Chapter 21 Ivy
twenty-one
Ivy
The following night, Ivy was summoned downstairs to speak with Leseldh. He knows. She considered possible explanations and excuses, but everything she came up with sounded feeble. Her panic rose with every step towards the parlour.
A whirlwind of emotions swirled within her in the wake of last night’s events, and she wasn’t sure how much more she could take.
When she spotted Voresta barrelling towards her and Killian, she was certain that she was about to be dragged home and submitted to another of Leseldh’s punishments.
The fight broke out, and she was overwhelmed at the concern she felt—not just for her Broodmate, but also for Killian.
After the last fight she’d witnessed, she wasn’t sure how Killian would fare, and she didn’t understand the disproportionate amount of worry she felt about it.
But most disconcerting was that she hadn’t been able to think of anything but Killian since The Succ.
She kept reliving the moment in her mind—from the way he touched her, to the almost-kiss that set her blood on fire every time she thought about it.
What would have happened if Voresta hadn’t shown up?
She was loath to admit it, but she wanted Killian to kiss her.
Her consent was on the tip of her tongue when Voresta exploded into her view.
She didn’t know where that left her when it came to Leseldh, and her guilt threatened to smother her.
Ivy arrived at the parlour door and peered into the room. Leseldh was seated on one of the couches, with Phaedra in her usual position on the mantelpiece. Leseldh was reading a book, and he seemed relaxed. Ivy wasn’t sure if that was a good sign, or the calm before the storm.
“You wanted to speak with me?” Ivy tried to keep her voice level to conceal her nerves.
“Come. Sit,” was Leseldh’s only response.
She joined him on the couch, her heart beating so hard she was certain Leseldh could hear it. His next words drew Ivy’s eyes to his faster than a lightning strike. “Ivy, it’s time to discuss your Ascension.”
She almost sighed in relief to know the conversation wasn’t about last night. “I’ve researched the Ascension, but is there more I should know?”
“Why don’t you tell me what you’ve learned?” Leseldh put his arm around her shoulders, and she nestled into his side.
“Well, it starts on the one-year anniversary of my Creation. I’ll be buried in the ground and will rise an Ascendant Vampire one week later.
And I may or may not receive additional powers when I rise.
” As she spoke, Ivy’s hand drifted to Leseldh’s thigh and drew casual patterns along the fabric of his slacks.
“That’s a decent summary.” A playful smile sprang to Leseldh’s lips as he watched the movement of Ivy’s fingers.
“What am I missing?”
“Only some of the technicalities, but you’ve covered it in broad strokes.
The most crucial part of your Ascension is that you must be undisturbed during the burial.
If someone were to interrupt the Ascension, it would fail, and you would remain in your Fledgling state permanently.
” Ivy’s eyes were drawn to Leseldh’s by the seriousness of his tone.
Does that mean the bond would remain intact?
It wasn’t a question she felt confident posing to her Sire, though.
Ivy had experienced a lot of doubt and uncertainty since her Creation, and the knowledge that the Sire and Broodling bond would be severed upon the Ascension kept her going.
She wasn’t sure how she’d cope if that connection dictated her life for eternity.
“Don’t worry, Ivy. Voresta has sworn to protect you for the duration of your Ascension. You will be buried in the grounds of Veldmoor, and you will be safe. This is not the first time he has done this.” Leseldh lifted his free hand to cup her jaw.
Ivy was sure that Finare was protected by Voresta during his Ascension. She pondered Voresta’s Ascension and imagined Leseldh keeping vigil over his Broodling’s temporary grave. She wondered if she would have to perform the same act for a Fledgling of her own one night.
“Do you think I’ll receive any powers?” Ivy pushed thoughts of failure out of her mind to consider brighter prospects.
“Blood Gifts,” Leseldh corrected. He moved his hand from Ivy’s jaw to tuck her hair behind her ear. “That is less certain. The Gifts are rare, and they are received randomly.”
“How did you receive Phaedra?” Ivy looked over at the Erath, who was looking in their direction silently.
“It was a short time after Malia’s Ending.
A raven landed on my windowsill. I noticed that she was quite unusual.
She was black in colour, except the tips of her wings faded to grey.
Her eyes were also grey. I’d never seen a raven quite like her.
I often wonder if she came to me to ease my suffering. ”
Ivy looked over at Phaedra once more, observing her all-black appearance. She looked back to Leseldh and frowned in confusion. “Phaedra doesn’t look like that.”
