29. Ivy
IVY
“The last thing I want to be doing is draining myself for the good of our kingdom when it’s offering us nothing in return,” Archer grunts beside me, and I grimace.
“As much as I agree with you, we don’t give to receive, and the people in our kingdom who feel unsafe right now aren’t the ones we have an issue with,” I murmur soothingly, and he grunts.
“You’re only saying that because you’ve been exempt from participating,” he replies, and I roll my eyes.
“Please, I’m participating,” I insist, and his eyes widen in surprise.
“Ivy, you were just killed.”
“I was barely dead for five minutes. I’m fine.” I wave him off, but he captures my wrist.
“You’re not this insane, are you?” he breathes, and I exhale.
“I should be able to participate in the rejuvenating ceremony if I want to,” I grumble, and he cocks a brow, amusement dancing at the corner of his mouth like he knows something I don’t.
He steps in close, cupping my cheek as he peers down at me with curiosity in his eyes. “Do you want to rejuvenate the kingdom or do you want to get all hot and bothered with me?”
My breath hitches at the idea, but I shake my head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I mutter, and his grin spreads.
“Oh, I think you do. Or are you worried I’ll go in there and feel the heat of the magic all on my own…
without you?” Jealousy threads through my veins at the idea of it, and my insistence grows weaker as I struggle to shake my head.
“Ivy,” he breathes, pressing the tip of his finger under my chin to force my attention to his face before he speaks.
“I can fuck you out here before I go in if that makes you feel better…” he offers, and I roll my eyes again.
“Oh my gosh, yes, of course that’s the exact answer I was hoping for. Why hadn’t I thought of that?” I grumble, shoving at his chest, but he captures my wrists with ease, pinning them against his chest.
He stares into my eyes, the moment extending for what feels like an eternity as my breath comes in short, sharp pants.
“Fine.”
My eyebrows furrow together in confusion, but he’s moving before I can say a word, tugging me along behind him. He maneuvers through the Fire Protectors all heading inside the cave, and I gasp when the sudden heat cascades over my skin.
It’s intense and delicious, all at once.
I’ve always loved being hotter rather than colder, but this takes it to a whole new level, and I love it.
Thankfully, Teddy’s clothes from earlier are gone, and in their place is a simple plaid skirt and a cropped white tee.
I’d say I came dressed for the occasion, but I don’t want to help Archer change his mind.
The truth is, I’m secretly addicted to these moments. Not just in here, because I’m not experienced enough to know whether I’m into fucking in public places. It’s when moments like this are charged with heat, our magic coiling through our veins.
I’m obsessed, and after the day I’ve had, I want to connect with my magic in a different way.
I’ve resurrected from the dead, flown on the back of a dragon, and paid a visit to The Fates.
The hunt for my ancestors will follow, but that’s not in the cards for today.
“Hey,” I startle at the proximity of the voice, but as I glance to my side, I smile when I see it’s Dorian. He offers a two-finger wave as he comes to a stop, fist bumping Archer as his gaze settles on mine. “I heard about today. Are you doing okay?” he asks, and I nod.
“I’m fine,” I insist, waving him off.
“Is she fit enough to do this?” he asks, cocking his attention to Archer, who huffs.
“Apparently she’s her own woman who can make her own decisions. I’m just here as moral support,” he mutters, and I slip my wrist from his grasp to lace our fingers together, appreciating the solidarity in his words.
“Well, if you need me for anything…” he states, wiggling his fingers to reference his magic. “You know where I am.”
I smile, appreciating the offer as I recall his ability to drain away magic.
I can’t help but wonder if he would be able to do that to my mother so I might be able to get some answers, but I swallow the curiosity for now as I take a backward step.
I don’t make it far before Dorian’s hand lands on my shoulder.
“Oh, I just got a message from Toby on the way in. Have you seen?” he asks, and I shake my head. “Meadow has shifted back.”
I exhale a heavy breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. “That’s fantastic news. Will she be open to visitors?” I ask, and he shakes his head.
“He mentioned tomorrow, but she’s doing a lot of sleeping right now.”
“Of course, that makes total sense, but if you get any more news before I hear anything, will you let me know, please?”
He nods, offering me a wink before he disappears into the crowd, and Archer doesn’t waste a moment dragging me toward our usual hiding spot behind the rock.
“He has a thing for you,” Archer states as he takes a seat, leaning against the heated wall behind us.
“Does that bother you?” I ask, and he tilts his head at me.
