and browns are mottled across the formed rocks as Alaric lands, nodding toward the open cave system.
Sucking in a sharp breath, my nerves threaten to get the better of me as Baron climbs down off Alaric's back first, extending a hand to me, but before I can interlock my fingers with his, Alaric darts inside with me still on his back.
I yelp. “Alaric, what are you doing?”
Panic swirls through my muscles, making them clench.
“Don’t worry, he'll catch up,” he states.
“I don't think it's the catching up I'm concerned with. It's the fact that you're running off with me. What the hell are you doing?” I insist, not feeling any sense of unease as the ground rumbles and the air shakes around us.
“He will want to see you alone.”
I’m assuming he means Rapture.
“Why?”
“It was pleasantries to allow Baron to remain present last time. Now, when you're going to him with actual needs, it's important that we respect the rules.”
I huff, my fingers flexing against his scales. “And you didn't think to tell Baron that first?” I ask, and he scoffs.
“Do you think he would have brought you if he knew?” he retorts, and I grimace, hating that he has a point. We come to a stop beside a wide archway edged in gold. “He'll be waiting for you through there.”
“He already knows I'm here?” I clarify, and he hums.
“He will have recognized your scent the moment we arrived,” he explains.
I gulp, nervously tossing my leg over his scales and slipping down his wing. It’s way clumsier than last time without Baron's help, but I manage to scramble to my feet when I reach the bottom.
Threading my fingers together nervously, I approach the opening in the cave wall.
“Come in, Miss Hayworth,” the familiar voice in my head orders before I can figure out how to make my presence known, but I take the command, stepping inside as I clear my throat, only to startle slightly when I find the dragon in question curled up in the center of a large room with soft flames flickering around the space.
It's almost cozy.
“I didn't expect to see you back so soon. Although, I can't say I'm shocked,” he states, and I nod, folding my arms over my chest protectively.
“I, um, I have some questions I’m hoping you'll be able to answer.”
His head bobs. “What's on your mind?”
“Many things are on my mind, but right now I'm confused about my mother,” I admit, worrying my bottom lip as he sighs.
“Ah, Sapphira Hayworth,” he states, her name dipped in disappointment, and I nod. “She's never been a woman of honor. I'm sorry her predominant traits didn't change when she had children,” he adds, and I hum in agreement.
“Me too. There are many things I could complain about regarding her, but my issue at the moment is the fact that she just killed me. It’s my third death, but for the first time, I woke up minutes after it happened, seemingly with my memories still intact.
I’m sorry for just showing up here; I don't know who else to ask why this is different.”
“I’m glad you came to me,” he rasps as he stretches his limbs out, a half-yawn parting his huge mouth, making him almost seem…
cute, instead of deadly. I can’t help but wonder what it would look like if he were little, like a kitten-sized dragon.
“How did your mother kill you? Green flames?” he asks, and I nod, jaw slack in surprise, but before I can push to understand how he might know that, he proceeds.
“Unfortunately, that's a classic move for your mother. Green flames are the only flames that can burn a phoenix, but the reality of one phoenix killing another comes with different consequences.”
Nerves get the better of me as I blink at him, waiting with bated breath for more of an explanation as bile burns up my throat once again.
“When a phoenix kills a phoenix, there's no issue of memory loss or extended periods of healing, but it does weaken a phoenix's abilities and powers for a period of time.”
I frown. “How so?” I breathe, and he stretches his neck from side to side before he speaks.
“Have you tried to summon a flame since awakening?” I shake my head. “Please,” he orders, and I twist my hand, staring at my bare palm. I try to connect with the piece inside of me that loves to dance across my skin in a ball of flame, but nothing comes.
“The way she killed me, it exposes me. Why would she want to do that?” I consider, and he sighs.
“There are many reasons when it comes to your mother. But I would just be thankful that she didn't use her green torture chamber on you instead.”
My chest tightens. “That doesn't sound fun,” I state, and he nods.
“Your ancestors, unfortunately, know about it best. Was there a particular reason she was angry today?” he adds, and my spine stiffens.
“Something about a relic given to me by Leonardo Corrigan. I refused to indulge in what secrets may have been hidden inside because I didn’t want to sign my soul over to him. And now, she wants it, but I no longer have it.”
His head bobs in understanding. “Then that's what you must consider, Ivy. Understanding the bond between your mother and Leonardo Corrigan, and what he has to offer you, seems vital to the issues that surround you.”
I don’t like the sound of that.
Not at all.
Rumbling footsteps sound from behind me, and I glance over my shoulder just in time to find Baron standing in the open archway, anger burning through him as he points a jagged finger toward the dragon.
“Don't ever separate us like that again.”
The dragon stands tall, elongating every limb before looming over us dangerously.
“Don't ever step into my chambers and make threats, dragon rider,” he commands, his voice not simply in my head but barked into the open air around us, and I’m not the only one to stumble back as Baron stares at him in disbelief.
“There are protocols and a hierarchy that you don't seem familiar with,” he adds, and Baron scoffs, nostrils flaring as he glowers at Rapture like it doesn’t stand so tall in comparison.
“And I'm a desperately protective mate that you don't seem to be familiar with,” he retorts. “Respect the fact that she has just died,” he growls, and the dragon huffs.
“A phoenix is born to die.”
“Maybe other phoenixes are, but not mine, not her. She deserves more than a life in flames.”
My pulse races in my ears at his defensive tone, but to my surprise, the dragon doesn’t snarl back as I anticipate. Instead, he inches closer, lower, until his face is but a breath from my hated mate, and fear spikes through my limbs again.
“Continue to protect her like this, and you just might have a chance of surviving.” He tilts his head, eyes boring into mine as a purr-like sound ripples from his throat as his next words go straight to my mind.
“If you don’t wish to gain answers by exploring what Leonardo has to offer, I suggest you demand the attention of The Fates. ”