“To you. You see, those gifted with an Erath see the creature’s true form.
To all others, they appear as a regular raven.
I was just as confused as you when I discussed her with Voresta for the first time.
” Leseldh let out a small chuckle and Ivy noticed his eyes flash with gold.
He was silent for a moment, caught up in a memory.
“Do you communicate with Phaedra with… your mind?” It was a long-held suspicion that Leseldh confirmed with a nod. Ivy struggled to fathom what it would be like.
Leseldh’s hand stroked Ivy’s shoulder idly, and she closed her eyes to focus on the sensation. After a long silence, Leseldh spoke again.
“There are things that will take place after your Ascension that you must know about.” There was nothing sinister about Leseldh’s statement, but it sent worry coursing through her, nonetheless.
“Like what?” Ivy affected a casual air, but her thirst for information was all-encompassing. She suspected that this was the conversation she’d both feared and anticipated.
“We will finally be able to confirm the Resonance.”
“How will we do that?”
“Through an exchange of blood.” Leseldh shifted to face her, and she peered at him curiously. “Tasting each other’s blood will seal the bond and confirm us as Resonant Vampires.”
A familiar conviction entered Leseldh’s tone, and his eyes flashed a brilliant gold. The knowledge didn’t sit well with Ivy—it felt like one shackle was being removed, only for another to take its place. It felt like a choice that was being made for her.
“Why do you call me your Resonant if it’s not confirmed until after we taste each other’s blood?” Ivy couldn’t stop the irritation that crept into her voice, and a frown formed on Leseldh’s brow.
“Because I know in my heart that you belong to me. I have never been more certain of anything.” He spoke with such belief, and Ivy felt a fresh pang of guilt—she didn’t share his conviction.
“How do you know all of this?”
“You forget that I have done this before. Malia and I sealed our bond after my Ascension. When I tasted her blood, the love that I already felt for her was amplified. I felt like I’d found a missing part of myself.”
“And it was the same for her?”
Leseldh’s eyes flashed. He responded firmly, “Of course.”
Ivy said no more on the matter.
Later that evening, Ivy and Finare were at Sabor Sanguine to feed.
They were seated in one of the private lounges in the back of the bar, waiting for their Humans to arrive.
Voresta planned to join them at Lunarian afterward, and his absence allowed Ivy to broach a subject with the only person she trusted.
“Leseldh told me more about confirming our bond,” she stated without preamble.
Finare’s two-toned eyes snapped to hers. “What did he say?”
Ivy outlined what she’d been told about the blood exchange, and Leseldh’s recount of his exchange with Malia.
“You’re not so enthusiastic about this.”
Ivy sighed, “I have my doubts.”
Finare didn’t respond, but he looked at her as if expecting elaboration. She leaned forward in her seat, resting her elbows on her knees as she held her head in her hands.
“It just feels like every choice I make is the wrong one. I was drawn to Leseldh from the moment we met. He was so… charming and alluring. When he Created me, it felt right. It felt like the missing piece of the puzzle that I’d lost in the wreckage of my life.
And when he said we were destined to be together, it made sense. ”
“And then?” Finare’s tone was gentle, coaxing.
“Shit, you’ve been around for the last year.
The game in the garden. The disappointing sex.
Leseldh’s demonstration in the parlour. Voresta brutalising you.
Leseldh parading me around the theatre like his trophy.
Am I his Resonant, or his possession?” Ivy shrugged her shoulders, chasing her admission with a sigh, “But aside from all that, I have this feeling that I was meant for… more.”
Ivy had let all her doubts scream to the surface. It felt liberating to let them spill from her lips. Finare laid a comforting hand on her back, rubbing gently in silence for a moment.
“Sometimes the choices that seem like bad ones can take you on a path that lead to some really good choices. If you didn’t go home with Leseldh that night, I probably wouldn't have met you, sister. But maybe the really good part hasn’t happened yet.”
Ivy looked over at Finare and saw affection in his gaze. He’d never referred to her as his sister before, and it made her eyes well with tears. She pulled him into a hug before the tears spilled.
“I love you, Fin,” Ivy whispered against him.
“Love you, too.”
A soft knock on the door broke the moment, and a pair of twins walked into the room—one male, one female. The male rounded the table to stand at Ivy’s side, while the female headed towards Finare.