“You know?”
I shrug. “Not really, but the night of the charity event, he started asking some questions, but I got caught up in Teddy after seeing his mother slap him across the face.”
Archer scoffs. “A slap feels like nothing these days when it comes to our parents.”
I hum my agreement, worrying my bottom lip for a moment as I eye the man beside me. “How is your mom?”
“She’s doing well. She doesn’t want to fall into old habits, but the desire seeps back into your brain whether you want it to or not. The doctors are happy with her progress.”
“And Arabella? Is she holding up okay?”
His smile turns sad. “She’s been better, but she’s strong. She was asking about you earlier, actually.”
“She was?” I can’t hide the smile on my face as he nods.
“It seems she likes you almost as much as I do.”
“You like me?” I push, nudging his arm with my own, and he presses a kiss to my shoulder, looking up at me through his lashes as he speaks.
“I definitely like you, Ivy.”
Butterflies spread from my stomach, dancing through my body as I try to hide my heated cheeks from him. Turning away, I falter when I spy movement off to our right.
“Archer?” I breathe, his name a question on my tongue as I clench his thigh, not moving my gaze from its target.
He doesn’t speak a word, but I hear the shift in his breathing.
Off in the shadows of the far-off corner, familiar eyes hold my attention. But it’s not who they are that has me holding my breath, but what they’re doing.
Silas.
He’s not looking at me, and if he senses my gaze burning into the side of his head, he doesn’t show it. He’s too busy whispering in Professor Carbon’s ear, his hand pressed against her stomach as she smiles.
“Is that a thing?” I murmur, and Archer shakes his head.
“No,” he whispers, watching the same scene unravel as the tips of Silas’s fingers tease beneath the waistband of her combat pants, lips ghosting her cheek before he leans back.
She nods eagerly at him as she tucks her hair behind her ear.
“I mean, it can be whatever they want. It has nothing to do with me. I can’t say anything when I have four freaking mates,” I ramble, turning away from the seemingly intimate moment, but it seems Archer doesn’t have the same mindset as he clambers to his feet.
“Archer, what are you doing?” I whisper-shout, and he extends his hand in my direction.
I place my palm against his without question, and he hikes me to my feet, pinning me to his side as he starts moving.
With wide eyes, I gape around the space, expecting people to be staring at us, but no one pays us any mind. Curiosity gets the better of me, and I glance back in the corner again, but it’s only to find Professor Carbon alone, tapping away on her device.
“Something isn’t right.”
“Archer, we can’t tell them what they can and can’t do,” I insist, and he shakes his head, his pace unwavering as we head toward the exit.
“Archer, the ceremony,” I mutter, tugging on his arm, but he pays me no mind as he steps back out into the night air, eyes darting in every direction. “What the hell is going on?”
“Whatever that was, it’s not right,” he states, and I roll my eyes.
“I already assumed you came to that assumption, Archer, but—”
“No, not how you’re thinking,” he interrupts, dragging a hand down his face. “Professor Carbon is married.”
“Well, that’s definitely not—”
“To a woman.”
“Oh.”
“I told you there was something off with Silas. I fucking knew it. Now we’re going to find out for ourselves, and maybe then we can reveal the leak among us,” he declares, clenching his hand tightly around mine, and I don’t fight it this time as he drags me into the night, leaving the rejuvenating ceremony behind us without a backward glance.
“Have we lost him already?” I whisper, and Archer shakes his head.
“He’s going to think he has a safe escape route because we’re all in the Rejuvenating Ceremony, so we need to keep our distance. He’s up there,” he explains, pointing up the winding hill that leads off toward the forest.
“Does he not know I’ve had enough nightmares formed from the forest already?” I mutter with a huff. “Can we not ask him to go about his villainous ways elsewhere?”
Archer scoffs. “Villainous ways?”
“Well what else would you call it?” I retort, but it doesn’t shake the grin from his lips as he ups our pace.
I want to complain about it, my legs tired from today’s events, but I can’t now. Not when I said I was fine for the ceremony. Besides, if Silas is a back-stabbing asshole, I want to see it with my own eyes.
To my dismay, as he nears the forest, he steps off the pathway and into the unknown.
I hold back my growl of frustration, squeezing Archer’s hand tighter instead as we follow him beyond the tree line.
“Wait, won’t the Land Protectors be around here?” I whisper, and Archer’s jaw ticks as he nods. “Wait, does Sax get all hot and bothered in here like—”